Leading Silks

Jonathan Adkin KC –Serle Court ‘Jonathan is an excellent leader.’

David Allison KC – South Square ‘Infectiously calm and decisive – a real leader.’

Richard Boulton KC –One Essex Court ‘Excellent courtroom manner: Judges like his manner of presentation and opponents don’t mess with him. Richard has the ability to weave explanation with persuasion, on the most complex topics.’

Gilead Cooper KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Simply put, Gilead is brilliant. He has an incredibly quick mind, great intellectual powers, and at the same time a wonderful capacity for creative, strategic thinking. He writes beautifully, judges clearly respect him, and he is an excellent courtroom advocate. He also uses wit to his great advantage. He is one of the top Silks in the international trust and estate litigation world.'

Jonathan Crow KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘Jonathan is the perfect package – he is easy to work with and is extraordinarily bright, talented and knowledgeable. His advocacy should form the core of the advocacy course.’

Justin Fenwick KC –4 New Square

Brian Green KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘One of the most persuasive and truly knowledgeable advocates in this area of law who is not afraid to work hard.'

Robert Ham KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Robert is very pleasant to work with and extremely knowledgeable. He is well respected by the court. He is very calm under pressure and gets on well with clients, being able to explain complex matters in a simple way.'

Barry Isaacs KC –South Square ‘Barry’s prodigious work ethic and attention to detail is second to none. He is tenacious in arguing his client’s case in court but does so in a manner that is persuasive and doesn’t offend the judge.’

Elizabeth Jones KC –Serle Court

Philip Jones KC –Serle Court ‘Philip is the best advocate to appear at first instance. He is incredibly calm in difficult cases and his ability to construct a clear and compelling case to move a tribunal is second to none. A true asset to any legal team and extraordinarily easy to work with.’

Sir Jeffrey Jowell KC - Blackstone Chambers

David Lord KC –Three Stone ‘David has a vast amount of BVI law experience – his depth of knowledge is almost unparalleled. He exercises superb commercial judgment and has a keen insight what the approach that will be work before the BVI Commercial Court.’

Thomas Lowe KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Philip Marshall KC –Serle Court ‘A superb advocate with excellent client-handling skills.’

Ewan McQuater KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Strong intellect, understanding of what is important and likely to turn the outcome of a case, good grasp of the detail and fantastic advocacy skills.'

Richard Morgan KC –Maitland Chambers

Nicholas Le Poidevin KC –New Square Chambers

David Quest KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Just super-approachable and down to earth. No airs and graces. Excellent in court, he gets straight to the point and doesn’t mess about the edges. He really feels like one of the team rather than the exalted one.’

Penelope Reed KC –5 Stone Buildings ‘Penny is everything that one could ask for – immensely experienced, bright, practical, user-friendly, responsive and willing to roll her sleeves up when needed. She is an enormous help on exceptionally difficult and complex matters; she has an instant rapport with clients and excellent instincts for courtroom tactics.’

Hefin Rees KC –3 Verulam Buildings 'A master in the art of cross-examination. A consummate client-friendly team player.'

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Very direct and to the point. Clear.'

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stephen is a consummate professional and extremely well versed in everything BVI, with a complete knowledge of the law but more importantly in some ways, how the jurisdiction operates and the personalities of the judges, both in the commercial court and the Court of Appeal. This can be fundamental to how a case is presented. He is also extremely approachable, user-friendly and knowledgeable which immediately puts clients at ease.'

Tom Smith KC –South Square ‘Tom is one of the pre-eminent silks operating in the offshore space. He is not only intelligent but is a pleasure to work with. His advocacy is first class, he has an excellent rapport with the Cayman bench and has built a sterling reputation amongst the offshore legal community.'

Clare Stanley KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Clare is a calm presence in contentious litigation - her clarity of thought, clear direction, impressive responsiveness, generous accessibility, and enormously fun personality make her an absolute pleasure to deal with. Her advocacy is clear, forceful, and convincing.'

Alan Steinfeld KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘The oracle.’

John Wardell KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Shân Warnock-Smith KC –5 Stone Buildings ‘The queen of the offshore world. The depth of her experience is second to none on trusts matters, particularly in Cayman. She does not rest on her experience and gets heavily involved in matters, works hard and is simply awesome.’

David Alexander KC –South Square ‘Very client friendly, very responsive, accessible and a team player. Well prepared for court advocacy and generally popular with judges.'

Stephen Atherton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Stephen really knows insolvency law inside out and is able to provide expert, comprehensive advice on very short notice. Moreover, he is able to provide this advice in a clear and layman friendly manner.'

David Brownbill KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘David is absolutely brilliant in dealing with highly complex and technical legal issues. His judgment is superb, taking into account not only legal issues but practical client concerns. You can always rely on his advice. He is also incredibly diligent and hard-working and a joy to work with.’

Graham Chapman KC –4 New Square ‘Graham is a fantastic team player, and his highly user-friendly. His advocacy is excellent – measured but forceful, and his style has always found favour with our tribunals.’

David Chivers KC –Erskine Chambers

Edward Davies KC –Erskine Chambers ‘Edward is excellent.’

Vernon Flynn KC –Brick Court Chambers

‘An incredibly persuasive advocate, Vernon performs well in his feet. Clearly well read in to the matter and up to speed. His written advocacy is very impressive, too.’

Michael Furness KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Michael is at the top of his profession and is usually involved in the most significant cases.’

Dakis Hagen KC – Serle Court ‘Dakis is a very smooth advocate and judges trust him. He is simply superb on his feet.’

Jonathan Harris KC –Serle Court ‘An incredibly clever lawyer who is without doubt the leader in his field of expertise. At home dealing with the academic and technical end of the legal spectrum. Jonathan never fails to impress with his level of in-depth knowledge.'

Jonathan Hilliard KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Extremely user-friendly and responsive; very clever and thorough - no stone left unturned.'

Mark Howard KC –Brick Court Chambers

Robert Levy KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Robert is one of the pre-eminent silks for hotly contested and complex offshore litigation. He is an outstanding trial advocate, fights to the last inch, and really understands the nuances of the Cayman court.'

John Machell KC –Serle Court ‘Very user friendly, hard working and easy to work with. He is a real up and coming star in offshore work.'

Hodge Malek KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Exceptional lawyer with unsurpassed knowledge in a number of areas particularly privilege and disclosure. His advocacy style is calm and assured and judges listen intently to everything he is saying.'

Paul McGrath KC –Essex Court Chambers

Terence Mowschenson KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Terry has a straightforward, no-nonsense, authoritative approach that both clients and judges pay attention to. He is hardworking, responsive and pleasant to work with.'

Daniel Saoul KC –4 New Square ‘Dan is a phenomenal strategist with a great insight into the minds of judges and a tremendously nice guy to boot.'

Mohinderpal Sethi KC – Littleton Chambers

Simon Taube KC –Ten Old Square

Bankim Thanki KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Bankim's core strength is his ability to get to the heart of a matter and to identify the fundamental principle at play and then design and execute a litigation strategy around that insight. His style of advocacy is of the quiet, unrelenting, one nail after the other kind. Gulliver only realizes he's caught when he can't move!'

Michael Todd KC - Erskine Chambers

Felicity Toube KC - South Square

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Francis has a wonderful demeanour and is easy to work with. He is also responsive and a great leader to have on your matters. He is a team player and the clients all like his style and approach.'

Ben Valentin KC –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Ben is one of the best advocates. He is amazing to work with and the clients love him.’

Richard Wilson KC –Serle Court ‘Richard is first-rate and a fantastic modern silk.’

Francis Barlow KC –Ten Old Square

George Bompas KC –4 Stone Buildings

Paul Bowen KC –Brick Court Chambers

Simon Davenport KC - 4 Pump Court ‘Simon is exceptionally strong in strategy and thoughtful handling of complex cases. He has excellent knowledge and drafting skills and his way of presenting the case in court is very convincing.’

Glen Davis KC –South Square ‘Very good eye for detail, very thorough and extremely knowledgeable.'

Thomas Dumont KC –Radcliffe Chambers

‘Tom has to be one of the most charismatic members of the Bar, he is the absolute master at distilling complex legal issues into client friendly, easy to manage advice. He does it all with wit and charm too.’

Matthew Hardwick KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Easy to work with, highly technical KC, incredible ability to take in tremendous information and quickly pinpoint the winning strategy. A charmer in the courtroom.'

Ben Hubble KC –4 New Square ‘Great to have on your side, really feels like he has your back. Wonderfully calm. When he makes his submissions you are in no doubt that he is right.'

Stephen Midwinter KC –Brick Court Chambers

‘Incredibly bright and able to turn his mind to virtually any area of law. Excellent strategic and tactical judgment, incisive analysis, unflappable, absorbs new matters at great speed and strong written and oral advocacy.'

Tom Montagu-Smith KC – 3 Verulam Buildings

Jern-Fei Ng KC –7BR ‘Jern Fei is a star. He is a strategic thinker and he is able to devise a strategy that wins you the war. His advocacy is also amazing and he is extremely persuasive. He is also willing to pull his sleeves up and appear without a junior.’

Rajesh Pillai KC –3 Verulam Buildings

Thomas Roe KC –3 Hare Court ‘Thomas’s advice is precise and to the point. He answers clients’ questions meticulously and uses clear language, which helps clients understand complex legal issues. As an advocate, he is alert with the ability to identify the key issues and evidence favouring his client. Very knowledgeable in his area of expertise, easily approachable and down to earth.’

Steven Thompson KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Robust advocacy, not easily fazed, makes difficult concepts simple to understand, stands up well under pressure even at the highest levels of the court system.’

Adrian Beltrami KC - 3 Verulam Buildings

James Ayliffe KC – Wilberforce Chambers

Andrew Ayres KC –Twenty Essex ‘Advocacy style is very effective - calm, well prepared and on top of the detail. Judges have confidence in Andrew's submissions. Andrew is very responsive and is a pleasure to work with. He is really effective at leading a team and ensuring all team members' contributions are considered.'

Alain Choo Choy KC – One Essex Court

Timothy Collingwood KC - Serle Court 'Tim is extremely smart, but very easy to deal with. He is very much a man for the details and somebody you want around when dealing with tricky points of law. He is a solid advocate.'

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Edward has an excellent persuasive style as an advocate, chooses strong points and develops them well. He is able to take decisive strategic positions rapidly, with an appreciation for the risks faced by clients and the need to manage them carefully.’

Richard Fisher KC – South Square ‘Richard is very easy to work with. He is very good at distilling complex issues into short, effective points. He is very adept at identifying the strengths and weaknesses in a case and addressing them in the best possible manner. His written submissions are comprehensive and compelling. He is a very strong advocate who is very quick on his feet and able to deal with difficult questions raised by a judge without hesitation or taking a backward step.'

Orlando Fraser KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘Very charming manner including in court. Very good advocate. Very knowledgeable on trust law issues. Good commercial feel. Clients love the combination of legal knowledge, good strategy and commercial feel.'

Jeremy Goldring KC –South Square

Bridget Lucas KC –Fountain Court Chambers

Ali Malek KC –3 Verulam Buildings ‘Ali Malek is the best of the best.'

Richard Millett KC - Essex Court Chambers

David Mumford KC –Maitland Chambers

Pavlos Panayi KC –7BR

Lord David Pannick KC –Blackstone Chambers

Simon Salzedo KC –Brick Court Chambers

‘Simon is a walking encyclopedia of valuation work. He is self contained, on top of his brief and one of the few barristers who is more of an expert than the expert. Calm under pressure and unfailingly courteous, he wins over the judge and allows witnesses to be drawn in only to fall into the trap. A class act.’

Charles Samek KC – Littleton Chambers ‘Charles is a go-to choice for hard fought cases. Incredibly responsive, engaging with the court and a powerful advocate: a good man to have in your corner.’

Nikki Singla KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Nikki is incredibly hard working and diligent. He is extremely smart and well read. He smooth as silk. He has a fiery determination that can, when pressed or his strict moral code crossed, become anger.'

Adam Solomon KC –Littleton Chambers ‘Easy to work with and good in teams.'

Christopher Tidmarsh KC –5 Stone Buildings

2021 Silks

Hermann Boeddinghaus KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘Hermann has a talent for distilling complicated issues of law into clear and articulate principles. He is a strong advocate who always maintains very good credibility with the judge.’

Alexander Learmonth KC –New Square Chambers

Tom Poole KC –3 Hare Court ‘Tom’s drafting and his advocacy is concise and extremely well-crafted. He is really responsive and easy to use, and also very tactically astute.’

George Spalton KC –4 New Square ‘George commands the details very quickly and is full of sage practical advice. He is a realist when needed. He is excellent on his feet and doesn’t miss a beat. He is approaching the top of his game in the fraud and asset recovery field and he is a trusted name among peers. He is approachable, a team player and works extremely hard for the client.’

James Willan KC –Essex Court Chambers

2022 Silks

Tony Beswetherick KC –Twenty Essex ‘Tony is smart, level-headed and well-prepared; an advocate that judges and solicitors can trust.’

Giles Richardson KC –Serle Court ‘Giles is absolutely brilliant and a great person to have advising and advocating your client’s position. He is straightforward and easy to work with, very responsive, written work is top-notch and a cool operator. All the clients love him because he is a class act.’

Robert Weekes KC - Blackstone Chambers

Andrew Westwood KC –Maitland Chambers

Leading Juniors

Simon Adamyk –New Square Chambers

Adam Al-Attar –South Square

Sarah Bayliss –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Excellent with complicated Chancery claims, especially with challenging or particularly sensitive client issues. She takes clients along with her brilliantly through very complex issues.’

Andrew Blake –Erskine Chambers

Toby Brown –South Square ‘Toby is a very skilled technical lawyer with a remarkable appetite for hard work. His research work is meticulous. He is tenacious in fighting his client's corner and will not let points drop if he thinks they may work to his client's advantage. He is very user friendly: an absolute delight to work with.'

Piers Feltham –Radcliffe Chambers

Marcus Flavin –Radcliffe Chambers

‘Technically excellent and experienced, his coherent and well-structured opinions are well received by the court. Reassuring, pragmatic and practical.’

Thomas Fletcher - Serle Court

Dan McCourt Fritz –Serle Court ‘An excellent junior who has an expert’s grasp of offshore commercial fraud work and a piercing intellect. He is also a real team player who rolls up his sleeves when the pressure is on.’

Graeme Halkerston – Wilberforce Chambers

Nicholas Harrison –Serle Court

Andrew Holden –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Andrew is absolutely brilliant. A wonderful mix of being super intelligent, commercial and a great strategist. He is great to have on your team and solicitors trust his judgement on matters. His written work is first-rate.’

Mark Hubbard –New Square Chambers

Adil Mohamedbhai –Serle Court ‘He is extremely thorough and hardworking, and keeps on top of all the detail of a large case. The whole team relies on him for his knowledge of the case and his ability to turn round work within tight deadlines.’

Matthew Morrison –Serle Court ‘Matthew is a strong presence on any team. His written work is exceptional and he is an absolute joy to work with.'

Tom Richards - Blackstone Chambers

William Willson –South Square ‘William is a prolific draftsman who is able to craft a compelling argument extraordinarily quickly. He is a pragmatist and team player.'

Robert Amey –South Square ‘Robert is incredibly proactive and easy to work with. He is very knowledgeable on the facts of the cases, is approachable and very hard-working.’

Nigel Burroughs –4 New Square

Lucy Colter –4 New Square

Alexander Cook –4 Stone Buildings ‘Alex is hard working, conscientious and always delivers high quality work beyond his years, even when under considerable time or time difference pressures, and even when he has other commitments. His reliability is beyond the norm. In advocacy terms his performance is assured, secure, persuasive and beyond his years.'

Emma Hargreaves –Serle Court ‘Impressive attention to detail with tireless energy. She is able to research the most complex points in minute detail and then form a holistic view incredibly quickly. She is also able to hold her own in the court room, even against significantly more senior opponents.’

Marcus Haywood –South Square

Jordan Holland –5 Stone Buildings ‘He is an exceptionally clever and innovative lawyer who has enormous and justified confidence. His understanding of trust work particularly in the offshore world is exceptional for a junior. He has a very good instinct about what will win a case.'

Ruth Jordan –Serle Court ‘She is a tenacious and effective advocate.'

Ciaran Keller –Essex Court Chambers

Nicole Langlois –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Practical, and very good intellectually but also strong strategically. Impressive, unflustered and effective in court.’

Nico Leslie –Fountain Court Chambers ‘He is clever and articulate and easy to work with.'

Robert Strang –3 Hare Court ‘Superb written work - a very clear and concise style of drafting.'

Lynton Tucker –New Square Chambers

Daniel Warents –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Phenomenally hard-working, a great team member and a very good advocate.’

James Weale –Serle Court ‘Highly responsive and great to work with, he deals well with judges in urgent high pressure applications..’

Elizabeth Weaver –XXIV Old Buildings

Zahler Bryan –Serle Court

Simon Calhaem –29 Bedford Row Chambers ‘His legal knowledge and tactical expertise in family law are impressive. He is the tiger in your corner and a joy to instruct.’

Andrew Child – Wilberforce Chambers

Adam Cloherty –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Adam is a very clever barrister, as well as charming and generous.’

Alexander Heylin – No5 Barristers’ Chambers

Philip Hinks –3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is brilliant at analysing complex factual and legal issues. He works like a Trojan to get the best possible results for the client. With Phil on your side, the other side are in for a tough time. He is an outstanding thinker and tactician.'

Sophie Holcombe –Serle Court ‘Sophie is superb to deal with, having a good blend of technical and tactical ability mated to a good sense of commerciality. Lay clients and solicitors appreciate her turnaround time on work and the clarity of her advice.’

Olivier Kalfon – Maitland Chambers

Anna Littler – Wilberforce Chambers ‘An excellent grasp of all the issues and a rare ability to handle difficult characters in a sensitive and productive way. Good judgement and great forensic skills mean Anna is destined to do really well - she will become a star of the Bar.’

Edoardo Lupi – South Square ‘Edoardo's detailed understanding of the issues and law in this area belies his years called. He is able to produce written work close to the level of a KC. He has a good feel for case strategy and is very helpful to consult in deciding how to best proceed, often raising issues and queries that had not yet been considered by those instructing him.’

James MacDougald –Ten Old Square

Andrew Maguire – Littleton Chambers ‘Andrew is brilliant with clients, very approachable and user friendly. Clients love him. He is very through and knowledgeable, and always responds quickly and effectively. He is a brilliant advocate and highly intelligent.’

Andrew McLeod – One Essex Court ‘A solid barrister to work with. He does a very good job and is bright and able.’

James McWiliams – 3 Verulam Buildings

Matthew Paton –5 Stone Buildings ‘Matthew is a highly expert trusts lawyer and excellent on his feet. He is qualified at both the English and Bahamian Bars and that distinguishes him from other English barristers undertaking offshore work. He really understands it.’

Rowan Pennington-Benton –3 Hare Court 'Rowan Pennington Benton is a fantastic barrister in this area.'

Leon Pickering –Ten Old Square

James Purchas –4 Pump Court ‘James is excellent. He is extremely adept at complex matters but also turns around issues incredibly quickly. He is responsive and not afraid to get fully immersed in a matter. He is great at client handling and is helpful to try and find creative solutions to the often thorny problems.'

Charles Raffin –Gatehouse Chambers

Bajul Shah –XXIV Old Buildings

Michael Ashdown – Wilberforce Chambers 'Michael has all round excellent knowledge of trusts and tax law and private client commercial market considerations.’

Daniel Burgess –Blackstone Chambers

Rupert Coe – Three Stone ‘Rupert is a solid and reliable junior with a good eye for both tactical and legal considerations.'

Mark Cullen – 4 New Square ‘Mark has an excellent work ethic and thinks deeply about the legal and commercial problems he is presented with. He has a very strong academic background, but refreshingly is focused on practical solutions. His knowledge of private international law is particularly useful for offshore work, and he also has a formidable command of areas of law that are always relevant to offshore disputes.’

Joshua Folkard – Twenty Essex ‘Josh is very user friendly and analytical. He is also very good with clients and fits into the team seamlessly.'

Elizabeth Houghton – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Good quick grasp of the issues and facts; good ability to marshal large amounts of material to support preparation of clear and accurate draft evidence.'

Clara Johnson – South Square

Josh Lewison –Radcliffe Chambers

‘Josh is very bright with a real passion for the law. He really throws himself into every instruction. His written advocacy is excellent and his down to earth, pleasant demeanor makes Josh a joy to work with.'

Edward Ho – Brick Court Chambers

‘Ed is extremely intelligent. He is able to very quickly process vast amounts of information and zoom in on the key points. He is also very responsive and easy to work with. The quality of his written advocacy is outstanding.’

David O'Mahony - 7BR

Tim Parker –Blackstone Chambers

Naina Patel –Blackstone Chambers

Jamsheed Peeroo –The 36 Group

Sarah Tresman –Twenty Essex ‘Sarah has a level of attention to detail to rival any barrister. She also has a depth of legal knowledge far beyond her years.’

Rising Stars

Charlotte Beynon - Serle Court

Aaron Taylor - Fountain Court Chambers

The English Bar Offshore in The English Bar Offshore

Tier 1 firms

Serle Court

The ‘spectacularly good‘ Serle Court remains one of the most pre-eminent sets within the offshore world, with a strong presence in international trusts and probate work. Members of chambers act in a full range of contentious and non-contentious trust cases, from hostile claims for breach of trust to complicated trust restructuring projects. One such example is the case of Kea v Watson, in which Elizabeth Jones KC advised on Kea v Watson, a New Zealand High Court case whereby part of the ongoing enforcement proceedings in the case obtained a sale order in respect the defendant’s interests in New Zealand trust and security structures so as to enforce against the interests of the defendant’s liquidated former company. One of chambers’ standout cases of late has been its involvement in the Wong v Grand View PTC litigation, worth over $15bn, in which Dakis Hagen KC, Emma Hargreaves, Charlotte Beynon and Stephanie Thompson were instructed to represent various parties in a case concerning allegedly invalid Bermuda purpose trusts set up to benefit the heirs of the Formosa Plastics empire, which has generated several interlocutory appeals. Richard Wilson KC has a substantial offshore trust practice, being involved in major international trust cases in the BVI, Grand Court in Cayman, Guernsey, Jersey, The Bahamas and Gibraltar. James Brightwell was appointed a Chancery Master - a full-time judicial role in London - in January 2023.

Testimonials

Set

‘Excellent, strong set.’

‘Spectacularly good across the board.’

‘Serle Court is one of the leading sets of chambers with strength and depth in contentious offshore trust matters.’

‘They are a go-to chambers for our firm and we have a number of key relationships with barristers at all levels of experience. Quality is always guaranteed. Their events are also spectacular!’

‘Serle Court are at the top of their game and are consistently within the three go to sets in respect of offshore work (both in chancery and commercial chancery). Their counsel leading and junior are always on hand to assist and their is depth of experience across the offshore world is second to none.’

Clerking

‘Excellent. Provide a responsive, friendly service.’

South Square

South Square is a leading chambers offering offshore financial services, insolvency, company and fraud-related work, with a strong presence in regions such as the Cayman Islands, BVI, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. Various members of chambers including Felicity Toube KC, Richard Fisher KC, Robert Amey , William Willson and others were involved in the Primeo Fund (in liquidation) v HSBC case before the Privy Council, on appeal from the courts in the Cayman Islands, a significant commercial claim concerning a high-quantum claim by the liquidators of a feeder fund into the Madoff Ponzi scheme against HSBC for breach of duty as administrator and custodian of the fund in which Primeo was investing. Glen Davis KC is noted for his specialist knowledge in Guernsey and Gibraltar, where he has acted for and against the Financial Services Commission. Felicity Toube KC is an expert in international proceedings and acts in relation to all major corporate restructurings and litigation. Cayman winding-up petitions are another particular area of expertise for the set’s members.

Testimonials

Set

‘A very strong chambers offshore, excellent reputation and no negative experiences with any of the set.’

‘Go to set for all restructuring and insolvency advice.’

‘There are of course numerous KCs at South Square who regularly appear in Cayman Islands matters, all of whom are very highly regarded; and there are also many strong juniors, e.g. Toby Brown, Edoardo Lupi, Hilary Stonefrost and Lloyd Tamlyn, available when needed on particularly heavy matters.’

‘The leading insolvency and restructuring set.’

‘South Square are the go-to set for offshore insolvency matters (particularly Cayman).’

Clerking

‘Dylan Playfoot has been my primary point of contact over the years, and is always very helpful and responsive. I have also dealt with Marco Malatesta, Jim Costa and Mike Killick on a number of occasions over the years and would say the same for them.’

Wilberforce Chambers

Wilberforce Chambers has a reputation for their handling of high profile and important cases across a wide variety of offshore regions, such as Anguilla, Bermuda, Guernsey and further afield. Members of chambers have found themselves at the forefront of ground-breaking cases within various jurisdictions, with noteworthy examples including Equity Trust (Jersey) Ltd v Halabi in which Clare Stanley KC and James Goodwin appeared, concerning issues of how to handle insolvent trusts under Jersey law. Robert Ham KC has a litigation and advisory practice related to trust law pensions, traditional chancery and offshore and enjoy devising complex transactions and drafting documents to give effect to them. Michael Furness KC specialises in occupational pensions, charities, tax and professional negligence claims in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and elsewhere, while Anna Littler is noted for her commercial Chancery practice.

Testimonials

Set

‘Wilberforce offers good strength in breadth of work and depth of barristers. Availability is usually good, and the clerks are clear about it well in advance for work planning purposes. The set has a high profile offshore and makes considerable efforts to build and maintain relationships in the BVI (and the rest of the Caribbean). Overall one of the more forward and market apparent sets, demonstrating real interest in our work.’

‘One of the top sets for offshore counsel.’

‘Deep bench of excellent offshore barristers with experience in company disputes and insolvency.’

‘Excellent counsel who have real depth of expertise in their fields.’

‘An excellent set, probably the leading set, for offshore trust litigation.’

Clerking

‘The clerks room is mature, experienced and responsive. Practice manager Nick Luckman leads the way in maintaining the set’s profile and sets a professional tone for the clerking team. Within the clerking team Andrew Barnes (for juniors) and Fraser Geddes (for silks) particularly stand out for us.’

XXIV Old Buildings

XXIV Old Buildings are well regarded for this ‘historical strength in overseas work,‘ with a number of leading silks among its ranks who engage with various major offshore disputes in a wide variety of regions such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. Members of chambers engage in a selection of different areas, such as corporate and commercial matters, trust related work and financial based cases. Alan Steinfeld KC is regarded as a ‘true star of the Bar‘ and is a popular advocate, with cases such as Perry v Lopag Trust Reg and Ors whereby he acted for the opposing counsel in a significant case on the law of equitable mistake in the Cayman Islands. Stephen Moverley Smith KC 's recent highlights include Al Thani v Al Thani, an attempt to enforce a Qatari judgment, validiating an oral will, in the BVI despite the BVI not permitting oral wills. Sarah Bayliss is noted for her strong presence in appearance in high value cases in Gibraltar, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and the BVI including complex offshore trust and investment structures, fraud, banking and insolvency.

Testimonials

Set

‘Simply the best.’

‘I have the highest regard for XXIV Chambers.’

‘They have a historical strength in overseas work.’

‘Good chambers. Strength in depth.’

‘Good chambers for offshore work.’

Clerking

‘Terrific clerks room with strength and depth and a can do attitude. Nothing is too much trouble.’

Tier 2 firms

3 Verulam Buildings

3 Verulam Buildings are a strong set in offshore based work, with a particular focus on matters relating to banking and finance disputes in a range of international financial centres. Members of chambers have had a successful year in a good selection of offshore regions, with Hefin Rees KC acting for the claimant in a BVI based shareholder dispute in Holm v Sancus Financial Holdings, whereby Rees successfully defended the trial outcome where his client, a former Bank of America executive, was awarded 22% of the Bank of Asia, a BVI-headquarted bank focussing on the Chinese and Singaporean markets. Members of chambers continually offer their expertise across a range of work including trusts, insolvency, civil fraud, restructuring and commercial cases. Tom Montagu-Smith KC recently joined from XXIV Old Buildings.

4 New Square

4 New Square handles work in a variety of practice areas including commercial litigation and financial based cases in regions including the Caribbean, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. Justin Fenwick KC has found success in a variety of regions for various offshore commercial litigation, with a feature case being The Liquidators of Stanford International Bank v Chadbourne & Parke and Proskauer Rose, whereby Fenwick KC acted for the liquidators in bringing a $1billion claim in Antigua and Barbuda, revolving around concerns of the notorious Ponzi scheme run by Allen Stanford. Graham Chapman KC has a broad commercial practice, with established work coming from the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Guernsey, Isle of Man and BVI with work centred on claims involving trustees, directors, officeholders and professionals.

Testimonials

Set

‘4 New Square are increasingly visible in Cayman – with Ben Hubble KC, Graham Chapman KC, and Graeme McPherson KC leading the way – but also by hosting more events on island. They have a great platform to do so with so many good silks who are easy to work with.’

‘The set has become more mainstream commercial and recognised as one of the “players” in that market. There is a good selection of counsel and service is timely.’

‘4 New Square has excellent strength in depth.’

‘4 New Square is an excellent set to work with and are able to cover the broad fields of practice if necessary. We rarely have to go elsewhere.’

‘4 New Square is a very strong set that is ever more prominent in Cayman matters.’

Clerking

‘Good and attentive.’

Fountain Court Chambers

Fountain Court Chambers is a well respected commercial set offering offshore expertise in areas such as banking and finance, commercial litigation, company law and civil fraud. Members of chambers are regularly instructed by leading firms for cases in the Caribbean. One highlight case is Sonera v Cukurova Telecom/Alfa Telecom, a matter before the British Virgin Islands courts, in which Bankim Thanki KC appeared in breach of contract in a claim against a Russian entity arising over a dispute over the ownership of a substantial European mobile telephone network. Ben Valentin KC has an extensive offshore practice in both the BVI and Cayman Islands, and turning to the set's juniors Nico Leslie is a notable junior for his involvement in large and high profile offshore disputes in recent years, with recent work in jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands.

Testimonials

Set

‘A set of consistent high quality across a broad range of disciplines.’

‘Excellent service and impressive level of expertise.’

‘I am very familiar with several members of the set at both the level of silk, and senior juniors. They have great bench strength, coupled with diverse styles of advocacy, but they each have in common comprehensive understanding of the areas of law, enthusiastic and energetic advocacy and a sense of humor with first class client care.’

‘Excellent chambers. Commercial, responsive, helpful and willing to go the extra mile.’

‘Fountain Court is very well known a superb, highly experienced commercial set.’

Clerking

‘Alex Taylor has huge experience. He is a man of integrity who I would trust to help me build the right, high-quality team of barristers on a case.’

Tier 3 firms

3 Hare Court

3 Hare Court is a notable set within the offshore regions, offering a wide range of public and constitutional law work both in advisory roles and advocacy services. Members of chambers are well regarded within Gibraltar and the Caribbean. Rowan Pennington-Benton is noteworthy for his involvement in several Privy Council cases in Gibraltar, such as the case of Enterprise Insurance v EHL Realisations and 13 Others, which remains one of the largest and most far-reaching breach of fiduciary duty claims launched in Gibraltar concerning the collapse of a major offshore insurance company.

Testimonials

Set

‘Professional and very helpful. Top shelf service.’

‘I have always liked working with 3 Hare Court because they are quite generalist and there is always a barrister who can help with whatever issue you have.’

‘Very strong.’

‘The best in London for Privy Council appeals.’

Clerking

‘The clerks are very responsive.’

‘Very polite, professional, flexible and friendly. James Donovan in particular is extremely helpful and easy to deal with.’

Erskine Chambers

Erskine Chambers is a well-known set in corporate transactions, restructuring and insolvency, civil fraud and asset recovery and financial services. Within these areas, the set's barristers have been influential in developing company law of offshore jurisdictions and have seen a rise of cross-border related work in the BVI and Cayman Islands. Michael Todd KC found success assisting Jersey advocates for the investment fund in FTV Capital v Tuckwell, a shareholder dispute between a company founder, who was at one point one of the ten richest men in the Channel Islands, and one of his company's private equity backers. Andrew Blake stands out for his specialisms in company law, corporate and commercial litigation, restructuring and corporate insolvency.

Maitland Chambers

Members at Maitland Chambers have appeared in many leading offshore cases across a range of jurisdictions, being called to upon to advise across jurisdictions in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Channel Islands. The chambers is well-known for acting on a range of high profile civil fraud, commercial and trust matters. Richard Morgan KC has extensive knowledge of freezing orders and jurisdiction disputes – he has appeared in a number of leading cases, with recent success found in the representation of the defendant in the Privy Council case of Convoy Collateral v Broad Idea & Choi, which revolved around a freezing order discharge and jurisdiction challenge. Olivier Kalfon is experienced within commercial litigation within the BVI and Cayman Islands.

Tier 4 firms

5 Stone Buildings

5 Stone Buildings has a reputation within the Chancery field for their width of expertise and depth in areas such as contentious probate and family provision claims. Members of chambers are also well known for their strength in contentious trusts, with standout cases including the long-running Crociani saga, in which Jordan Holland , together with Penelope Reed KC, acted for BNP Paribas Jersey Trust Corporation Limited in a complex breach of trust action in which the beneficiaries of a family trust structure sought the reconstitution of a fund worth an estimated $1bn. Shan Warnock-Smith KC is at the forefront in the field of heavyweight private client disputes and has been involved in many major trust and estate cases in jurisdictions including the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and Hong Kong. Matthew Paton is noteworthy for his extensive experience in high-value complex offshore litigation involving contentious and non-contentious trust and probate matters.

Testimonials

Set

‘The chambers is good in terms of depth of counsel and they are increasing their visibility in the market with some good events and training.’

‘The depth of the set is unsurpassable. There are any number of available counsel to choose from in terms of their capabilities and levels of experience (subject to how busy they can be). I have used a number of juniors for drafting and been impressed by all of them.’

‘5 Stone Buildings specialises in trusts and estates work and therefore has a depth of expertise and experience not found in other sets. its members are in all the big trusts and estates cases both onshore and offshore up to the highest courts. it has been involved in numerous high profile offshore cases in recent years.’

‘It is a set which specialises in trusts and estates and is hugely in demand for offshore and onshore work. Its members are in all the big cases. It’s silks appear offshore and onshore in major trust litigation and it has a very able body of juniors.’

Clerking

‘Excellent, helpful, proactive.’

‘The clerks have always been helpful and proactive.’

New Square Chambers

New Square Chambers are a leading offshore set for both corporate clients and high net worth individuals, acting in jurisdictions such as Anguilla, Bahamas, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands and Gibraltar. Members of chambers are frequently instructed on a wide variety of cases involving offshore trust matters, civil fraud, commercial contracts, insolvency and property claims. Nicholas Le Poidevin KC is well regarded for his practice involving contentious trusts, will and estates practice. Lynton Tucker is regarded as a leading traditional Chancery junior for his work involving offshore trusts in multiple offshore jurisdictions, with standout case being Hawksford Trustees Jersey Ltd v P Ltd, in which he advised at first instance involving a transaction concerning a trust on the ground of a mistake and raised questions as to the scope of the remedy which could be granted under the Jersey court’s statutory jurisdiction. Alexander Learmonth KC has a busy practice in the field of trusts and estate litigation.

Testimonials

Set

‘New Square Chambers has fantastic collection of experienced private client practitioners. We’ve worked with Rodney Stewart Smith and Lynton Tucker in the past. The Chambers also provides training/CPD seminars of a range of topics (including the annual Lewin Conference, which is excellent). I regularly attend their conferences).’

‘New Square have a great strength in depth and their role in Lewin is well known.’

Clerking

‘I’ve always found the clerks to be eminently helpful and polite.’

‘Very helpful and proactive.’

One Essex Court

One Essex Court is a commercial focused set which also handles cases with a component involving financial, company law, insolvency law, trusts and other aspects of equity, spreading its wings from beyond London to jurisdictions such as Cyprus, Jersey, Guernsey, Bahamas, Bermuda, Isle of Man, BVI and Cayman Islands. Alain Choo Choy KC has a practice spanning financial services and commercial litigation, with a particular interest in cases involving areas such as banking and conflict of laws disputes. Richard Boulton KC has a broad commercial practice, with a highlight case being Re 58.com where he acted for the company in a substantial s.238 merger dispute in the Cayman Grand Court. Andrew McLeod has joined from Maitland Chambers and has enjoyed instructions in complex, high-value civil fraud and trusts based work in a variety of offshore jurisdictions.

Testimonials

Set

‘One Essex is truly the premier commercial litigation set in London. They seem to be involved in every major dispute percolating through the English Courts. Everyone we dealt with from other QC’s (like Laurence Rabinowitz and Sonia Tolaney) to juniors were equally impressive and astute.’

‘A great set with some of the Bar’s leading lights and good strength in depth.’

‘One Essex Court are one of the leading sets in this area. Absolute professionals.’

‘Excellent set.’

‘Top of the market.

Clerking

‘Excellent clerking, always happy to chat, very proactive.’

Twenty Essex

Twenty Essex are well known for their fraud, insolvency, banking and financial services based casework. Members are often involved in cases with parties from Asia who have their companies structured through offshore vehicles. Stephen Atherton KC is the joint Head of Chambers and has a practice encompassing areas such as international and domestic corporate insolvency, restructuring and company law. Tony Beswetherick KC works on cases with a strong international element, with experience of cross-border issues arising in connection with foreign insolvencies. Sarah Tresman is a renowned junior for offshore work, having spent three years at the Cayman Islands as a litigation attorney before returning to London and has featured in cases such as Abdulhameed Dhia Jafar v The GHF Group Limited and GHF General Partner Limited, a case that is part of the fall-out from the collapse of emerging markets private equity house Abraaj.

Testimonials

Set

‘The set is a first rate international chambers who re very client focused.’

‘Chambers has an excellent reputation and while my direct experience of other members of chambers (and the workings of chambers) is limited, I know that others in my firm speak highly of the set and instruct them often.’

‘Good strong commercial set of barristers.’

‘Twenty Essex are a great set. They have significant strength in depth and their members, including their pupils and juniors, fit a pattern of being user friendly, commercially minded and just very very good.’

‘One of my go-to Chambers due to quality of counsel and willingness to work as a team with instructing solicitors.’

Clerking

‘Very responsive and efficient.’

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