Matthew Collings KC > Chambers of Michael Gibbon KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

At Maitland Chambers, company work is a mainstay of the practice, whether domestic or cross-border, and members are frequently active in complex shareholder disputes, unfair prejudice petitions, and claims for breach of fiduciary duty. The set has some standout silks, among them Matthew Collings KC, who successfully defended directors in a multimillion-pound claim for breach of fiduciary duty, TMO Renewables v Yeo – after a lengthy trial it was concluded that defendant had acted in bad faith but had caused the insolvent claimants no loss, so dismissed the claim, and an appeal over costs for one of five defendants was dismissed. Another prominent silk is Christopher Parker KC, who led the defence of a director in Traded Life Policies Ltd v Leach, which concerned alleged dishonest breach of fiduciary duty. Catherine Addy KC recently acted for the respondents to a long-running shareholders’ unfair prejudice petition concerning a large-scale national security company and serious allegations of breach of duty and fraud.

Insolvency and restructuring remains a key part of the practice for Maitland Chambers, with the set’s members engaging in disputes across a vast range of industries, from personal insolvency to through to global corporate collapses and associated asset recovery proceedings. Matthew Collings KC has appeared in numerous insolvency cases, including London Capital & Finance (LCF) where he advised on multiple issues and acting for administrators of a collapse of London Capital & Finance including successful removal of two security trustees. Michael Gibbon KC is regularly called upon to advise on the practical commercial application of insolvency law, with experience in litigating and advising on matters arising out of commercial failure, whereas Catherine Addy KC has been instructed on numerous high-profile insolvencies and related litigation alongside sitting as a Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge.

Maitland Chambers‘ ‘barristers are top quality in terms of academic legal argument and advocacy skills‘. In Upham v HSBC UK Bank plc, Matthew Collings KC acted for the claimants in a massive claim brought by over 350 victims of the failed Eclipse Film Finance scheme. Also touching on showbusiness, in Green v White Lantern Film (Britannica) Limited, Edmund Cullen KC was instructed by actress Eva Green in her dispute with a film production company over the aborted production of science fiction film A Patriot; Green is claiming contractual damages from the production company for failing to pay her. Within the junior ranks, Watson Pringle is representing Watchstone Group in a £63m claim for breach of confidence and conspiracy, in relation to the alleged unlawful disclosure of Watchstone’s confidential information by its adviser PwC in secret meetings with Watchstone’s counterparty during a large commercial transaction.