The members at Serle Court have wide ranging expertise across chancery commercial litigation; this offering includes representation in international fraud, asset tracing, insolvency, company and shareholder, professional negligence, and financial services disputes. Among the silks at the set, Elizabeth Jones KC boasts a thriving commercial and private client practice, while Philip Marshall KC has substantial experience appearing before the courts of the BVI and Bermuda in civil fraud proceedings and cases surrounding the freezing and disclosure of assets. He is acting for the claimant liquidators of an international construction company in a claim for $1bn concerning fraudulent trading and conspiracy to defraud (Joannou Paraskavides Overseas Limited v Joannou). John Machell KC frequently handles offshore company and partnership disputes, and Jonathan Adkin KC is a highly sought after silk for large minority shareholder disputes, as well as share appraisal actions, in the BVI, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands. Ruth Jordan and Emma Hargreaves are both notable juniors; Jordan has expertise in challenging large development and infrastructure projects, while Hargreaves is acting for the claimant in Wong v Grand View Private Trust Company Ltd, who is seeking to recover company shares worth $22bn. Adil Mohamedbhai is representing various dissenting shareholders in a case involving compulsorily acquired shares after the merger of numerous companies that form part of the Hong Kong-headquartered Jardine Matheson conglomerate.
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Profile
Position
Emma has a broad commercial chancery practice, with a particular focus on domestic and offshore trust/probate litigation, civil fraud, and company disputes. She also advises and appears as specialist Chancery counsel in financial remedy proceedings. Emma is often instructed to act as sole counsel, often appearing against more senior practitioners. She is also regularly instructed as junior counsel in large-scale commercial and chancery litigation, both onshore and offshore, and has previously appeared (ad hoc) as junior counsel in the Supreme Court of Bermuda.
Emma is ranked in Legal 500, Who's Who Legal, Chambers UK Bar, Chambers Global and Chambers High Net Worth. She was named Chancery Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2020 and she was also named in The Lawyer's Hot 100 2019, which described her reputation as "superb". She is also listed in Legal Week's Private Client Global Elite: Rising Leaders and was "highly recommended" in Legal Week's Stars at the Bar 2017.
Career
Called 2012; admitted to the Bar of Bermuda (ad hoc, 2015)
Languages
German, French.
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association; COMBAR.
Education
Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, including a year at Regensbury University, Germany (MA Law, First Class); University College London (LLM in International Commercial Law, distinction); Kaplan Law School (BPTC, outstanding, ranked top in year).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Nicholas Hockney, Daniel Wheeler and Arron Snipe are excellent and extremely responsive, offering a 24/7 service.'
- 'Clerks are always quick and easy to deal with, particularly Daniel Wheeler, Colin Bunyan and Georgina Affor.'
- 'They understand commercial imperatives for the matters and never have any issue with them.'
- 'Nicholas Hockney is outstanding.'
- 'Serle Court is a superb set. They have a range of commercial and chancery expertise which is absolutely top tier. The barristers there are uniformly excellent.'