1 Crown Office Row is ‘an excellent set’ for commercial work on the South Eastern Circuit, with ’impressive’ barristers at all levels of seniority, particularly ‘at the junior end’. Kate Richmond has a varied commercial disputes practice with an emphasis on consumer credit and business-to-business contract work. Paul Ashwell is a senior junior who stands out for his experience in contractual disputes involving allegations of dishonesty and fraud.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'David Bingham and Tom Hills stand out across the industry.'
  • '1 Crown Office Row has probably the best clerks' room around. The clerks are all very approachable and accommodating. They are very responsive and on the rare occasions there is a delay in responding to an enquiry, they will provide updates. You do not experience the "radio silence" you often receive from other sets, and never have to chase.'
  • 'The clerks offer an excellent service - David Bingham, Tom Hills, Gemma Welling and Ben Earle are all organised, responsive and a pleasure to work with.'
  • 'Ben Earle in particular stands out; he is a go-to clerk.'
  • '1 COR is a very broad capable chambers.'
  • 'Crown Office Row is an excellent set. They have a fantastic team of clerks and the barristers there at all levels are impressive.'

Lawyers

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.

1
Paul Ashwell
 ‘Paul is thorough and user-friendly.’
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Kate Richmond
 ‘Kate is technically extremely good. Above all she is authoritative and has a friendly approach with both solicitors and clients which creates an excellent working relationship.’
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Matthew Withers
 ‘Matthew is an excellent all-rounder. He is extremely bright and has expertly tackled a wide range of matters. He is very well-liked by clients for his friendly and approachable manner. He is also very well organised and is an excellent advocate.’
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Stuart Wright
‘Stuart is very client-friendly and manages to be direct whilst remaining calm and reassuring. He always has a good grasp of the facts and manages to explain the law in simple terms which clients can readily understand.’