‘One of the major heavyweight sets with a good team of silks and juniors doing art and cultural property’, 3 Verulam Buildings regularly handles complex matters of attribution and dating works of art, issues of title, and disputes as to the rights of ownership. Angharad Start is acting for the claimant in Dmitry Rybolovlev v Sothebys, with the case known as The Bouvier Affair, concerning 37 masterpieces and implicating the auction house in one of the largest art frauds in history. In White v Joiner, Cleon Catsambis continues to act for the claimant in a matter concerning the delivery up of £10m worth of Star Wars memorabilia and film props, with some of the assets currently being on public display. Sophia Dzwig continues to build her reputation as a ‘very capable barrister with a deep interest in and promising future in art and cultural property’.

‘A go-to set for art related matters’, 5 Stone Buildings offer considerable breadth of expertise and a ‘depth of knowledge that makes them a market leader’. Henry Legge KC continues to be considered as ‘a leading silk in art and cultural property’, while Luke Harris  is ‘absolutely brilliant on a technical level’ and regarded as one of ‘the best senior juniors for art disputes’. In Christie, Manson & Woods v Fan Wa Ebdaa, Jordan Holland is acting for the defendant in a claim brought by Christie’s in relation to a Quran sold at auction in excess of £7m, being the most expensive ever sold at a public auction.

Essex Court Chambers is ‘one of the top sets’ in the art and cultural property field and handles complex cases across the spectrum of the field. ‘Great communicator and very strong advocate’ Joe Smouha KC continues to act in the litgation concerning the Bouvier affair, concerning an alleged defrauding of Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev by a Swiss art transporter, continuing in three separate jurisdictions. Claudia Renton has a particularly strong reputation for handling authenticity cases and ‘dealing with experts and very complex scientific evidence.’