Wilberforce Chambers

Wilberforce Chambers has ‘good strength in the civil fraud sector with talent across the board’. Alan Gourgey KC, Thomas Grant KC and Jack Watson are appearing for various parties in Bourlakova & Ors v Kazakov & Ors, a $3bn claim arising from allegations of misappropriation of assets. Elsewhere in chambers, Tim Penny KC and Emily McKechnie were instructed by the 39th and 40th defendants in the Al Rajaan litigation. Clare Stanley KC is ‘a market-leading silk in offshore fraud litigation’, with expertise in handling cases involving allegations of unlawful means conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duties and asset tracing. Among the juniors, Tim Matthewson represented the claimant company before the Court of Appeal in Barrowfen Properties Limited v Patel, a £5m claim brought against a former director for dishonest breaches of duty and against the company’s former solicitors for breach of fiduciary duty and negligence.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Nick Luckman is a charming man.'
'Tara Shah is a Rolls-Royce of a clerk.'
'First-class clerks.'
'The clerks at Wilberforce are always helpful and responsive.'
'Wilberforce's depth of talent is excellent.'
'A brilliant set.'

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.

Alan Gourgey KC

'Alan is an all-round formidable leader. He is calm and collected under pressure; he is totally on top of the detail while seeing the wood for the trees; he has excellent judgement and an instinctive feel for how judges will respond; and he is a fierce cross-examiner.'

Thomas Grant KC

'Thomas is an exceptional advocate.'

John Wardell KC

'He is a great tactician and has a brilliant mind.'

Tim Penny KC

'Tim always has a smooth delivery, but he is not afraid of a street fight if comes to it. Clients like him.'

Tiffany Scott KC

'A very user-friendly silk.'

Clare Stanley KC

'Clare's advocacy is measured, disarming and commands the attention of the bench.'

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

Tim Matthewson

'Tim's attention to detail is particularly impressive. He misses nothing. On his feet, he reads the judge adeptly and is strong in responding.'

Emily McKechnie

'Emily is superb. She has the ability to work through complex factual matters and create strong technical arguments.'

Sri Carmichael

'She is a very cogent advocate.'

Bobby Friedman

'He has an astute knowledge of the law which he employs to significant effect, and he takes a practical approach to problems which is attractive to clients and solicitors.'

Jack Watson

'A tenacious junior.'

James Goodwin

James is considered, measured and thorough.'

Alice Hawker

Her advocacy style is very engaging and persuasive: she has an excellent ability to read the court and tailor her approach accordingly.'

Jamie Holmes

'He is an indefatigable junior.'

Jia Wei Lee

'He combines a superb intellect with a modern hands on approach and is innovative in his thinking.'

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’s analytical skills are deeply impressive, his paperwork is outstanding and his advocacy is superb. A superstar in the making.'

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Fraud: civil