Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

1
David Allison KC
South Square
‘David is a master tactician, brilliantly organised and an amazing advocate. He is the leading insolvency silk at the bar.'
1
Peter Arden KC
Erskine Chambers
‘Peter has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of bankruptcy and corporate insolvency cases. He uses this knowledge to provide quick and accurate advice.'
1
Jonathan Crow KC
4 Stone Buildings
‘The best advocate that solicitors have ever worked with. An uncanny ability to glide over difficult points with incredible grace and effectiveness.’
1
Lexa Hilliard KC
Wilberforce Chambers
'Lexa is a strong and persuasive advocate and is very impressive in formulating legal argument.'
1
Philip Marshall KC
Serle Court
1
Ewan McQuater KC
3 Verulam Buildings
1
Mark Phillips KC
South Square
‘Mark is a wonderful mixture of charming and combative. He is a fighter that all clients feel comforted by having in their corner, rather than against them.'
1
Tom Smith KC
South Square
‘Tom is in a league of his own in the London restructuring market. He is a go-to barrister for any complex matter.’
1
Sonia Tolaney KC
One Essex Court
'A fantastic advocate.'  
1
Felicity Toube KC
South Square
'Felicity has a huge level of knowledge and experience in this area and is very strong at providing strategic advice.'
2
Catherine Addy KC
Maitland Chambers
'Catherine is a well-regarded and highly experience silk in this field.'
2
David Alexander KC
South Square
‘David is bright, engaged and personable so a real client favourite. He is a well-prepared advocate and enjoys being on his feet.'
2
Stephen Atherton KC
Twenty Essex
2
Daniel Bayfield KC
South Square
‘Daniel is a strategic thinker and a first class advocate who is well liked by the judiciary.'
2
Simon Davenport KC
4 Pump Court
'Simon is fantastic at cutting straight to the point. Judges respect his knowledge and know a case is in safe hands when he is before them.'
2
Richard Fisher KC
South Square
‘Richard is a go-to silk. He is thorough and thoughtful, while also being commercial and clear.’
2
Barry Isaacs KC
South Square
'Barry is impressively meticulous. No point goes unconsidered. This is also reflected in his advocacy, which is polished and incisive.'
2
Stephen Moverley Smith KC
XXIV Old Buildings
'Stephen is a highly experienced advocate whose affable manner helps him develop an excellent rapport with the judge.'
2
James Pickering KC
Enterprise Chambers
A persuasive advocate who thinks well on his feet to deal with unexpected issues.'
2
Peter Shaw KC
Selborne Chambers
2
Clare Stanley KC
Wilberforce Chambers
'Her clarity of thought, commercial acumen, and persuasive advocacy are highly valued.'
3
Mark Arnold KC
South Square
'Mark is an exceptional KC for company and restructuring and insolvency work.'
3
Lance Ashworth KC
Serle Court
‘Lance is the complete package: clear, concise advice; commercial awareness; responsive and user friendly; and great in court. Watching him dismantle the opposing client in the stand is a joyous experience.’
3
Andrew Ayres KC
Twenty Essex
‘Andrew is a first-class advocate—persuasive, incisive, and always meticulously prepared. His eloquence in the courtroom is matched by an exceptional eye for detail.'  
3
James Bailey KC
Wilberforce Chambers
James is super bright and clear with advice. Where other KCs struggle, James can get to the nub of the issue and resolve it.’
3
Adrian Beltrami KC
3 Verulam Buildings
3
David Chivers KC
Erskine Chambers
‘David is an artful and persuasive advocate and can persuade the court on the most difficult of cases. He is an outstanding strategist, and he always delivers for the client.'
3
Alexander Cook KC
4 Stone Buildings
3
Edward Cumming KC
XXIV Old Buildings
3
Joseph Curl KC
South Square
‘Joe is always excellent whether advising, drafting or on his feet. His legal skills are outstanding and he combines these with keen commercial awareness.'
3
Stephen Davies KC
Enterprise Chambers
3
Glen Davis KC
South Square
3
Michael Gibbon KC
Maitland Chambers
3
Matthew Hardwick KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Matthew is an excellent silk who can easily dissect complex legal issues and provide comprehensive yet practical and commercial advice to client.'
3
Richard Hill KC
4 Stone Buildings
3
Louise Hutton KC
Essex Court Chambers
'Excellent ability to digest voluminous information and distil the critical issues.'
3
Blair Leahy KC
Twenty Essex
‘Blair is a class act. She is phenomenally intelligent and is able to get to the root of complex legal issues very quickly.'
3
Daniel Lightman KC
Serle Court
‘Daniel knows everything there is to know about insolvency and company law, and judges really trust his authority on difficult legal points.'
3
Tom Poole KC
3 Hare Court
3
Ben Shaw KC
Erskine Chambers
‘Ben is an excellent senior counsel – knowledgeable, responsive and really fights the client’s corner.’
3
Marcia Shekerdemian KC
Wilberforce Chambers
3
Sharif Shivji KC
4 Stone Buildings
‘Sharif is charm personified. He has a very unassuming manner which belies a staunch intellect. Sharif is an extremely talented individual with an unwavering commitment.'
3
Andrew Thompson KC
Erskine Chambers
‘Andrew is a top advocate. He has exceptional poise and gravitas when on his feet, which plays well with clients who appreciate his commitment to fighting their corner.'
3
Ben Valentin KC
Fountain Court Chambers
'Ben is phenomenal. His combination of fierce intelligence and commercial common sense make him unstoppable.'
3
Lord Wolfson KC
One Essex Court
4
Jonathan Adkin KC
Serle Court
4
Tony Beswetherick KC
Twenty Essex
‘Tony is at the top of the list for contentious insolvency and asset recovery work. Despite being incredibly clever he is down to earth and user friendly.’
4
Christopher Boardman KC
Radcliffe Chambers
'He one of the sharpest minds and tenacious advocates.'
4
Matthew Collings KC
Maitland Chambers
'He has the ability to digest vast amounts of information and hone in on the relevant points quickly.'
4
Timothy Collingwood KC
Serle Court
4
Andrew de Mestre KC
4 Stone Buildings
xcellent strategic judgement and a mastery of the detail. It is clear that Andrew has the court’s ear when he is on his feet.’ 
4
Andreas Gledhill KC
Blackstone Chambers
‘A superb advocate who is refreshingly easy to work with and builds easy rapport with clients.'
4
Jeremy Goldring KC
South Square
4
Philip Jones KC
Serle Court
4
Hugh Jory KC
4 New Square
‘Hugh's advocacy is second to none. He articulates well and forcefully.'
4
Adam Kramer KC
3 Verulam Buildings
'Adam is extremely intelligent. He has a deep understanding of legal principle and has a mastery of the case law, particularly on issues of damages. He is able to effectively deploy these skills in novel or unusual circumstances.'
4
Robert Levy KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers
4
David Mohyuddin KC
Radcliffe Chambers
‘David is incredibly smart and knowledgeable in all matters of insolvency law and is very user friendly.'
4
James Morgan KC
Radcliffe Chambers
James is highly intelligent, unflappable under pressure and a measured and compelling advocate. He is also very quick and a real pleasure to work with.'
4
James Potts KC
Erskine Chambers
4
Elspeth Talbot Rice KC
XXIV Old Buildings
'Elspeth is an incredibly impressive silk at the top of her game. She has superb judgement, an ability to cut through knotty issues and is a pleasure to work with.'
4
Jamie Riley KC
3 Verulam Buildings
'An analytical mastermind, able to break down complex matters into straightforward propositions, with a capacity to absorb great amounts of detail that enables him during advocacy to respond swiftly and keenly.'
4
Stephen Robins KC
South Square
'Provides clear advice, client friendly and very enthusiastic.'
4
Matthew Weaver KC
Radcliffe Chambers
Matt is right at the top of the list for complex insolvency litigation involving fraud. He is calm, sensible, thoughtful and user-friendly but knows how to go for the jugular just when it’s needed.’
4
Andrew Westwood KC
Maitland Chambers
4
Ian Wilson KC
3 Verulam Buildings
'Ian is calm and quick-witted, with a fantastic brain and a great way with clients. His advocacy style is assured and engaging, and he's always on top of all the documents.'
5
Hermann Boeddinghaus KC
4 Stone Buildings
5
George Bompas KC
4 Stone Buildings
5
John Brisby KC
4 Stone Buildings
5
Ruth den Besten KC
Essex Court Chambers
'Ruth has a good mix of insolvency and fraud expertise that makes her an ideal candidate for many contentious insolvency instructions.'
5
Terence Mowschenson KC
Wilberforce Chambers
5
Thomas Munby KC
Maitland Chambers
'Thomas is scarily bright but also totally down to earth. He masters difficult legal positions and is extremely effective at communicating them to clients and judges.'
5
Hugh Norbury KC
Serle Court
5
Christopher Parker KC
Maitland Chambers
5
Alex Potts KC
4 Pump Court
5
Jeremy Richmond KC
Quadrant Chambers
5
David Scorey KC
Essex Court Chambers
‘Highly analytical, deep sector knowledge, prompt response and service oriented.'
5
Andrew Sutcliffe KC
3 Verulam Buildings
'His appellate advocacy is first rate - calm, measured and responsive to the court’s questions.'
5
Francis Tregear KC
XXIV Old Buildings

2025 Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

0
Alex Barden KC
Fountain Court Chambers
‘He is phenomenally intelligent and gets to the heart of any issue.’
0
Donald Lilly KC
4 Stone Buildings
‘Donald is an excellent insolvency lawyer. He has top rate legal ability and judgment. He is also very hard-working, and is always a pleasure to work with.’
0
Matthew Morrison KC
Serle Court
‘Matthew is great at providing clear and concise advice that clients can easily understand.’
0
Rebecca Page KC
Maitland Chambers
‘Extremely intelligent, hardworking silk with an eye for detail. Calm, measured and persuasive advocate.’
0
Thomas Robinson KC
Wilberforce Chambers
‘Unflappable and one of the best around. User-friendly and gets to the core of the issue quickly. Clients trust his advice and judgement.’
0
Niranjan Venkatesan KC
One Essex Court
‘Niranjan is outstanding. An exceptional advocate, a trial-genius and very client-friendly.’

2024 Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

1
Adam Al-Attar KC
South Square
'Adam is a phenomenal advocate. If you have a really tricky point which the judge critically must understand, he is just about the best person for the job.'
1
Matthew Smith KC
Maitland Chambers
'He is unique in being a true charity law expert, and coupling that with his insolvency knowledge means he is one of a kind in his field.'