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Leading Silks

John Machell KCSerle Court ‘He is incredibly knowledgeable in LLP issues, very forensic and also very commercial in his approach. He is willing to roll the sleeves up in a dispute or in drafting. An absolutely trusted counsel.’
Jonathan Adkin KCSerle Court ‘Jonathan has the innate ability to digest complex issues and instantly provide clearly reasoned arguments and pragmatic solutions.  His skill in doing so makes what once seemed a difficult problem appear easy to deal with.  His advocacy is very clear and measured, whilst also forming a strong rapport with the judge and those instructing him.’
Jonathan Cohen KCLittleton Chambers ‘Jonathan is fearless, robust and street-smart. He is the person to have at your side in a dispute with partnership, employment and cross-border issues. Jonathan is a very deep thinker and extremely forensic in his approach, both to the law and the evidence.’
Gavin Mansfield KCLittleton ChambersGavin has genuine expertise in the area of partnership and LLP law, is an excellent strategist, fabulous with lay clients, user-friendly, responsive and fantastic to work with. He is also a calm, measured and persuasive advocate who can read the mood of the court and be flexible in his submissions. There are few silks who are as hardworking, easy to work with and exceptionally bright.’
David Reade KCLittleton Chambers ‘David is very accessible and a great lateral thinker; he is always interested to explore the underdeveloped boundaries of employment law with courage, intelligence and to great effect.’
Mohinderpal Sethi KCLittleton Chambers ‘Very sharp, great with clients, excellent analytical skills.'
Elspeth Talbot Rice KCXXIV Old Buildings ‘Elspeth is very powerful on paper and on her feet. She effortlessly wins the trust of clients and tribunals.’
David Blayney KCSerle Court ‘David is one of the brightest minds at the Bar. He has excellent strategic judgement and is a real team player – he is an absolute pleasure to work with.’
Stuart Ritchie KCFountain Court ChambersStuart is an excellent lawyer and a superb advocate. He also has outstanding judgement.’

Leading Juniors

Jeremy CallmanTen Old Square ‘He is technically brilliant, reliable and accommodating. He is always willing to go the extra mile. He is immersed in technical partnership and LLP firm and member issues on a daily basis; it is difficult to achieve comparable experience and knowledge. He is easy to work with and quickly gains the confidence of clients.’
Tom Braithwaite  – Serle Court ‘An excellent advocate with the ear of the court who approaches things in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way. Good with clients as he is firm in expressing his opinions, but also down-to-earth and has a good sense of humour.’
Jonathan GavaghanTen Old Square ‘Jonathan has excellent legal knowledge on partnership matters, acute tactical and strategic advice combined with a persuasive, clear and commanding advocacy style.’
James MatherSerle Court ‘James provides very clear, concise advice with a nod to the practical effect of the advice.’
Gideon RosemanTen Old Square ‘Excellent with good, clear and quick communication.’
Naomi WinstonTen Old Square ‘Naomi is an expert in partnership and limited liability partnership law, a creative and inventive strategist and frighteningly efficient. She works incredibly hard and grasps complex and detailed issues with incredible speed. Her exceptional forensic skills result in the production of high-quality written work in very short time. She is also highly organised and efficient on conference and instils confidence in lay clients. Naomi is practical and commercial and a real pleasure to work with.’
Ted LovedayMaitland ChambersTremendous intellect, sensible and down-to-earth, pragmatic, and very good with the client - and also a strong advocate.’
Hugh MiallXXIV Old Buildings ‘Hugh is a first-rate advocate on paper and on his feet.  He wins interim applications against very experienced partnership counsel. He likes to get his hands dirty with the detail.’

Partnership in London Bar

Serle Court


Serle Court has a focus on the commercial space within partnership law, with its practice developed to include partnership and LLP arbitration and mediation practice, with a broad range of members instructed on partnership and LLP disputes. Alongside this, members of chambers have also been instructed by clients in the financial sector, with John Machell KC having advised professional service and financial services firms in a range of partnership and regulatory issues. Jonathan Adkin KC has been involved in partnership disputes revolving around investment partnerships while David Blayney KC has experience in company and corporate partnerships, having been instructed by the administrators of Lehman Brothers in proceedings involving estoppel, agency and mitigation in Re Lehman Brothers International Europe. Jennifer Haywood sits as an arbitrator and mediator for partnership and LLP disputes.

Testimonials

‘Excellent clerks room, always responsive when requesting availabilities (often with constantly changing dates).’

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Ten Old Square


The ‘pre-eminent set’ for partnership and limited liability law for some, Ten Old Square offers specialist partnership expertise handling a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including advising professional services firms, hedge funds and private equity firms on partner and member exits, underperformance issues, team moves and lateral hires and unfair prejudice in LLPs. The chambers hosts a number of experienced junior counsel, including Jeremy Callman, whose focus is on litigating LLP and partnership disputes alongside acting on partnership points arising in the context of tax litigation. Jonathan Gavaghan has a busy practice advising on partnership and LLP disputes for professional services’ firms, medical practices and farmers, while Naomi Winston is noted for her practice in advising firms and individuals on internal issues and drafting non-contentious partnership documents. Gideon Roseman was involved in the case of Gamnon v Johnson, in which he acted for the defendant in a case concerning which homes were owned by a partnership.

Testimonials

‘The senior clerks are Keith Plowman and Marc Schofield. Both are excellent – responsive, commercial and very user-friendly. They are proactive in the handling of cases and the interaction with barristers, and effective operators on the value added activities such as training and business development.’

‘The set is a go to for technical partnership and LLP issues. Other standout practitioners include Jonathan Gavaghan, Naomi Winston and Thomas Arnull. They have invested heavily at the junior end so now offer a good range of expertise at all levels.’

‘Ten Old Square is the pre-eminent set for partnership and limited liability law.’ 

‘Excellent strong set in the partnership world.’

‘The set as a whole is excellent. Well known for being a leading set for partnership law.’

‘Accommodating, flexible and helpful.’

‘Excellent.’

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Littleton Chambers


Littleton Chambers‘ partnership group receives a regular flow of instructions involving professional services firms for sensitive disputes carrying reputational and business risk. Members of chambers, including head of chambers Gavin Mansfield KC, handle a number of matters at the intersection of partnership and employment law, with clients including patent agents, surveyors and hedge funds. Mansfield KC was recently involved in Armstrong and others v Taylor and others, a High Court claim between members of an investment management business, including an allegation that one group of partners conspired to remove the claimant’s group's influence.  Jonathan Cohen KC is another notable name in this space, while Mohinderpal Sethi KC handles disputes arising in the professional and financial services sector; James Bickford Smith is noted for his expertise in partnership arbitrations.

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Maitland Chambers


Maitland Chambers engage in a vast range of partnership disputes, from those connected to solicitors’ firms and doctors’ practices to complex partnership structures used in financial services such as those involving offshore funds and wealth structures. David Mumford KC has acted and advised a number of partnership disputes, both in arbitration and litigation, including a partnership dissolution action arising out of a hotel development partnership. Alec McCluskey is frequently instructed in partnership disputes, either on behalf of partners or creditors of partnerships.

Testimonials

‘Excellent service, the clerks are superb. Danny Wilkinson deserve special mention.’

‘Clerks excellent, particularly Rob Penson.’

‘Maitland are my set of choice for Chancery work. Everyone I have instructed there is first class.’

‘Many excellent junior counsel.’

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XXIV Old Buildings


Crossing over with the set's reputation for Chancery work, XXIV Old Buildings is known for its ‘great strength’ in the partnership area, handling a full spectrum of partnership law in farming, legal and finance both domestically and abroad. Elspeth Talbot Rice KC and Alan Steinfeld KC are two silks active in partnership work, while turning to the set's juniors Helen Galley and Hugh Miall  are noted for their practice covering traditional partnerships, LLPs and joint ventures.

Testimonials

‘Top notch clerking – commercial and committed.’

‘Partnership is a great strength of the set.’

Work highlights