Praised for its ‘excellent bench strength’, Serle Court fields barristers at all levels of experience who represent the gamut of stakeholders in insolvency contexts across multiple jurisdictions. Philip Marshall KC acts in State Bank of India v Mallya, defending bankruptcy proceedings for a claim of over £1bn. In East Riding of Yorkshire Council v KMG SICAV-GB, Daniel Lightman KC appeared in this case, now going to the Court of Appeal, concerning the striking out of a winding-up petition. James Mather was instructed in Invest Bank PSC v El Husseini, an enforcement claim brought by a UAE commercial bank for a judgment debt of around £20m. Jennifer Meech is acting in Re Greensill Bank for a German financial institution seeking to recover sums from a UK company for the money it paid out following the collapse of the German bank. In March 2025, Matthew Morrison KC took silk.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Nick Hockney, Dan Wheeler and Arron Snipe are great to deal with.'
- 'Dan Wheeler and Nick Hockney are "old school" clerks yet wholly modern in approach and service. With mountains of experience, they understand what is required in all matters regardless of size or complexity.'
- 'Serle Court are a first rate set with excellent bench strength. They are one of our go to sets.'
- 'A very strong set in the market.'
- 'The clerks at Serle Court are very user friendly and always able to assist promptly and efficiently.'
- 'The set stands head and shoulders above the others.'
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.
Daniel Lightman KC
‘Daniel knows everything there is to know about insolvency and company law, and judges really trust his authority on difficult legal points.'
Lance Ashworth KC
‘Lance is the complete package: clear, concise advice; commercial awareness; responsive and user friendly; and great in court. Watching him dismantle the opposing client in the stand is a joyous experience.’
Timothy Collingwood KC
Jonathan Adkin KC
Philip Jones KC
Hugh Norbury KC
2025 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.
Matthew Morrison KC
‘Matthew is great at providing clear and concise advice that clients can easily understand.’
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.
James Mather
‘James is a highly intellectual and solid barrister. Very good under pressure.'
Wilson Leung
'Wilson has superb in-depth knowledge of the law of insolvency. His advice is always considered, clear and concise.'
Giselle McGowan
‘Tenacious, hard working, pragmatic.'
Jennifer Meech
‘Very assured in advising on insolvency matters.'
Ruth Jordan
‘Ruth is a great barrister: calm, thoughtful, authoritative and it is always a pleasure to work with her.'
Thomas Elias
Thomas is a spectacularly good lawyer and even better advocate. He is absolutely unflappable.'
Lara Kuehl
'Lara's written work and advice is extremely good. She knows what clients need and is all over the detail.'
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.