XXIV Old Buildings > The Legal 500 Rankings

London Bar > Offshore Tier 1

Covering insolvency, trust disputes and commercial litigation, XXIV Old Buildings has 'for many years been one of the premier sets with a focus on the offshore market.' Members' work covers a breadth of jurisdictions: in Bermuda, Francis Tregear QC is instructed in the large-scale B Trust litigation before the Court of Appeal. In the Cayman Islands Robert Levy QC has become a go-to name for dissenter appraisal cases, Nicole Langlois is a former litigation partner at Carey Olsen, and as a Jersey advocate gave expert evidence in The Serious Fraud Office & anor v Litigation Capital Limited & ors in February 2021. Other names to note include Elspeth Talbot Rice QC, who continues to be a leading name in offshore litigation, and Stephen Thompson QC, who was particularly active in Bermudan cases recently, including being instructed by Point Investments to oppose a winding up petition and provision liquidation application.

London Bar > Private client: trusts and probate Tier 1

XXIV Old Buildings is a 'go to set for tricky trust problems and is also very good for contentious and non-contentious private client, trusts and estates work.' Stephen Moverley Smith QC successfully acted for the defendant in a case that involved a consideration of the circumstances in which the blessing of a court to a decision by the trustees could be set aside (Twin Benefits Ltd v Barker). The set has a number of 'excellent' practitioners among them Elspeth Talbot Rice QC who has an ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of onshore and offshore trust law’ and the ‘fiercely bright’ Edward Cumming QC. The ‘very knowledgeable and tenacious’ Heather Murphy has been added to the rankings at the junior end. In the rising star category Timothy Sherwin remains ‘a highly effective junior, and an excellent advocate on his own feet.’  The set is 'full of very clever people who manage to avoid being grand about it.'

London Bar > Aviation Tier 2

Considered a ‘very efficient, personable and helpful‘ set in the aviation sector, XXIV Old Buildings is a key resource for aviation lessors, manufacturers, and airlines, primarily in private law disputes. Steven Thompson QC is considered an ‘excellent advocate‘ by his peers, while juniors Bajul Shah and Arshad Ghaffar are notable for their work on high-value claims. Erin Hitchens focuses primarily on matters in the Commercial Court. Tom Stewart Coats is another key individual. As of April 2021 Philip Shepherd QC is practicing from his own chambers.

London Bar > Commercial litigation Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings 'has an astounding number of highly talented barristers, from experienced QCs to the most junior of juniors, practicing across a wide range of topics from traditional Chancery work to commercial work'. The set is especially strong on offshore and trusts work, but has successfully shifted to a much more full service offering in recent years. Robert Levy QC and Hugh Miall represented over a hundred claimants in Ward & Ors v Savill, in a bit to recover assets from offshore entities involved in a major tax avoidance scheme. In addition to several top level silks, the set also fields a number of highly experienced and respected senior juniors, such as Elizabeth Weaver, Stuart Adair, Bajul Shah  and Alexander Pelling who regularly lead on their own matters.

London Bar > Company and partnership Tier 2

Appearing in substantial company and partnerships law matters in equal measure, XXIV Old Buildings is a go-to set for trials before the High Court and abroad. Alan Steinfeld QC is highly rated senior silk across both disciplines, described as a ‘tour de force’ by an instructing client. A considerable bulk of mandates for the set involve international and offshore proceedings, particularly Stephen Moverley Smith QC’s practice, whose recent highlights included directors’ disputes in the BVI and Cayman courts. Stuart Adair maintains a strong reputation in representing energy companies across the CIS region, notably in regards to contentious joint venture fallouts. Helen Galley is currently handling a spate of farming partnerships disputes.

London Bar > Fraud: civil Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings is one of the premier sets for offshore disputes, and this invariably feeds into its members experience in large-scale civil fraud claims, with silks and juniors both coming highly recommended. Steven Thompson QC has a strong reputation in this area and is facing off against Edward Cumming QC in Kazakhstan Kagazy v Martin, in which the defendant is accused of taking a bonus from money that he allegedly knew was stolen from the claimant.  The set also fields a selection of extremely experienced senior juniors, including Stuart Adair who is representing a shareholder and director, John McCarthy, in the case of Re Emerald Meats (London) Limited, an insolvency involving allegations of fraud, in which Alan Steinfeld QC is on the opposing side, representing another shareholder and director.

London Bar > Insolvency Tier 2

Members of XXIV Old Buildings handle the full breadth of insolvency instructions, both domestically and internationally. Chambers' most experienced insolvency silk Alan Steinfeld QC is instructed on complex and often highly confidential cases, recently acting for Carlyle related entities in Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (in liquidation) and others v Conway & others, a $2bn claim in the Guernsey courts, moving to the Privy Council. Stephen Moverley Smith QC continues to act in varied international matters, including bankruptcy proceedings against a member of the Saudi royal family, while in Gorbunova v Berezovsky, Elspeth Talbot Rice QC acts for the trustees of Boris Berezovsky’s insolvent estate. At the junior level Stuart Adair and Edward Knight had notably busy years in this area.

London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit) Tier 3

XXIV Old Buildings has a good spread of members with strong banking and finance expertise, both at the junior and senior level. The set is especially strong on banking disputes involving a strong offshore or trusts element, and several members also have considerable expertise in the Dubai International Financial Centre courts. Significant cases in London include Elite Property Holdings & ors v Barclays Bank Plc, in which Edward Cumming QC represented the claimants in a case regarding an alleged conspiracy between the bank and an accountancy firm to put the client in administration. Stephen Moverley Smith QC and Sarah Bayliss represented the defendant, an insurance subsidiary of Credit Suisse, in Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd, in an investment fraud claim brought by the former President of Georgia. Oliver Assersohn is also highly rated in this field, as well as broader financial services matters.

Dispute resolution > Mediators Tier 5

Michael King – XXIV Old Buildings  Accredited mediator Michael King of XXIV Old Buildings 'connects well with clients facing emotionally challenging disputes'. Regularly mediating significant trust, probate, estate and inheritance claims, King was a commercial and traditional chancery barrister until 2017.

Lyndsey de Mestre QC - XXIV Old Buildings  A silk since 2018, XXIV Old Buildings' Lyndsey de Mestre QC is 'calm, measured and very engaged - on top of all the issues'. An expert in directors’ duties and disqualification, and company and insolvency law, she is regularly appointed to mediate commercial matters, as well as probate claims.

London Bar > Charities

London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators

London Bar > International arbitration: counsel

London Bar > Professional negligence

London Bar > Financial services regulation

London Bar > Property litigation

Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial

XXIV Old Buildings, in addition to a creditable international arbitration practice, is well-known for its long track record in free zones, with a number of members having lengthy histories in the DIFC Courts tracing back to the drafting of the institution's very rules. Steven Thompson QC represents litigation funder Burford Capital on its role in the DIFC Courts proceedings that form a part of the global asset hunt following the Akhmedova v Akhmedov divorce in London, and Tom Montagu-Smith QC represents Skat, the Danish tax authority, in litigation concerning what it alleges is a tax reclaim fraud involving search a search order producing millions of documents. Michael Black QC, who is based in the UAE, has a lengthy track record in the DIFC Courts, as well handling international arbitrations with their origins in the region, both as counsel and arbitrator.

Middle East: The English Bar > Construction

XXIV Old Buildings's Arshad Ghaffar is instructed in a range of construction disputes, often with Omani elements, while Tom Montagu-Smith QC - as part of a broader practice in the UAE's federal free zones - is particularly active in matters with a cross-over between construction arbitrations and DIFC and ADGM litigation.

Northern Ireland > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property

Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s IP team operates under the leadership of Hilary Griffith, who is notably adept in the technology and life sciences sectors; she is particularly skilled in the IP aspects of commercial agreements and corporate transactions. The team also has a contentious arm, led by Michael King, who has recently been active in trade mark and copyright litigation. Clients also single out associate Kathryn Laverty.

Northern Ireland > Insurance > Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant

Cleaver Fulton Rankin is notably adept in employer and occupier liability claims, with additional expertise in handling road traffic accident claims. Michael King, who advises the insurers AON and RSA, leads the team and handles personal injury work, and is supported by associate Rachael Gamble and senior solicitor Marc Kelly.