Maya Lester KC
‘Maya's reputation is second to none. She commands respect from peers, judges and administrative decision-makers in the UK and EU. She is also a highly innovative and strategic lawyer. On her feet, she is calm but commanding.’
Brick Court Chambers is ‘top tier in relation to sanctions,’ with its members acting for designated individuals, UK government ministries and companies facing sanctions challenges. Maya Lester KC exemplifies this breadth of practice, having appeared for the Foreign Office in Phillips v FCDO, in which a British citizen designated on the grounds of being a pro-Russia propagandist in the Ukrainian War challenged his listing on free speech grounds; she also appeared for Nizar Al-Assaad before the ECJ in his bid to be removed from the Syrian sanctions list. Lester regularly leads Malcolm Birdling, who appeared for the appellant in Shvidler v FCDO, a challenge to the designation of a British-American citizen (who, while, having a track record of business in Russia was never a Russian citizen) whose assets were frozen under the post-Brexit Russia sanctions. Fergus Randolph KC is frequently called upon by companies and regulators looking to navigate the Russian sanctions regime. Commercial disputes where sanctions have prevented the payment of monies owed or halted projects form part of Paul Wright’s practice, which also includes advising law firms on the limitations sanctions place on their ability to advise certain clients.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'All the clerks I have dealt with at Brick Court are great. Jo Francis and Hannah Rayner in particular are wonderful to deal with.'
- 'Excellent clerking team. Tony Burgess is incredibly personable, understands our needs and ensures that we get the right counsel for the matter. He will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all requirements are satisfied.'
- 'The clerks provide an excellent service. They are responsive, efficient and friendly. I would mention Hannah Rayner, Sam Jones and Tony Burgess.'
- 'Jo Francis is great and comes back in a speedy fashion.'
- 'The clerks I dealt with were all excellent - helpful, professional and got back to me when they said they would.'
- 'Clerks are always helpful and diligent.'
- 'Excellent all round.'
- 'They have always seemed strong and efficient.'
- 'Brick Court Chambers is excellent and always a pleasure to work with.'
- 'Excellent set of chambers with an extremely high calibre of counsel across the entire board.'
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.
Fergus Randolph KC
'Fergus is incredibly intelligent and at the same time pragmatic, always taking into account the commercial context and keeping the end objective in mind. He is extremely accommodating in relation to timing pressures and very responsive. He is a great pleasure to work with.'
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.
Paul Wright
‘Extremely helpful and approachable - solicitors are pleased with the quality of the work he does for them.’
Malcolm Birdling
‘Malcolm is a go-to junior for this work. His work for both individuals and government in this area means he has an amazing breadth and depth of knowledge of both the law and practice.’
Jonathan Dawid
'Very in depth knowledge and experience in this area, always responsive and happy to help on a variety of challenging issues.'
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.
Ali Al-Karim
‘Ali has built up a strong reputation in sanctions work – punches well above his weight call-wise.’