Ten Old Square > London, England > Set Profile

Ten Old Square
LINCOLN'S INN
LONDON
WC2A 3SU
England

Email firm Visit website 020 7405 0758 020 7831 8237

London Bar > Partnership Tier 1

The ‘pre-eminent set’ for partnership and limited liability law for some, Ten Old Square offers specialist partnership expertise handling a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including advising professional services firms, hedge funds and private equity firms on partner and member exits, underperformance issues, team moves and lateral hires and unfair prejudice in LLPs. The chambers hosts a number of experienced junior counsel, including Jeremy Callman, whose focus is on litigating LLP and partnership disputes alongside acting on partnership points arising in the context of tax litigation. Jonathan Gavaghan has a busy practice advising on partnership and LLP disputes for professional services’ firms, medical practices and farmers, while Naomi Winston is noted for her practice in advising firms and individuals on internal issues and drafting non-contentious partnership documents. Gideon Roseman was involved in the case of Gamnon v Johnson, in which he acted for the defendant in a case concerning which homes were owned by a partnership.

Leading Juniors

Jeremy Callman – Ten Old Square ‘He is technically brilliant, reliable and accommodating. He is always willing to go the extra mile. He is immersed in technical partnership and LLP firm and member issues on a daily basis; it is difficult to achieve comparable experience and knowledge. He is easy to work with and quickly gains the confidence of clients.’

Ranked: Tier 1

Jonathan Gavaghan – Ten Old Square ‘Jonathan has excellent legal knowledge on partnership matters, acute tactical and strategic advice combined with a persuasive, clear and commanding advocacy style.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Gideon Roseman – Ten Old Square ‘Excellent with good, clear and quick communication.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Naomi Winston – Ten Old Square ‘Naomi is an expert in partnership and limited liability partnership law, a creative and inventive strategist and frighteningly efficient. She works incredibly hard and grasps complex and detailed issues with incredible speed. Her exceptional forensic skills result in the production of high-quality written work in very short time. She is also highly organised and efficient on conference and instils confidence in lay clients. Naomi is practical and commercial and a real pleasure to work with.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Testimonials

‘The senior clerks are Keith Plowman and Marc Schofield. Both are excellent – responsive, commercial and very user-friendly. They are proactive in the handling of cases and the interaction with barristers, and effective operators on the value added activities such as training and business development.’

‘The set is a go to for technical partnership and LLP issues. Other standout practitioners include Jonathan Gavaghan, Naomi Winston and Thomas Arnull. They have invested heavily at the junior end so now offer a good range of expertise at all levels.’

‘Ten Old Square is the pre-eminent set for partnership and limited liability law.’

‘Excellent strong set in the partnership world.’

‘The set as a whole is excellent. Well known for being a leading set for partnership law.’

‘Accommodating, flexible and helpful.’

‘Excellent.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Private client: trusts and probate Tier 2

Ten Old Square is described as a ‘very good set’ with ‘professional and approachable counsel who provide high-quality advice’. Richard Dew represented a firm of solicitors in Gorbachev v Guriev, in which a Russian billionaire saught disclosure of a document held by the firm concerning advice given to two trusts of which the claimant is a beneficiary. James MacDougald represented the trust services prodiver in Velutini Perez v Equiom Trust Corp (UK) Ltd, in which a settlor directed the trustees to revoke a trust despite the trustees’ concern about the claimant’s capacity. Eason Rajah KC, as was, is now a High Court judge.

Rising stars

James Poole –Ten Old Square ‘James is fantastic to work with. He is responsive and has a great eye for detail. He can step back and look at the bigger picture and understands the client's needs which he factors into advice and strategy.’

Ranked: Tier 1

James Kirby – Ten Old Square 'James is extremely concise and has a great ability to distil the law into user-friendly advice. He has considered judgement and inspires confidence.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Simon Taube KC –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Georgia Bedworth –Ten Old Square ‘Georgia is very approachable and commercial. She provides clear and concise opinions.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Richard Dew –Ten Old Square ‘Richard is a very capable barrister and easy to work with.’

Ranked: Tier 2

Susannah Meadway –Ten Old Square ‘Susannah is immensely clever and completely steeped in every aspect. The range of her experience and the depth of her expertise are truly impressive. Her knowledge and understanding in all areas of trusts and probate seem unlimited. Her advice is always delivered with clarity, conciseness and pragmatism.'

Ranked: Tier 2

James MacDougald –Ten Old Square 'James can provide thorough and considered advice. His written advice is detailed but still clear and client-friendly. He is extremely knowledgeable and an absolute pleasure to work with.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Testimonials

‘Keith Plowman is helpful and responds quickly.’

‘Marc Schofield is brilliant, so responsive and easy to talk to. He knows his barristers well.’

‘Ten Old Square offers a range of leading experts in the field and is always happy to help match counsel to the client’s needs.’

‘Ten Old Square is a go-to set for chancery work. It has tremendous strength and depth of expertise, excellent availability of counsel and can always be relied upon to deliver work within agreed time-frames.’

‘Ten Old Square has fantastic expertise in all traditional chancery areas.’

Work highlights

London Bar > Property litigation

Rising stars

James Poole – Ten Old Square ‘Extremely personable and a very able advocate. James makes himself available and goes the extra mile to provide excellent client service, even on short notice. He has a very strategic approach and is a great asset to have in your corner.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Juniors

Samuel Laughton –Ten Old Square ‘Sam is straight to the point and very knowledgeable. Clients can confidently rely on his advice and opinions and he is very approachable so easy to work with.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Jonathan Gavaghan –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 4

London Bar > Charities

Leading Silks

Simon Taube KC –Ten Old Square 'His insight, technical analysis and practical approach provides huge value.'

Ranked: Tier 1

London Bar > Agriculture

Leading Juniors

Samuel Laughton –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 2

London Bar > Court of Protection and community care

Leading Juniors

Georgia Bedworth –Ten Old Square ‘Georgia provides clear and comprehensive advice on technical and difficult cases.’

Ranked: Tier 3

Richard Dew – Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 5

London Bar > Tax: personal

Leading Juniors

Susannah Meadway –Ten Old Square 'Susannah is immensely clever and completely steeped in every aspect of private client law. The range of her experience and the depth of her expertise are truly impressive. Her advice is always delivered with clarity, conciseness and pragmatism.'

Ranked: Tier 3

Georgia Bedworth –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 3

James MacDougald –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 3

London Bar > Commercial litigation

Leading Juniors

Jonathan Gavaghan –Ten Old Square ‘Jonathan is a brilliant, technically-gifted barrister. His advocacy is persuasive, with a fantastic grasp of legal authorities and a compelling style. He shows good judgement and is great with clients.’

Ranked: Tier 5

The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore

Leading Silks

Simon Taube KC –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 2

Francis Barlow KC –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 3

Leading Juniors

James MacDougald –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 3

Leon Pickering –Ten Old Square

Ranked: Tier 3

Head of chambers: Simon Taube KC
Senior clerk: Keith Plowman
Deputy senior clerk: Marc Schofield
First junior clerk: Fay Bennett
Junior clerk: George Gamble
Chambers administrator: Debbie Thomas
Marketing and events executive: Emily Overett

The chambers: Universally acknowledged as one of the finest, full-service Chancery sets, containing many outstanding barristers, Ten Old Square has an excellent reputation for traditional and commercial Chancery work.

The set: Two KCs and 23 juniors form the wealth of specialist talent available at this niche set of chambers. The head of chambers is Simon Taube KC and contains many distinguished experts in the private client Chancery disciplines. The set boasts many highly-regarded juniors with very busy Chancery practices. Many are authors or editors of some of the foremost textbooks on Chancery law including the authoritative ‘Williams on Wills’. All members belong to the Chancery Bar Association and many also belong to STEP, ACTAPS, APP, FLBA, PBA and COMBAR. Ten Old Square offers annual training events and provides bespoke in-house seminars in its principal areas of practice for legal professionals.

Ten Old Square is a Chancery set that employs the latest digital technology and know-how to deliver a modern and efficient client service. Keith Plowman has been the set’s Senior Clerk for over 30 years and, along with his colleagues Marc Schofield and Fay Bennett, he manages chambers and co-ordinates the practices of each barrister. Together they have all built up an enviable reputation for their professional yet candid approach to their work.

Work undertaken: The balance of traditional and commercial Chancery work at Ten Old Square is evenly distributed and compliments the demand from clients within the sector. Along with a significant amount of private client work the commercial Chancery disciplines are well catered for, along with property litigation (including a significant amount of landlord and tenant work), planning and land law. Additionally, Ten Old Square is now the foremost set for Partnership/LLP disputes and advice. The set handles a wide range of diverse cases, including major litigation in the Chancery and commercial divisions of the High Court and the Appellate courts. It has a significant presence in many offshore jurisdictions, as well as in the Court of Protection, County Court, the Administrative Court, and other tribunals. A substantial amount of ADR (arbitration and mediation) is also undertaken. As a general guide, the principal areas of work undertaken are:

Private client: Ten Old Square is one of the leading sets for contentious and non-contentious trusts work in the UK and in offshore jurisdictions. Capital taxes, inheritance, wills, probate and the administration of estates, along with Court of Protection and family provision are also comprehensively covered.

Commercial Chancery: Partnership (including dissolution, expulsions, compulsory retirement, LLPs, MDPs restrictive covenants and partnership accounts), joint ventures, asset recovery, business litigation, company, insolvency, and professional negligence.

Property, land and real estate: Contentious property work, landlord and tenant disputes, rent reviews, 1954 Act renewals, conveyancing, commercial property, leasehold enfranchisement, easements, intervener and third party property claims, cohabitation claims, mortgages and manorial rights including mineral rights.

International: The set has a number of barristers who have substantial private client practices overseas including Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Guernsey and Jersey.

Languages: French, German, Bislama.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Senior clerk	Keith Plowman
Deputy senior clerk	Marc Schofield
First junior clerk	Fay Bennett
Marketing Executive	Emily Overett
Members of Chambers	TAUBE KC, Simon (1980) (2000 KC)
Members of Chambers	RAJAH KC, Eason (1989) (2011 KC)
Members of Chambers	HILL, Gregory (1972)
Members of Chambers	SCHMITZ, David (1976)
Members of Chambers	ROSS, Sidney (1983)
Members of Chambers	STAFFORD, Paul (1987)
Members of Chambers	ROBERTS, Julian (1987)
Members of Chambers	MEADWAY, Susannah (1988)
Members of Chambers	CALLMAN, Jeremy (1991)
Members of Chambers	GAVAGHAN, Jonathan (1992)
Members of Chambers	LAUGHTON, Samuel (1993)
Members of Chambers	ARNFIELD, Robert (1996)
Members of Chambers	PRICE, Evan (1997)
Members of Chambers	DEW, Richard (1999)
Members of Chambers	BEDWORTH, Georgia (2001)
Members of Chambers	JENKINS, Philip (2003)
Members of Chambers	SLATER, Matthew (2005)
Members of Chambers	WINSTON, Naomi (2006)
Members of Chambers	ROSEMAN, Gideon (2007)
Members of Chambers	PICKERING, Leon (2010)
Members of Chambers	MACDOUGALD, James (2011)
Members of Chambers	EGAN, James (2015)
Members of Chambers	POOLE, James (2016)
Members of Chambers	KIRBY, James (2017)
Members of Chambers	STEWART-WALLACE, Adam (2018)
Members of Chambers	ARNULL, Thomas (2019)
	JAMES, Thomas (2018)
	ATKINSON, Elizabeth (2021)

Name	Position	Profile
Robert Arnfield	Barrister in general Chancery/commercial practice. Particular expertise in relation to trusts, wills…	View Profile
Mr Thomas Arnull		View Profile
Miss Elizabeth Atkinson		View Profile
Francis Barlow	Head of Chambers at Ten Old Square, Francis Barlow’s practice covers the…	View Profile
Georgia Bedworth	A barrister whose practice encompasses litigation, drafting and advisory work across the…	View Profile
Jeremy Callman	Barrister specialising in Chancery – commercial litigation (partnership/LLP law, commercial disputes, banking/mortgage…	View Profile
Richard Dew	Richard Dew’s practice is focussed on Wills, Estates and Trusts and related…	View Profile
Mr James Egan	Barrister – Called 2015	View Profile
Mr Jonathan Gavaghan	Jonathan Gavaghan has a busy chancery and commercial practice. He has particular…	View Profile
Gregory Hill	Barrister in general Chancery practice, whose emphasis is on advisory work and…	View Profile
Mr Thomas James		View Profile
Dr Philip Jenkins	An experienced Chancery practitioner, Philip Jenkins’ practice encompasses the breadth of chancery…	View Profile
Mr James Kirby	Barrister – Called 2017	View Profile
Samuel Laughton	Barrister specialising in Chancery, especially property litigation, landlord and tenant, commercial, company…	View Profile
James MacDougald	Barrister with a general Chancery practice including litigation, advice and drafting in…	View Profile
Susannah Meadway	Susannah Meadway’s practice encompasses advisory, drafting and litigation work in the fields…	View Profile
Leon Pickering	Barrister and accredited mediator with a busy practice covering a wide range of…	View Profile
Mr James Poole		View Profile
Evan Price	Barrister specialising in general Chancery, commercial and property litigation, public and administrative…	View Profile
Eason Rajah	Chancery litigation and advisory work in the UK and offshore, including domestic,…	View Profile
Gideon Roseman	Barrister with a commercial and chancery practice including litigation, contentious and non-contentious…	View Profile
Sidney Ross	Sidney Ross was called to the Bar in 1983 at the age…	View Profile
David Schmitz	Land, especially mortgages, landlord and tenant; and constructive trusts; professional negligence, insolvency…	View Profile
Matthew Slater	Matthew Slater’s practice covers a wide range of Chancery, Commercial and (as…	View Profile
Dr Paul Stafford	Barrister specialising in commercial and property-related issues of chancery work, including Lloyds’…	View Profile
Adam Stewart-Wallace		View Profile
Simon Taube	Barrister specialising in Chancery work (both litigation and advisory work) with special…	View Profile
Naomi Winston	Naomi’s practice covers litigation, drafting and advisory work across the full range…	View Profile