Mr Jonathan Crow KC > Chambers of George Bompas KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Mr Jonathan Crow KC
Work Department
Specialises in company/commercial litigation and public law. Numerous appearances in the Supreme Court/House of Lords, the Privy Council, the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Human Rights.
Position
Jonathan’s practice straddles a broad range of litigation, largely in the appellate courts where he appears both for private clients and for public authorities. He is recommended in 10 practice areas by Chambers UK and is ranked as one of the Stars of the Bar. In a career spanning 40 years he has been involved at the highest level in civil fraud (from Polly Peck to Madoff), company law (from Guinness to Atlantic Computers), corporate insolvencies (from BCCI to Lehmans), public law (from Guantanamo Bay to assisted suicide), constitutional law (from the Channel Islands to the Chagos Islands), telecoms (from the 3G auction to interconnection charges), consumer credit (from bank charges to PPI) and many other areas, including over 200 reported cases. He has appeared more than 40 times in the Supreme Court or the House of Lords, and on numerous other occasions in the Privy Council, the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Human Rights. He was First Treasury Counsel from 1998 until 2006, since when he has been named both as Commercial Litigation silk of the year and also as Chancery silk of the year by Chambers UK, as Lawyer of the Week by The Times (twice), and as one of the Legal 500’s Hot 100. In addition to his work in London, he also has a busy overseas practice, including work in relation to jurisdictions such as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the BVI, Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, the Turks & Caicos Islands, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Apart from his work as an advocate, he acts as an LCIA arbitrator and sits part time as a Deputy High Court Judge in London (both in the Chancery Division and in the Administrative Court) and also as a judge of the Courts of Appeal in Jersey and Guernsey, and as a part-time Deemster in the Isle of Man. From 2006 to 2020 he served as Attorney General to HRH The Prince of Wales.
Career
Called 1981; Treasury Counsel 1994-98; First Treasury Counsel 1998-2006; Deputy High Court Judge 2001. Attorney General to HRH The Prince of Wales 2006. Court of Appeal Judge in Jersey & Guernsey 2011. Called to the Bar in the BVI, and also in Nevis, Bermuda and Cayman Islands for specific cases.
Publications: Annotated Companies Act 2006, OUP (contributing author).
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association (ChBA), Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR); Constitutional and Administration Law Bar Association (ALBA).
Education
St Paul’s School; Oxford University (1979 BA); The City University (1980 Dip Law).
Leisure
Athenaeum; RGS.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 14 Stone Buildings is an ‘excellent chambers with an impeccable reputation for having first-rate advocates‘. The set has a significant track record in major disputes in both the Commercial and Chancery courts, ranging from disputes over commercial contracts, to boardroom fallouts from market disasters. In Dargamo Holdings Ltd v Avonwick Holdings Ltd, Jonathan Crow KC is instructed in an appeal arising from a dispute between three Ukrainian oligarchs, the matter involving complex allegations of deceit, causation issues, and conflicts over choice of law; and in Tribe v Elborne Mitchell, George Bompas KC successfully defended, with an order for indemnity costs, a claim for an increased share of partnership profits by a former partner. Particularly focused on high-value disputes in England and Wales, as well as offshore jurisdictions, Alexander Cook KC took silk in March 2023, while former member Paul Greenwood became an Insolvency and Companies Court judge in October 2022.
London Bar > Administrative law and human rights
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3London Bar > Financial services regulation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Jonathan Crow KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘Jonathan is a very strong advocate and cross-examiner; he has the ear of the tribunal.’
London Bar > Insolvency
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Jonathan Crow KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘He is one of the best advocates at the English Bar today – an incredibly impressive trial advocate and an effective cross-examiner.’
4 Stone Buildings places insolvency and reconstruction as a central area of focus, with the set known for its involvement in high profile and high value insolvency work. Members of chambers have also represented the government on insolvency matters, including Tiran Nersessian, who was instructed by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to advise on the insolvency elements of the Horizon scandal, including the predicament of a cohort of postmasters who found themselves bankrupt. ‘Stand-out silk’ Jonathan Crow KC, was instructed in a multi-million dollar claim in Byers v Saudi National Bank which was brought by the liquidators of two insolvent companies against a bank for knowing receipt of funds paid in breach of trust. Alastair Tomson is frequently led by Richard Hill KC and John Brisby KC, having been instructed on noteworthy bankruptcy cases. Zara McGlone is noted for her work for Ofgem – she acted as sole counsel for the energy regulator in several cases concerning the insolvencies of energy suppliers.
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Jonathan Crow KC –4 Stone Buildings ‘Jonathan is a star of the Bar. His reputation precedes him and he has the ear of any tribunal he appears before. His reputation is well earned, as he is a fantastic analyst, a top-notch strategist and tactician, and wonderful with clients and judges.’
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2London Bar > Company
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Jonathan Crow KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘An excellent advocate with an incredible ability to hold the attention of any judge, incisive and very hard working.’
4 Stone Buildings ‘has incredible ability at all years of call’, and one client remarks that it is ‘a leading set for company law and provides top-class service’. Jonathan Crow KC frequently appears in Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Privy Council cases, a recent example being his work for Jardine Matheson group of companies in a multimillion-dollar appraisal claim brought by investors concerning a substantial corporate reorganisation of the holding company. Among the juniors, Christopher Harrison is a recognised expert in shareholder disputes – in Laxmi BNS Holdings Limited he handled a seven-week trial arising from four connected proceedings concerning the ownership and control of one of the UK’s biggest pharmaceutical suppliers, the B&S Group.