Erskine Chambers > London, England > Set Profile
Erskine Chambers Offices
1, Paper Buildings
London
EC4Y 7EP
England
Erskine Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Company Tier 1
Erskine Chambers is ‘renowned, deservedly, as the go-to set for complicated corporate law questions’ and ‘a top set for company law disputes with a good selection of barristers at various levels’. Among the set’s many prominent silks is David Chivers KC, who recently handled an appeal to the Privy Council from Antigua to consider the power of directors to enter into poison pill arrangements at common law in IGlobe v Sinovac. Opposing counsel in that case were the set’s own James Potts KC and Andrew Blake. Martin Moore KC, who is widely recognised as a leading voice on transactional matters, advised GSK on contentious issues arising from the demerger of its consumer healthcare division to Haleon plc, and handled a high-value appraisal action in Bermuda on behalf of Jardine Matheson Group. Turning to the set’s juniors, Nigel Dougherty recently acted for directors of the owner of London’s Wolseley restaurant in successfully resisting an injunction sought by MI Squared that would have prevented a proposed £38m rescue package. Mary Stokes has retired from practice.
Rising stars
Leading Silks
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘All of the clerks I have dealt with are helpful and friendly, especially Seamus Nixon.’
‘They are all excellent, they know their barristers and the court and are easy to deal with.’
‘The clerks are a delight to work with – the set is smaller than some of the other bigger sets and well served by the clerks who know their team well.’
‘Responsive, helpful and easy to work with. Special mention to Alex Calder.’
‘The clerks are responsive, efficient, and easy to deal with.’
‘Renowned, deservedly, as the go to set for complicated corporate law questions.’
‘Erskine are the go-to set for company work. They have a relatively small team but a good range of juniors. They offer a useful programme of webinars.’
‘Small but perfectly formed. It’s no wonder they are top of the tree and on speed dial when it comes to corporate law. Litigators love the enthusiasm of the barristers to go into court; corporate transaction lawyers love the forensic analysis of the law that enables them to make ‘bet the company’ decisions.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Insolvency Tier 2
Erskine Chambers find their strength in contentious insolvency and corporate restructuring, with members of chambers advising on a number of substantial restructuring and insolvency procedures. The set is noteworthy in areas where insolvency meets banking and finance, including litigation arising from the insolvency of financial institutions, as well as matters crossing over with the set's company law reputation. Peter Arden KC has been instructed in connection with major insolvencies and restructurings, including the case of Re LB Holdings Intermediate 2 Ltd which involved a dispute over the distribution of a surplus held by an element of collapsed bank Lehman Brothers, estimated between £800m and £1bn. Andrew Thompson KC is experienced in high-value litigation, while Ben Griffiths is noted for his cross-border practice, having acted for Signal Credit on its claim to challenge the $1bn restructuring of the Galapagos Group in Galapagos Bidco v Signal. Ben Shaw KC was appointed silk in March 2023.Leading Silks
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Alex Calder has been very responsive and friendly with a reasonable approach to fee negotiation etc.’
‘Generally very good – Michael Shillingford is particularly responsive.’
‘Always available and helpful.’
‘The clerks’ room is very responsive and helpful.’
‘Very efficient and responsive.’
‘Erskine remains the go to set for all any complex company law issues and I am very confident that any barrister there will be a real leader in this area. They are also very strong indeed on insolvency matters and vie with South Square in this area.’
‘Erskine Chambers have never let me down, and always seem to have the right Counsel available.’
‘Excellent chambers with great commercial experience, especially at senior level, but also excellent juniors.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Commercial litigation Tier 4
‘Unrivalled for technical ability‘, Erskine Chambers is ‘a go-to chambers for corporate matters‘. In a landmark Supreme Court ruling on directors’ duties to act in creditors’ interests, Andrew Thompson KC appeared for the appellant in BTI Industries v Sequana, a $80m claim regarding dividends that were allegedly paid in breach of fiduciary duty. Several members of the set are involved in the multi-faceted litigation surrounding the collapse of Carillion - James Potts KC is leading Andrew Blake in the representation of the company's former finance director in ongoing directors’ disqualification proceedings.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Seamus Nixon is very good to deal with.’
‘Unrivalled for technical ability.‘
‘A go-to chambers for corporate matters.‘
‘The clerks and juniors who assist are very good.‘
‘A very strong company law set.‘
‘A historically excellent set.‘
‘The juniors are all very bright and responsive.‘
‘The service from the clerks has always been courteous and efficient.‘
Work highlights
Western Circuit > Commercial litigation
Western Circuit > Company and insolvency
London Bar > Partnership
London Bar > Pensions
Leading Silks
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
Leading Silks
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore Tier 3
Corporate transactions, restructuring and insolvency, and financial services are the core pillars of Erskine Chambers offshore offering, with members appearing at all levels of the court system throughout the Caribbean. The ‘excellent all round’ David Chivers KC lends his expertise to offshore corporate litigation and company law, in addition to corporate restructuring and insolvency work. Edward Davies KC and Michael Todd KC were involved in Re Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) Ltd, which saw proceedings in Bermuda concerning two insolvent insurance companies with aggregate deficiency of an estimated $300m.Leading Silks
Testimonials
‘Always very helpful and professional.’
‘Erskine is a very strong set well known for its expertise in company and commercial litigation matters. The set is excellent with a number of terrific counsel available at varying levels of experience.’
Work highlights
Erskine Chambers > Set Profile
Erskine Chambers is recognised as being pre-eminent in company law and a leading set in associated fields including insolvency, financial services and corporate/commercial litigation (including civil fraud and asset recovery).
The set: Chambers’ size (28 barristers including 11 KCs) allows it to maintain expertise in its core practice areas while fielding effective teams in Commercial Court and Chancery Division litigation. Prominent former members include Lady Arden of Haswal, Sir David Richards and Richard Snowden LJ, while present members sit on various law reform committees and are editors and contributors to the leading texts on company law.
Types of work undertaken
Company law: Erskine is the go-to set for company law disputes and corporate transactions, including: shareholder disputes (Kleanthous v Paphitis; Bumi), joint venture disputes and technical company litigation (Eclairs v JKX; Enviroco v Farstad – both Supreme Court). Members have advised on most of the largest UK corporate transactions of recent years, including Friends Life/Aviva, Invensys/Schneider, Glencore/Xstrata and Vodafone/Verizon. Erskine provides counsel for the majority of schemes of arrangement, cross-border mergers (Honda Europe; Sony; Itau BBA), Part VII transfers of insurance business (Royal London/CIS, Barclays/ING), and reductions of capital.
Corporate/commercial litigation and arbitration: a large proportion of Erskine’s work is litigation at the intersection between company, commercial and insolvency law, including: commercial and contractual disputes; breach of fiduciary duty (Autonomy v Lynch; BAT Industries v Windward); LLP and funds disputes (Re Charterhouse Capital; F&C Investments v Barthelemy); and civil fraud and asset recovery (BTA Bank v Ablyazov; Mezhprombank v Pugachev). Members have particular expertise in freezing injunctions and other forms of interim relief.
Insolvency: Erskine has a strong reputation for both contentious insolvency and corporate restructuring. Insolvency litigation often involves cross-border issues (Olympic Airlines Trustees; Nortel & Lehman Bros v Pensions Regulator; Belmont Park v BNY – all Supreme Court; Singularis v PwC; PwC v Saad; MF Global). Restructurings include insolvent schemes of arrangement, administrations and CVAs (SphinX, Halliwells, Baugur, Miss Sixty).
Financial services: members undertake both contentious and non-contentious FSMA work. Litigation includes: funds, collective investment schemes and public offers of securities; prospectus liability (RBS rights issue litigation); financial conduct, regulation and enforcement (Lehmans client money) and interest rate swap claims against banks. Non-contentious work includes Part VII business transfers, securitisation and structured finance.
International: Erskine’s work is highly international, whether advising on multi-jurisdictional transactions or litigating complex cross-border disputes. Members are active in a large number of offshore jurisdictions, including the Channel Islands, Cayman, BVI, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos, St Vincent and Grenadine, Hong Kong and Singapore and have extensive trial experience, from First Instance to Appellate and Privy Council.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Clerk | Phil Reeves | ||
Clerks | Michael Shillingford | ||
Clerks | Alex Calder | ||
Clerks | Seamus Nixon | ||
Clerks | Jake Taylor | ||
Clerks | Samantha Rouse | ||
Members of Chambers | TODD KC, Michael (1977) (KC-1997) | ||
Members of Chambers | MABB KC, David (1979) (KC-2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | MOORE KC, Martin (1982) (KC-2002) | ||
Members of Chambers | CHIVERS KC, David (1983) (KC-2002) | ||
Members of Chambers | ARDEN KC, Peter (1983) (KC-2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | AGNELLO KC, Raquel (1986) (KC-2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | THOMPSON KC, Andrew (1991) (KC-2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | POTTS KC, James (1994) (KC-2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | THORNTON KC, Andrew (1994) (KC 2020) | ||
Members of Chambers | DAVIES KC, Edward (1998) (KC-2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | SHAW, Ben (2002) (KC-2023) | ||
Members of Chambers | ROBERTS, Catherine (1986) | ||
Members of Chambers | DOUGHERTY, Nigel (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | HORAN, Stephen (2002) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRIFFITHS, Ben (2004) | ||
Members of Chambers | PARFITT, Matthew (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | RIVETT, Jack (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | SCHARNETZKY, Anna (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | STAYNINGS, Chantelle (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | BLAKE, Andrew (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | MCLAUGHLIN, Conor (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | MORRISON, Philip (2018) | ||
Members of Chambers | WOODS, Seamus (2018) (New Zealand 2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | HALL, TOM (2021) | ||
Members of Chambers | BUTLER, DAN (2021) (Solicitor -2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | SOBCZYK, CARLEEN (2022) | ||
Members of Chambers | LILY CHURCH (2022) | ||
Members of Chambers | SEGAL, Nick (2018) (Solicitor-1982) (Associate Member) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Raquel Agnello | Raquel is a sought-after specialist in insolvency, company and commercial litigation. Additionally,… | View Profile | |
Peter Arden | Peter is a highly regarded silk, with a focus on insolvency and… | View Profile | |
Andrew Blake | Andrew specialises in company law, commercial litigation, restructuring and corporate insolvency. His… | View Profile | |
Dan Butler | Dan is developing a broad company and insolvency law practice and accepts… | View Profile | |
David Chivers | David is a highly experienced, sought-after silk specialising in company law, corporate… | View Profile | |
Lily Church | Lily is developing a busy practice in Chambers’ core areas of practice… | View Profile | |
Edward Davies | Edward Davies KC is an experienced commercial litigator, with a strong grounding… | View Profile | |
Nigel Dougherty | Nigel is a highly regarded senior junior. He is particularly sought-after in… | View Profile | |
Ben Griffiths | Ben is a corporate, insolvency and financial law specialist. His expertise spans… | View Profile | |
Tom Hall | Tom is a busy company and insolvency law junior. He is currently… | View Profile | |
Stephen Horan | Stephen’s main areas of practice are company law and related matters of… | View Profile | |
David Mabb | View Profile | ||
Conor McLaughlin | Conor is developing a commercial, company and insolvency law practice. Following pupillage… | View Profile | |
Martin Moore | Martin is a leading Silk for company law litigation and advice, corporate… | View Profile | |
Philip Morrison | Philip specialises in company and insolvency law; he undertakes instructions across the… | View Profile | |
Matthew Parfitt | Matthew is an advocate, litigator and adviser who specialises in company and… | View Profile | |
Samuel Parsons | Samuel specialises in insolvency and company law. His practice now sits on… | View Profile | |
James Potts | Company law, corporate insolvency (cross border and domestic), financial services, LLP, partnership… | View Profile | |
Jack Rivett | Jack Rivett has a strong commercial chancery practice, with an emphasis on… | View Profile | |
Catherine Roberts | Specialist in Company Law and commercial litigation involving issues of Company Law,… | View Profile | |
Anna Scharnetzky | Anna specialises in company law, corporate insolvency and corporate finance, as well… | View Profile | |
Nick Segal | Nick has extensive experience in a wide variety of work in commercial… | View Profile | |
Ben Shaw | Ben has a busy practice which is divided equally between litigation and… | View Profile | |
Carleen Sobczyk | Carleen is fast developing a commercial, company and insolvency law practice. Upon… | View Profile | |
Chantelle Staynings | Chantelle combines a strong transactional and corporate advisory practice with significant experience… | View Profile | |
Andrew Thompson | Andrew is a sought-after, specialist commercial litigator, with particular expertise in: corporate… | View Profile | |
Andrew Thornton | Andrew is involved in most of the leading public company M&A transactions… | View Profile | |
Michael Todd | Michael specialises in litigation and transactional advice on company law, corporate finance,… | View Profile | |
Seamus Woods | Seamus has a broad commercial chancery practice with a particular focus on… | View Profile |
Client Testimonials
TESTIMONIAL: “I regard Erskine Chambers as my first choice set of Counsel to consult on company law related matters. Their Clerks have never been less than excellent in assisting me in over 20 years of instructing Counsel from Erskine. The complexity and variety of matters which Erskine’s Counsel can tackle has also been much wider than pure company law. I have always been guided to the right Counsel and not once been disappointed. I believe that relationship with Counsel and their Clerks is important, as is working as a team on particularly large cases. I have found that in abundance at Erskine.”
TESTIMONIAL: “Erskine Chambers is an excellent set for high-value, complex commercial litigation with particular strengths in company and insolvency issues in the Chancery Division. There is an excellent spread of high quality silks and high quality senior junior counsel in the team with an appreciation of the need to provide the highest levels of service and a good blend of experience and specialist expertise. The ability to put teams together in a single set of chambers for the more complex litigation matters is very useful. I have worked with Erskine Chambers for many years and have never been disappointed with the service levels provided.”
TESTIMONIAL: “Erskine Chambers combines first-rate company law advice with consistently excellent service [and an innovative outlook]. The clerks are friendly, responsive and straight forward to work with. Facilities are well suited to handling conferences in person. For novel or high value company law problems Erskine Chambers remains the first port of call.”
TESTIMONIAL: “I have worked with many members of Erskine Chambers over a number of years, and I have always found both the advice and the service to be exemplary. Their assistance with large offshore matters, in relation to which there is often a paucity of precedent, is invaluable. All of the members of chambers with whom I have dealt have been extremely bright, focused and practical. In my view, Erskine is by far the first choice set for complicated or difficult corporate and related matters.”
Diversity/Community
Erskine Chambers: Diversity/pro bono/CSR
Erskine Chambers is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all its members, as well as pupils, mini-pupils, employees, clients and the public.
A number of members of Chambers are involved in pro bono activities from time to time, and support several legal charities engaged in law reform and human rights issues.
It is our policy to comply with the rules relating to equality and diversity set out in the Code of Conduct, supplemented by the guidance contained in the Bar Standards Board Handbook Equality Rules. Chambers adheres to a written policy on equality and diversity, and an associated implementation plan. Specific policies designed to promote and protect equality and diversity have been adopted by Chambers in relation to flexible working, recruitment and diversity data collection.
Chambers acknowledges that all its members are entitled to an equal opportunity to develop their practices and to experience the full range of the available work. In order to ensure a fair and equitable allocation of unassigned instructions, and to provide support and guidance in career development and marketing, individual members of chambers meet with the senior clerks on a regular basis (once in every three-month period in the case of junior tenants) to review the nature and development of that member’s practice and to identify any concerns over the fair distribution of work. It is recognised that discriminatory or stereotypical assumptions about the type of work that a member of Chambers might undertake may well be subconscious. To address these considerations, all clerks undertake appropriate equality and diversity training. If any solicitor insists on a discriminatory allocation of work, that instruction will be refused.
The extent to which members of Chambers conduct their practices from Chambers or from home, the hours and days that they choose to work, the length of their holidays and their timing is left to members’ discretion, subject to all members of Chambers providing the level of service which meets the reasonable expectations of Chambers’ clients and prospective clients. Chambers recognises that flexible working practices, such as the ability to work from home, make it easier to combine practice in Chambers with childcare and other domestic responsibilities and therefore facilitates working from home, including through the use of remote access to Chambers’ computer network and access to online research tools.
Chambers is focused upon ensuring equality of opportunity, fair treatment and diversity, in relation to recruitment. For those seeking tenancy, it is not a pre-requisite to have studied company or insolvency law, and Chambers considers candidates with both law and non-law degrees. Two of our most recent tenants did not read law at university. Amongst our members of Chambers we have individuals who have transferred from other professions, including former academics and solicitors. The members of chambers with responsibility for the selection of members of chambers, pupils, clerks, other employees or assessed mini-pupils have been trained in fair recruitment and selection processes.
Erskine Chambers will not tolerate any form of harassment and will take all necessary steps to ensure that its members, pupils, mini-pupils and employees are not subject to harassment. Chambers prohibits any behaviour which causes offence or distress to another and which is perceived by that person as relating to or arising from their race, religion, political belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age and/or which constitutes less favourable treatment on such grounds. Disciplinary action will be taken against any member or employee of chambers found to have harassed a colleague or other person in the conduct of their work.