Praised as a ‘very strong commercial’ chambers, Erskine Chambers is a ’go-to set for complex company law and insolvency and restructuring matters’. Other areas of expertise for its members include corporate transactions and the financial services sector. Michael Todd KC is a notable silk at the set with expertise in company law mandates, as well as corporate finance, capital markets, and corporate insolvency disputes. Todd KC is acting for the defendant in Athene Ltd v Siddiqui, a case concerning allegations of misusing confidential information, which will be heard before the Supreme Court of Bermuda. For David Chivers KC BVI restructuring and insolvency form key areas of practice, while Edward Davies KC is also called to the Bar in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Turning to the juniors, Andrew Blake is acting for Jardine Strategic Limited in a case surrounding a $5.5bn restructuring, in which more than 80 plaintiffs are seeking compensation. Anna Scharnetzky is another key junior in this case.
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Profile
Position
Michael specialises in litigation and transactional advice on company law, corporate finance, capital markets and corporate insolvency, in the UK and internationally. Described as one of the first people to call for advice on complex restructurings, contested takeovers and schemes, his significant matters include: Virgin Money IPO; Essar Energy; Pfizer/AstraZeneca; Xstrata/Glencore; Coroin plc; Bumi plc; BAT v Winward (asset protection); Re PCCW Ltd (CA Hong Kong; scheme of arrangement), Validus v IPC (Bermuda; hostile scheme); Anglo Petroleum Ltd v TFB Mortgages (CA; financial assistance); Re Prudential Enterprise Ltd (CFA Hong Kong; shareholder dispute); American Patriot Agency (PC Bermuda; commercial fraud); Tenaga (Malaysia; piercing corporate veil); Waddington v Chan (Hong Kong/BVI; derivative actions). Michael has advised regulators including the FCA, Channel Islands Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.
Career
Called: 1977. Silk: 1997. Appeared in courts of Hong Kong, BVI, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Isle of Man, Turks & Caicos Islands and Northern Ireland as well as in the Privy Council.
Memberships
Chairman of the Bar (2012); Chairman of ChBA (2008–11); Contributor to FromCounsel; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; COMBAR; ILA; RISA (Cayman); FSLA.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- "Alex Calder is excellent. He is very helpful and provides timely responses which is important.'
- 'Alex Calder and Seamus Nixon have been extremely helpful and very user-friendly.'
- 'The clerks at Erskine chambers are an excellent team; quick to respond, helpful and pragmatic, and understanding of the challenges faced by instructing solicitors. They are polite, professional and hard working.'
- 'Erskine is a very strong commercial set which you feel confident approaching for important matters requiring counsel's involvement. Clerks provide timely responses and the barristers are excellent. Having seen some of their juniors, it is clear that they attract and train excellent barristers.'
- 'Erskine is the go-to set for complex company law and insolvency and restructuring matters. Their members are the brightest company law set, who are easy to work with and very available.'