Frederick Wilmot-Smith > Brick Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Brick Court Chambers Offices
7-8 ESSEX STREET
LONDON
WC2R 3LD
England
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Frederick Wilmot-Smith
Position
Frederick’s practice is principally in commercial law.
He has substantial appellate experience, having appeared before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court on a number of occasions, and has also appeared in the Privy Council. As well as his practice as a litigator, he provides advice and acts as an expert on all aspects of English private law.
Fred is currently instructed in Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International, a claim in the Commercial Court of over US$2 billion, and in Azima v RAKIA and others, a claim alleging State-sponsored hacking and which seeks to set aside judgments of the High Court and Court of Appeal as having been procured by fraud. And he is instructed as sole counsel in a number of arbitral matters as well as (in both the British Virgin Islands and United Kingdom) a claim brought by numerous Mongolian State entities. A number of his unled cases are valued at over US$100m. He has also appeared unled in the High Court and County Court on a range of applications.
In all his work he is able to draw on his considerable experience as an academic lawyer. He was previously an academic at the University of Oxford, where he is a Fellow of All Souls College. He has published widely on a range of subjects and taught, for example, graduate seminars in commercial remedies and restitution of unjust enrichment. His work has been cited by the United Kingdom Supreme Court, as well as the highest courts in Australia, Canada and Singapore.
Career
Call: 2018
Education
- D.Phil, All Souls College, Oxford
- M.Phil, Balliol College, Oxford (Distinction)
- B.C.L., Balliol College, Oxford (Distinction)
- Undergraduate, Christ’s College, Cambridge (Double First Class)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Rising stars)Ranked: Tier 1Frederick Wilmot-Smith – Brick Court Chambers ‘Fred is extremely bright but also humble. His technical ability is outstanding and he comes up with clever and novel ideas yet he is also always open to suggestions and discussion.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Rising stars)Ranked: Tier 1Frederick Wilmot-Smith – Brick Court Chambers ‘His intellect is just fierce. He is charming with clients and solicitors, and a real team player.’
Brick Court Chambers continues to impress with its members’ involvement in an array of high-profile cases, offering ‘huge strength in depth for fraud work’. Members of the set continue to be involved in “tuna bonds” scandal litigation concerning the fraudulent and corrupt procurement of sovereign guarantees worth $2bn, with Richard Blakeley KC, newly appointed silk as of March 2024, representing the Republic of Mozambique in proceedings against Credit Suisse, VTB and Privinvest Group companies; Ben Woolgar and Frederick Wilmot-Smith acting for the Privinvest defendants; and Stephen Midwinter KC, Laura Newton, and Tom Wood instructed by banks that provided syndicated lending to Mozambique. Tim Lord KC, leading a team including Thomas Plewman KC, represents Ziyavudin Magomedov and his companies in relation to high-value disputes around the world arising out of an alleged conspiracy to carry out a corporate raid of assets belonging to the former tycoon, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Russia.. Fred Hobson KC and Richard Blakeley KC took silk in March 2024.