XXIV Old Buildings has a strong reputation in international arbitration and high-value commercial disputes, and is well-equipped to handle cases involving allegations of fraud, insolvency issues, and professional negligence matters. Elspeth Talbot Rice KC's recent workload includes advising on a cross-border dispute involving alleged misappropriation and transfer of trust assets. In Alimov v Mirakhmedov & ors, a case concerning a shareholder dispute arising from a bitcoin-mining project in Kazakhstan, Edward Cumming KC successfully acted for the first and third defendants in a jurisdictional challenge to the Commercial Court, which held that Kazakhstan was the most appropriate forum for the claim to be heard in.
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Profile
Position
Edward is a barrister specialising in most areas of chancery and commercial litigation. He particularly relishes advocacy, appearing frequently before a range of courts and tribunals, and has extensive experience of international and multi-jurisdictional disputes. This particular international emphasis was further enhanced when he was retained for a substantial period to advise a leading offshore firm on a number of business and trust matters involving Guernsey and the BVI. Edward’s breadth of expertise is recognised by the leading directories. He is not only recommended in the chancery sphere for traditional chancery litigation, private client disputes (trust and probate), company disputes and insolvency disputes, but also for commercial dispute resolution, banking and finance, and aviation.
Career
Call: 2006 | Silk: 2018
Edward read Law at Downing College, Cambridge where he was President of the Cambridge Union. After leaving Cambridge he was a Thouron Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, studying at both the Law School and Wharton Business School. He then became director of a group of engineering and property management companies, acquiring a practical understanding of the commercial realities of business and, in particular, company law, before completing pupillage at XXIV Old Buildings.
Languages
French, basic German.
Memberships
- Chancery Bar Association
- Commercial Bar Association
- Institute of Art & Law
- Guernsey International Lawyers Association
- Bar Pro Bono Unit
Education
- MA (Cantab)
- LLM (UPenn)
- Thouron Fellowship to the University of Pennsylvania
- Queen Mother’s Scholar and Harmsworth Exhibitioner of Middle Temple
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Excellent. Paul, Perry and Lyndon provide a first rate service.'
- 'The clerks are supportive and make working with counsel straightforward.'
- 'Clerks are sensible in all discussions and clearly work very hard to make the process of instructing counsel as seamless as possible.'
- 'The clerks are very professional.'
- 'Exceptional chancery and commercial barristers.'