Serle Court is highly esteemed by clients as 'a brilliant Chancery commercial set'. Jonathan Adkin KC and Zahler Bryan acted for the Republic of Mozambique in the high-profile "tuna bonds" litigation, which involved allegations of bribery and breaches of fiduciary duty; the High Court ruled in favour of the Republic. Philip Marshall KC is 'an excellent barrister for heavy-weight commercial and fraud litigation'. Bolstering the team at the senior end, Matthew Morrison KC took silk in March 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Position
Jonathan Adkin KC is a leading Silk at the Chancery and Commercial Bar. His high-profile practice spans a wide range of fields in international and domestic chancery and commercial law. He appears regularly in the High Court and appellate Courts in England, in domestic and international arbitrations, and in international commercial Courts and offshore jurisdictions including Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the BVI, the DIFC and Gibraltar.
In the leading legal directories (Chambers & Partners and Legal 500) Jonathan holds rankings across eight practice areas, encompassing Commercial Dispute Resolution, Commercial Chancery, Civil Fraud, Trusts and Probate, Company, Insolvency, Partnership and Offshore.
Jonathan was named the Chancery Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards for 2022 and shortlisted for the same award in 2023 and 2024. He was named Trusts and Probate Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards for 2017. He has also been recognised as one of The Lawyer magazine’s “Hot 100 Lawyers”. He is shortlisted for Commercial Dispute Resolution Silk of the year for the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Awards 2024.
Career
Qualified 1997, Gray’s Inn; Silk 2013.
Memberships
Commercial Bar Association; Chancery Bar Association.
Education
Balliol College, Oxford; City University.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Charlie Payne is very responsive.'
- 'Charlie Payne is fantastic, responsive and helpful. For Charlie, nothing is ever too much trouble.'
- 'Team players with a can do attitude.'
- 'The clerking is extremely professional, sensible and user-friendly.'
- 'A stellar set.'
- 'Great strength in depth at all levels.'
- 'A first rate set of chambers with a very talented roster.'
- 'A stand-out set in the commercial litigation and trusts world.'