Mr Giles Maynard-Connor KC KC > Exchange Chambers > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile
Exchange Chambers Offices
201 DEANSGATE
MANCHESTER
M3 3NW
England
- Set Profile
- Go to...
Mr Giles Maynard-Connor KC KC
Work Department
Commercial; Commercial Fraud; Insolvency; Professional Negligence; Alternative Dispute Resolution
Position
Giles is Deputy Head of Chambers, Head of the Business and Property Department and Head of the Insolvency Team at Exchange. Recognised as a robust, thorough advocate, he has a clear grasp of commercial issues and how best to overcome them. He works with his clients, favouring a team approach, particularly when faced with complex issues. With an in-depth understanding of the commercial world, he is adept at keeping his clients informed and aware of any issues that may arise at the earliest opportunity. Giles is a truly commercial litigator in terms of approach to his cases and his clients’ interests and needs. He recognises the importance of leading a legal team in order to achieve his clients’ aims and objectives (whether at trial or through ADR) as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.
Giles is consistently noted as a leader in his field, is highly regarded for his ‘technical knowledge and commercial know-how’, and has a wealth of experience dealing with substantial commercial litigation. Over the last 30 years he has appeared at all levels up to and including the Court of Appeal and even in the Supreme Court of the Seychelles and in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.
His practice has a particular emphasis on civil and corporate fraud, company and contentious insolvency work, professional negligence (claimant and defendant) and banking.
Before taking Silk, Giles was Junior Counsel to the Crown (Regional Panel A) and his work for the Secretary of State focused on contentious public interest winding up petitions, including the appointment of provisional liquidators and appropriate injunctive relief, and disqualification applications under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
In recent years he has successfully completed a number of high profile high value corporate fraud cases, leading other junior Counsel, and has acted as the leading Counsel in a number of high value international arbitrations.
Giles has also recently appeared in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, where he successfully appealed against a decision of a liquidator of a foreign insurance company in order to confirm a substantial proof of debt based on a UK judgment; and has dealt with the high profile insolvency of the Redcar based steel business operated by SSI UK Ltd, now in liquidation.
He has also represented over 300 claimants in a multi-million pound corporate fraud case in the Cayman Islands.
His most recent work includes the successful defence of a £125M claim against a high-profile fashion and internet entrepreneur, which was dismissed as being fraudulent.
Giles won and was awarded the accolade of ‘Barrister/KC of the Year’ at the Manchester Legal Awards 2023.
Career
Called 1992; Silk 2021; Junior Counsel to the Crown (Provincial Panel)
Memberships
- Chancery Bar Association
- Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
- R3
- Northern Chancery Bar Association
Education
- Lancaster University (LLB)
- Inns of Court School of Law
Leisure
Outside work Giles is a family man but in his spare time he enjoys running, F1, football and Rugby Union.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Company and insolvency
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2At Exchange Chambers ‘there is a breadth of expertise across all levels of call in insolvency and company work’, and this encompasses asset tracing and recovery, bankruptcy, administration, shareholder disputes, and director disqualification. The set is home to Giles Maynard-Connor KC, head of the insolvency practice, and he often provides non-contentious advice to office holders and companies. Richard Tetlow‘s insolvency practice encompasses both corporate and personal litigation, as does Carly Sandbach‘s, and she is particularly skilled at handling directors’ disqualification proceedings and public interest winding up petitions. Sandbach acted for the Secretary of State in directors’ disqualification proceedings against two financial advisors following a pension mis-selling scheme. Ian Tucker has a particular interest in cases where insolvency and land law converge, and he has appeared before the Court of Appeal. Tucker represented the trustee in Khan v Singh-Sall & Ano, which concerned an application to annul a bankruptcy order on the grounds that it should not have been made in the first place. George Rowell is another key junior here with experience in insolvency cases that have related tax elements.
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Giles Maynard-Connor KC – Exchange Chambers ‘Giles is at the top of his game. He is rightly viewed in the market as the KC of the moment, as he is a formidable advocate and passionate about every case he advocates.’
Exchange Chambers is praised by one client as ‘the first port of call for work in the north of England’ due to the ‘breadth of expertise across all levels of call in commercial litigation.’ Giles Maynard-Connor KC is a notable name here with a focus on corporate fraud, and he was instructed by the defendant in a £2.5m claim surrounding allegations of breaches of sale and purchase agreements following the defendant’s partial acquirement of the claimant’s former business (Delkia Limited v Nuvia Limited). The set also houses Carly Sandbach, who has acted for clients in all levels of court up to the Court of Appeal, and her client base includes banks, multinational and small businesses, and professional services firms. She represented the defendant in the case of 199 Solar Limited v Equity Housing Group Limited, a dispute centred around a JCT construction contract and alleged misrepresentation. Andrew Vinson acts for foreign and domestic companies in high-value contractual disputes.