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The Legal 500 2016
Top Tier Recommendations
- Pensions
- Private client: trusts and probate
Recommendations
-
- Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
- Charities
- Commercial litigation
- Company and partnership – Company
- Fraud: civil
- IT and telecoms (including data protection)
- Insolvency
- International arbitration: counsel
- Media and entertainment
- Pensions
- Private client: personal tax
- Professional negligence
- Property litigation
Set Overview
Wilberforce Chambers is ‘one of the pre-eminent sets for offshore Chancery and commercial disputes’, and ‘one of the most modern, commercially minded chambers at the Bar’. It houses ‘an excellent choice’ of barristers, which increased in 2015 through the arrival of a team of barristers from the now-defunct 11 Stone Buildings. The new members boosted the set’s profile in a number of practice areas, including insolvency law. The clerks ‘go above and beyond the service provided by other sets’, and have ‘a good understanding of what solicitors require’. For some, it is ‘probably the best clerking operation in the business’ and ‘one of the reasons solicitors use the set so often’. At the helm of the clerks’ room are practice director Nicholas Luckman (who has ‘done well to improve the visibility of the set internationally’) and head clerk Mark Rushton, who is ‘really helpful’. Fraser Geddes ‘stands out for his warmth of personality and efficiency’, and Danny Smillie is ‘always responsive and friendly’
Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
Leading Silks:
- James Ayliffe QC He sees the wood from the trees and always adopts a practical, commercial approach.
- Terence Mowschenson QC Experienced in offshore banking disputes.
New Silks:
- Tim Penny QC Great for complex asset tracing cases.
Charities
Leading Silks:
- Michael Furness QC He engages well with clients.
New Silks:
- Jonathan Davey QC He achieves excellent results.
Leading Juniors:
- Mark Studer An excellent barrister.
Commercial litigation
Leading Silks:
- Alan Gourgey QC One of the best silks around.
- Ian Croxford QC Highly recommended.
- Joanna Smith QC A superb advocate, who is tremendously hardworking and very user-friendly.
- John Wardell QC A compelling advocate, who is very approachable.
- Lexa Hilliard QC Incisive, highly intelligent, practical and endlessly enthusiastic.
- Terence Mowschenson QC A strong advocate, who carefully and calmly puts the case across.
- Thomas Lowe QC He brings meticulous attention to detail and very thorough preparation.
New Silks:
- Jonathan Hilliard QC He comfortably holds his own and is user-friendly to work with.
- Tim Penny QC Very good indeed, and fully deserves to be made up to silk
Leading Juniors:
- Edward Sawyer One of the most industrious juniors at the Bar.
- Iain Pester Very good on paper and on his feet, and very well prepared.
- Max Mallin He is exceptionally commercial and numerate, and never loses sight of the big picture.
- Nikki Singla Passionate and clever on his feet, and a go-to advocate for difficult business disputes.
Company and partnership – Company
Leading Silks:
- John Wardell QC An expert on breach of fiduciary duties.
- Lawrence Cohen QC Recommended for high-value disputes.
- Lexa Hilliard QC Recommended for large shareholder disputes.
- Marcia Sherkerdemian QC Recommended for large shareholder disputes
- Terence Mowschenson QC Highly recommended for directors liability matters
New Silks:
- Tim Penny QC Very good at interim orders and the strategy of using them in a complex asset recovery case.
Leading Juniors:
- Graeme Halkerston A great operator and team player, who is extremely knowledgeable
- Iain Pester His knowledge and analysis is superior
- Max Millin A very effective and astute operator.
- Nikki Singla His drafting skills are top notch and his knowledge of trusts and offshore litigation is second to none
Construction
Leading Silks:
- Joanna Smith QC She is a first-class advocate, who is ferocious in cross-examination
Fraud: civil
Leading Silks:
- Alan Gourgey QC He is easy to work with and genuinely becomes part of the team.
- Ian Croxford QC Incisive and simply brilliant on his feet.
- John Wardell QC An outstanding advocate; his attention to detail is superb.
- Lawrence Cohen QC Well regarded for complex fraud and offshore disputes.
New Silks:
- Jonathan Hilliard QC The youngest ever Chancery silk, enough said.
- Tim Penny QC A tenacious, persuasive and effective advocate.
Leading Juniors:
- Edward Sawyer A star of the future.
- Iain Pester He brings strong knowledge and analysis to any case.
- Max Mallin Exceptionally approachable
IT and telecoms (including data protection)
Leading Silks:
- Alan Gourgey QC He stands out for his incredible intellectual capacity and quick wit.
Leading Juniors:
- Thomas Robinson His strengths are his intellect, work rate and rigorous application.
Insolvency
Leading Silks:
- Alan Gourgey QC A fantastic silk.
- Lexa Hilliard QC Experienced in cross-border insolvency work.
- Terence Mowschenson QC Noted for his impressive offshore practice and cross-border insolvency expertise.
New Silks:
- Marcia Shekerdemian QC Highly recommended – excellent.
Leading Juniors:
- Iain Pester Knowledgeable and easy to work with.
- Thomas Robinson Highly recommended with strong experience in offshore-related matters.
Media and entertainment
Leading Juniors:
- Nikki Singla His creative thinking helps to build confidence with the client.
Pensions
Leading Silks:
- Fenner Moeran QC Extremely good on the strategy of pensions liberation scams.
- Michael Furness QC Candid in his assessment of risk and prepared to take a robust view.
- Michael Tennet QC Always a class act; he cares a great deal about his cases and clients.
- Paul Newman QC An absolutely outstanding advocate, who fights cases with passion.
- Robert Ham QC Approachable, supportive and authoritative.
- Brian Green QC Fantastic intellect, excellent client skills and great on his feet.
New Silks:
- Jonathan Davey QC A brilliant Treasury Counsel; in massive demand for a good reason.
- Jonathan Hilliard QC Exceptionally talented with great tactical awareness
Leading Juniors:
- Andrew Mold A technically strong advocate and a good team player.
- Benjamin Faulkner Very impressive; his advice is deeply considered.
- Edward Sawyer Very knowledgeable in the area with great tactical nous
- Emily Campbell She has a legal brain of silk quality and a killer instinct
- Emily McKechnie Assiduous and able to translate complex ideas into simple propositions
- Emer Murphy Feisty and clever; a rising star
- James Walmsley A tremendous asset to any legal team.
- Sebastian Allen Involved in some of the biggest cases going.
- Thomas Robinson Likeable and personable with clients, and highly intelligent.
- Thomas Seymour He has the ear of court
Private Client: personal tax
Leading Silks:
- Brian Green QC A brilliant problem-solver with a can-do attitude
- Michael Furness QC He represents taxpayers in complex litigation
New Silks:
- Jonathan Davey QC He acts for HMRC in some of the biggest cases
Private Client: trusts and probate
Leading Silks:
- Gilead Cooper QC An excellent person to turn to for complex trust or corporate disputes
- John Martin QC Contentious trusts are his forte
- Brian Green QC Simply brilliant
- Michael Furness QC He has a razor sharp analytical mind and gets to the heart of the matter.
- Robert Ham QC Accurate and succinct.
New Silks:
- Jonathan Davey QC A talented advocate
- Jonathan Hilliard QC Incredibly bright, user-friendly and responsive
Leading Juniors:
- Andrew Child At the top of his game
- Andrew Mold Recommended for international trust disputes
- John Child An expert on landed estates and large family trusts.
- Judith Bryant She provides clarity in her opinions and is recommended for Variation of Trusts Act applications
- Mark Studer A leader in his field
- Tiffany Scott Calm, practical and good with clients
- Emily Campbell A trust law genius, who is incisive and practical
Professional negligence
Leading Silks:
- David Phillips QC Good judgement
- Ian Croxford QC A very good eye for detail
- James Ayliffe QC Very well prepared
- Joanna Smith QC Very good technically and excellent with clients
- Joanne Wicks QC Commercial and very client-friendly in her approach
- John Martin QC Very detail-oriented
- Jonathan Seitler QC Thorough and tenacious
- Lexa Hilliard QC A fantastic advocate
- Michael Furness QC Very thorough
- Michael Tennet QC In-depth expertise
- Paul Newman QC Very thorough and able
- John Wardell QC He has an unerring instinct for what is important in a case
Leading Juniors:
- Andrew Mold Quietly brilliant
- Edward Sawyer Very reliable and tenacious
- Emer Murphy A very good brain
- Graeme Halkerston He provides in-depth experience
- Julian Greenhill He has a fantastic reputation
- Nikki Singla He thinks commercially and is always looking to cut through the key issues in a dispute
- Sebastian Allen He has an excellent ability
- Tiffany Scott Excellent
Property litigation
Leading Silks:
- James Ayliffe QC A real team player, who really works alongside everyone to achieve the right result.
- Joanne Wicks QC Great with clients and excellent on paper.
- John Furber QC Strong legal analytical skills and practical advice, especially regarding tactics
- Jonathan Seitler QC Truly excellent.
- Martin Hutchings QC A fabulous trial advocate, who is very knowledgeable, super with clients and instils trust and confidence.
- Michael Barnes QC Recommended for complex high-value disputes
New Silks:
- Jonathan Davey QC Down to earth, personable and willing to get stuck into a case.
Leading Juniors:
- Charlotte Black Particularly clear and precise in relation to the complexities of dilapidations.
- Emer Murphy One of the top juniors at the Chancery Bar; her attention to detail and rigorous analysis is particularly good.
- Tiffany Scott Willing to explore issues and find creative solutions
- Julian Greenhill His knowledge of property law and its oddities is fantastic; he is superb value for money.