The members of XXIV Old Buildings are well-equipped to handle corporate, commercial, and finance-based disputes, including fraud and insolvency matters, before the courts of Gibraltar, Bermuda, BVI, the Cayman Islands, and the Crown Dependencies, including Jersey and Guernsey. Stephen Moverley Smith KC specialises in restructuring, fraud, and insolvency work, as well as cases surrounding allegations of corruption. He represented the successful respondent in the Cayman Court of Appeal in a case which saw, for the first time, an appellant decision confirming the jurisdictional power and scope of the Grand Court when considering injunctions in support of foreign arbitrations (Minsheng Vocational Education Company Limited v Lead Education Holding Limited and Others). Francis Tregear KC has recently been active in major liquidation cases in Cayman, and David Brownbill KC is skilled in fraud and asset recovery claims. He is representing the defendant in the Gibraltar-based case of Ambra and Others v Fiman Limited and Others, which concerns allegations of breaches of statutory, fiduciary, and tortious duties which are said to have caused substantial losses to several offshore companies. International disputes specialist Steven Thompson KC is active in the BVI, where he has appeared before the Court of Appeal and Privy Council. A key junior, Bajul Shah boasts company, commercial, and insolvency expertise.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Phone
+44 (0)20 7691 2424
Email
Profile

Profile

Position

Francis Tregear KC is valued for his comprehensive and detailed understanding of the commercial and financial issues and realities affecting his clients. He is acknowledged as an extremely effective advocate in court as well as on paper. This has made him a popular choice for all types of business  disputes and civil fraud claims involving complex issues of fact, law and forensic accountancy.

A very significant proportion of his work is international in nature and he has a sterling reputation for his international expertise. He has acted and advised in many offshore jurisdictions including the Cayman Islands, BVI, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Cyprus and the Isle of Man. He is called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean. His pre-eminence in multi-jurisdictional disputes involves him in strategy, interim remedies including freezing injunctions, conflicts of law, asset tracing and recovery.

Career

Call: 1980 | Silk: 2003

Languages

Fluent French.

Memberships

  • Member of the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
  • Chancery Bar Association [Member of the Committee]
  • COMBAR
  • Professional Negligence Bar Association
  • European Circuit

Education

BA (Cantab) (St John’s College)

Content supplied by XXIV Old Buildings

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Very good. Paul Horsfield, Perry Brown, and Tommie Drury are excellent.'
  • 'The clerks room are always professional and responsive. Paul Horsfield and Perry Brown stand out.'
  • 'Very responsive and flexible. Paul Horsfield in particular often goes the extra mile to build and maintain relationships with instructing counsel.'
  • 'Paul Horsfield, Perry Brown and James Ladbrook are a formidable team. They are organised and responsive and make for a seamless experience when instructing members.'
  • 'Paul Horsfield, head of clerking, is excellent. Very approachable, always prepared to be commercial on fees, has an in-depth understanding of the work of chambers and looks to build relationships and make introductions wherever possible.'