29 Bedford Row Chambers

29 Bedford Row Chambers is ‘one of the leading chambers in matrimonial finance’, with its members being regularly sought after for cases involving civil partnerships, cohabitation matters, and Schedule 1 proceedings.’Excellent in court’ and ‘all over the detail’, Jonathan Southgate KC is active in complex and ultra-high-net-worth matrimonial finance cases. Alexis Campbell KC ’demonstrates exceptional analytical skills‘ in international disputes concerning offshore trusts and third party assets. Christopher Wagstaffe KC is a go-to silk for issues surrounding trusts and companies; he is ’able to explain simply but powerfully the most complicated factual matrix and the intricacies and nuances of the law‘. Sally Max practices exclusively in finance matters, and she is notably strong in cases surrounding complicated asset structures, trusts overseas, and pension-related issues, while Helen Williams is a ’go-to for cases with complex business structures‘. Sassa-Ann Amaouche KC was elevated to silk in the 2025 round and she is highly experienced in the area of non-disclosure.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Julie Holcombe and Ben Cross are excellent, driving the clerks' room forwards.'
'Very supportive clerks. James Shortall is one of the two best known and influential clerks at the London family bar. Julie Holcombe is very helpful to solicitors.'
'James Shortall is brilliant.'
'Julie Holcombe, Ben Cross and James Shortall offer a Rolls Royce service and nothing is too much trouble for them. They always go the extra mile in ensuring your first choice of counsel is available and work miracles juggling the diary on a daily basis.'
'James Shortall very ably leads an excellent team of clerks, who are very attentive and helpful.'
'Excellent, helpful, personable. Julie Holcombe is always on hand to assist and find a way forward for the benefit of the client.'

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.

Alexis Campbell KC

' Alexis is at the very top of her game and she is a fantastic head of chambers and brilliant advocate who frequently wipes the floor with many of the top London silks. She delivers first-rate advice with incredibly insightful judgement.'

Timothy Scott KC

Jonathan Southgate KC

'There isnt a better barrister in London than Jonathan. Instructing Jonathan means a calm and well managed case, as nothing makes him flap , and he wants to hear from all the team members and values their input.'

Philip Cayford KC

‘Philip is immensely dependable and very good at reassuring the nervous litigant and fearless in Court. Having been twice to the Supreme Court, he is a leader of the profession, and as busy and influential as ever.’

Nicholas Allen KC

‘Nicholas is second-to-none at the family finance Bar in terms of his commitment to supporting his clients in the best possible way. He has done more than anyone to promote the advantages of non-court dispute resolution at the Bar.’

Patrick Chamberlayne KC

Brent Molyneux KC

Christopher Wagstaffe KC

'Christopher is especially strong in respect of attacking or defending assets placed within trusts or protective structure. Chris is a skilled and persuasive advocate able to explain simply but powerfully the most complicated factual matrix and the intricacies and nuances of the law.'

2025 Silks

Sassa-Ann Amaouche KC

Sassa is an exceptional barrister with a remarkable blend of legal expertise, tactical acumen, and personal dedication. One of her greatest strengths is her ability to understand the nuanced complexities of a case and craft a strategy that is both comprehensive and focused on achieving the best possible outcome.’

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.

Sally Max

Jonathan Tod

Helen Williams

‘Helen is the best family finance junior at the Bar and a go-to for any cases involving complex financial issues and allegations of non-disclosure. Helen’s accountancy experience gives her the edge, she has a razor sharp intelligence and yet explains the complexities in a way that enables her clients to make informed decisions and get to the best result, and is a total star junior.’

Richard Bates

'Richard is a highly experienced and very skilful matrimonial finance barrister. He is particularly good and knowledgeable dealing with cases concerning farms and family trusts, he is very engaging, and he makes being against a pleasurable experience because he does not take bad points and always gives the impression he is working hard to try to find the best approach for the case.'

James Finch

'James is fantastic and has a phenomenal eye for detail. He knows the case inside out and is relied upon by the client, leading counsel and solicitors alike as a result, and he is available frequently between hearings and incredibly user friendly.'

Simon Calhaem

Nicholas Chapman

' Nicholas has excellent judgement and the opinion he gives about the outcome of a case early on is usually spot on. He is extremely numerate and has a very good commercial understanding of businesses and ancillary matters associated with that, and he prepares methodically and is always on top of all the detail.'

Conor Fee

Conor is excellent on his feet, his wealth of experience and disarming manner in the courtroom nullifies hostility and leaves judges wanting to hear from him more, and he is protective over his clients and fights their cases hard whilst providing clear, pragmatic advice managing their expectations effectively. He makes himself available and stays committed to cases even when there are no hearings imminently in the diary.'

Miriam Foster

'Miriam is a formidable advocate with a particular talent for distilling complex financial issues into clear, compelling arguments. She is calm under pressure, highly responsive, and always thoroughly prepared, and her written work is meticulous, and her advocacy is authoritative and persuasive.'

Victoria Francis

Victoria can always get even the most anxious, angry or distressed client on board. Her client care skills are exceptional and she is brilliant at establishing a rapport with the client, the judge and her opponents.'

Max Lewis

‘Max is an exceptionally talented advocate; he is particularly strong in relation to complex cases involving technical areas such as jurisdiction disputes, religious marriages and difficult enforcement issues. He is extremely good with clients, delivering clear robust advice with empathy and care.’

Lucy Owens

'Lucy's attention to detail and preparation is second-to-none and she always knows every page of her brief and instructions and can remember the smallest detail and find it in her papers. She is well respected by the judiciary and other barristers and solicitors alike, and she is a great advocate with passion and confidence and is always available to help her instructing solicitor as the case progresses.'

James Pullen

'James is an excellent advocate, he has a clear and concise style that judges find very easy to follow, and he is unflappable and tenacious in his pursuit of a fair outcome for his client. He has a good negotiating style too.'

Petra Teacher

Petra is one of the very top financial remedy juniors. She combines a razor like precision in the preparation of her cases with charm, kindness and empathy in spades, making her a superb barrister and a future silk.'

Nicholas Bennett

‘Nicholas is pre-eminent in the field of agreements (both pre- and post-nuptial). He brings exceptional intellectual firepower as well as a very keen sense of the practical advice needed for clients.’

Lynsey Cade Davies

Ben Fearnley

Emily Page

'Emily is exceptional with a reassuringly calm and measured approach and she is fiercely intelligent. She immediately puts clients at their ease, and she is a confident and level-headed advocate who, you can be confident, will be on the side of reason.'

Joseph Switalski

‘Joseph is a titan of the family Bar in the making. He is always on top of every detail of a case, robust in his advocacy and objective in his advice, and he is never afraid to pursue a point, he always has the ear of the judge, and achieves formidable results for his clients.’

Richard Tambling

'Richard is fantastic with clients. He puts them at ease immediately and is in full command of all the facts of a case, and he advocates for his clients tirelessly.'

Charlotte Trace

Charlotte is the consummate professional; always extremely well prepared and lovely with clients yet she is scarily smart. You can always feel that when Charlotte is on board, you have a solid team ethos.'

Lee Arnot

'Lee is supremely knowledgeable and has the unique ability of technical expertise twinned with client care. He provides robust representation tempered with comprehensive advice ensuring clients are immediately confident in his representation.'

Anthony Geadah

His advocacy is strong and you can always be confident that clients will come away from hearings knowing Anthony fought their corner.'

Laura Heaton

‘Laura is a force to be reckoned with, displaying a meticulous eye for detail and analytical rigour. Her judicial experience adds strength to her positioning of cases, and she has impeccable judgement.’

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.

Daniel Jeffrey

Dan has a real talent for distilling complex matters to clients, opponents and judges. His manner gives clients confidence and he has the ear of both opponents and judges .'

Philip Tait

Philip is frequently instructed on cases above his level of call because he is an intelligent barrister who instills confidence in those instructing him. He is always impeccably prepared and is skillful advocate, persuading judges of the most difficult of arguments.'

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Family: divorce and financial remedy