Brick Court Chambers is well-regarded for its handling of complex and high profile professional liability cases, typically but not exclusively involving professional services. Appearing in the jurisdiction on a temporary admission, Simon Salzedo KC represented the defendant auditors in Sino-Forest Litigation Trust v BDO Limited in Hong Kong concerning the collapse of what was claimed to one of the largest tree product companies in the jurisdiction, which was alleged to be a Ponzi scheme by short-sellers in 2011. Mark Howard KC and Tom Pascoe were instructed appeared for the respondents in URS Corporation v BDW Trading, an appeal which went to the Supreme Court and explored issues relating to duties of care in construction defect cases. Kyle Lawson acts for the defendants in HSBC Bank (Middle East) Limited & Others v Clifford Chance LLP, a high-value claim relating to legal advice on a syndicated loan transaction in the Middle East. Thomas Plewman KC is instructed on behalf of the defendant auditors in Ozner Water International Holdings Limited v Ernst & Young, a complex claim concerning audit issues in China, the case also deals with implicit allegations of fraud. Edward Harrison KC took silk in 2025.
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Profile
Position
Tom is a barrister at Brick Court Chambers who specialises in commercial, fraud and competition litigation and arbitration. He has been described as a “superb advocate”, a “dream barrister” and someone who “can be trusted to go head to head against the silk on the other side". He is routinely instructed, both in his own right and sometimes led by senior silks, in most significant cases in his areas of expertise. For example he recently appeared in what has been described as the “world’s largest lawsuit”, in which he persuaded the English Commercial Court to set aside an US$11 billion arbitration award that had been procured through a deep-seated network of corruption in Nigeria. He has also just finished the 6-month trial of a claim against NMC by Ernst and Young, one of the Lawyer’s Top 20 cases. Many of his commercial cases involve allegations of fraud and corruption. Tom’s competition practice includes group actions, private damages claims and regulatory appeals. He has recently appeared in major cases involving the pharmaceuticals, banking, aviation and ‘big tech’ sectors, as well as a number of high profile cases concerning sports such as football and Formula 1.
Career
Call: 2013
Education
2012: BCL, Trinity College, University of Oxford (Distinction)
2011: BA Law, Robinson College, University of Cambridge (Double First)
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The best - especially the senior clerks.'
- 'A very strong set with great strength in depth.'
- 'Brick Court is a powerhouse of a set.'
- 'Top commercial set. Real strength in competition and professional negligence cases.'
- 'All their barristers are top quality and very easy to work with.'
- 'Brick Court has a leading professional negligence practice, with a mix of both seniors and juniors with strong experience in the area.'
- 'Brick Court is super strong in intellect.'