Insolvency in London Bar

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Insolvency - Leading Sets

South Square

4 Stone Buildings

Leading Silks

Peter Arden QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He is one of the most deeply knowledgeable insolvency silks and has a finely tuned sense of how the courts are considering insolvency issues. ’

Jonathan Crow QC - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is always absolutely on top of the brief without hesitation and this never fails to come across when he is on his feet. ’

Robin Dicker QC - South Square ‘ He is possibly one of the cleverest silks at the Bar; a go-to choice when the case is so difficult it makes your head hurt. ’

Peter Shaw QC - 9 Stone Buildings ‘ He has tremendous commercial acumen and is willing to work as part of a team. ’

Alan Steinfeld QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ He has a real courtroom presence and an ability to convince the court of the correctness of his analysis. ’

Adrian Beltrami QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ Tremendously clear mind; highly responsive; a great advocate. ’

Michael Crystal QC - South Square ‘ He is a giant of the insolvency world. ’

Philip Jones QC - Serle Court ‘ His advice is invariably well-considered, pragmatic and commercially astute. ’

Ewan McQuater QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ He is brilliant at getting right to the heart of complex issues then providing a clear answer or route map through. ’

Robert Miles QC - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is a leading silk at the insolvency Bar. ’

Mark Phillips QC - South Square ‘ He has a profound knowledge of insolvency law and, when required, dominates the courtroom. ’

Marcia Shekerdemian QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ A star of the senior insolvency Bar; has an enormous capacity for work and never phased, and always great with the client. ’

Francis Tregear QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ His work is of the highest order, his advocacy is superb and his drafting and insight into the intricacies of the case are exceptional. ’

William Trower QC - South Square ‘ He’s the silk you choose when you want the judge to know that you and your clients are taking matters seriously and when you want the court to trust you. ’

David Allison QC - South Square ‘ He can be an effective advocate in court. ’

Lance Ashworth QC - Serle Court ‘ A really tenacious advocate, able to persuade a skeptical judge. ’

Daniel Bayfield QC - South Square ‘ He is a superb insolvency silk, pragmatic, user-friendly and commercial. ’

John Brisby QC - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is clear in his delivery of advice but always cognisant of the client’s ultimate goal and provides his advice in context. ’

David Chivers QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He seems to see things that others sometimes don’t. ’

Lexa Hilliard QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ She is an impressive silk. ’

Robin Hollington QC - New Square Chambers ‘ Sees the overall picture both as a matter of law and pragmatism. ’

Philip Marshall QC - Serle Court ‘ One of the best courtroom advocates at the commercial Bar. ’

Catherine Newman QC - Maitland Chambers ‘ She is a leader in her field and is very talented. ’

Elspeth Talbot Rice QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ She has real gravitas about her and is a formidable advocate. ’

Stephen Moverley Smith QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ An extremely experienced silk who is well versed in offshore litigation and has seen just about every type of dispute under the sun. ’

Felicity Toube QC - South Square ‘ She is fiercely intelligent, robust, user-friendly and responsive. ’

Catherine Addy QC - Maitland Chambers ‘ On her feet she is measured and assured, and clearly has the confidence of the bench. ’

Raquel Agnello QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He has a fantastic technical ability and vast experience in knowing how to deal with difficult debtors and obstructive litigants. ’

David Alexander QC - South Square ‘ He is quick to role his sleeves up, and gave clear, robust advice. ’

Stephen Atherton QC - 20 Essex Street ‘ Sound judgement, user-friendly and a first-rate trial advocate. ’

Simon Davenport QC - 3 Hare Court ‘ Easy to work with; robust and good on his feet and commands the courtroom. ’

Andreas Gledhill QC - Blackstone Chambers Barristers ‘ He is a fantastic, lucid and compelling advocate. ’

Jeremy Goldring QC - South Square ‘ He is always across both the legal and factual detail; he will live and breathe a case. ’

Michael Green QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ Smart, polished and also very accessible and responsive. ’

Barry Isaacs QC - South Square ‘ He has a proven ability to navigate a clear path through the most complex of matters. ’

Terence Mowschenson QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ Excellent advocate who has a very good eye for detail and is thorough in his preparation. ’

Martin Pascoe QC - South Square ‘ A highly committed and user-friendly silk and very calm under pressure. ’

David Wolfson QC - One Essex Court ‘ A creative thinker and will come up with arguments that sound incredible but are credible. ’

Mark Arnold QC - South Square ‘ Very conscientious and considered in his advice, and an absolute gent to deal with. ’

George Bompas QC - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is extremely knowledgeable in company and insolvency law, as well as highly intelligent and creative. ’

Alan Boyle QC - Serle Court ‘ Very responsive and experienced. ’

Matthew Collings QC - Maitland Chambers ‘ Experienced in insolvency law. ’

Glen Davis QC - South Square ‘ He has a quiet, assured manner and has excellent client skills with an authoritative demeanour. ’

Alan Gourgey QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ An outstanding silk. ’

Matthew Hardwick QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ He is adept at identifying the core issues and in coming up with creative ways of tackling them. ’

John Jarvis QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ Aside from his formidable intellect, he has seen it all and done it all many times before, so nothing phases him. ’

Martin Moore QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He is accessible, willing to make himself available, direct when required and creative when appropriate. ’

James Potts QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He knows how to make the most out of a situation for the client but does not shrink from tough advice. ’

Richard Salter QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ Enjoyable to work with, intellectually rigorous. ’

Stephen Smith QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ Very responsive and switched on to the complex legal issues involved. ’

Tom Smith QC - South Square ‘ He is commercial, easy to access, responsive, very smart and client-friendly. ’

Andrew Thompson QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He is meticulous in preparation and tenaciously persuasive in court. ’

Steven Thompson QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ He is excellent on his feet and highly persuasive in his oral and written arguments. ’

Michael Todd QC - Erskine Chambers ‘ He is excellent in the offshore sphere. ’

Ben Valentin QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ An impressive advocate and top notch lawyer. ’

2018 Silks

Gregory Banner QC - Maitland Chambers ‘ He is diligent, able to analyse the minutest details and bring them into play. ’

Edward Cumming QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ He is an absolute star performer and stands out as one of the best junior silks. ’

Bridget Lucas QC - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ She very user friendly, and gets to the centre of a dispute. ’

Lyndsey de Mestre QC - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ Very clear in her advice and approchable. ’

Ian Wilson QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ He combines intelligence with a good range of commercial legal expertise and a positive attitude. ’

2019 Silks

James Bailey QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ He reads the tribunal well and gets on the right side of the Registrar. ’

Andrew de Mestre QC - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ Superb at getting into the forensic detail of spreadsheets and models. ’

Jamie Riley QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ He is great on his feet, courteous but confident. ’

Leading Juniors

Stuart Adair - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ A fearless lion fighting for the client and standing his ground. ’

Christopher Boardman - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ A very clever and creative thinker; good on his feet but also user-friendly. ’

Linden Ife - Enterprise Chambers ‘ She is a tenacious advocate and really knows her stuff in relation to unfair prejudice cases and insolvency. ’

Sharif Shivji - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is one of the cleverest and savvy barristers at the Bar. ’

Lloyd Tamlyn - South Square ‘ He is fearless when it comes to opponents because he always prepares and clients feel that he is on their side once he gets into court. ’

David Eaton Turner - New Square Chambers ‘ Gets to grips with cases very quickly, he is technically strong has an in-depth knowledge of commercial matters; exudes a calm authority. ’

Alex Barden - Fountain Court Chambers ‘ He is outstanding and very talented. ’

John Briggs - South Square ‘ A sharp, lively mind with a clear view of the brief. ’

Timothy Collingwood - Serle Court ‘ Well-prepared and his advocacy is persuasive. ’

Adam Deacock - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ Extremely bright with a mastery of his brief and very knowledgeable on complex issues. ’

Adam Goodison - South Square ‘ He shows a real interest in his work and turns round papers very very quickly; a delight to work with. ’

Hugo Groves - Enterprise Chambers ‘ He is outstanding in terms of his knowledge of insolvency law and is very solicitor friendly. ’

Kavan Gunaratna - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Fabulously composed on his feet; patient, methodical and incisive. ’

Tina Kyriakides - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ Very approachable and hardworking, thorough and focused. ’

James Mather - Serle Court ‘ A fearless advocate who is not intimidated by the seniority of counsel for the other side and holds his ground with impressive confidence. ’

Henry Phillips - South Square ‘ Extremely bright, very committed and highly responsive. ’

Richard Ritchie - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ His grasp of detail is excellent and his cross-examination is legendary. ’

Stephen Robins - South Square ‘ If there is an argument that nobody has thought of, or a case that nobody has found, Stephen will unearth them, changing your case for the better. ’

Ben Shaw - Erskine Chambers ‘ He has an easy and authoritative manner before the court and is clearly highly rated in the field of insolvency litigation. ’

Hilary Stonefrost - South Square ‘ She is highly recommended for insolvency work. ’

Adam Al-Attar - South Square ‘ He is extremely responsive, user-friendly and cerebral with heavy intellectual clout and commerciality in equal measure. ’

Sarah Clarke - Hardwicke ‘ She has a clear commercial manner of delivering advice and is good on her feet. ’

Olivier Kalfon - Maitland Chambers ‘ He is the rising star of the Chancery and commercial Bar. ’

Blair Leahy - 20 Essex Street ‘ Extremely user-friendly and always willing to go the extra mile to make sure the quality of her work is of an outstanding standard. ’

Dawn McCambley - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ She is a formidable advocate. ’

Niall McCulloch - Enterprise Chambers ‘ He responds quickly to any queries and works well with the team and with other counsel. ’

Tiran Nersessian - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is a very knowledgeable counsel who has the Insolvency Rules at his fingertips and is practical in the advice which he gives. ’

Matthew Parfitt - Erskine Chambers ‘ His advice is very clear and comprehensive. ’

Tom Shepherd - 4 New Square ‘ Tech savvy with his no-paper approach to litigation; very user-friendly. ’

William Willson - South Square ‘ Has a prodigious ability to produce high-quality work product which quickly which makes him a highly valued member of the team. ’

Reuben Comiskey - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ He is a very good senior junior. ’

Nigel Dougherty - Erskine Chambers ‘ Very reliable and a good all-round performer. ’

Ben Griffiths - Erskine Chambers ‘ Strongly recommended for insolvency. ’

Katherine Hallett - Three Stone ‘ Vastly experienced, practical, and understands how the client thinks. ’

Christopher Harrison - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is a well-prepared and courteous advocate who presents a client’s case with care and articulacy. ’

Philip Hinks - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ High-quality advice, excellent advocate, user-friendly, and collaborative where necessary. ’

Clara Johnson - 3 Hare Court ‘ She is excellent on her feet and her document work is superb. ’

Simon Johnson - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Very technically able in insolvency. ’

Ruth Jordan - Serle Court ‘ Her conclusions and advice take into account the commercial realities facing clients and provide sensible suggestions. ’

Jonathan Lopian - New Square Chambers ‘ A suitably forceful barrister and quick on his feet. ’

Conn MacEvilly - New Square Chambers ‘ Very responsive and user-friendly. ’

Jennifer Meech - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Technically very good, clear and concise advice, excellent advocate. ’

Martin Ouwehand - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ Very practical and commercially focused. ’

Rebecca Page - Maitland Chambers ‘ Her strengths are attention to detail and drafting; good with clients. ’

Iain Pester - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ Very analytical and thorough in his approach, good client handling skills and a skilful advocate. ’

James Pickering - Enterprise Chambers ‘ He makes difficult points straightforward and is a very impressive advocate. ’

Angharad Start - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ A tour de force who commands the attention of the court. ’

Justina Stewart - New Square Chambers ‘ Incredibly impressive and a force to be reckoned with. ’

Alaric Watson - Hardwicke ‘ He is a barrister who will give you a balanced view as regards merits and commerciality. ’

Bridget Williamson - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Great at mastering really complex detail. ’

Geoffrey Zelin - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Has an incisive mind and quick to identify the real issues and how to address them. ’

Tim Akkouh - Erskine Chambers ‘ He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law as well as hands on experience. ’

James Barker - Enterprise Chambers ‘ Very user-friendly, incredibly bright and very efficient. ’

Sarah Bayliss - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ She is easy to work with, practical, and excellent at focusing on the parts of a case which really matter. ’

Tony Beswetherick - 20 Essex Street ‘ Nothing gets passed him; insofar as advocacy is concerned, he anticipates every possible argument and leaves nothing to chance. ’

Hermann Boeddinghaus - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ A very commercial and pragmatic barrister who is personable and easy to work with. ’

Tim Calland - Maitland Chambers ‘ He is be marvellously astute. ’

Joseph Curl - 9 Stone Buildings ‘ He can argue points of black letter law with aplomb. ’

Catherine Doran - Radcliffe Chambers ‘ She is extremely competent and lends weight to clients' internal teams. ’

William Edwards - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘ Has particular expertise in the fraud side of insolvency. ’

Richard Fisher - South Square ‘ Go-to counsel in particularly complex cross-border insolvency matters. ’

Bobby Friedman - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ He is very bright and gives timely and effective advice. ’

Tom Gentleman - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ He is excellent to deal with, able to handle multiple work streams and deliver quality work product consistently. ’

Sarah Harman - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ She is very experienced and reliable. ’

Edward Knight - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ As an advocate he is quick on his feet and knows when to be tenacious and when not to be. ’

Daniel Lewis - 3 Hare Court ‘ His pleadings are persuasive and thorough, and his advice is clear and concise. ’

Morwenna Macro - Five Paper ‘ She is really able to see the wood from the trees and provide innovative and pragmatic solutions. ’

Anna Markham - 4 Stone Buildings ‘ An outstanding member of chambers. ’

Hugh Miall - XXIV Old Buildings ‘ He has excellent judgement and a most incisive and agile mind. ’

Elaine Palser - Outer Temple Chambers ‘ She is commercial, understands the bigger picture and is good at identifying the weaknesses in a case at an early stage. ’

Wendy Parker - Hardwicke ‘ Has a wealth of experience in insolvency and is easy to approach. ’

Adrian Pay - New Square Chambers ‘ Can reduce complex analysis to a short, but accurate summary. ’

Charles Raffin - Hardwicke ‘ He not only goes the extra mile, but does so happily. ’

Jeremy Richmond - Quadrant Chambers ‘ He is excellent; tactically astute, client-friendly and knowledgeable. ’

Thomas Robinson - Wilberforce Chambers ‘ He has never appeared without having complete mastery of his papers and his arguments and is always quick on his feet. ’

Matthew Smith - Maitland Chambers ‘ Pragmatic and commercial in terms of in terms of advice and approach, not gung-ho. ’

Jonathan Titmuss - Hardwicke ‘ Technically and tactically very good. ’

Tier 1 firms

South Square 'continues to dictate the standard to which others must pitch', praised one client, saying the set is 'unrivaled for insolvency-related matters'. Areas where members particularly stand out include schemes of arrangement, company voluntary arrangements, administrations and liquidations, as well as cross-border matters and insolvency litigation. Highlights for David Allison QC include acting for the company in House of Fraser's scheme of arrangement, and the special court-appointed managers conducting the liquidation of Carillion. Daniel Bayfield QC acted for the creditor in Re OJSC International Bank of Azerbaijan. Felicity Toube QC is noted for international proceedings, with particular experience before courts in the Cayman Islands. Henry Phillips was led by William Trower QC in Noble Group Limited; a complex scheme of arrangement involving a restructuring of $4bn of its liabilities. Trowers QC has recently been appointed to the Chancery Division of the High Court.

Tier 2 firms

4 Stone Buildings' members have developed strong practices in insolvency and restructuring work, including representations of the UK government. Jonathan Crow QC recently appeared in PST v OW Bunker; a major case for the shipping industry that raised issues including the application of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 to any contracts which include a retention of title clause and a licence to consume. Tiran Nersessian is also recommended, and has a broad practice of private and government instructions, including acting as sole counsel to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs before the Court of Appeal in Botleigh Grange v HMRC. Andrew de Mestre QC took silk in 2019 and recently acted for the liquidators of Hellas Telecommunications. Meanwhile, Sharif Shivji acted for the claimants, the liquidators of various BVI companies, in Stephen Akers v Deutsche Bank AG, winning a €200m settlement for the clients following accusations that Deutsche Bank sold toxic and complex credit derivative instruments.

Enterprise Chambers has developed a strong group of insolvency practitioners, with members acting in a range of high-profile cases, including Niall McCulloch in Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Ltd v Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (In Liquidation) and Linden Ife in various claims following the bankruptcy of Colin Poole. Ife has also developed a niche in acting for lenders, in addition to claims for recovering unlawful dividends paid pre-liquidations.

Erskine Chambers contains practitioners well versed in contentious insolvencies and corporate restructuring, drawing on substantial experience from large insolvencies acted in over the last decade. The set is particularly strong in cases where insolvency intersects with banking and finance or civil fraud. David Chivers QC was instructed in Liquidators of Weavering MacroFixed Income Fund v Skandanaviska Ensiklda Banken; Peter Arden QC continued to act in Re Lehman Brothers International(Europe): the surplus scheme. Raquel Agnello QC has developed a niche in the interface between insolvency and pensions law.

Serle Court's members are particularly active in cross-border insolvency cases; Philip Jones QC was instructed in Green Elite before the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal and advised the UK government with respect to the collapse of BHS and represented it in subsequent disqualification proceedings against Philip Green and Dominic Chappell. Meanwhile, James Mather is acting for an English fund management company in defence of a claim by an special purpose vehicle of Cerberus in Lady Moon v Petricca. Timothy Collingwood has a strong track-record in cases concerning directors' breaches of duty and asset recovery issues.

XXIV Old Buildings has members dealing with all aspects of international and domestic insolvency law. Multiple members, including Alan Steinfeld QC and Edward Cumming QC, are acting in Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (in liquidation) and others v Conway & others. Stuart Adair is acting in Orexim Trading Limited v Mahavir Port and Terminal Limited, while, in Caymen Island proceedings, Robert Levy QC is acting for the liquidators in Re Caledonian Insurance.

Tier 3 firms

3 Verulam Buildings has 'strength in depth at every level and offer an excellent choice of counsel'. The set has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, demonstrated by Ewan Mcquater QC's lead of Vodafone's defence in Phones 4u Limited v Vodafone Group. In another highlight, Matthew Hardwick QC acted for the claimant in Delco Participation BV v Green Elite Limited. Adrian Beltrami QC, who was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018, acted for RBS in the pre-trial phase of Marme v RBS.

Maitland Chambers' barristers are 'very clever and always great to deal with', bringing their skills to bear on a range of insolvency law matters. Junior silk Catherine Joanne Addy QC has developed a strong practice and represented the joint administrators in Re Cambridge Analytica (UK) Limited and others (in administration); in a successful application for the conversion of administrations and appointment of the joint administrators as joint liquidators. Catherine Newman QC acted for Dregon Land, as the respondent in BTA Bank v Ablyazov and others.

Members of New Square Chambers have considerable off- and onshore insolvency experience including in administrations, receiverships, government inquiries, and voluntary arrangements. 'Outstanding' senior junior David Eaton Turner is acting for the trustees in Re Estate in Bankruptcy of Gregory King; a matter that encompasses cross-border issues in Gibraltar, Spain and Scotland. Robin Hollington QC stands out for his offshore and international insolvency experience. He is leading Adrian Pay for the petitioner and its litigation funders in TOC Investments v Beppler & Jacobson; and following success in the substantive proceedings, the pair are instructed by the funder in its recovery of the costs of the provisional liquidation.

Radcliffe Chambers is active in corporate insolvency, with members acting in a variety of litigation and advisory work for creditors, debtors and officeholders. Christopher Boardman is noted for his expertise in cross-border and financial cases, and is currently acting for the defendant liquidators in Cash Generator Ltd v Fortune. n Re HMV Retail Limited and HMV E-Commerce Limited, Tina Kyriakides acted for the administrators of HMV Retail and HMV E-Commerce in relation to their appointment.

Wilberforce Chambers houses specialists in corporate and personal insolvency litigation and advice, who are often instructed on matters in the UK and offshore. Lexa Hilliard QC, James Bailey QC and Bobby Friedman acted in Re Force India (Formula 1), while Bailey and Marcia Shekerdemian QC were instructed on Re Paul Baxendale Walker. Shekerdemian QC is particularly noted for her expertise in restructuring and insolvency litigation, successfully representing the security trustees in the contested application for the removal of the administrators in Re: Zinc Hotels (Investments) Ltd.

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