XXIV Old Buildings > London, England > Set Profile

Chambers of Elspeth Talbot Rice KC
XXIV Old Buildings
24 OLD BUILDINGS, LINCOLN'S INN
LONDON
WC2A 3UP
England

Email firm Visit website 020 7691 2424 0870 460 2178

London Bar > Private client: trusts and probate Tier 1

XXIV Old Buildings is an ‘excellent set, with first-rate counsel and great strength in depth’ and the ‘first port of call’ for many clients when it comes to complex trust related matters. Elspeth Talbot Rice KC is experienced at handling many complex and high-value Chancery pieces of litigation, particularly those with an international angle. David Brownbill KC has extensive expertise in trust law and focuses mainly on private client cases. ‘Brilliant orator’ Edward Cumming ‘is the absolute best when it comes to commercial Chancery work’ and has experience of cases which reach the final level of appeals.

Leading Silks

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 1

Alan Steinfeld KC –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 1

David Brownbill KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'David is a measured, careful and meticulous leader with a deep understanding of the law and, in particular, international structures and clients.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Edward is an intellectual who can distil the crux of a dispute from even the most complicated fact pattern. He holds himself and his clients and instructing solicitors with purpose and resilience.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stephen is technically brilliant, commercially and emotionally astute and is able to handle difficult clients with consummate ease. He also goes out of his way to collaborate with the solicitors instructing him, making himself available at short notice and generally ensuring the smooth running of a case.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'Francis is an excellent advocate and is highly persuasive in court.His written work is excellent, and his legal opinions carry real weight when a trust application requires such an opinion. He is a very good leader of a team for instructing lawyers, junior counsel and the client.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Adam Cloherty –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Adam can distil complex arguments into clear summaries, which is helpful with clients and in the court, where he is refreshingly straightforward. He is excellent at getting to the heart of legal problems.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Andrew Holden –XXIV Old Buildings 'Andrew is an absolute go-to counsel for trust matters. He has encyclopedic trust knowledge in several jurisdictions and provides his counsel and advice pragmatically and commercially. He is very responsive and a great person to have on your side.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Elizabeth Weaver –XXIV Old Buildings 'She provides thorough advice in plain English.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Daniel Warents –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Daniel always goes the extra mile and a real team player. Clients love his straightforward approach and clear advice.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Bajul Shah –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Bajul is calm, collected and incredibly clever. Judge's like listening to him and clients respect him as an expert.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Timothy Sherwin –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Timothy is superb at distilling complex trust issues in a clear and precise way. He has a superb manner with clients. He goes above and beyond to make himself available and deliver top quality advice - a star of the future.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Helen Galley –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Helen is very quick to deal with instructions but is also thorough.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Heather Murphy –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Heather is excellent at making sense of a morass of difficult material. She is really good at cutting through all the noise to identify the key issues and decisions which need to be taken.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV Old Buildings is a top class set, with excellent strength in depth.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings is a top quality set with ability across the board, good strength in depth and a user friendly approach.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings is an excellent set, with first-rate counsel, great strength in depth and a user-friendly approach.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings is an impressive and hard-hitting set, well-placed to advised on all manner of commercial trust disputes.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings is an excellent set for complex trust and commercial cases.’

Clerking

‘XXIV clerks are the most easy and straightforward clerks to deal with. They have good systems in place e.g. in agreeing the terms of a retainer.’

London Bar > Aviation Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings is a ‘great aviation and commercial litigation set’ which frequently acts for aviation lessors, airlines and manufacturers. Steven Thompson KC is well-known for handling aviation maintenance, lease, sale and purchase agreements. Arshad Ghaffar is a popular choice for aircraft lessors, while Bajul Shah deals primarily with disputes relating to dry leasing, mortgages and forfeiture issues. Erin Hitchens has appeared in various interim matters in the Commercial Court and Tom Stewart Coats is instructed in regulatory matters.

Rising stars

Tom Stewart Coats –XXIV Old Buildings ‘A highly effective advocate, with an exceptional depth of experience and expertise in the aviation sector.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Steven Thompson KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Steven has a strong intellect and gives clear and robust advice. He knows the aviation field better than almost anyone else at the Bar.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Bajul Shah –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 1

Heather Murphy –XXIV Old Buildings 'Heather is a creative thinker and problem solver and is unflappable, even in the most difficult of situations. As an advocate, Heather is straight to the point, very persuasive and quick on her feet.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Arshad Ghaffar –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 3

Erin Hitchens –XXIV Old Buildings 'Erin is one of the most experienced aviation juniors around with a hugely-effective understated, but tough, style of advocacy.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV has long been held in great regard for its aviation practice and I have always been impressed by the quality of advocates in this area.’

‘Good availability of high quality counsel, helpful clerks.’

‘Chambers are exceptionally good. There is a certainly a strength in depth when it comes to quality Counsel with expertise in aviation.’

‘Great aviation and commercial litigation set.’

Clerking

‘Always impressed by the clerks at XXIV who are flexible and happy to help. Paul Horsfield is excellent, as is Perry Brown.’

‘Paul Horsfield is doing an excellent job as their senior clerk.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Commercial litigation Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings is a ‘top-quality set with ability across the board, good strength in depth and a user-friendly approach‘. It is considered ‘a go-to for trust and fraud litigation‘ and is an undoubted leader for the full range of Offshore matters. Recent matters include Capital WW v Paysafe & Ors in which Robert Levy KC led Bajul Shahfor the claimant in its applications for Norwich Pharmacal relief concerning unpaid dividends from a gambling business. Several senior juniors regularly act unled in significant cases, including Adam Cloherty and Hugh Miall; the latter represented the claimant, a property consultancy company, in Burbage Realty Ltd v RJ 15 Ltd & Ors, a dispute over fees for the introduction, negotiation and development of a warehousing and logistics site next to the M1.

Leading Silks

Robert Levy KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘An excellent advocate. Very persuasive with the court and one of the best cross-examiners. Robert makes the complex simple and an ability to present a case which is highly persuasive through a combination of intellect and character.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Elspeth is a superb all-rounder. A very strong advocate, excellent with clients and cuts through complexity to get to the core and then consider a commercial and practical approach.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Steven Thompson KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Steven is a truly brilliant advocate. He is always meticulously prepared and is an immaculate court room performer. Exceptional in every way.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘His advocacy is clear and calm. He does not get ruffled, even in heated hearings. First class.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Michael Black KC –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 5

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Frances is calm and measured, independent-minded and thoughtful. As an advocate (both orally and in writing), his work is very poised and attractively presented. He has real intellectual fire-power.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Alan Steinfeld KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Incredibly bright, charming in court, reassuring for clients and incisive with decision making.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Ed is the absolute best when it comes to commercial chancery work. He works incredibly hard, is commercial, is an outstanding advocate and is loved by clients for being aggressive and knowing their cases inside out. He is the first name that comes to mind for any high value and difficult case.'

Ranked: Tier 6

Leading Juniors

Stuart Adair –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stuart is an exceptional barrister. He is a fantastic advocate - always incredibly well prepared with a manner which resonates well with Judges. He is an incredible cross examiner, combining a calm forensic approach with a hard-nosed aggression. His written work is fantastic, he is responsive and he is altogether a joy to work with.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Adam Cloherty –XXIV Old Buildings ‘An outstanding junior with a wealth of experience.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Hugh Miall –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Excellent technical ability, and timely practical advice. Hugh is very responsive, and excellent as part of a team.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Alexander Pelling –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 3

Bajul Shah –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Hardworking and thorough. His written work is excellent.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Elizabeth Weaver –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Advises across a broad range of Chancery and commercial matters. No nonsense, but very good with clients. Court room manner is steely and determined.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Edward Knight –XXIV Old Buildings ‘A pleasure to work with. He has a very calm manner even when under pressure and puts client's worries at ease.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Nicole Langlois –XXIV Old Buildings ‘An excellent courtroom advocate.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Oliver Assersohn –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Amiable and smart he produces superb written work and is a considered and impressive advocate. Wonderful to have in your team.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

Set

‘Top quality set with ability across the board, good strength in depth and a user-friendly approach.’

‘Great annual training conference is a fixture in the calendar. Some pretty good fun social events too.’

‘XXIV have been one of my go-to sets for many years. The quality of many of the barristers, at an extremely competitive price point, makes them a great fit for a lot of work that I undertake.‘

‘Very good set – a go to for trust and fraud litigation.’

‘XXIV is an excellent chambers for Chancery work, always at the forefront of developing law.’

Clerking

‘Professional and easy to deal with – Perry Brown is an excellent practice manager who always seems in complete control.’

London Bar > Fraud: civil Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings has ‘considerable depth in civil fraud work‘ and ‘ heavy hitting leading counsels and very bright and knowledgeable juniors‘. A real strength is its Chancery expertise, ‘particularly onshore and offshore trust and probate work’. Edward Cumming KC and Timothy Sherwin are representing the former trustee in St John’s Trust Company (PVT) Limited v Watlington, a major dispute involving fraud, freezing injunctions and trust and corporate issues linked to allegations by the US Department of Justice that the multi-billion dollar trust was used to assist in the largest US tax evasion case against an individual taxpayer, the Texas billionaire Robert Brockman. Stuart Adair is representing a former director and shareholder of Emerald Meats (London) Limited over claims of misappropriated assets emerging from the company’s liquidation, in which Alan Steinfeld KC is acting as opposing counsel.

Leading Silks

Robert Levy KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Robert can be relied on to fight hard and get into the nuts and bolts of a case. Hugely commercially literate whilst really understanding what it takes to win a case, he can be relied upon completely, and brings a great deal more skill to cross-examination than many of his contemporaries.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Her trial prep is meticulous. Her advocacy is some of the best I have seen: very well prepared, succinct and forceful.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stephen is one of the most creative counsel in complex disputes and should never be under estimated.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Alan Steinfeld KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Incredibly bright, determined in court, commands respect and charismatic.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Steven Thompson KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Steven is real heavyweight in this area with a razor sharp eye for detail and a no nonsense approach. He has a great advocacy style and his written work is excellent.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Very user friendly and easy to work with. Excellent practitioner.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘The combination of a Trojan work ethic, a brilliant mind and skilled advocacy makes him lethal to opposition in court.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Stuart Adair –XXIV Old Buildings ‘He is very knowledgeable in this area and methodical and balanced in the presentation of his case which quickly gains the confidence of the Court.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Hugh Miall –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Hugh can deliver clear and digestible advice in respect of extremely complex and challenging matters. He is user-friendly, commercial and adept at finding creative solutions in the face of seemingly insurmountable problems.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Edward Knight –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Pragmatic and highly capable. An excellent advocate.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Alexander Pelling –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 3

Bajul Shah –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Good and detailed analysis; careful drafting; controlled, thorough and careful presentation to judges. Easy to work with.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Timothy Sherwin - XXIV Old Buildings 'For someone relatively junior he provides very strong and robust advice (written and oral) and is prepared to provide an honest view without unnecessary embellishment. His advocacy is first rate.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV Buildings are great at what they do, with a deep bench.’

‘XXIV has considerable depth in civil fraud work. I have encountered members of XXIV throughout my career and consider them to be a leading set for this work.’

‘Top quality set with ability across the board, good strength in depth and a user-friendly approach.’

‘XXIV are a go to set for Chancery work particularly onshore and offshore trust and probate work. A number of heavy hitting leading counsels and very bright and knowledgeable juniors.’

‘Great set of Chambers with a real breadth of experience.’

Clerking

‘Excellent. Highly responsive and personable.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Insolvency Tier 2

‘Strong chancery and insolvency chambers‘ XXIV Old Buildings has a particularly notable presence offshore where Stephen Moverley Smith KC is among the most active lead counsels in standout insolvencies. Head of chambers Elspeth Talbot Rice KC is instructed in the high profile insolvent estate of Boris Berezovsky, as well as recently acting in proceedings arising from the liquidation of Stanford International Bank in Antigua.

Leading Silks

Alan Steinfeld KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'Incredibly bright, determined in court, commands respect and charismatic.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'Very sharp brain, can translate complex issues and theories into easily understandable and digestible for the client. Excellent rapport with judges who respect his straightforward approach.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Robert Levy KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'An excellent advocate, very persuasive with the court and one of the best cross-examiners. He is a delight to work with.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘She has presence and combines intellect, hard work and forcefulness.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'Stephen is a first-class barrister. He is able to get up to speed with really complicated matters quickly and provide clear concise advice.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Steven Thompson KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Steven is highly experienced in this field and with his offshore expertise is a great asset on any case involving aspects of insolvency.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Charming leader and a very motivated junior silk.’

Ranked: Tier 5

Lyndsey de Mestre KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘She is extremely well prepared, very efficient, drafts beautifully and has a brilliant manner.‘

Ranked: Tier 5

Leading Juniors

Stuart Adair –XXIV Old Buildings ‘He is very knowledgeable in this area and methodical and balanced in the presentation of his case.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Edward Knight –XXIV Old Buildings 'Pragmatic and highly capable. An excellent advocate.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Hugh Miall –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Hugh is bright, calm and unflappable. He is exactly the kind of barrister you want on a complex case.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Daniel Warents –XXIV Old Buildings 'Daniel is a very confident and clever advocate, equally at home with cross examination or submissions.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

Set

‘Strong chancery and insolvency chambers, brilliant minds, real strength across the board.’

‘Top quality set with ability across the board, good strength in depth and a user friendly approach.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings is a highly-regarded set for members’ calibre of work and work ethic.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings are a very good set and one of the go-tos for this type of work.’

‘Good reputation for offshore work.’

Clerking

‘Excellent. Highly responsive and personable.’

London Bar > Company Tier 2

‘An excellent set with well rounded experience‘, XXIV Old Buildings includes barristers with experience at the High Court in some of the market’s leading company law disputes, as well as being capable of providing teams of counsel in matters that cross several areas of the Chancery Bar. Stephen Moverley Smith KC is noted for cases with international elements and continued to be instructed on matters in the BVI and Cayman Islands, while Edward Cumming KC has provided sole counsel on several disputes arising from acquisitions. 2014 call Timothy Sherwin is fast building a notable company law practice and has a focus on disputes relating to section 994 petitions concerning companies held in trust structures.

Leading Silks

Stephen Moverley Smith KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Stephen has been doing BVI work for over two decades. He knows the law and procedure inside out.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Francis Tregear KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Great and clear advocate. Very commercial. Extraordinary mind and very focused.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Alan Steinfeld KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Simply one of the best.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Very strong advocate, excellent with clients and cuts through complexity to get to the core.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Michael Black KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Clever and well prepared.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Lyndsey de Mestre KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Extremely well prepared, very efficient, drafts beautifully and has a brilliant manner.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Edward Cumming KC – XXIV Old Buildings ‘An absolute star performer.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Leading Juniors

Stuart Adair – XXIV Old Buildings 'He is very knowledgeable in this area and methodical in the presentation of his case which quickly gains the confidence of the court.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Hugh Miall - XXIV Old Buildings 'Excellent technical ability, and timely pragmatic advice.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Elizabeth Weaver – XXIV Old Buildings 'Advises across a broad range of Chancery and commercial matters. No nonsense but very good with clients.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Timothy Sherwin - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 5

Daniel Warents - XXIV Old Buildings 'Daniel is a very confident and clever advocate, equally at home with cross examination or submissions.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

Set

‘A go-to set for company and insolvency work.’

‘XXIV Old Buildings are an excellent set with well rounded experience.’

‘Very strong.’

Clerking

‘Excellent clerks.’

‘The clerks, particularly James Ladbrook, are a real pleasure to deal with.’

‘Paul Horsfield is doing a great job as senior clerk.’

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

XXIV Old Buildings is ‘a strong set for banking‘, offering ‘brilliant minds and real strength across the board‘. The set’s members have particularly good expertise in offshore, fraud and insolvency related banking disputes. A major ongoing case is Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) before the Bermuda Commercial Court, in which Stephen Moverley Smith KC and Sarah Bayliss are acting for the defendant life insurance company, a subsidiary of Credit Suisse, in a claim linked to an alleged investment fraud brought by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former president of Georgia. Edward Cumming KC is representing the claimants in Elite Property Holdings v Barclays Bank Plc regarding an alleged unlawful means conspiracy between Barclays and a leading accountancy firm to place the claimants into administration. Members such as Alexander Pelling and Francis Tregear KC have good expertise in Middle Eastern related banking disputes.

Leading Silks

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Ed is a superstar already notwithstanding his relatively young age. Incredibly in demand. Is superb at banking but can turn his mind to a range of fields as the best silks can.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Stephen Moverley Smith KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stephen is a first-class barrister. He is able to get up to speed with really complicated matters quickly and provide clear concise advice. His oral advocacy is also impressive.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Francis Tregear KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Very sharp brain, can translate complex issues and theories into easily understandable and digestible for the client. Excellent rapport with judges who respect his straightforward approach.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Leading Juniors

Oliver Assersohn –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Technically brilliant, very hard working and a delight to work with.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Sarah Bayliss –XXIV Old Buildings ‘A strong detail-orientated junior.'

Ranked: Tier 4

Alexander Pelling –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 4

Marcus Staff –XXIV Old Buildings ‘He is extremely thorough and detailed. He leaves no stone unturned. Especially good on matters connected with Switzerland and Swiss law. A really top senior junior who solicitors look forward to working with again soon.’

Ranked: Tier 4

Testimonials

Set

‘They are a strong set for banking.’

‘Strong chancery and insolvency chambers, with brilliant minds and real strength across the board.’

Clerking

‘Paul Horsfield is doing a great job as senior clerk.’

‘Extremely helpful, go above and beyond to provide excellent service.’

London Bar > Partnership Tier 3

XXIV Old Buildings‘ general Chancery prowess leads it to have a solid standing in partnership law, fielding ‘lots of seasoned practitioners‘. Both Elspeth Talbot Rice KC and Alan Steinfeld KC are seasoned counsel in various types of disputes involving partnerships, a recent highlight seeing them both leading Hugh Miall at different stages acting for 50 separate former partner claimants against Medivet.

Leading Silks

Alan Steinfeld KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Simply one of the best.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Elspeth a superb allrounder. Very strong advocate, excellent with clients and cuts through complexity to get to the core and then consider a commercial and practical approach.'

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Helen Galley – XXIV Old Buildings 'Commercial and sensible counsel. Specialist in difficult and technical areas and great bedside manner. Fearless in court and calm and persuasive manner.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Hugh Miall – XXIV Old Buildings 'He is a pretty complete package: very strong on the law; an excellent live advocate and very strong on paper.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

Set

‘Excellent leading set with strength in many areas.’

‘XXIV is very strong on partnership – lots of seasoned practitioners.’

‘Strong Chancery chambers and therefore expert in partnership matters.’

Clerking

‘Excellent,’

‘Very good – easy going and commercial.’

‘Easy to deal with – commercial and charming.’

Dispute resolution > Mediators Tier 4

Lyndsey de Mestre KC - XXIV Old Buildings XXIV Old Buildings' Lyndsey de Mestre KC's 'USP is her empathy and her ability to communicate that empathy to the client. She is incredibly diplomatic, as well as hugely knowledgeable - a key combination of skills for a mediator'. De Mestre has broad company and insolvency law experience, and is a specialist in directors’ duties and disqualification.Michael King – XXIV Old Buildings Michael King at XXIV Old Buildings ‘has impressive soft skills, combined with a clear focus on how the mediation should advance and the ability to challenge parties' stances in a constructive way'. King frequently mediates high-value trust, probate, estate and inheritance claims.

London Bar > Art and cultural property

Rising stars

James Fennemore – XXIV Old Buildings ‘James is very much one to watch in this area. He is hugely clever, hugely personable and brilliant at presenting a case in a way that a judge can easily grasp and be persuaded by.‘

Ranked: Tier 0

London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators

London Bar > International arbitration: counsel

Leading Silks

Michael Black KC –XXIV Old Buildings 'An excellent arbitral advocate with great experience both as a member of Tribunals and appearing for one of the parties.

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading Juniors

Arshad Ghaffar –XXIV Old Buildings 'Arshad gets straight to the point, understands the interplay between the law and the commercial reality of the situation.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Tom Stewart Coats – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Tom is a truly excellent barrister who has been doing a good volume of arbitration work, and has established his name in this field. He can manage very large cases very well.’

Ranked: Tier 3

London Bar > Charities

Leading Silks

Edward Cumming KC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘A fabulous advocate and analyst. A leader at the Chancery Bar.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Elspeth Talbot Rice KC –XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 3

London Bar > Professional negligence

Leading Silks

Alan Steinfeld KC - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

Helen Galley - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 5

Edward Knight - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 6

London Bar > Financial services regulation

Leading Juniors

Oliver Assersohn –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Oliver is very pleasant to work with and extremely personable. He is bright and committed; and understands how the FCA thinks. He is a robust advocate when needed.'

Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Property litigation

Leading Juniors

Helen Galley –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Helen adopts a very pragmatic and commercial approach, cutting through the issues to recommend a way forward. ’

Ranked: Tier 5

Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial Tier 1

XXIV Old Buildings‘ Michael Black QC has a well-established presence in the Middle East and showcases in-depth expertise across the oil and gas, shipping, leisure and retail, banking and insurance sectors; in the DIFC he represented Credit Suisse in making a claim against Gulf Petroleum in relation to alleged fraud and against directors under personal guarantees. Steven Thompson QC is another key individual to mention. Key changes in the set include the departure of Tom Montagu-Smith QC who joined 3 Verulam Buildings in 2021.

Leading silks

Tom Montagu-Smith QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Tom is accessible, responsive and user-friendly. His written and oral advocacy is always excellent and his succinct style is appreciated by Judges.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Steven Thompson QC - XXIV Old Buildings 'Steven is supremely knowledgeable and has excellent analytical skills. He is creative, commercial and always gets the very best result for his clients.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Michael Black QC –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Michael is a truly exceptional advocate who combines persuasive argument with superb tactical awareness. He is also a pleasure to work with and he makes every team member feel comfortable.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading juniors

Edward Knight – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Edward is excellent and very good on his feet.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Elizabeth Weaver –XXIV Old Buildings ‘Elizabeth plays an integral role on highly complex and urgent matters before the DIFC Courts. She impresses the entire legal team with her persuasive writing and ability to quickly grasp and distill the issues of complex disputes.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Arshad Ghaffar - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 2

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV Old Building have a great depth of practice in the Middle East.’

‘24 Old Building remain the go to set of chambers for DIFC and UAE law work in my view.’

‘XXIV is a genuinely international set with strength in depth at all levels of seniority.’

‘XXIV remain the leading chambers for work in Dubai with depth in numbers at all levels of seniority.’

‘XXIV Chambers lawyers are responsive, effective and of exceptional quality. They have a deep bench of outstanding barristers and are my “first call” for complex disputes in the MENA region. I would compare them favourably with any other Chambers in the market.’

Clerking

‘James Ladbrook is good to deal with and is responsive and available.’

Middle East: The English Bar > Construction Tier 3

XXIV Old Buildings works closely with a number of local and international law firms in Dubai. Arshad Ghaffar has an extensive disputes practice with in-depth knowledge of the construction and engineering space, as well as a particular interest in aviation law.

Leading silks

Michael Black QC - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 2

Tom Montagu-Smith QC – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘He has a great knowledge of the regional market and its laws and practices. Great to work with and excellent team player. The best QC in the market.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Leading juniors

Arshad Ghaffar - XXIV Old Buildings

Ranked: Tier 1

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV Old Building have a great depth of practice in Middle East.’

‘24 Old Building remain the got to set of chambers for DIFC and UAE law work in my view.’

‘XXIV is a genuinely international set with strength in depth at all levels of seniority.’

Clerking

‘The clerks are responsive and friendly, I have worked mostly with Samantha Perry and James Ladbroke who have both been very helpful.’

‘Clerks are friendly, helpful and efficient.’

The Chambers

XXIV Old Buildings is a specialist commercial and chancery chambers based in London with an office in Geneva. The members have an unrivalled reputation for their commercial and chancery work both internationally and domestically.

A leading set in Offshore; Private Client: Trusts and Probate; Commercial Litigation; Banking and Finance; Insolvency; Company and Partnership; Aviation; Fraud: Civil; Professional Negligence, their strength and breadth of expertise can be demonstrated by the frequency of their appearance in courts of other jurisdictions, with members called to the Bars of Jersey, the BVI, Bermuda, St Vincents, the Cayman Islands, Dubai (DIFC), and other leading international financial centres such as the ADGM Abu Dhabi and the court in Astana (AIFC) in a judicial capacity. They are recognised as one of the most forward-thinking and innovative sets at the London Bar.

Work Undertaken

The calibre of XXIV Old Buildings’ practice is evidenced by the cases in which members are routinely instructed undertaking litigation, arbitration and the provision of advice across the full range of commercial and chancery work, from UK commercial litigation and insolvency work to truly international litigation and arbitration involving large-scale business disputes, fraud and asset tracing, and cross-border insolvency and restructuring; and to ‘traditional’ chancery matters such as private family trust and succession disputes. This broad base of expertise is supplemented by members’ specialist experience in fields such as hedge funds/SIVs; financial derivatives (including spread betting/CFDs); and aviation. Members are also highly experienced arbitrators and mediators. Examples of our work are set out below:

Wallis Trading Inc v Air Tanzania: A US$40 million award against the Defendants, Air Tanzania and the Tanzanian Government, following a 2-week trial in a dispute arising out of an aircraft leasing transaction. The judgment illustrated why English law is routinely chosen as the governing law in aircraft leasing transaction between international parties.

Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait v Man Group PLC plus 37 other defendants: A large-scale fraud claim concerning a lawsuit launched by the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) in Kuwait which alleges it is owed £639.5bn as a result of a large-scale fraud by its former director general.

Routier and another v HMRC: A Supreme Court case concerning a testamentary gift of property on trust for purposes which were agreed to be exclusively charitable under English law.

Ciban Management Corp v Citco: This Privy Council case explored the scope of duties of nominee directors of BVI companies when the ultimate beneficial owner of such companies effectively pull the strings to control the company but seek to keep entirely out of sight.

Lehtimaki and others v Cooper: A landmark Supreme Court judgment on issues of equity and charity law which potentially has significant ramifications for trust law and company law.

Byers & ors v Samba Financial Group: One of the most important pieces of commercial-chancery litigation before the English courts. It centres on a US$300 million transfer made by the director of a company in liquidation to the defendant bank.

Wong v Grandview: Claim that very large Bermudian non-charitable purpose trusts, or the transfers of very substantial assets into them, are void or should be set aside.

Dawson-Damer v Grampian Trust Company Ltd: A £400 million breach of trust/set aside claim in the Bahamas that has clarified the law on DPA/GDPR disclosure by trustees in England, and which involves ancillary injunction proceedings in Bermuda.

Times Travel Limited v Pakistan International Airlines Corporation: Supreme Court case on economic duress where airline held to have used illegitimate pressure to force IATA agent into agreement to abandon claims for commission.

Re Blackstar: A complex and substantial trustees’ remuneration dispute.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Practice Management	Clerks	clerks@xxiv.co.uk	+44 (0) 20 7691 2424
Practice Management	Paul Horsfield, Head of Clerking
Practice Management	James Ladbrook, Senior Practice Manager
Practice Management	Perry Brown, Senior Practice Manager
Members of Chambers	TALBOT RICE KC, Elspeth (1990)
Members of Chambers	STEINFELD KC, Alan (1968)
Members of Chambers	BLACK KC, Michael (1978)
Members of Chambers	MOVERLEY SMITH KC, Stephen (1985)
Members of Chambers	TREGEAR KC, Francis (1980)
Members of Chambers	BROWNBILL KC, David (1989)
Members of Chambers	LEVY KC, Robert (1988)
Members of Chambers	THOMPSON KC, Steven (1996)
Members of Chambers	DE MESTRE KC, Lyndsey (1999)
Members of Chambers	CUMMING KC, Edward (2006)
Members of Chambers	KING, Michael (1971)
Members of Chambers	WEAVER, Elizabeth (1982)
Members of Chambers	GALLEY, Helen (1987)
Members of Chambers	MEAKIN, Ian (1991)
Members of Chambers	GHAFFAR, Arshad (1991)
Members of Chambers	STAFF, Marcus (1994)
Members of Chambers	ADAIR, Stuart (1995)
Members of Chambers	PELLING, Alexander (1995)
Members of Chambers	SHAH, Bajul (1996)
Members of Chambers	HUGHES, Jessica (1997)
Members of Chambers	LANGLOIS, Nicole (2008)
Members of Chambers	KNIGHT, Edward (1999)
Members of Chambers	BAYLISS, Sarah (2002)
Members of Chambers	ASSERSOHN, Oliver (2003)
Members of Chambers	CLOHERTY, Adam (2005)
Member of Chambers	REED, Steven (2005)
Members of Chambers	HITCHENS, Erin (2006)
Members of Chambers	HOLDEN, Andrew (2007)
Members of Chambers	CURRY, Owen (2009)
Members of Chambers	WARENTS, Daniel (2009)
Members of Chambers	MIALL, Hugh (2009)
Members of Chambers	MURPHY, Heather (2009)
Members of Chambers	KING, Kira (2011)
Members of Chambers	SHERWIN, Timothy (2014)
Members of Chambers	STEWART COATS, Tom (2014)
Members of Chambers	GERASIMENKO, Alina (2015)
Members of Chambers	WAISTELL, Ben (2015)
Members of Chambers	FENNEMORE, James (2017)
Member of Chambers	GARG, Sparsh (2017)
Member of Chambers	HUGHES, Emma (2018)
Member of Chambers	HARTSTON, Catherine (2018)
Member of Chambers	PEPLOW, Alex (2019)
Member of Chambers	CLARK-JONES, Jessica (2019)
Member of Chambers	STRACHAN, Charles (2019)
Member of Chambers	CHAMBERS, Bethanie (2019)
Member of Chambers	SAMUELS, Harry (2020)
Member of Chambers	CARVER, Rachel (2021)
Member of Chambers	KANE, James (2021)
Members of Chambers	VIRGO KC, Graham*
Members of Chambers	CONAGLEN, Matthew*
Members of Chambers	* Door tenant
Members of Chambers	MANN KC, Martin (1968)**
Members of Chambers	GADD, Michael (1981)**
Members of Chambers	** Former member

Name	Position	Profile
Stuart Adair	Stuart has an extremely successful commercial chancery practice which focuses on commercial…	View Profile
Mr Oliver Assersohn	Financial services, banking, commercial/ Chancery.	View Profile
Sarah Bayliss	Barrister specialising in traditional and commercial Chancery, company/insolvency, and banking/financial services disputes.	View Profile
Michael Black	Advocate and arbitrator in international commercial disputes.	View Profile
David Brownbill	Barrister specialising in all aspects of trusts and related company matters, contentious…	View Profile
Adam Cloherty	Adam’s practice covers a broad range of contentious and non-contentious international and…	View Profile
Edward Cumming	Edward is a barrister specialising in most areas of chancery and commercial…	View Profile
Owen Curry	Trusts and estates, company law, insolvency and commercial.	View Profile
Lyndsey De Mestre	Lyndsey has been practising at the business and property Bar for over…	View Profile
Michael Gadd	Specialises in commercial Chancery. Frequently engaged in cases that cross international boundaries…	View Profile
Helen Galley	Private client work – probate, estates, trusts and family provision, including the…	View Profile
Arshad Ghaffar	Barrister specialising in commercial law: agency, arbitration, aviation, bills of lading, carriage…	View Profile
Erin Hitchens	Erin specialises in traditional and commercial Chancery work, including contentious probate matters,…	View Profile
Andrew Holden	Since joining chambers in October 2008, Andrew has enhanced his strong academic…	View Profile
Jessica Hughes	Barrister involved in a wide range of contractual and trust disputes, from…	View Profile
Edward Knight	Barrister with a practice directed towards commercial matters, including their interaction with…	View Profile
Nicole Langlois	Main areas of specialisation are trust and company disputes; commercial contractual disputes;…	View Profile
Robert Levy	Robert specialises in substantial commercial litigation. His cases frequently span international borders,…	View Profile
Ian Meakin	Ian has extensive experience in dispute resolution, international business law, trusts and…	View Profile
Hugh Miall	Hugh has a busy junior commercial chancery practice with a particular emphasis…	View Profile
Stephen Moverley Smith	Barrister specialising in international litigation and arbitration in the fields of commercial,…	View Profile
Heather Murphy	Heather Murphy is an experienced advocate with a rich and varied commercial…	View Profile
Alexander Pelling	Barrister with breadth and depth of knowledge in commercial and chancery litigation…	View Profile
Bajul Shah	Bajul has a broad commercial Chancery practice with an emphasis on aviation,…	View Profile
Timothy Sherwin	Timothy is a chancery barrister with a practice in private client and…	View Profile
Marcus Staff	Barrister specialising in private and commercial trust and fund disputes resolved in…	View Profile
Alan Steinfeld	Barrister specialising in trusts, partnership law, trust-related and general insolvency, company law,…	View Profile
Elspeth Talbot Rice	Described by opponents as “the smiling assassin”, and crowned Legal 500’s Trusts…	View Profile
Steven Thompson	Barrister specialising in corporate and personal insolvency, company law, aviation law and…	View Profile
Francis Tregear	Francis’ practice focuses on business disputes, company and insolvency matters, funds and…	View Profile
Daniel Warents	Daniel specialises in most areas of chancery and commercial work both in…	View Profile
Elizabeth Weaver	Elizabeth has a general commercial chancery practice handling a wide range of…	View Profile