Nigel Jones KC > Gatehouse Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Gatehouse Chambers Offices
1 Lady Hale Gate, Gray’s Inn
WC1X 8BS
England
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Nigel Jones KC
Position
Nigel Jones KC is a highly experienced courtroom and advisory leader who specialises in complex and high value, international and domestic commercial litigation & arbitration, insurance, construction and professional negligence. He is acknowledged as a leading silk in these areas and is well-known for bringing a business-like and commercial approach to his work.
“Every once in a while you come across a barrister who does and has it all – insightful and detailed legal knowledge, amazing on his feet, fabulous client bedside manner, able to predict with accuracy what the future holds and he is also commercial.” (Legal 500)
Within his specialist areas he has significant experience of banking & finance and joint venture disputes, commercial fraud, private international & conflict, insurance coverage and insolvency, large infrastructure design and construction disputes and property damage. Alongside these he has considerable experience in niche areas such as franchising and commercial agency and sports law as well as the utilities sector (principally electricity).
He is also a specialist class/group action lawyer and understands the complex area of costs and the third party funding of costs in domestic and international dispute resolution.
These skills led to his appointment in 2014 as chair of the investment committee of the Harbour Funds (the UK’s largest litigation funder). Harbour is involved in investing over £400m in litigation and arbitration worldwide.
Nigel is an experienced mediation advocate and a regular lecturer who has presented lectures for the London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association, the Franco-British Lawyers Society, the British German Jurists Association, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UAE and the Annual Arbitration Summit.
In recognition of his market leading skills and expertise, Nigel received the prestigious Commercial Litigation Silk of the Year Award 2022 (Chambers Bar Awards).
Nigel provides his services as a director of NJ (Gatehouse) Legal Limited. Registered in England & Wales, company number 10742202. Registered office: Thavies Inn House, 3-4 Holborn Circus, London, EC1N 2HA. Both Nigel and the company are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
Languages
French – fluent
Memberships
- Arbitrator and mediator member of ADR Chambers (UK) Ltd
- Registered Legal Practitioner, Dubai International Financial Centre
- British Insurance Law Association
- Commercial Bar Association
- Franco-British Lawyers Society
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- London Commercial Law & Commercial Bar Association
- London Court of International Arbitration
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
- Technology & Construction Bar Association.
- Society of Construction Law
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Construction
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Nigel Jones KC – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Nigel is the most user-friendly senior member of the Bar imaginable. He is charming to his clients, shares credit with his team, thinks and expresses himself in the clearest way to clients, opponents and the court alike, and he deservedly is seen as being the leading barrister in his field.’
London Bar > Company
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Nigel Jones KC – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Nigel is very thorough and very good at spotting points which can turn out to be significant.’
London Bar > Professional negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Nigel Jones KC –Gatehouse Chambers ‘Nigel is incredibly intelligent and accurate but also able to make complex policy explanations clear and friendly. He is also great with clients in conference.’
Gatehouse Chambers specialises in claims concerning commercial, property financial services, insurance, and insolvency. Nigel Jones KC has twenty-five years of experience, particularly with claims concerning auditors and accountants; he acted in Sidhu v LAS & Ors, a professional negligence claim arising from advice given in relation to a spread-betting tax avoidance scheme called Alchemy. Additionally, in RFU & RSA v FM Conway & Others, Paul Reed KC acts for the Rugby Football Union in a construction negligence claim concerning damage to Twickenham Stadium which was caused during construction of additional infrastructure for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Nigel Jones KC –Gatehouse Chambers ‘His advocacy is very strong and he has the ear of the court.’
Gatehouse Chambers‘ insurance practice links with its other practice areas in construction, property damage and professional liability, where barristers have had significant experience in policy coverage work on behalf of insures, insurers and reinsurers. Nigel Jones KC is an expert in insurance litigation, having been involved in large insurance disputes in the market, including Enterprise Insurance Co, a cross-border case in Gibraltar where Jones, alongside Sarah McCann were instructed to advise on the conduct of Enterprise’s UK motor claims book requiring detailed advice on insurance law, alongside being instructed by the Gibraltar liquidator both directly and through a Gibraltarian firm to advise on multiple company matters concerning the insolvency and ongoing litigation in multiple international jurisdictions. Paul Reed KC regularly advises on coverage and avoidance issues for insurance companies, whereas George Eyre is a name to watch for his practice, combining his expertise in construction and energy into his insurance practice. David Pliener KC was appointed silk in 2023.
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Nigel Jones KC –Gatehouse Chambers ‘A top performer.’
Gatehouse Chambers‘ commercial disputes work covers both domestic and international disputes, including the Middle East, Caribbean, South America, Asia, and Gibraltar. In, reportedly, the largest case the London Commercial Court has handled to date, Nigel Jones KC is instructed to represent Sanjay Shah, a British hedge fund manager based in Dubai, and his 22 internationally-based companies, against a £2bn claim (including interest), arising from successful applications for the reimbursement of dividend tax from Denmark’s tax authorities which they allege amounts to fraud. Turning to the set’s juniors, Charles Raffin is defending Logan Ravishankar against a range of claims brought by the Motopark Academy team in connection with Ravishankar’s son’s proposed drive with the team in the 2020 Euroformula Open Championship season.
London Bar > Insolvency
Gatehouse Chambers have grown their insolvency practice over the years, where members of the set are regularly involved in issues relating to director misfeasance, cross-border shareholder disputes with an insolvency angle and unfair prejudice petitions. Nigel Jones KC and Sarah McCann have expertise in cross-border cases, with involvement in Enterprise Insurance Co (in liquidation) to advise on the conduct of Enterprise’s UK motor claims book, and by the Gibraltar liquidator both direct and through Gibraltar solicitors to advise on multiple company matters concerning the insolvency and ongoing litigation. Lauren Godfrey is a standout name from the chambers, having acted for a wide range of clients including banks, insurers and directors.