Hugh Sims KC > Chambers of Anna Vigars KC > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile

Guildhall Chambers has an ‘excellent‘ reputation for its professional negligence offering and members appear at all levels, from County Courts to the Supreme Court, in claims against accountants, construction professionals, solicitors and surveyors, amongst others. Holly Doyle regularly handles ‘factually and legally messy disputes‘. She possesses niche expertise in claims against independent financial advisors and insolvency practitioners. Professional negligence and indemnity work forms a core part of Hugh Sims KC’s commercial practice, while James Wibberley primarily acts in claims against solicitors, accountants, and construction professionals heard in the High Court.

Guildhall Chambers‘ ‘excellent’ contentious insolvency and company law team boasts a ‘great variety of junior and senior counsel‘ with broad combined expertise, including in proceedings under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 and bankruptcy restrictions orders. Insolvency work, both corporate and personal, forms a significant part of Richard Ashcroft’s practice. He also has broad directors’ duties and company law expertise and regularly acts for and against office holders in relation to transaction avoidance claims and directors’ misfeasance proceedings. John Churchill, an ‘excellent advocate‘ with ‘superb drafting skills‘, has notable experience acting in director misfeasance claims on behalf of the Official Receiver. Holly Doyle has a ‘pragmatic approach to matters‘ and her practice too sees her regularly instructed in connection with misfeasance cases, as well as transaction avoidance claims and contested applications for possession and sale. She also boasts niche expertise in relation to the professional duties and liability of insolvency office holders. Hugh Sims KC‘s commercial practice often involves corporate insolvency work.

Bristol-based Guildhall Chambers is one of the ‘go-to‘ commercial litigation sets on the Western Circuit. Hugh Sims KC is highly sought after for his expertise – he has recently led Jay Jagasia, with ‘unparalleled knowledge of financial services and banking law‘ and Lucy Walker, with ‘sound technical expertise‘, in the high-profile case of Philipp v Barclays Bank UK plc, concerning the liability under the Quincecare duty of the paying bank in respect of authorised push payment fraud. Richard Ashcroft’s broad practice includes claims involving misrepresentation and breaches of warranty, the supply of defective goods and services, and the enforcement of post-sale restrictive covenants. James Hannant tends to handle commercial work arising out of insolvency proceedings, while ‘great all-rounder‘ Stefan Ramel has a strong reputation for acting in cross-border proceedings and recently acted for the claimant in BW Legal Services v Glassdoor, who sought Norwich Pharmacal orders in respect of two anonymous reviews posted on the eponymous employer review site.