XXIV Old Buildings > London, England > Set Profile

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators

London Bar > International arbitration: counsel

London Bar > Charities

London Bar > Professional negligence

London Bar > Financial services regulation

London Bar > Property litigation

The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore Tier 1

XXIV Old Buildings are well regarded for this ‘historical strength in overseas work,‘ with a number of leading silks among its ranks who engage with various major offshore disputes in a wide variety of regions such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. Members of chambers engage in a selection of different areas, such as corporate and commercial matters, trust related work and financial based cases. Alan Steinfeld KC is regarded as a ‘true star of the Bar‘ and is a popular advocate, with cases such as Perry v Lopag Trust Reg and Ors whereby he acted for the opposing counsel in a significant case on the law of equitable mistake in the Cayman Islands. Stephen Moverley Smith KC 's recent highlights include Al Thani v Al Thani, an attempt to enforce a Qatari judgment, validiating an oral will, in the BVI despite the BVI not permitting oral wills. Sarah Bayliss  is noted for her strong presence in appearance in high value cases in Gibraltar, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and the BVI including complex offshore trust and investment structures, fraud, banking and insolvency.

Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial Tier 2

XXIV Old Buildings is well regarded for its expertise advising on matters throughout the Middle East region, with a particularly strong presence in Dubai. Steven Thompson KC acted for the defendants in Credit Europe Bank v New Medical Centre, which concerns a bank debt claim before the DIFC Courts against the backdrop of a major alleged fraud in the UAE. Before the same forum, he has also acted for the claimants in StormHarbour v Noor Bank, a dispute concerning the agreement of the sale and purchase of aircraft financing bonds, which saw a rare case of a bank seeking rectification of a written contract it signed. Other standout names include Elizabeth Weaver, Arshad Ghaffar and Edward Knight. Key changes in the set include Michael Black KC being appointed as judge in the DIFC Court of Appeal.

Middle East: The English Bar > Construction