Jonathan Gaisman KC
‘Probably the best advocate of his generation. Always on top of the detail.'
7 King’s Bench Walk is 'highly regarded and well respected for its experience and strength in commercial litigation'. Demonstrating the set's prowess in insurance law, multiple members of the set appeared for various parties in the longrunning Russian Aircraft litigation, including Gavin Kealey KC and Ralph Morley representing AIG; Richard Waller KC and Michael Ryan acting for Lloyds Insurance Co; and Jonathan Gaisman KC, Siobán Healy KC, Keir Howie, and others representing Global Aerospace. The Commercial Court ruled that the aircraft were lost on 10 March 2022, and the proximate cause of the loss was Russian Government Resolution 311, which banned the return from Russia of leased aircraft and engines to Western lessors. As the ban qualified as 'restraint' and/or 'detention' within the meaning of war risks perils, the loss was ruled to be covered under the war risk insurance and excluded under the all-risk insurance. Jason Robinson KC was elevated to silk in March 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Greg Leyden stands out for his impressive leadership.'
- 'The clerks are client-focused.'
- 'The clerks handle barristers well and look after clients very well. Engaged and engaging.'
- 'A favoured set for high value and complex litigation.'
- 'The go to set for insurance coverage.'
- '7KBW offers a wealth of experience.'
Lawyers
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.
David Allen KC
‘David is an excellent silk who brings real insight to his conferences.'
Gavin Kealey KC
Rebecca Sabben-Clare KC
'Rebecca is a phenomenal advocate. She is clear and to the point.'
Richard Waller KC
‘He is extremely intelligent. His judgement and appreciation of commercial realities is excellent.’
David Edwards KC
‘Brilliant appellate advocate. Decisive and clear.'
Alistair Schaff KC
‘Clear and precise legal analysis and presentation; in depth knowledge of the law.'
Siobán Healy KC
James Brocklebank KC
very intelligent and possesses an impressive ability to distil complex information and arguments into a clear and compelling analysis.'
David Bailey KC
‘David has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law, and applies that in a very focused and thoughtful way. His drafting is excellent: crisp, direct and very clear'
Josephine Higgs KC
‘Jo is extremely astute and has a rare ability to predict how a court is likely to view any issue before it.'
Stephen Hofmeyr KC
‘Stephen is a very strong advocate operating at the highest level. Very thorough with high level legal analysis, and makes sure his arguments are fully understood with forceful clarity.’
Michael Holmes KC
‘Very energetic. Intelligent and pleasant to work with.'
Jawdat Khurshid KC
‘Extremely user-friendly and responsive and an excellent advocate.'
2025 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.
Jason Robinson KC
‘Jason recently made silk as one of the youngest ever. He is a true superstar.’
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.
Alexander MacDonald
'A first-class barrister who truly stands out in terms of intelligence, commitment, and attitude. Alex is excellent at getting stuck in and mastering the detail.'
Marcus Mander
Michael Ryan
‘Michael is incredibly bright and grasps facts and legal issues really quickly.'
Keir Howie
Keir is thorough and very analytical and has an in-depth knowledge of the law.'
Henry Moore
‘Henry's advocacy is very calm. He has a phenomenal memory which makes him stand apart from his peers, especially on his feet.'
Ralph Morley
‘Ralph has encyclopedic knowledge of not only legal principles and developments, but also factual matters that inevitably bear on disputes. He is a true rising star.'
Benjamin Parker
Andrew Pearson
‘He is bright, intelligent, gets into the detail and able to identify and understand the key issues in the most complex of cases, and extremely knowledgeable of the law.'
Frederick Alliott
‘An extraordinary barrister. Frederick is razor-sharp and commands the court room.'
Clara Benn
‘Clara ticks every box: client friendly, exceptionally diligent, super clever and has excellent judgement.'