Nico Leslie > Fountain Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Rated highly for being a ‘leading set in banking work with strength in depth across all parts of the banking sector,’ Fountain Court Chambers handles all aspects of banking and finance matters, ranging from acting for and against large retail and investment banks, to representing their current and former customers in a wide variety of claims. In terms of banking disputes, members of chambers have been involved in a number of precedent setting cases, including NMC Healthcare and Others v Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC and Others, which saw Bankim Thanki KC, Henry King KC, Nico Leslie, Alexandra Whelan and Damien Bruneau represent successful claimants in a dispute arising from competing claims regarding security arrangements over high-value loans. Other standout cases include Loreley Financing v Credit Suisse, where Patrick Goodall KC, Adam Sher, Laurie Brock and Marcus Field successfully acted for Credit Suisse in a claim relating to a CDO that it had entered into, which was linked to residential mortgage-backed securities. Richard Coleman KC and Patricia Robertson KC are noted for their work on a broad range of banking matters, while Rebecca Loveridge is praised as ‘responsive and dedicated,’ as well as being involved in a number of high-value and high-profile claims. James Duffy KC was appointed silk in 2024.

Fountain Court Chambers boasts ‘strength in depth and a roster of very impressive and talented barristers’, regularly appearing in high-profile disputes in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division, and international commercial arbitrations. Richard Handyside KC represented the claimant in Allianz v JD Williams, a case related to compensation paid to customers for the mis-selling of insurance products, while Laura John KC and Samuel Ritchie acted for the defendant. In NMC Healthcare v Dubai Islamic Bank and others, a significant dispute arising from the administration of the UAE-based healthcare group following the discovery of a multi-million-pound fraud within the business, Bankim Thanki KC and Nico Leslie represented the claimants. In Philipp v Barclays Bank, Patrick Goodall KC, David Murray, and Ian Bergson defended Barclays Bank in a Supreme Court case concerning the liability of banks to customers who fall victim to Authorised Push Payment frauds; the claimants unsuccessfully sought to extend the Quincecare duty into this context. James Duffy KC was appointed silk in March 2024.

Lauded as a ‘a leading commercial set’, Fountain Court Chambers‘s members are highly adept at handling a wide range of commercial and corporate disputes, banking and finance matters, civil fraud cases, and professional negligence mandates. Anneliese Day KC has been recently active in the Cayman Islands and Trinidad, and both she and Nico Leslie are representing the defendants in a case surrounding a $440m conspiracy claim in the Cayman Islands (Equis Special LP, Equis Special GP v George Allen Cowan). Ben Valentin KC has a focus on the Western hemisphere’s offshore jurisdictions, and is acting for the defendants in a case that is challenging the jurisdiction of the Bermuda Court to hear a claim that relates to a Sierra Leone-based mine (AML v Madison Pacific and Others). Stephen Rubin KC is another key name at the set specialising in offshore commercial fraud.