3 Verulam Buildings is a leading set in commercial and financial litigation in the DIFC and the ADGM Courts, and work also spans financial crime and restructurings. Tom Montagu-Smith KC's recent work includes acting in the appeal in the ‘Agility’ dispute, which concerned the act of state doctrine under DIFC law, and the Carmon v Cuenda case involving injunctions in support of foreign proceedings. Matthew Watson appeared for the Danish tax authority in DIFC Court proceedings relating to the large-scale litigation that has become known as simply the SKAT litigation. Timothy Killen joined the set in October 2025.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Stuart Pullum leads a fantastic team. Very response and always accessible.'
'Strong set up for clerking under Stuart Pullum and Luke Carvalho.'

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.

Tom Montagu-Smith KC

‘Tom is exceptionally hard-working and detail-oriented. He has a particular skill in unpacking complex technical matters and distilling those matters down into simple propositions. He is a forceful and effective advocate who can smell the key point and press it effectively.’

Nicholas Craig KC

‘His written and oral advocacy is excellent, as is his judgment. He is always a pleasure to work with. A real team player.’

Hodge Malek KC

Rajesh Pillai KC

'Rajesh is a phenomenal leading counsel, combining technical excellence with lashings of strategic nous.'

David Quest KC

Saima Hanif KC

‘Saima is an exceptional barrister and a true leader at the Bar. Her intellectual rigour and deep understanding of the law are second to none, allowing her to navigate the most complex and challenging cases with ease. As a formidable advocate and a master of written work, her judgment is always sound, and her advice is consistently invaluable. She is a highly respected and influential figure, and a tremendous asset to any team.’

Farhaz Khan KC

‘Farhaz is a standout and impressive advocate, combining brilliant knowledge of the law and legal processes with an exceptional ability to distil complex legal matters into commercially sound and practical strategies. He is without a doubt the advocate you want in your corner.’

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.

Georges Chalfoun

Rumen Cholakov

‘Rumen is very committed. He is increasingly being instructed in DIFC proceedings and is now fairly well known in the market. He is becoming a junior to watch.’

Mark Wassouf

'Mark possesses a unique blend of legal knowledge, strategic thinking and interpersonal skills. He has a formidable intellect and the capacity to move past procedural and substantive hurdles in order to shape favourable outcomes.'

Adam Temple

'Adam can process large amounts of information and get straight to the salient points very effectively. He provides sensible, pragmatic advice and his drafting skills are first rate. His advocacy style is refreshingly straight forward, with no grandstanding or taking points for the sake of it. He presents the issues clearly, succinctly and persuasively.'

Ravi Jackson

'Ravi is a very good barrister. He has a sharp mind and a tireless work ethic, and he combines both with a remarkable ability to get to the heart of a legal problem. His written work is of a high standard, his advocacy is strong, and he is a real pleasure to work with.'

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.

Chinmayi Sharma

'Chinmayi is a truly first-rate barrister. She is ferociously intelligent and exceptionally hard-working, possessing a brilliant analytical mind. Her written work is superb and she is a skilled advocate. She demonstrates an ability that is well beyond her years, making her an invaluable member of every team she works on. She is, without question, a future star of the Bar.'

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Middle East: The English Bar

The English Bar: Commercial