Wilberforce Chambers is very highly regarded for its strength in handling commercial and Chancery matters, and continues to advise on disputes in the insolvency and banking and finance arenas. Contractual litigation is another key area of instruction, as well as cases involving allegations of fraud. Alan Gourgey KC is acting in Bourlakova & Ors v Bourlakov & Ors, an ongoing case concerning the ownership of assets worth nearly £3bn and claims of breaches of fiduciary duty and fraudulent activity. John Wardell KC is 'a heavyweight at the commercial Bar, a great strategist and a brilliant advocate'. Among the juniors,Emily McKechnie 'has the gravitas of a silk' and Bobby Friedman is 'an astute litigator'.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Tara Shah is very responsive and helpful.'
- 'Tara Shah is extremely responsive.'
- 'Excellent clerks, especially Arin Kalayci.'
- 'Clerks are responsive and keen to assist.'
- 'A very strong set with an excellent roster of high capable counsel.'
- 'A leading set for commercial litigation.'
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.
John Wardell KC
‘John is a brilliant mind. One of the top barristers at the Bar at the moment.'
Thomas Grant KC
‘Thomas is a forceful advocate who is able to present his client's cases in a way that always resonates well with judges.'
Terence Mowschenson KC
'A go-to senior silk for corporate and governance matters.'
Tim Penny KC
‘Tim is very pragmatic, he always looks for the best way of resolving matters for his clients.'
Lexa Hilliard KC
‘Lexa is an absolute delight. Creative, supportive and at the top of her game. She is wonderful with even the most difficult client, decisive and thorough in her advice and excellent on her feet. She is a force to be reckoned with and is rightly viewed as one of the best silks in this field.'
Clare Stanley KC
‘Formidable, no messing, highly intelligent and usable counsel. knows when to be tough and fight and when to take a step back and give pragmatic advice on tactics.'
James Bailey KC
‘James is super bright and clear with advice. Where other KCs struggle, James can get to the nub of the issue and resolve.’
Ian Croxford KC
Fenner Moeran KC
‘ Excellent work and great to be in the trenches with.'
Nikki Singla KC
‘Extremely hard working and very sensible.'
Max Mallin KC
'Max is a fantastically sound lead advocate; strategically very strong and unflappable before decision makers.'
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.
Anna Littler
Bobby Friedman
‘Bobby has exceptional advocacy skills, presenting clear and compelling arguments in a well structured and persuasive manner.'
Emily McKechnie
‘Emily is superb. Smart, thorough and very hardworking.'
Edward Sawyer
‘Edward combines technical excellence with fantastic service and unrivalled intellectual capabilities.'
James Walmsley
‘James is always one step ahead of his opposition and an excellent senior junior barrister.'
Sri Carmichael
‘Good team player, clear in writing, persuasive advocate'.
Stephen Brown
‘Stephen has extremely clear vision of legal issues and capacity to summarise complex matters with practical and efficient advice.'
Daniel Scott
‘Responsive and personable.'
Tara Taylor
‘Tara has excellent drafting skills. She provides invaluable insights.'
Jack Watson
‘Jack is friendly, responsive and easy to use, clear in his advice and proactive in suggesting steps for case progression and strategy. His drafting is impressive, clear and concise.'
Jessica Brooke
Jessica has excellent technical knowledge which she applies confidently to complex legal issues.'
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.