Commercial litigation

Brick Court Chambers

As a ‘premier commercial set with real strength-in-depth’, Brick Court Chambers continues to impress with its routine involvement in big-ticket cases. In Privatbank v Kolomoisky, Mark Howard KC represents former bank owner Igor Kolomoisky against the bank’s claims that he misappropriated US$2.4bn by arranging fraudulent loans, leading Michael Bools KC, Alec Haydon KC, Geoffrey Kuehne, and Ben Woolgar. Simon Salzedo KC leads a team including Richard Eschwege KC, Michael Bolding, and Tom Wood, representing mining company Vale SA in Municipio de Mariana v BHP Group, a significant group action with over 800,000 claimants seeking £36bn in damages for the Fundão Dam collapse in Brazil. Roger Masefield KC represents the Nigerian government in Nigeria v Tibit, a case concerning an attempt to recover a private jet, alleged to have been purchased by late kleptocrat Sane Abacha’s oil minister with the proceeds of corruption. Richard Blakeley KC took silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Tony Burgess and Paul Dennison are excellent. They are responsive, pragmatic and commercial - the epitome of fantastic modern-day clerking!'
'Responsive high-quality service from the clerks. Paul Dennison is strong on service and user-friendly.'
'Philip Wilkes is great. He knows his business and delivers the best for you.'
'Tony Burgess and Paul Dennison lead a high-quality team with approachability, warmth, real skill and a deep knowledge of their chambers and its caseload.'
'A set comprised of seriously high-powered counsel.'
'Brick Court Chambers is strong all around and at all levels for commercial litigation.'
'Brick Court Chambers is a premier commercial set with real strength-in-depth.'
'Brick Court Chambers is amongst the handful of elite commercial sets in the London market.'

Silks

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Helen Davies KC

Brick Court Chambers

'An absolute star and standout performer.'

‘Absolutely at the top of his game. A superb advocate and tactician.’

‘A highly persuasive advocate with fantastic analytical skills.‘

'Roger is a rock star who is not afraid to roll his sleeves up and work hard. He is very bright but easy to work with.'

Harry Matovu KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘A smooth and astute advocate who is effective at unpacking complex points for the court to understand.

Simon Birt KC

Brick Court Chambers

'Simon is extremely impressive in his ability to absorb and understand complex details. He is excellent in cross-examination.'

Charles Hollander KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Charles is an immensely experienced advocate who is clear, to the point, and able to identify key issues. He is extremely sensible, persuasive, and impressive.'

‘Michael is hugely personable. He is great with clients and a charming advocate, but behind the easy manner is a pin-sharp intellect and total commitment to his clients.'

Jasbir Dhillon KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Gets under the skin of the detail and effective leader on strategy. All round excellent court performer.'

Alec Haydon KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Alec drafts beautifully - his concision and ability to focus on what is really important are impressive. As an advocate, he is always well prepared and not afraid to run difficult points.'

James McClelland KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Razor sharp intellect and gets to the heart of a case in a nano-second.'

Stephen Midwinter KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘A ferocious and tenacious cross-examiner, as well as a first-rate advocate, Stephen is the leading KC of his generation. He is excellent for any commercial or fraud dispute.'

Tony Singla KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Tony is an excellent advocate - very calm, assured on his feet and persuasive. He is also responsive, pragmatic and a pleasure to work with.'

Fionn Pilbrow KC

Brick Court Chambers

'An extremely compelling advocate, judicious with his blows and when they land they are knockout. He knows when to press a point and when to leave them alone to let the points simmer.'

2023 Silks

Richard Eschwege KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Richard is one of the brightest barristers of his generation. He is very driven and hard-working and is committed to achieving success for his clients.'

Craig Morrison KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Truly excellent - academic but also user-friendly and practical. Works exceptionally hard to get the right outcome for clients.'

2024 Silks

Richard Blakeley KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Richard is a fantastic barrister and a first choice for many. His advocacy is brilliant and he can process and simplify very complex matters.'

Fred Hobson KC

Brick Court Chambers

‘Great judgement and poise.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Edward Ho

Brick Court Chambers

‘He is academically brilliant but also brings terrific tactical nous. He has a real gift for knowing what issues the bench will care about.'

Laura Newton

Brick Court Chambers

‘Laura is in the absolute top tier of juniors at the commercial Bar, with a genuine specialism in complex commercial transactions, including those involving trusts in the commercial context. Extremely intelligent, elegant on paper and a polished advocate. Absolutely superb.’

Edward Harrison

Brick Court Chambers

‘Edward is excellent - calm under pressure and really knowledgeable. He reads the situation and the judge well and is able to alter the pitch and style of his delivery to match.'

Geoffrey Kuehne

Brick Court Chambers

‘His written advocacy is very clear and powerful. He is brilliant at mastering the most complex sets of facts and presenting them to a court in a concise and compelling way.'

Max Schaefer

Brick Court Chambers

‘Max writes extremely well. His work is clear, beautifully structured, and persuasive. His cross-examination is also superb.’

‘Do not let Michael's calm and understated manner confuse you: he is astonishingly bright and a truly excellent lawyer and litigator. He is a great person to have on your team.'

Gerard Rothschild

Brick Court Chambers

‘Gerard is a cerebral and thoughtful lawyer who is nonetheless extremely user-friendly and responsive. He is a careful and effective advocate.’

Alan Roxburgh

Brick Court Chambers

‘Alan is superb. He is incredibly diligent and responsive, always thoughtful, and a pleasure to work with.'

Kyle Lawson

Brick Court Chambers

‘An impressive tactician and draftsperson. Very impressive in front of clients. His written submissions are powerful and persuasive. A pleasure to work with.’

Tom Pascoe

Brick Court Chambers

‘A truly exceptional barrister, who has the advantage of also being a great team player and is a pleasure to work with. He is dedicated to his cases and has great insight and legal ability.’

Joanne Box

Brick Court Chambers

‘Calm under pressure and utterly unflappable, able to cut to the chase and argue difficult points with simplicity and cohesion. An excellent addition to any team.‘

Chintan Chandrachud

Brick Court Chambers

‘Chintan is an outstanding barrister. He is highly intelligent, extremely clear and articulate and very calm under pressure. His oral and written advocacy is clear, succinct and persuasive.‘

Ben Woolgar

Brick Court Chambers

‘Ben is a future star of the bar and he is already very much in demand. He has a special ability to spot winning points and to see an opponent's weaknesses.'

Sophie Shaw

Brick Court Chambers

‘Sophie is very competent, good at drafting, and a key member of any team. She expresses her views clearly and forcefully.'

Emilie Gonin

Brick Court Chambers

'Huge energy and focus on delivering the best possible outcomes - very hard working and committed.'

William Hooper

Brick Court Chambers

'Hard-working lawyer, with an outstanding legal brain. Will easily make silk.'

Hugo Leith

Brick Court Chambers

'Incredible work ethic, fantastic command of the details and really thoughtful and intelligent about the arguments he identifies.'

Georgina Petrova

Brick Court Chambers

‘Georgina’s analysis is first rate and she displays excellent judgement. She is an excellent team player and her written work is always sharp and client-friendly.’

Jaamae Hafeez-Baig

Brick Court Chambers

‘Jaamae is technically brilliant. He is able to distil complex legal problems simply and cut through to an issue in the way that a judge would which is to be lauded. He is very accessible and available.’

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.