The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance (including consumer credit), 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a first tier firm,

3 Verulam Buildings is ‘undoubtedly the leading banking and finance set’. Ali Malek QC is ‘a true world-class specialist in letters of credit cases’. Richard Salter QC is ‘a master of the detail, every fact is at his finger tips and his cross-examination is first-rate’. Adrian Beltrami QC is ‘extremely approachable, and excellent at seeing the wood for the trees’. Ewan McQuater QC is noted for his ‘excellent client-handling skills, robust legal analysis and outstanding advocacy’. Clients commend the ‘exceptionally bright’ Jonathan Nash QC’s ‘uncompromising cross-examination’. Nicholas Elliott QC is valued for his ‘clear, concise, definitive and commercial advice’. The ‘supremely clever’ Stephen Phillips QC is ‘excellent in court and a delight to deal with’. Sonia Tolaney QC is ‘very bright, tenacious and formidable on her feet’. Richard Brent has ‘exceptional analytical skills’. Jonathan Davies-Jones is simply ‘the best junior at the banking bar’. Catherine Gibaud is ‘absolutely first class for finance litigation’. The ‘super’ Matthew Hardwick is especially recommended for Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) claims, where he has been defending numerous brokers and lenders. The ‘technically excellent’ John Odgers is ‘very responsive and a pleasure to work with’. The ‘very bright’ Matthew Parker is ‘excellent in cross examination’.

Within Commercial litigation, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a first tier firm,

3 Verulam Buildings is ‘a quality set which scores on all points’ and has ‘strength from top to bottom’. Head of chambers Ali Malek QC is ‘a first-class lawyer’ who is ‘intellectually able, extremely conscientious, commercially savvy and experienced’. ‘Few counsel are quicker on their feet’ than Ewan McQuater QC, who has ‘a great ability to get up to speed in a very short space of time’. Paul Lowenstein QC is ‘an exceptional lawyer’ and ‘a fearless advocate, robust in his advice and very savvy in his dealings with both instructing solicitors and opponents’. Jonathan Davies-Jones is ‘one of the brightest commercial juniors at the Bar and also one of the most pleasant to instruct’. Michael Lazarus is ‘at the very top of his game’, and recently acted in Merchant International v Naftogaz. Felicity Maher ‘has an excellent technical understanding of restitutionary claims and proprietary remedies’.

Within Commodities,

3 Verulam Buildings’ Nicholas Craig is recommended.

Within Energy Energy – New Silks

Within Fraud: civil, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a first tier firm,

3 Verulam Buildings is ‘a market-leading set for finance work and fraud’. The ‘very bright, responsive and creative’ Ali Malek QC is acting for Russian oligarch Vasily Anisimov in the Berezovsky v Patarkatsishvili case, and Ewan McQuater QC is continuing to act for the Algosaibi family in a $10bn bank fraud claim. Stephen Phillips QC ‘is very user friendly, works well in a team and has very good judgement’. Adrian Beltrami QC is also recommended. Among the juniors, David Quest ‘has a gift for making complicated issues simple’, the up-and-coming Adam Kramer ‘displays a gravitas way beyond his years of call’, John Odgers is ‘a skilled tactician and draftsman, particularly of complex pleadings’, and Matthew Parker ‘is a superb barrister’. Michael Lazarus is ‘great on paper and charming to deal with’, and David Head and Peter de Verneuil Smith are also recommended.

Within Information technology, tier 4

The ‘clear-thinking and tactically astute’ Paul Lowenstein QC of 3 Verulam Buildings acted for Cable & Wireless in a claim relating to a point-to-point fibre cable use agreement. Michael Lazarus ‘impresses at every level and grasps technical issues quickly’, and Clive Freedman is ‘proactive and very accessible’.

Within Insolvency, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a third tier firm,

3 Verulam Buildings is an ‘excellent commercial set providing access to very high-quality and able counsel’, and its clerking is widely admired. ‘Superb’ leading silk Ewan McQuater QC is renowned for his ‘clear, no-nonsense advice’ and high technical ability, and appeared in Excalibur Funding Plc v Lehman Brothers International (Europe) Ltd. Gregory Mitchell QC is very active and has extensive experience of sport-related matters, recently appearing in HMRC v Football Association Premier League Ltd. Sonia Tolaney QC is ‘clever, charming and committed’. Recommended juniors include the ‘excellent and gifted’ Angharad Start; the ‘sharp and pragmatic’ Sophie Mallinckrodt; ‘invaluable asset’ Matthew Hardwick, whose advice is ‘clear, well researched and to the point’; and the ‘very sharp, responsive and efficient’ William Edwards.

Within Insurance and reinsurance, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a third tier firm,

‘Quality set’ 3 Verulam Buildings houses ‘many good QCs and juniors’. Tom Weitzman QC ‘is intellectually strong and reads the mood of the court well’. Jonathan Davies-Jones is ‘counsel of the highest quality’, and is ‘very clear in his legal analysis and its strategic implications’. ‘One of the brightest junior barristers of his generation’, Adam Kramer is being led by Tom Weitzman QC for the brokers in Gard Marine & Energy Ltd v Lloyd’s Syndicate 780. ‘Major player’ Christopher Symons QC is also highly rated.

Within International arbitration, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a third tier firm,

The ‘quality of the work is excellent’ at 3 Verulam Buildings, which is ‘the best-clerked set in London’ and especially well known for its expertise in banking and finance matters. The ‘formidable’ Ali Malek QC is ‘a superb operator’, whose ‘oral advocacy is absolutely first class’. The ‘extremely clever and able’ Jonathan Nash QC has a ‘charming, understated manner’. ‘Few counsel are quicker on their feet’ than Ewan McQuater QC, who ‘has a good analytical mind and a very substantial presence as an advocate’. Nicholas Craig has ‘an encyclopaedic knowledge of arbitration rules and procedures’. Matthew Parker is recommended for his ‘good analytical approach’.

Within Media, entertainment and sport, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a third tier firm,

The ‘responsive and willing-to-assist’ 3 Verulam Buildings is ‘very well clerked, offering breadth in expertise’. The ‘top-flight’ Andrew Sutcliffe QC delivers ‘very clear presentation in court’, and Peter Ratcliffe ‘pays considerable attention to detail and is good at relating to the client’s perspective’. William Edwards is ‘an up-and-coming force in chambers’.

Within Professional negligence, 3 Verulam Buildings (Chambers of Ali Malek QC) is a second tier firm,

3 Verulam Buildings has ‘a good range of barristers and they are all very capable’. Leading silks include Andrew Sutcliffe QC, who is ‘really willing to get behind his clients’; the ‘excellent’ Andrew Onslow QC; Christopher Symons QC, who is ‘first rate’ and is advising in an action brought by shipowners against a major City firm alleging negligent advice. Recommended juniors include the ‘brilliant’ Sophie Mallinckrodt; Matthew Parker, who has ‘first-class intellect’; and Jonathan Davies-Jones, who is ‘hardworking and really gets stuck in’.

Within Shipping,

Also recommended are: ‘dependable and thorough advocate’ Andrew Popplewell QC and dry shipping expert Richard Lord QC at Brick Court Chambers; Sean O’Sullivan, who ‘gives very good, sensible advice’, at 4 Pump Court; the ‘responsive, approachable and accurate’ Nicholas Craig at 3 Verulam Buildings; James Watthey, who is noted in particular for yacht-related work, at Hardwicke; and Stephen Dennison QC at Atkin Chambers, for ship construction disputes.

Within Treasury Panel Lists Junior Counsel to the Crown – B Panel