James Weale > Serle Court > London, England > Barrister Profile
Serle Court Offices
6 NEW SQUARE, LINCOLN'S INN
LONDON
WC2A 3QS
England
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James Weale
Position
Chancery and commercial litigation, arbitration, trusts (offshore and onshore), probate, civil fraud, company, partnership and LLP, probate, 1975 Act claims, and professional negligence. Recent notable cases include: Wong v Grand View Private Trust Company, Schwartz v VGV, Chernukhin v Deripaska and Scarle v Scarle.
Career
Called: 2007.
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association; ComBar.
Education
Educated at Latymer Upper School, Bristol University (LLB) and Lincoln College, Oxford (BCL).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Private client: trusts and probate
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1James Weale –Serle Court ‘James is a first-choice barrister in contentious trusts matters. He is incredibly smart and able to grasp very complex issues immediately. His advocacy is outstanding, and his style of advocacy demonstrates a deep understanding of the subject matter, the facts and the legal arguments, and he is impassioned in making his submissions.’
Serle Court is the ‘go-to set for all high-value trusts work’ with ‘excellent strength in depth’ in complex trust and offshore disputes. Richard Wilson KC is ‘well known for finding solutions to complex problems’ and represented Tony Wang in the Wong v Grand View trusts litigation in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council concerning Bermudian trusts storing wealth for the family that created the Formosa Plastics Corporation in Taiwan. John Machell KC ‘excels under pressure’ and has been instructed in the ITG v Glenalla Properties Limited dispute, a part of the Tchenguiz Discretionary Trust saga, with issues concerning how to deal with insolvent trusts. William Henderson represented the government in Re the Will of His late Royal Highness Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, a case concerning The Guardian’s opposition to the practice of sealing wills of members of the royal family, outside the usual principle that all wills are open to inspection. ‘Incredibly perceptive and intelligent’ James Weale recently acted for the defendant in Sofer v Swiss Independent Trustees Ltd, a fraud claim relating to assets worth $60m.
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Weale –Serle Court ‘James’s advocacy is astute, carefully prepared, and always hits the mark. He is highly persuasive and effective at achieving the desired end result for the client. He is also extremely responsive and provides sound input on a strategic level. Certainly a KC in the making.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Weale –Serle Court ‘James’ written work is first-class and accurate. His contributions in conferences are measured and valuable. Very user-friendly, always happy to deal with ad hoc questions.’
Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial
(Leading juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Weale – Serle Court ‘His drafting and attention to detail are second to none. James has the ability to focus on the core issues and crystalise the issues which need to be addressed. He expressed himself clearly and had a calming effect on the rest of the team.’
Serle Court ‘deservedly has an excellent reputation for DIFC cases’ and has an equally strong presence in the Middle Eastern arbitration space, acting as both counsel and arbitrators. Zoe O’Sullivan KC led Gregor Hogan when successfully acting for the respondent in Al Buhaira National Insurance Co v Horizon Energy, with the DIFC Court of Appeal’s judgement establishing that anti-suit injunctions will only be granted exceptionally to restrain proceedings in another Emirate. As the SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd v Renish Petrochem FZE and Prime Energy FZE case continues on, James Weale appeared at the sanctions hearing in June 2023. Rupert Reed KC remains extremely active throughout the region in disputes concerning commercial, banking, civil fraud and property issues.