The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance (including consumer credit) Banking and finance – Leading Silks

Within Charities, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

Maitland Chambers has ‘tremendous strength in depth’ assisted by ‘efficient modern clerking’. The ‘outstanding’ Christopher McCall QC has a ‘peerless court presence’, with a ‘refreshingly strong emphasis on conciliation in contentious matters’. He recently led Matthew Smith in the high-profile Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) case. Smith is ‘extremely well versed in the case law’. The ‘user-friendly’ Andrew Westwood is also recommended.

Within Commercial litigation, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

Maitland Chambers has ‘gravitated to the top of commercial Chancery as a result of bench strength and value for money’. Anthony Trace QC, ‘an excellent cross examiner’, has been involved in several major cases in the past year, notably JSC BTA Bank v Ablyasov & Othrs. Paul Girolami QC is ‘a first-class operator who is easy to work with and produces consistently good paperwork’. Matthew Collings QC is ‘as robust an advocate as one could wish for’. James Aldridge is praised for his ‘hard work and empathy with the client’s position’. ‘Clients love’ Benjamin John, who is ‘bright and inventive, and has the ability to produce results’.

Within Company and partnership, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

Praised for its ‘breadth and depth’, Maitland Chambers is ‘a quality set providing responsive and commercial advice’ both on company and partnership law, and has ‘a growing reputation for offshore work’. Catherine Newman QC, who is recommended for company and partnership matters, ‘stands head and shoulders above the rest’ and ‘is a quality practitioner and advocate’. Anthony Trace QC has ‘excellent personal skills’, and is a ‘persuasive advocate’ and a ‘first-class cross-examiner’. ‘Approachable yet full of gravitas’, Paul Girolami QC provides ‘considered yet robust’ advice, and Matthew Collings QC is ‘an excellent advocate and strategically astute lawyer’. John Nicholls QC is ‘very user friendly with excellent response times’, and Mark Cunningham QC is commended for his ‘good client care skills, thorough preparation and highly effective performance at trial’. Jonathan Russen QC is noted for his ‘relaxed advocacy style, good paperwork and good manner with clients’, and is recommended both for partnership and company law. Of the juniors, Gregory Banner is singled out for his ‘tactical awareness and ability to see to the heart of the issue and act accordingly’. Rebecca Stubbs is considered a ‘strong performer’, and the ‘absolutely excellent’ David Mumford is ‘extremely responsive, and his advice is always sound.’ Amanda Tipples QC has ‘an excellent knowledge of partnership law and shareholder disputes’. The ‘intellectually first-rate’ Andrew Ayres is also recommended for partnership matters.

Within Education Education – Leading Silks

Within Energy Energy – Leading Juniors

Within Fraud: civil, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a first tier firm,

Maitland Chambers is ‘packed full of quality practitioners’. ‘First-class operator’ Paul Girolami QC ‘masters papers quickly and is always on top of the details’, and Andrew Ayres is recommended for his ‘quietly persuasive courtroom manner’. ‘Excellent advocate and tenacious cross-examiner’ Anthony Trace QC is acting for Rosneft in Yukos Capital v Rosneft Oil Company, and Louise Hutton is ‘friendly and hardworking, and a great team player’. Ciaran Keller is ‘a polished performer’, and Benjamin John is ‘a steel fist inside a velvet glove’. Richard Morgan QC took silk in 2011.

Within Insolvency, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

Maitland Chambers is a leading commercial Chancery set with ‘very good clerking’ and has much experience in all aspects of insolvency, especially offshore matters. ‘Very strong opponent’ Anthony Trace QC appeared in Islamic Investment Co v Mehta, and is rated along with ‘all-round rising star’ and ‘brilliant advocate’ Paul Girolami QC and ‘calm, persuasive’ advocate Matthew Collings QC as leading silks in chambers. Catherine Newman QC and Nicholas Peacock QC are also strong individuals. Among the juniors, the ‘really driven’ and ‘hardworking’ Rebecca Stubbs is praised; the ‘thoroughly decent’ Andrew Westwood is ‘quite simply one of the brightest juniors at the Bar’; Amanda Tipples QC is a ‘very strong performer in the field’; and the ‘super’ Catherine Addy has ‘great attention to detail’.

Within Media, entertainment and sport, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

At Maitland Chambers, Matthew Collings QC handles commercial cases in the sports and media sectors, and George Hayman, who is ‘very good at assimilating the key information in a short space of time’, has been involved in a number of music and film disputes of late. For some, the ‘tenacious’ Edmund Cullen is ‘the best commercial litigator for media clients’; ‘his turnaround of work is excellent and his cross-examination skills are outstanding’.

Within Pensions,

Raquel Agnello QC and Thomas Robinson at 11 Stone Buildings are well versed in handling insolvency and regulatory aspects of pensions cases. Elsewhere, clients praise James Clifford from Maitland Chambers as ‘always providing robust advice’; Nigel Burroughs of Four New Square, for his ‘commercial and pragmatic approach’; and Nicholas Randall at Devereux, who is involved in high-profile cases relating to public sector pensions.

Within Private client: personal tax,

At Maitland Chambers, Christopher McCall QC is praised for his ‘technical expertise and incisive thinking’.

Within Private client: trusts and probate, Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a third tier firm,

Maitland Chambers is ‘undoubtedly one of the leading sets for trusts disputes’ and offers efficient modern clerking and tremendous strength in depth. Chancery heavyweight Christopher McCall QC is ‘eloquent, learned and inventive with the gravitas of a leading Chancery QC’. Catherine Newman QC has ‘common sense and an ability to provide direct advice’, and Louise Hutton is ‘bright and capable’. Timothy Evans is also recommended.

Within Professional negligence, tier 4

Maitland Chambers has a ‘responsive clerking team’, and counsel who are ‘well respected and approachable’. Anthony Trace QC is ‘particularly strong on cross-examination’, and Edwin Johnson QC is recognised for his experience in acting for and against solicitors, and in property-related matters. At the junior level, Andrew Walker QC is ‘very personable’.

Within Property litigation (including agriculture and housing), Maitland Chambers (Chambers of Christopher Pymont QC) is a second tier firm,

Maitland Chambers is ‘packed full of really strong practitioners and has very responsive clerks’. The ‘extremely client-friendly’ Edwin Johnson QC is ‘very good in the area of leasehold reform’, and Christopher Pymont QC is ‘exceptionally bright and very meticulous’. The ‘outstanding’ John McGhee QC is ‘a joy to watch in action’; he is ‘fast on his feet and phenomenal at cross-examination’. New silks Amanda Tipples QC (‘very sharp and willing to go the extra mile’) and Andrew Walker QC (‘approachable and very knowledgeable’) are also highly regarded. Of the juniors, Mark Wonnacott is a ‘brilliant litigator’; Timothy Dutton has ‘good technical knowledge’; Timothy Harry delivers ‘considered and well-researched advice’; and Philomena Harrison ‘gets to the heart of issues very quickly’.

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