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
Ruth is involved in litigation and advisory work domestically and offshore in commercial, trusts and property matters. She has expertise and wide experience across the areas of trusts, tax litigation, company disputes, charities, insolvency and public law and often where these areas intersect. She appears frequently on these matters (led and unled) in the High Court, Tax Tribunals, Court of Appeal and Privy Council. Ruth has a strong offshore practice and in addition to her commercial chancery practice has been heavily involved in a long-running series of judicial review, contempt and constitutional proceedings in The Bahamas.
Ruth’s government work is predominantly in the areas of tax and trusts: she appeared for HMRC in the landmark Supreme Court appeals in Pitt v Holt and Futter v Futter; in a series of matters on appeal to the Court of Appeal on the application of transfer pricing rules to shareholder transactions and the meaning of ‘loss’ for corporation tax purposes; and, currently, on a series of tax appeals relating to the validity of remuneration trusts.
Career
Qualified 2001, Inner Temple. Seconded to the FSA (splits investigation) 2003-04. Junior counsel to DTI for directors’ disqualification directions hearings 2003; Junior counsel to the Crown (C panel 2007). Admitted ad hoc Bar of Turks and Caicos Islands 2012.
Languages
French, Irish.
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association; COMBAR.
Education
Ballyhaunis Community School, Ireland; Trinity College, Dublin (1994 BA First Class); Christ’s College, Cambridge (1995 MPhil; 1999 PhD); City University (2000 PgD law).
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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.'