The Legal 500 2024

Leading Silks: 

• Gilead Cooper KC –  ‘Very cerebral and knowledgeable and excellent for a written opinion.’

Leading Juniors: 

• Bobby Friedman – ‘Bobby embodies what is best about the modern Bar – ferocious bright and relentlessly hard-working, with a facility for rapidly mastering large volumes of detail whilst never losing sight of the big picture commercial and legal strategic considerations.’

Leading silks: 

• Tim Penny KC ‘Tim leaves no stone unturned, always trying to find the weaknesses in our own case in order to address the same at an early stage. He combines that approach with good advocacy in order to achieve successful outcomes.’
• Lexa Hilliard KC ‘Her advocacy is charming but deadly. Her insights are incredibly sophisticated and disarming. She will find extremely obscure points which assist, and won’t rest until she knows she’s turned over every stone available.’

Jonathan Davey KC is a key practitioner at Wilberforce Chambers whose preparation for court is praised by clients, and who is often involved in high-profile and complex charities cases, such as Life Services Ltd v HM Revenue and Customs, where he represented HM Revenue and Customs in a high profile test case concerning the compatibility of the devolution of the UK with EU law in relation to charity taxation. Michael Furness KC‘s charities practice is linked to his trusts practice and often has an international element to it, with both onshore and offshore work.

Leading Silks:

• Jonathan Davey KC ‘A dedicated silk who prepares meticulously.’
• Michael Furness KC ‘His technical knowledge is second-to-none and his pragmatic approach is much valued.’

‘Part of the Offshore blue blood,’ Wilberforce Chambers is considered ‘a top commercial set with excellent silks‘ and ‘exceptional’ juniors. The set’s members have successfully blended the commercial and chancery elements of their practices to become a favoured destination for the largest disputes. Recently these have included Craig Wright, Tulip Trading Ltd and ors v Persons Unknown, Various Bitcoin Developers in which John Wardell KC, Bobby Friedman and Sri Carmichael are acting for Craig Wright, a man who has claimed to be Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, in a claim against various developers after losing access to £2-3bn worth of Bitcoin after his computer was hacked in 2020. In Vneshprombank v Bedzhamov, Alan Gourgey KC is leading three junior members, including Jack Watson, for the claimant in a £1bn plus claim against Georgy Bedzhamov, concerning the bank’s collapse and related allegations of fraud and conspiracy.

Rising Stars:

• Daniel Petrides ‘Very clever and hardworking, and a strong advocate despite his recent call.‘
• Daniel Scott  ‘Daniel prepares thoroughly and his advocacy is excellent. His cross-examination is piercing and helps clients prevail.‘

Leading Silks: 

• John Wardell KC  ‘John is a superb strategist, who gives clear and confident advice. He is also fantastic advocate, who is always up for the fight, and he has a magical ability to read judges which means his advice is always spot on.’
• Alan Gourgey KC ‘Alan is an excellent advocate with fine judgement, as well as being a creative lawyer who is great with clients. He is also knowledgeable on the law and turns around paperwork very quickly.’
• Thomas Lowe KC ‘An incredibly gifted advocate with unparalleled experience of Cayman Islands insolvency, company law and commercial disputes. He has a deep understanding of the machinations of Cayman law and the principles underpinning it, and his ability to craft technical arguments is second to none.’
• Lexa Hilliard KC ‘Lexa never stops thinking, researching and investigating ways to get the best outcome for a client. Her advocacy is a joy to behold – she puts so much personality into her presentation and is extremely persuasive.’
• Terence Mowschenson KC ‘A fantastic and very incisive advocate – although he understands all the complexities of the case, he focuses on the key, winning points. Clients never fail to be impressed by the quality of his work.’
• Tim Penny KC ‘Tim is thorough in his approach, covering cases from all angles – also a very fine advocate.’
• Ian Croxford KC
• Fenner Moeran KC ‘Fenner is a superb advocate, who is able to distil the most complex legal concepts into words which judges not only understand but also find compelling. His direct and authoritative style make him a first-choice advocate for most hearings.’
  Ranked: Tier 5
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare is a brilliant advocate, who excels at building a rapport with the bench and adapting on her feet as a case develops. She is extremely impressive in cross-examination, and dealing with complicated facts and subject matter.’
• Nikki Singla KC ‘Nikki is incredibly commercial and the best silk around when it comes to interaction with clients. He is adept at working with all types of clients and putting them at ease in stressful circumstances. He is also always willing to roll up his sleeves and get stuck into the detail.’
• James Bailey KC ‘Put simply, James is an outstanding advocate. He has the ear of the bench from the moment he steps into the courtroom, giving clients an immediate leg up on opponents, particularly when litigating in the Chancery Division and the Companies Court.‘

Leading Juniors:

• Anna Littler ‘Anna is fantastic. She is tirelessly hardworking – nothing is too much trouble and her attention to detail is fantastic. She achieves this while remaining practical and client friendly, which is no mean feat. When Anna is on board clients know they will get a top-level service, for both advisory work and advocacy.’
• Emily McKechnie ‘Emily is a KC in the making – incredibly smart and great to deal with.’
• Edward Sawyer ‘Exceptionally able, and a very strong strategist and advocate. Not fazed by difficult legal/factual issues, and creative in working out how to use court processes to get the client where it needs to be.’
• James Walmsley ‘James understands cases quickly and is incisive in getting to the important issues at hand. He has very strong judgement and understands how judges approach cases and issues.’
• Sri Carmichael ‘Very diligent and thorough. Sri always takes care to keep clients updated with the progress of her work. Clear and concise drafting skills, and good empathy with clients.’
• Bobby Friedman ‘Bobby has a great deal of knowledge about a range of legal issues, and is able to work on a wide variety of commercial cases while making them seem like his specialist areas. He commands a courtroom with strong and confident advocacy, and often tussles successfully with far more experienced advocates.’
• Jessica Brooke ‘Very thorough and a great asset to cases, bringing a calmness to the challenges of disputes.‘
• Jack Watson ‘Jack is superb at grasping the relevant facts and works through papers quickly and efficiently. Clients are made to feel at ease whilst he deftly explains the issues and navigates them through any difficulties. In court, he is quietly persuasive and instils confidence through his understated, focused approach. ’

Wilberforce Chambers furthered its ‘excellent strength in depth across all practice areas‘ with the recruitment of Sri Carmichael and Jessica Brooke in November 2021. The set remains a particularly strong choice for matters involving several crossover Chancery practice areas. Clare Stanley KC acts for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Issa Al Jaber defending a £3.5 billion claim for breach of directors’ duty, conspiracy and tracing in a High Court trial to complete in October 2022. Max Mallin KC has a broad commercial and company law practice covering a range of contractual and other business disputes, often with an international element.  Carmichael is another member of the team with a broad practice but is frequently instructed on s.994 unfair prejudice petitions and breach of directors’ duty claims.

Leading Silks: 

• Lexa Hilliard KC ‘Lexa is a true heavyweight, highly experienced, amazing with clients, a real fighter but with a real hard work ethic.’
• Terence Mowschenson KC ‘With enormous experience in the area, Terry remains a go-to advisor and advocate on complex matters of corporate governance.’
• Marcia Shekerdeminan KC ‘A real powerhouse – technically brilliant and a great tactician who knows how to move cases forward.’
• Max Mallin KC ‘An outstanding leader, Max has a smooth manner and is a superb performer.’
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare is an impressive and forceful advocate, extremely quick-thinking on her feet and an excellent litigation strategist.’
• James Bailey KC ‘James is an outstanding advocate who has the ear of the bench from the moment he steps into the courtroom, and he is tactically brilliant.’
• Thomas Grant KC ‘Tom has no apparent weaknesses, showing an untiring attention to detail, and he is forceful yet amiable on his feet.’

Leading Juniors: 

• Sri Carmichael ‘A ferocious intellect, laser-like attention to detail and a trojan-like work ethic, Sri is a super junior destined to be a super silk.’
• Graeme Halkerston 
• Stephen Brown ‘Stephen is a very measured barrister and is able to cut through the complexities of a matter.’
• Daniel Lewis ‘Daniel is not only technically astute but very commercially minded, and his advocacy is engaging, thoughtful, well-toned and effective.’

Leading silks: 

• Alan Gourgey KC ‘Alan is an excellent advocate with fine judgement, as well as being a creative lawyer who is great with clients.’

A ‘wonderful full-service set that engages in a modern and commercial way with instructing solicitors‘, Wilberforce Chambers‘ civil fraud work is closely aligned to the set’s enviable offshore practice. In Bourlakova v Bourlakov, Alan Gourgey KC acts for the principal defendant in a high-profile claim concerning ownership of approximately $3bn of assets. John Wardell KC represented a shopping centre magnate in his defence of a €55m claim brought against him by the Bank of Ireland, which claimed that he had lied about his assets and liabilities in a statement of affairs. Clare Stanley KC also routinely acts in major fraud cases; and in a boost to chambers, Thomas Grant KC, an expert in obtaining and defending freezing and related interim orders, joined from Maitland Chambers in October 2022.

Leading Silks: 

• Jia Wei Lee ‘A really bright and attentive junior who goes out of his way to accommodate the client. A star in the making.‘

Leading Silks: 

• Alan Gourgey KC ‘Alan is a heavyweight, polished advocate who is at the top of his game. He has the gravitas, expertise and judgement to hold together a difficult team of lawyers from many different jurisdictions and drive through strategy, as well as to persuade the court on difficult arguments.‘
• John Wardell KC ‘John is a superb strategist who gives clear and confident advice. He is a fantastic advocate who has a magical ability to read judges, which means his advice is always spot-on.’
• Thomas Grant KC ‘An exceptional barrister, who is widely regarded as the standout fraud expert of our time. His advocacy skills are remarkable, complemented by an unparalleled knowledge of the law.‘
• Tim Penny KC  ‘Tim is an outstanding advocate. He is particularly adept at dealing with enormous volumes of documentary material, which can be a hallmark of complex fraud trials.’
• Thomas Lowe KC ‘An incredibly gifted advocate with unparalleled experience of Cayman Islands insolvency, company law and commercial disputes.‘
• Fenner Moeran KC ‘Fenner is excellent all round. He is superb on the technical detail, but also a first-rate advocate and brilliant with clients.’
• Clare Stanley KC

Leading Juniors:

• Anna Littler  ‘Anna shows incredibly good judgement in picking out the winning points on the cases, and is persuasive in getting co-defendants on board with running those points. Anna also assimilates substantial facts very quickly and is very strong on the law.’
• Bobby Friedman ‘Bobby controls the courtroom while conducting a case, and produces very persuasive oral submissions. He is always challenging barristers with more years of experience than him, and knows how to convince a judge of the merits of his argument.’
• Jack Watson
• Edward Sawyer
• Tim Matthewson ‘Always ready to do battle and fight the client’s corner. Can grasp difficult issues deftly whilst efficiently peeling back his opponents’ arguments.’
• James Goodwin ‘James is extremely hardworking and diligent. His written advocacy in particular is second to none, and it is a pleasure to instruct him on complex commercial litigation cases. especially those involving elements of civil fraud.’
• Alice Hawker ‘Alice’s assuredness and command of factual detail, as well as deep knowledge of relevant authorities and procedure really stand her apart as a go-to junior.‘
• Sri Carmichael ‘Ferocious intellect and laser-like attention to detail. A super junior destined to be a super silk.‘
• Jamie Holmes ‘Jamie is exceptionally bright and endlessly hardworking. Tactically astute, he is always three moves ahead.‘

Leading silks: 

• Jonathan Seitler KC ‘Jonathan is a brilliant advocate with a real creative flair. He finds a way out of even the trickiest of corners and frequently breaks new ground with his arguments. He does it all with his own unique brand of humour which puts clients and judges at ease. He is a joy to work with.’ 

• Alan Gourgey KC
• John Wardell KC

Wilberforce Chambers specialise in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency litigation and advice, both domestically and internationally. Lexa Hilliard KC was instructed In the matter of Lehman Brothers Holdings PLC, a high value and multi-party trial arising out of the Lehman Brothers’ collapse concerned with the ranking of different tranches of subordinated debt, totaling several billions. Marcia Shekerdemian KC specialises in all aspects of personal and corporate insolvency, while Daniel Lewis‘ insolvency practice focusses on director and office-holder misfeasance and cross-border work, with expertise in offshore financial services insolvencies.

Leading Silks: 

• Lexa Hilliard KC ‘She is an extremely engaging advocate. She always holds the court’s attention. You wouldn’t want to be against Lexa.’
• Marcia Shekerdemian KC ‘Absolute leader in her field. Respected and loved by all. Can drill down to the main issues in breakneck speed to seize the issues and suggest original solutions to conclude disputes succinctly.’
• James Bailey KC ‘ James’ strengths are attention to detail, clear and concise advice and excellent advocacy. His clients feel in good hands.’
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare thoroughly deserves all of the recognition in the market she is currently receiving. She is a top grade silk who is just as comfortable dealing with a complex insolvency matter as she is in highly contentious commercial litigation and private client disputes. Her written work is as wonderful as her court room advocacy.’
• Terence Mowschenson KC

Leading Juniors: 

• Sri Carmichael ‘Sri is a superb and quick thinking advocate who handles tricky situations in court with ease.’
• Jack Watson ‘Jacks strengths are his ability to understand the matter so quickly. He confidently provides commercial advice and has vast knowledge of the relevant areas of law.’
• Bobby Friedman ‘Extremely cool and commanding presence and personality- unflappable and to the point.’
• Daniel Lewis ‘Daniel is excellent, very able, good with putting clients at ease and concise. His advocacy is very very good.’
• Rachael Earle ‘She is incredibly bright, committed and tenacious.’

Wilberforce Chambers is noted for being ‘excellent from top to bottom’ and retains its robust offshore reputation for representing international clients on high-profile and complex cases in the Bahamas, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands and the Channel Islands. Prominently, Clare Stanley KC is acting in Kuwait Ports Authority v Port Link, regarding derivative actions brought on behalf of exempted limited partnerships and raising important points of law in relation to security for costs. Robert Ham KC is well-known for his offshore litigation and advisory practice, which emphasises trust law. Gilead Cooper KC is praised as ‘one of the top silks in the international trust and estate litigation world’, while turning to the set’s senior juniors, Graeme Halkerston is an expert in offshore and cross-border Chancery litigation, particularly matters in the Cayman Islands and BVI. Anna Littler maintains her broad offshore practice, encompassing fraud claims, company and insolvency issues and trusts disputes.

Leading silks

• Gilead Cooper KC ‘Gilead is very experienced and provides thoughtful insights as to the law and strategy.’
• Brian Green KC ‘Brian is a masterful advocate and is the most valuable member of any team. He brings unusual, valuable insights, and deploys creative strategies that others would not have imagined. He has a wonderful mind, and can be very intellectual but is also practical, strategic, down to earth and can articulate the most complex matters clearly and succinctly. ‘
• Robert Ham KC
• Thomas Lowe KC ‘Tom is an excellent trial advocate and is a pleasure to work with.’
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare is extremely user-friendly and always very committed to the client’s cause. She is good at developing novel and compelling arguments in difficult circumstances. Excellent in court and hitting a sweet-spot in reputation and instructions offshore over the last few years.’
• John Wardell KC ‘John is a master tactician, with a great ability to pull the various strands of a case together.’
• Michael Furness KC ‘Michael has excellent analytical skills. He is able to reduce highly complex matters to core issues and convey the points of focus which matter. He listens and readily tests other hypotheses and is a pleasure to deal with.’
• Jonathan Hilliard KC
• Terence Mowschenson KC ‘Terry commands the respect of the court, and is a persuasive and engaging advocate with sound judgement.’
• Nikki Singla KC ‘Nikki is a committed advocate and fiercely analytical in his approach. He holds his opinions strongly and is not afraid to voice them.’
• Tiffany Scott KC ‘Tiffany’s advocacy is first class: effective and persuasive and always well prepared. She is a first class barrister – very hard working, astute and tactically sound but also a real pleasure to work with.’

Leading Juniors

• Graeme Halkerston ‘Graeme is a top pick for offshore work. He really knows his offshore cases and the nuances of the offshore company and insolvency legislation. He is absolutely great on his feet – really well-prepared and researched. He holds his ground under the most difficult questioning. He rarely fails to get a result and is always thinking about different angles of attack.’
• Anna Littler ‘Anna has an excellent grasp of all the issues and a rare ability to handle difficult characters in a sensitive and productive way. Good judgement and great forensic skills meaning she is destined to do really well. Anna is able to stand up and fight her corner in an intelligent and persuasive way.’
• Elizabeth Houghton ‘Clarity of thinking and drafting. Understands the key issues very quickly and provides practical advice which the clients appreciate.’
• Michael Ashdown ‘Michael is extremely bright and and very quickly gets to grips with complex matters, including those with an international dimension and issues of foreign law. Consistently impresses with his written and oral advices.’

Wilberforce Chambers is commended by clients for its ‘unrivalled strength in depth‘ in pensions, and in particular for the set’s expertise on ‘the most complex and challenging‘ cases. In the case of Railways Pension Scheme Trustee Ltd v Atos, a matter concerning the correct calculation of how much members should pay into “shared cost” defined benefit schemes, Brian Green KC and Edward Sawyer acted on behalf of the trustees. Paul Newman KC  is representing Newell Rubbermaid in a dispute over its conversion of defined benefit rights into define contribution scheme, with issues as to if the conversion is discriminatory on the grounds of sex.

Leading Silks: 

• Michael Tennet KC  ‘A very safe pair of hands. Sound judgement and a calm reassuring presence.’
• Michael Furness KC ‘Strong technically and great at finding practical solutions to issues.’
• Paul Newman KC ‘He is an extremely clear and precise advocate in court. His opinions are commercially pragmatic and easy to read.’
• Brian Green KC ‘Top tier, at the top of his game, and an excellent creative mind.’
• Jonathan Hilliard KC ‘A real star in the making; formidable technical skills and reads a court very well.‘
• Fenner Moeran KC ‘Fenner is pragmatic, responsive, and really good with clients.’
• Andrew Mold KC  Andrew has an excellent, clear style which helps reassure clients when dealing with extremely complex issues.’

Leading Juniors:

• Edward Sawyer ‘A superb draftsman and one who has a real forensic eye for points of detail.’
• Sebastian Allen ‘Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.‘
• James McCreath  ‘A real team player, extremely bright with excellent drafting skills.’
• Thomas Robinson ‘Tom is a leading figure for insolvency and pensions litigation, an overlap which comes up time and time again. A good strategist, his advice is well-judged and practical. He is also personable and precise.’
• James Walmsley ‘James is a brilliant strategist. His ability to absorb vast and complex fact patterns and apply acute legal analysis to them is peerless.’
• Michael Ashdown ‘Michael is incredibly bright with an irrepressible enthusiasm for the finer points of the law, which is combined with an engaging advocacy style almost unusual for someone so technical.’
• Jonathan Chew ‘Jonathan provides brilliant support to his leaders before and during trial, as well as being assured on his own in the Court of Appeal.’
• Emily McKechnie  ‘Emily is a pleasure to work with. She is very experienced in pensions litigation. She is also extremely hard-working, and very bright.‘
• Thomas Seymour ‘ ‘Fantastic researcher and team player. He continues to get better and better.’
• Jennifer Seaman ‘Jenny balances clear and concise technical advice with sensible and commercial solutions to identified problems.’
• Joseph Steadman  ‘One of the brightest juniors. Intellectually very capable but wears his learning lightly.’

Wilberforce Chambers is well regarded for matters relating to the taxation of estates and trusts, and is praised by clients for having ‘excellent depth for pensions work.’ Jonathan Davey KC has a highly active disputes practice, including taking a leading role for HMRC in Ingenious Film Partners 2 LLP and others v HMRC, a £1.6bn tax dispute in the film and games industries.

Leading Silks: 

• Jonathan Davey KC ‘Accessible and very easy to work with, excellent strategic insight and expertise in the inheritance tax field.’
• Michael Furness KC ‘Michael’s written advice is extremely clear. He provides direct and clearly reasoned views on difficult pensions problems and avoids fence sitting.’
• Brian Green KC  ‘Brian is very generous with his time and expertise and approaches everything in a spirit of finding a solution. He is a brilliant lawyer.’

Wilberforce Chambers is ‘a leading set on all matters relating to trusts’ and ‘a real powerhouse in private wealth work’. ‘Trusts expert’ Clare Stanley KC is ‘a persuasive advocate’; sherepresented Simon Halabi in the Halabi v Equity Trust case before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, an appeal from the Jersey courts concerning if trustees have priority over other creditors of an insolvent trust. In addition, Jonathan Davey KC represented HMRC in Levack v Bay Trust International test case concerning the doctrine of mistake, and trustees placing themselves at risk of mistakes as applied to tax structures, in this case one established by the practice of struck-off solicitor-turned-pornographer Paul Baxendale-Walker. Turning to the set’s juniors. Simon Atkinson represented the trustees in Goodrich v AB – a case concerning if provisions in a trust deed drawn up in 1990 should, in the light of subsequent legislation, should be interpreted as including stepchildren as children and civil partners as spouses.

Leading Silks: 

• Gilead Cooper KC ‘Gilead has the ability to take hugely complex issues and distil them into crystal-clear concepts that clients and courts find compelling. He is a first-rate advocate and consummate trust lawyer.’
• Michael Furness KC
• Brian Green KC ‘Brian is an outstanding intellect, with a complete mastery of the papers and a single-minded determination to protect his clients, with the capacity to roll up his sleeves and do what is required on a case, even if it may be considered beneath an advocate of his calibre. He is a complete team player and inspires those around him to operate at a higher level.’
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare is an outstanding advocate. She is always meticulously prepared in court, delivers punchy submissions and searches cross-examination.’
• Robert Ham KC ‘Robert is incredibly knowledgeable, bright and articulate. He is well-liked by clients.’
• Jonathan Hilliard KC ‘Jonathan has an incredible ability to be all over the detail of a matter and provides excellent strategic and commercial advice. He has an amazing mind and is incredibly knowledgeable.’
• Fenner Moeran KC
• Tiffany Scott KC ‘Tiffany is a superb advocate with an extraordinary grasp of all issues. Her superpower is her modesty.’
• Zoë Barton KC ‘Zoë is very robust and commercial and has great judgement.’
• Andrew Mold KC ‘Andrew has a first-rate mind. His advocacy and cross-examination are insightful and incisive. He is also supremely user-friendly, works well with people at all levels, and is strategically brilliant.’
• Jonathan Davey KC ‘Jonathan has an impressive knowledge of trusts law. He is a tenacious advocate who fights his client’s corner with great skill and care. His written work is excellent, charming the reader to his way of thinking.’

Leading Juniors:

• James Goodwin ‘James has an outstanding intellect and a complete mastery of his brief. He instils confidence in all who work with him. He is a simply magnificent lawyer.’
• Michael Ashdown ‘Michael can explain the most complex trust issues clearly and cogently. His drafting skills are second-to-none. He is extremely bright, user-friendly and responsive.’
• Elizabeth Houghton ‘Elizabeth is articulate, bright and very hard-working.’
• Tom Roscoe
• Edward Sawyer ‘Edward is exceptionally able, a very strong strategist and advocate. He is creative in working out how to use the court processes to get the client where it needs to be. He has excellent oral and written advocacy – just the right blend of succinctness and detail and is able to present complex facts clearly.’
• Simon Atkinson
• Andrew Child

Wilberforce Chambers is a leading set which combines dedicated experience in professional negligence with their overall impressive knowledge in the areas of finance, legal, construction, and insurance. In the case, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey v Osborne Clarke, Jonathan Seitler KC acts for 54 claimants in a group action against solicitors in relation to the claimants’ investments in student accommodations, where the investors lost money as a result of factors which it is said the solicitors ought to have reported. Additionally, Ian Croxford KC successfully acted for Mischon de Reya LLP in Aurium Real Estate London Ultra Prime Ltd v Mishcon de Reya LLP – Aurium claimed that the solicitors had provided Aurium negligent advice in respect to its legal rights concerning a building being demolished.

Leading Silks: 

• Jonathan Seitler KC ‘Jonathan is a leading barrister in the area of professional negligence and has a razor-sharp focus on the issues that matter in a case.’
• John Wardell KC  ‘John is a formidable advocate and a real star in court. He provides exceptional strategic advice to clients while also able to get to grips with the details of the matter and focus on the important issues.’
• Ian Croxford KC
• James Ayliffe KC
• Michael Furness KC ‘Really bright, very calm, very user-friendly – tries his hardest to find a solution.’
• Paul Newman KC ‘Hugely knowledgeable and innovative thinking. Good client skills too.’
• Clare Stanley KC ‘Clare is a brilliant advocate, who excels at building a rapport with the bench and adapting on her feet as a case develops. She is extremely impressive in cross-examination, and dealing with complicated facts and subject matter.’
• Thomas Grant KC ‘Tom has an untiring attention to detail, is meticulous in his preparations for hearings and is forceful yet amiable on his feet. Put quite simply, he is the pinnacle of the London Bar.’
• Lexa Hilliard KC ‘Lexa leaves no stone unturned and will not be phased by the opponent’s guerilla tactics. She is a very persuasive advocate and will always have solid advice for the client. It is a pleasure to work with Lexa.’ 
• Zoë Barton KC ‘Zoe is straight to the point and realistic about the chances of success.’
• Andrew Mold KC ‘Andrew is a model, all-round high-performing barrister. He is smooth and confident, without any trace of superiority. He is at the top of his game.’

Leading Juniors: 

• Benjamin Faulkner
• Edward Sawyer ‘Good with clients and with an amazing brain. Edward really listens to questions and is very polite to all – he is calm and provides really wise advice.’
• James Walmsley ‘James is a fantastic advocate, particularly where there is a pensions angle. He is great with clients and is a pleasure to instruct. He is not afraid to express his opinion and guides the client down the right path from the word go.’

With a wealth of experience at the senior level, Wilberforce Chambers acts on all forms of property litigation. Core areas of focus for the set include commercial landlord and tenant, development, mortgages and property rights concerning economy. Jonathan Seitler KC acted before the Supreme Court in On Tower v AP Wireless, a group appeal brought by numerous cell site operators involving numerous issues of the Telecommunications Code, including the interpretation of the transitional provisions between the new and old codes. Joanne Wicks KC is acting on R (Annington Property Ltd & Others) v The Secretary of State for Defence, a case concerning a proposal by the MoD to reacquire married quarters it disposed of via a sale and leaseback arrangement using conventional enfranchisement law. Tiffany Scott KC represented the claimant in Clifford v Grosvenor West End Properties, in which the inhabitant of a Mayfair mews home sought to require the Duke of Westminster to eject prostitutes and drug dealers from an adjacent block of flats.

Leading Silks: 

• Jonathan Seitler KC ‘He has many strengths, but his ability to instantly develop rapport with clients and establish confidence and trust stands out.’
• Joanne Wicks KC ‘The premier property silk, a real problem solver who can think outside the box and comes up with innovative solutions. She is calm, collected and great with clients. Her advocacy is excellent.’
• John McGhee KC ‘John is a pre-eminent property silk who stands head and shoulders above the rest. One of his key strengths is his experience in complicated property structuring and joint ventures.’
• Martin Hutchings KC ‘If you want calm and measured advice on a real estate litigation matter then Martin  is who you should instruct. He is technically brilliant but also so great at teasing out the arguments in court to bring the judge around to his way of thinking.’
• Tiffany Scott KC ‘Tiffany is an excellent advocate, her written advice is thorough and considered, she always looks at matters from every angle, ensuring that her clients are fully-prepared and there are no nasty surprises.  She is one of the best silks at the Bar.’
• John Furber KC
• Zoë Barton KC ‘A first-rate silk who can off-balance the most established of opponents. A triple threat combining fine strategic thinking, no-nonsense effective advocacy and rolled-up sleeves collaboration with instructing solicitors.’
• Jonathan Davey KC ‘Jonathan has an impressive knowledge of a large number of different areas of law which he seems to easily draw on when advising and drafting. He is incredibly thorough in all aspects of his work.’
• Thomas Grant KC  ‘Superb advocate. Lucid, persuasive and focused. Commands the court room and is not afraid to fight his corner against the judge and his opponents.’
• James Ayliffe KC

Leading Juniors: 

• Emer Murphy  ‘Emer is technical and sharp in her subject matter, very responsive and easy to work with. She is robust and solutions orientated and not fazed when faced with aggressive litigation tactics. When working with Emer you know you’re in safe hands.’
• James McCreath ‘A barrister with an impressive intellect and excellent intuition, James is tactically astute and hard-working.’
• Benjamin Faulkner ‘Ben is truly phenomenal. Technically brilliant and a superb advocate. Ben is very much part of the team, he consistently goes above and beyond and is always a total pleasure to deal with.’
• Jonathan Chew ‘Jonathan is simply top-drawer. His highly analytical in approach and asks all the right questions. He is determined to solve even the most knotty of problems and clients value his robust but rounded commercial advice.’
• Harriet Holmes ‘Jonathan is simply top-drawer. His highly analytical in approach and asks all the right questions. He is determined to solve even the most knotty of problems and clients value his robust but rounded commercial advice.’
• Simon Atkinson
• Tom Roscoe ‘Tom is action-orientated and decisive. He gets stuff done. He likes the rough and tumble of court and is an effective and enthusiastic advocate. Tom is excellent on complex site-recovery issues.’
• Alice Hawker ‘Alice is very good with clients. She has good attention to detail and is extremely knowledgeable, which gives clients confidence and peace of mind. She produces very good written advice and pleadings.’
• Joseph Steadman ‘Joseph is very measured with a speedy grasp of issues and a practical approach, and is also a very approachable individual.’
• Daniel Petrides

Leading Silks: 

• Jonathan Davey KC ‘Jonathan is an excellent advocate – able to quickly judge the mood of the Tribunal and to adapt as necessary. He is eloquent and extremely persuasive.’

Leading silks: 

• Stuart Isaacs KC  ‘Stuart is a class act.  Smart, polished and able to cut incisively into the heart of every case and produce arguments that simply win.  He is also a pleasure to appear before as an arbitrator, with the patience of a saint.’

Leading silks: 

• Stuart Isaacs KC ‘Stuart is a delight to work with, balanced and measured in his approach.’