Alan Gourgey KC
Analytical precision, commercial good sense, and pragmatism.
Praised as ‘very strong in both commercial and chancery work’ and ’a great team to work with at all levels’, Wilberforce Chambers is a considerable presence at the top of the Commercial Bar in the English courts and offshore. A ‘substantive lawyer with superb judgement’, Alan Gourgey KC is a highly experienced commercial advocate with multidisciplinary expertise, and John Wardell KC has been acclaimed ’one of the Bar’s leading commercial and chancery silks’. James Bailey KC has been instructed by the Post Office in the Castleton v Post Office and Fujitsu, a case concerning the Horizon scandal involving allegations that the Post Office and Fujitsu conspired to fraudulently mislead courts in earlier litigation and that the judgment in an earlier group action should be set aside. Thomas Grant KC acted in Expert Tooling and Automation v Engie Power Ltd, a significant appeal on commissions in the energy sector.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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.
Lexa Hilliard KC
Experience and deep technical knowledge. Lexa has extremely sound judgment and a rare quality in barristers of being able to detach herself from the arguments and look dispassionately at both sides. She is very easy to work with and is collaborative with the wider legal and client team.
Fenner Moeran KC
The speed with which he immerses himself in cases, assimilates all of the details, and gets fully up to speed with all of the elements of long-running cases is astonishing. His advocacy is formidable. Clear, persuasive, and also passionate.
Terence Mowschenson KC
Terence is a highly accomplished advocate with a strong command of complex factual matrices and legal principles. He has a measured and authoritative style, which is particularly effective in international arbitration settings where tribunals tend to respond well to clarity, structure, and restraint rather than overly aggressive advocacy. His strengths lie in his analytical clarity, strategic judgment, advocacy and, client handling.
James Bailey KC
James is an incisive and highly effective advocate with a strong command of both detail and overarching strategy. His written advice is clear, commercial, and well judged. He relates extremely well to clients and instills confidence. He works seamlessly with solicitors and contributes positively to team dynamics.
Clare Stanley KC
The chambers are fantastic and incredibly user-friendly.
Zoë Barton
Zoe is an exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable silk, with a deep understanding of complex commercial disputes. She combines excellent technical expertise with a very strong grasp of the factual detail and commercial context of a matter. She is meticulous in her preparation and is able to identify and distill the key issues quickly, even in particularly complex cases. She is highly analytical, clear in her advice, and very effective at navigating difficult or evolving issues. Her experience and judgment are particularly valuable in providing strategic direction while maintaining close engagement with the detail of the case. She is also responsive, approachable, and a pleasure to work with. Her advocacy is confident, measured, and highly persuasive, with an ability to distill complex issues into clear and compelling submissions while responding effectively to the evolving points raised in the course of a hearing.
Ian Croxford KC
Max Mallin KC
Tiffany Scott KC
Tiffany has great all-around qualities - I trust her judgment on strategic issues. Her pleadings and skeletons are excellent. Tiffany is excellent in court on technical legal issues, outperforming opponents and seems to gain the respect of the judge. Tiffany is good with clients and really easy to work with.
Nikki Singla KC
Operationally smooth, clerks are efficient and helpful. Chambers events are thoughtful and appreciated.
2026 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.
Bobby Friedman KC
Bobby is charming, personable, and a pleasure to work with. He has extremely good judgment and a very good eye for which points are likely to go down well with a judge and which will not. He is a confident and robust advocate.
Jack Watson KC
Already a top-quality silk despite only a recent elevation. Jack is responsive and engaged with his cases, providing top-quality legal and strategic advice that is always on point. His written work is exceptional.
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.
Sri Carmichael
Sri Carmichael is an excellent senior junior in insolvency and commercial litigation matters. Sri has a towering intellect and a precise and effective drafting style. Sri works incredibly hard and is brilliant to have on the team. Sri’s advocacy is clear and persuasive, and she is resilient under extreme pressure.
Edward Sawyer
Ultra-responsive, really user-friendly, and an excellent legal mind.
James Walmsley
James has a brilliant mind and can see a way through even the most complex disputes. He is strategic, easy to deal with, and will fight tenaciously for his client.
Jessica Brooke
Creative and a force to be reckoned with - particularly strong on her feet where she fights her corner hard and with skill.
Stephen Brown
Samuel Cathro
Sam is excellent - measured, clear, and highly effective.
James Goodwin
He is extremely intelligent in his approach and thorough in his drafting and preparation for court. On his feet, he is prepared, calm, and clear, even when facing difficult witnesses (or judges...).
Alice Hawker
Having worked with Alice, I was particularly impressed with her attention to detail and prompt turnaround of work. Alice is also IT savvy and able to coordinate and prepare documentation and large electronic bundles for court.
Jamie Holmes
Jamie is an exceptionally accomplished junior barrister whose eye for detail and ability to grapple with complex cases are remarkable. His written advocacy is very strong. He is a valuable part of any team for his ability to roll up his sleeves and work hard.
Daniel Petrides
Dan's strength and depth of legal expertise are hugely impressive, even more so when combined with his "commerciality". He is able to articulate legal advice, even in complex cases, with great clarity and effortlessly engage with clients to help them make decisions. We are increasingly turning to him as a go-to resource across a wide range of disciplines. His written work, opinions, and submissions to the Court are first class.
Daniel Scott
Tara Taylor
Tara's written advocacy is KC level and her output is prodigious. I never go past her.
Jia Wei Lee
Jia Wei is highly intelligent - quick to understand and assimilate and advises confidently and assuredly. He conducts proceedings as sole counsel and does so very impressively. His cross-examination of the opponent's witnesses is really excellent, eliciting key information and untruths in their evidence.
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.
Ram Lakshman
Ram is an outstanding junior. He is clever, meticulous, and resilient, all laced with a great ability to anticipate what is coming next and deal with it effectively. Ram consistently drafts to the highest standard, with written work that always displays a legally incisive analysis and persuasive, well-reasoned argument.
Theo Dixon
Theo is a diligent and conscientious barrister who approaches matters with care and attention to detail. He is responsive, approachable, and willing to engage closely with the factual and legal issues involved. He has demonstrated a good grasp of the matters on which we have worked with him and is reliable in turning around work promptly and thoroughly.