The Legal 500 2019

• Lexa Hilliard QC ‘She wins a case before you’ve set foot in the court room.’
• Terence Mowschenson QC ‘A very commanding presence in court and he is easy to work with.’
• John Wardell QC ‘He is extremely approachable to clients and is not afraid of doing tasks that silks normally would not.’
• Marcia Shekerdemian QC ‘Strong advocate, very aware of law and practice.’
• Lawrence Cohen QC ‘He is a very careful and well-balanced silk.’
• Max Mallin QC ‘Very commercial, user friendly for solicitors and loved by clients.’
• Nikki Singla QC ‘He is not afraid to pull up his sleeves, get stuck in to the detail of the case.’

Leading Juniors:

• Graeme Halkerston ‘A strong and commercial barrister.’
• Iain Pester ‘A deep thinker who plans meticulously with a real ability to predict issues.’

Construction

Leading Silks:

• Joanna Smith QC A class act and a real credit to the Bar
  

Financial services

Leading Silks: 

• James Ayliffe QC ‘Great with clients, strong strategically, and an excellent advocacy style.’
• Terence Mowschenson QC ‘He has many strengths including care and attention to detail and speed of response.’

Fraud: civil

Leading Silks: 

• Alan Gourgey QC  ‘Extremely hardworking and approachable, and of great assistance in fraud cases.’
• John Wardell QC ‘Has an incisive mind and fights his clients’ corner tenaciously.’
• Lawrence Cohen QC ‘Popular for fraud and offshore work.’
• Thomas Lowe QC ‘A first-class advocate and he always identifies potential issues immediately.’
• Tim Penny QC ‘An excellent fraud lawyer – produces great written work and is excellent on his feet.’
• Max Mallin QC ‘A brilliant advocate; his advice is clear and straightforward.’

Leading Juniors:

• Iain Pester ‘Has a real ability to predict issues that could trouble a court; he also knows how to solve them.’ brings strong knowledge and analysis to any case.
• Edward Sawyer ‘An excellent draftsman with a great eye for points of forensic detail.’

IT and telecoms (excluding regulatory)

Leading Silks:

• Alan Gourgey QC ‘He is an excellent trial advocate and is a skilled cross-examiner.’

Leading Juniors:

• Thomas Robinson ‘A shrewd junior who is an excellent team player.’

Insolvency

Leading Silks:

• Lexa Hilliard QC ‘Really bright, hardworking and user friendly.’
• Marcia Shekerdemian QC ‘A strong advocate and an absolute delight to instruct and work with.’
• Terence Mowschenson QC ‘Easy to work with.’
• Alan Gourgey QC  ‘Objective and commercial-driven.’

Leading Juniors:

• James Bailey ‘Excellent in insolvency cases with a cross-border dimension.’
• Iain Pester ‘A deep thinker who plans meticulously and has a real ability to predict issues.’
• Thomas Robinson ‘An outstanding team player with a really astute commercial ability.’

Media and entertainment (including art and cultural property)

Leading Silks:

• Gilead Cooper QC ‘He is always thorough and impressive.’
• Nikki Singla QC ‘He is not afraid to get stuck in to the detail of the case.’

Offshore

Leading Silks:

• Brian Green QC  ‘He handles work concerning Hong Kong, Bermudan and Cayman trusts.’
• Gilead Cooper QC ‘Creative and intellectually agile, he uses his wit to his advantage.’
• Lexa Hilliard QC ‘Instructed in offshore cases, including investment fund liquidations.’
• Michael Furness QC ‘Hugely experienced, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.’
• Robert Ham QC ‘Instructed in sensitive Cayman cases.’
• Terence Mowschenson QC ‘Easy to work with – he is very good at picking things up late and getting up to speed quickly.’
• John Wardell QC ‘Instructed in TCI, Cayman and Gibraltar cases.’
• Thomas Lowe QC ‘An expert in insolvency law with offshore expertise.’
• James Ayliffe QC ‘He appears in BVI, Hong Kong and Cayman cases.’
• Jonathan Hilliard QC ‘An excellent barrister – he leads clients expertly through difficult matters.’
• Clare Stanley QC ‘An extremely effective and user-friendly operator.’
• Nikki Singla QC ‘He appears in BVI, Cayman and Manx litigation.’

Leading Juniors:

• Graeme Halkerston ‘He is not afraid to get stuck in to the detail of the case.’
• Andrew Mold ‘Also admitted to the Cayman Bar, his work includes cases with matrimonial elements.’
• Anna Littler ‘Very bright and provides very clear advice.’

Pensions

Leading Silks: 

• Brian Green QC ‘A very experienced and knowledgeable silk who presents with style.’
• Paul Newman QC ‘He is impressive in his rigorous analysis of the legislation.’
• Fenner Moeran QC ‘An extremely dependable advocate who always has the ear of the court.’
• Michael Tennet QC ‘He has particular skill with the strategic elements of cases.’
• Michael Furness QC ‘He is intellectually excellent with brilliant client-handling skills.’
• Jonathan Hilliard QC ‘A true star that is rising at a meteoric rate.’
• Robert Ham QC ‘He is sharp minded, commercial and has a wonderful delivery.’

Leading Juniors:

• Andrew Mold  ‘He is rock solid on the law while remaining very commercial.’
• Edward Sawyer  ‘He combines being exceptionally bright with a strong practical sense.’
• Emily Campbell ‘She has a sharp intellect and provides silk-quality advice.’
• Sebastian Allen  ‘He instils complete confidence in clients.’
• James McCreath ‘He is incredibly user friendly and fully dedicated to the client’s cause.’
• Thomas Robinson ‘He is highly intelligent and excellent on his feet.’
• Benjamin Faulkner ‘He has an incredible legal brain and a keen eye for detail.’
• Emily McKechnie ‘A great advocate who is user friendly and very bright.’
• James Walmsley ‘A key name for regulatory actions.’
  
• Thomas Seymour ‘A wise junior who can be relied upon.’

Private Client: personal tax

Leading Silks:

• Brian Green QC ‘He is very clever and articulate.’
• Jonathan Davey QC ‘He makes things simple and easily digestible for the judge.’
• Michael Furness QC ‘A skilled advocate.’

Private Client: trusts and probate

Leading Silks: 

• Brian Green QC ‘Has a superb analytical and inventive brain.’
• Michael Furness QC ‘Recommended for his work on large family trusts.’
• Robert Ham QC ‘A master of trust law.’
• Gilead Cooper QC ‘Thinks outside the box.’
• Clare Stanley QC ‘Clare is a punchy advocate with real gravitas in the area of contentious trusts.’
• Jonathan Hilliard QC ‘One of the best young silks in the business.’
• John Martin QC ‘A very experienced Chancery practitioner.’
• Jonathan Davey QC ‘He has a way of making something unreasonable appear reasonable and attractive.’
• Tiffany Scott QC ‘Excellent attention to detail and a good calming way with clients.’

Leading Juniors:

• Emily Campbell ‘Insightful, wise and brilliant.’
• Judith Bryant ‘Hugely experienced and practical.’
• Andrew Child ‘He has a great analytical brain.’
• Mark Studer ‘He is very bright.’
• Zoë Barton ‘She is extremely eloquent and can think quickly on her feet.’
• Andrew Mold ‘You can be confident that he will find the answer to the most complicated of cases.’
• John Child ‘He is very good on detail.’

Professional negligence

Leading Silks:

• John Wardell QC ‘Really grasps the detail of a case.’
• Ian Croxford QC ‘His attention to detail and ability to identify alternative and sustainable arguments combined with pragmatic advice is invaluable.’
• Jonathan Seitler QC ‘He is particularly noted for property-related professional negligence cases.’
• Joanna Smith QC ‘Her written work is exceptional, she is a ferocious advocate, tactically astute and handles clients incredibly well.’
• John Martin QC ‘He regularly handles international professional negligence cases.’
• Joanne Wicks QC ‘She is very commercial as well as being technically excellent, and clients like her approachable style.’
• Michael Tennet QC ‘Very bright.’
• Michael Furness QC ‘He is noted for pensions-related professional negligence work.’
• Paul Newman QC ‘He is thoughtful in his responses and gives clients confidence.’
• Clare Stanley QC ‘Super on the detail, great with clients, commercial and excellent on her feet.’
• David Phillips QC ‘He is disarmingly charming and puts his clients at ease while maintaining a laser focus on the issues at hand.’
• James Ayliffe QC ‘He is pro-active and hardworking.’
• Lexa Hilliard QC ‘Very Able’
• Julian Greenhill QC ‘Brilliant.’
• Nikki Singla QC ‘He really gets stuck into the details.’
• Tiffany Scott QC ‘Superb.’

Leading Juniors:

• Zoë Barton ‘A highly-rated junior.’
• Andrew Mold ‘He is clever and diligent.’
• Graeme Halkerston ‘Highly regarded.’
• Benjamin Faulkner ‘He is very thoughtful and always prepares fully.’
• Edward Sawyer ‘A pleasure to work with.’
• Emer Murphy ‘She has a phenomenal work rate.’
• Emily McKechnie ‘Responsive and user friendly.’
• Sebastian Allen ‘First rate.’

Property litigation

Leading Silks:

• Jonathan Seitler QC Wonderful to work with
• Joanne Wicks QC Her calm and authoritative demeanour are a winning combination, and she is exceptionally knowledgeable
• Martin Hutchings QC  He has excellent client-facing skills and provides well-thought-out advice
• Mark Wonnacott QC
• John Furber QC His advice is direct, balanced and always clear
• Michael Barnes QC A serious player at the property Bar.
• James Ayliffe QC An excellent specialist property barrister
• Julian Greenhill QC An instructing solicitor’s dream; he is unafraid to stick to his views, and holds his own against leading silks
• Tiffany Scott QC She has excellent client care skills and is very easy to work with

Leading Juniors:

• Zoë Barton ‘Her strong verbal communication is evident through her advocacy and good rapport with clients.’
• Emer Murphy ‘Unflappable and comes up with innovative solutions to issues.’
• Charlotte Black ‘Building a good reputation in the dilapidations world.’
• Jonathan Chew ‘Comprehensive in his approach, an impressive and effective advocate.’
• James McCreath ‘Technically able, switched on and offers good strategic solutions.’

 

Sport

Leading Silks:

• David Phillips QC ‘An excellent all-round sports practitioner. Very amiable and a very effective, experienced advocate.’