Andrew Bird KC
‘Andrew has an encyclopaedic knowledge of POCA – he is the absolute go-to in all POCA-related matters.’
5 St Andrews Hill have established a ‘very strong reputation in all POCA related matters’, possessing ’a wealth of expertise at all levels’. Members specialise in asset recovery, account and property forfeiture, unexplained wealth orders and cross-over related work including cryptocurrency. Andrew Bird KC is acting for the DPP in a civil recovery case regarding London properties allegedly procured through funding from foreign criminals. Gary Pons acted in a complex case involving the interplay between a Crown Court and High Court receivership involving the same receiver who applied to vary a restraint order relating to a multi-million-pound North London property. Sarah Wood successfully secured the return of funds to a third-party victim who had been barred from accessing frozen cryptoassets.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerk team are all ready to help - they are superb.'
- 'Highly efficient clerks room and Dean is excellent, always ahead of the game.'
- 'The clerks are superb. Their commitment to business development is very strong, particularly Chambers Director Dave Scothern. They go out of their way to assist with finding suitable counsel for a case. Dean deserves special mention in this regard: he is extremely helpful, warm and friendly, and he has an instinctive understanding of what is needed on a case and who is best placed within chambers to offer the expertise.'
- 'The clerks are all very good, but Dave Scothern goes over and above with his commitment to building excellent relationships and providing a first class service.'
- 'This set of chambers is generally very strong in POCA related matters and has a wealth of expertise at all levels.'
- '5 St Andrew's Hill are a leading chambers in this field with many top-tier POCA specialists.'
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.
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 Fletcher
‘James is at the top of his game when it comes to POCA work and other areas that are on the interface between civil and criminal law. He is tenacious and he knows the area inside out. It is only a matter of time before he takes silk.’
Barnaby Hone
Gary Pons
Sarah Wood
‘Sarah is excellent with clients, opponents and tribunals. She has a quiet confidence and authority. She is engaging and engaged.’
John McNamara
‘John is excellent with clients and instructing solicitors, perfectly balancing charm, charisma and empathy with an ability to have difficult conversations and provide frank advice. He is operating at a level significantly above his level of call in this field.’
Gemma Rose
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.
Rebecca Thomas
‘Rebecca is the absolute best in her field at this level in POCA work. Solicitors have been extremely impressed by her. ‘