Wilberforce Chambers is well-versed in professional negligence cases spanning wnite-colar sectors such as legal, tax and accountancy. Members are instructed in claims arising from property-related insolvency, breaches of duty and solicitors’ negligence. Acting in Powis Street Estates v Winston & Strawn, Jonathan Seitler KC represents the defendant in Chancery Division proceedings concerning alleged negligence in litigation work. Clare Stanley KC leads Simon Atkinson in High Court proceedings concerning allegedly negligent tax planning and restructuring work relating to several offshore structures owning property in London. Thomas Grant KC appeared in proceedings before the Court of Appeal in Lee v BDB Pitmans LLP, a solicitors’ negligence case. Paul Newman KC acts in a claim for breach of duty against the former solicitors to the trustees of a pension scheme, following the invalid execution of several deeds purporting to amend the scheme.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- They've got everything you need - a one-stop shop.
- Excellent clerks. Antonia Matthews is second to none. Andrew Barnes is now running a very tight ship.
- Wilberforce Chambers is a great set of chambers and extremely client-friendly.
- I select barristers according to their individual strengths, qualities, and fields of expertise. Wilberforce Chambers has great strength in depth, and I have regularly instructed Thomas Robinson KC in commercial disputes.
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.
Michael Furness KC
Superb technical ability, drafting, team spirit, responsiveness, and one of the most highly respected advocates. Incredible legal skills in pensions, professional liability, and related topics - tax, trust law, etc. Michael is a measured, confident advocate, never wrong-footed by a lack of detail or knowledge of the law. Highly respected by judges - they love him - no pyrotechnics or melodrama in court.
Zoë Barton KC
Paul Newman KC
Extremely hard-working, always provides work of the highest standard and meets deadlines, which is so important when managing clients' needs and expectations. Loves the detail of the law and deploys it very well when considering all the arguments in any given case.
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.
Edward Sawyer
Edward shows a thorough knowledge of the law and the case. A detail-oriented man with great judgement and a great grasp of procedure.
James Walmsley
James is an extremely capable and technically strong barrister, particularly in the professional negligence space. He has a clear grasp of the legal principles and is very effective at applying them to detailed and often factually dense cases. He is someone you want to have on your team whether as a claimant or defendant.
He produces high-quality written work, which is clear, well-structured, and analytically rigorous. He is particularly good at identifying the critical issues in a claim, especially on causation and loss, and presenting them in a way that is both logical and persuasive.
He is also approachable, responsive, and works well as part of a wider team, with a good appreciation of client objectives and the commercial context of a case.
Benjamin Faulkner
Lemuel Lucan-Wilson
Lemuel has a fantastic legal mind and he is able to get to grips with the most complex of cases. Lemuel is also great with the evidence and he's unflappable during the trial.