Highly regarded for their expertise in financial and commercial disputes, clients in particular praise 4 Stone Buildings for its members' ‘excellent insolvency and shareholder dispute related experience’. Sharif Shivji KC and Richard Hill KC - the set's new co-heads of chambers - are both experienced practitioners in the region, with the former leading Albert Sampson and Hossein Sharafi on the Bank Sarasin Alpen insolvency case in the DIFC regarding the alleged misappropriation of the business by the directors and shareholders and further fraud claims. Hill continues to act for the claimants in the Sawhney v Credit Suisse AG litigation in the DIFC related to the alleged misselling of investments. Members of the chambers are also present in cases before the ADGM, namely Andrew Rose and Karl Anderson, who have recently acted in a financial services dispute and an insurance claim respectively. Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel are the set's new joint senior clerks as of April 2025; David Goddard continues with the set as a consultant.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘I would particularly commend Ben Lashmar for his attention to detail and proactive approach in scheduling and case management. He has been very helpful, ensuring that we had adequate support and that all documents were handled promptly.
- ‘Ben Lashmar is stellar!’
- ‘Outstanding clerking team. Very responsive, helpful and commercial.’
- ‘The clerks certainly punch higher than their weight class. Throughout the years I have seen the clerks grow in this chamber and rightly so and with confidence I can say that the chambers have a keen eye for talent.’
- ‘The service provided chambers has consistently been of an exceptionally high standard. The clerks' room is particularly efficient, demonstrating a high level of professionalism and attentiveness.’
- ‘The clerks show great skill in managing barristers availability and coordinating with our team to ensure that all case deadlines are met, even when tight.’
- ‘A great Chancery set with excellent insolvency and shareholder dispute related experience and bandwidth.’
- ‘Great in financial matters, and very experienced in a broad range of Middle East disputes in general, whether arbitration or DIFC.’
- ‘The chambers have been great to deal with, we had nothing but positive relationships fostered and comfort throughout the dealings with the chamber.’
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.
Sharif Shivji KC
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.
Alastair Tomson
'A strength is Alastair’s comprehension of respondents tactics and their moves before they happen, helping to ensure that the client and case is well founded and defended. His advocacy make any case simple before a judge, any complex defence stunts by the opposing counsel is met with a unravelling approach of the issue at hand that allow the courts to easily grasp the issue at hand and focus.'
Edward Crossley
'Extremely hard working but also pragmatic and commercial and with a very good eye for detail. Ed quickly gains the trust and confidence of the lay client and demonstrates a maturity beyond his years.'
Zara McGlone
'Zara is an exceptional barrister with a strong command of legal drafting, particularly in preparing comprehensive written submissions before the common law courts. Her ability to distill complex legal issues into clear, persuasive, and well-structured submissions stands out. Zara’s drafting is always meticulously researched and demonstrates a deep understanding of both procedural and substantive law, which greatly enhances the persuasiveness of the documents.'
Andrew Rose
‘Andrew is an excellent junior barrister – ferociously intelligent, charming, and a real pleasure to work with. His drafting and research skills are second to none. He has exceptional judgement, a strong work ethic, and always takes a commercial and pragmatic approach. Increasingly taking on his own cases, he is a compelling, confident and fearless advocate.’
Albert Sampson
'His strength is his grip of somewhat niche area (complex financial issues with lots of numbers and moving parts) together with meticulous attention to detail and ability to present everything simply to the Tribunal.'
Joseph Wigley
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.
Karl Anderson
'A very bright up-and-coming barrister. Very user friendly and confident advocate.'