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Company

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Enterprise Chambers

Leading Silks

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George Bompas KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘An extremely user-friendly KC with enormous experience and expertise.’
John Brisby KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘John sees things from a client's perspective, and is able to deliver practical and comprehensible advice.’
David Chivers KC – Erskine Chambers ‘David is a master of his brief, and he quickly wins the trust of judges by virtue of his thoughtful and persuasive advocacy.’
Jonathan Crow KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Highly accomplished and at the top of his game, Jonathan is creative and constructive, and a star performer as an advocate.’
Richard Hill KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Richard is the complete package. His focus on cases and his work rate are unparalleled.’
Lexa Hilliard KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Utterly committed, Lexa is fearless and her advocacy is fabulous.’
Philip Marshall KC – Serle Court ‘Philip is a brilliant lawyer and a powerful advocate.'
Martin Moore KC – Erskine Chambers ‘Martin is immensely clever and very incisive. He gets to the heart of the matter and delivers commercial advice.’
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Catherine Addy KC – Maitland Chambers
David Allison KC – South Square ‘He is a superb technician, his delivery is clear, and his approach thorough.’
Peter Arden KC – Erskine Chambers ‘Peter is very experienced and has a great manner. He knows the law inside and out and provides very clear and accurate advice.’
Edward Davies KC – Erskine Chambers ‘His advocacy is robust and effective, and his cross-examination is first-class, putting the client on the front foot throughout.’
Anthony de Garr Robinson KC – One Essex Court
Andreas Gledhill KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘A highly articulate and cogent barrister. His advocacy is just impeccable.’
Barry Isaacs KC – South Square ‘Barry shows excellent analytical skills, devastating attention to detail, and an outstanding work ethic.’
Nigel Jones KC – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Nigel is fantastic, he is incredibly user-friendly and has a brain the size of a planet.’
Daniel Lightman KC – Serle Court ‘Daniel is extremely bright, incisive and original in his thinking.’
Stephen Moverley Smith KC – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stephen displays an uncanny ability to make just the right points at just the right moment.’
Terence Mowschenson KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘A superb advocate with a wealth of experience and a direct and effective courtroom style.’
James Potts KC – Erskine Chambers ‘James is a great team player who will always give a thoughtful, reasoned explanation of his views.’
Tom Smith KC – South Square ‘Tom has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, and demonstrates excellent judgement as to what arguments will play well.’
Elspeth Talbot Rice KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Elspeth has a great court presence, which comes from self-confidence, experience, and thorough preparation.'
Andrew Thompson KC – Erskine Chambers ‘A doyen of the company law Bar. His advocacy is as smooth as silk.’
Andrew Thornton KC – Erskine Chambers ‘A commercial and level-headed silk. Andrew is able to secure safe passage of the trickiest transactions through the courts.'
Michael Todd KC – Erskine Chambers ‘Michael is compelling in court, unflappable and clear. A silk with great gravitas.’
Francis Tregear KC – XXIV Old Buildings ‘An statesman of the company Bar who commands respect from judges.’
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Jonathan Adkin KC – Serle Court ‘He can cut through complicated issues to deliver practical advice and pithy submissions with ease.’
David Alexander KC – South Square ‘He has an incredible work ethic.’
Mark Arnold KC – South Square ‘Mark is a go-to barrister for insolvency and company work. He conveys a calm authority in the courtroom.’
Lance Ashworth KC – Serle Court ‘Lance is incredibly well prepared, conscientious and deliberate, and his advocacy is potent and polished.’
Daniel Bayfield KC – South Square ‘Daniel is a go-to KC for investment bank insolvencies and schemes of arrangement with anything unusual or difficult about them.’
Matthew Collings KC – Maitland Chambers
Timothy Collingwood KC – Serle Court ‘Exceptionally bright and knowledgeable, he is a truly gifted advocate who is totally committed to the case.’
Andrew de Mestre KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Andrew has an extraordinary intellect, his written work is clear and incisive, and he provides cogent advice.’
Thomas Grant KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Thomas never fails to perform at a very high standard in every aspect, instilling confidence in clients and instructing solicitors.’
Robin Hollington KC – New Square Chambers
Philip Jones KC – Serle Court
Blair Leahy KC – Twenty Essex ‘Blair has an unassuming yet fearless and highly effective style of advocacy.'
David Mabb KC – Erskine Chambers
Edmund Nourse KC – One Essex Court ‘A powerful advocate who is quick to understand the issues, and decisive in his advice.’
Christopher Parker KC – Maitland Chambers
Marcia Shekerdemian KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Analytical and knowledgeable, Marcia is always thinking three steps ahead.’
Clare Stanley KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Clare is a master strategist. A captivating advocate who is an absolute force in the courtroom.’
Felicity Toube KC – South Square
Ben Valentin KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Ben is an exemplary KC. He masters ridiculously complicated matters with ease.’
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Mark Anderson KC - No5 Barristers' Chambers ‘Very thorough and detailed, he has the ability to find new and different arguments.’
Stephen Atherton KC – Twenty Essex
Andrew Ayres KC – Twenty Essex ‘Andrew has an exceptionally sharp strategic sense, combined with an unruffled demeanour. He is brilliant with lay clients.’
James Bailey KC – Wilberforce Chambers ‘He is incredibly hardworking, his grasp of the factual issues is impressive, and his star quality is his impactful advocacy.’
Gregory Banner KC – Maitland Chambers
Hermann Boeddinghaus KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Hermann is incredibly responsive and always quick to respond to any questions.’
Matthew Bradley KC – 4 New Square Chambers ‘Matthew is a tenacious advocate with an analytical eye.’
Edward Cumming KC – XXIV Old Buildings
Michael Gibbon KC – Maitland Chambers
Richard Keen KC – Blackstone Chambers
David Lewis KC – Gatehouse Chambers ‘David is a phenomenal advocate and a master tactician.’
Bridget Lucas KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Bridget’s cross-examination is focused and decisive, and she has a robust yet measured tone.’
Max Mallin KC – Wilberforce Chambers
Dale Martin KC – Littleton Chambers ‘Dale is well considered and unflappable, and he presents his cases clearly and concisely.’
William McCormick KC – Selborne Chambers ‘A formidable advocate who is always insightful and brings a laser-like focus to every instruction.’
David Mumford KC – Maitland Chambers
Hugh Norbury KC – Serle Court ‘He is exceptional on his feet, astute and eloquent.’
Giles Richardson KC – Serle Court
Stuart Ritchie KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Absolutely top-class - his advocacy is a delight, and he is perceptive, compelling and very likeable.’
Stephen Robins KC – South Square ‘Very user-friendly and commercial, Stephen is a great strategist.’

2023 Silks

Alexander Cook KC – 4 Stone Buildings ‘He is a class act. His commercial antennae are well-tuned and he is always able to provide helpful strategic perspectives.’
Dan McCourt Fritz KC – Serle Court ‘Dan is very hardworking, with outstanding technical ability.’
Ben Shaw KC – Erskine Chambers ‘Ben is the barrister you want in the trenches with you – user-friendly, approachable, bright, responsive, pragmatic and a real team player.’

Leading Juniors

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Stuart Adair – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Stuart's experience with and knowledge of case law is impeccable.’
Nigel Dougherty – Erskine Chambers ‘Nigel is a top-notch company law junior who brings clear insight.’
Christopher Harrison – 4 Stone Buildings ‘A junior who shows total mastery of his brief, and his advocacy is exceptional.’
Tina Kyriakides – Radcliffe Chambers ‘Tina fights her client’s corner in court like nobody else, and she is fantastic at cross examining the most evasive of witnesses.’
David Lascelles – Littleton Chambers ‘David is technically excellent and able to charm both expert and lay witnesses in cross-examination.’
Niall McCulloch – Enterprise Chambers
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Simon Adamyk – New Square Chambers ‘A junior who explores every possibly avenue in a case. A self-assured and strategic barrister.'
Alex Barden – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Excellent on detail, very commercial and collaborative, Alex works well under pressure.’
David Eaton Turner – New Square Chambers ‘David is an absolute pleasure to work with. His advocacy is compelling, and he is charming and good with clients.'
Ben Griffiths – Erskine Chambers
Patrick Harty – One Essex Court ‘So very smart, and so very unfazed, he appears to thrive on the knottiest of cases.’
Simon Johnson – Enterprise Chambers ‘Simon is outstanding, and his ability to deftly get to the core issues and present them concisely and persuasively is commendable.’
Tiran Nersessian – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Tiran is an impressively big talent, with a down-to-earth and collaborative approach and an impeccable instinct for the points that will work.’
Rebecca Page – Maitland Chambers
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Paul Adams – Serle Court ‘Paul is extremely bright, clear and compelling on his feet, and leads with confidence.’
Tom Braithwaite – Serle Court ‘Tom is super-smart and experienced, his advocacy is excellent in an understated yet intelligent way, and he clearly has the ear of the judge.’
Christopher Buckley – Radcliffe Chambers ‘He has mastery over this area of law, and is understated yet firm and clear in his advocacy and advice.’
Sarah Clarke – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Sarah has a superb eye for detail, is fantastic with clients, and her arguments are always sensible and well-reasoned.’
Gregory Denton-Cox – 4 Stone Buildings
David Drake – Serle Court ‘David quickly gets to grips with complicated issues to produce extremely clear and astute advice.’
Stephen Horan – Erskine Chambers ‘Stephen is personable, considered and highly experienced.’
Mark Hubbard – New Square Chambers ‘A junior with the quality and advocacy skills of a silk.’
James Knott – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Exceptionally bright, methodical, calm, responsive and invested in the matters he is instructed in.’
Hugh Miall – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Hugh has excellent knowledge of corporate insolvency law, allied to commercial flair.’
Matthew Morrison – Serle Court ‘Hardworking and very user-friendly, Matthew has solid experience in handling shareholder disputes. He can digest facts quickly.’
Jack Rivett – Erskine Chambers ‘Jack is a very talented lawyer who is very driven and gets to the points quickly.’
Elizabeth Weaver – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Elizabeth is simply fantastic. She gets to the heart of the issue quickly and establishes a rapport with clients who trust her advice.’
Geoffrey Zelin – Enterprise Chambers
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Fraser Campbell – Blackstone Chambers ‘Fraser is absolutely excellent: very responsive, great with clients, and brilliant in front of judges.’
Sri Carmichael – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Sri is an absolutely exceptional advocate. She is tenacious and meticulous.’
Tom Gentleman – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Tom is very good at condensing a lot of information into a succinct pleading.’
Kavan Gunaratna – Enterprise Chambers
Alexander Halban – Littleton Chambers ‘Supremely quick on his feet, Alexander is an imperturbable junior.’
Donald Lilly – 4 Stone Buildings ‘When instructing Donald, you get silk-quality work, and his effective advocacy style gets the key points across concisely and persuasively.’
Jonathan Lopian – New Square Chambers
Simon McLoughlin – Selborne Chambers ‘An exceptionally bright junior, Simon is great on his feet in court.’
Sam O’Leary – One Essex Court
Matthew Parfitt – Erskine Chambers ‘Matthew is fiercely intelligent, calm, decisive, and a commanding advocate who is unafraid to take difficult points.’
Adrian Pay – New Square Chambers  ‘Adrian knows company law inside out and has a real understanding of what a court is likely to do.’  
Alastair Tomson – 4 Stone Buildings ‘He is tactically very astute with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, commercial nous and a truly excellent client touch.’
Daniel Warents – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Daniel has a tremendous talent for distilling legal propositions from complex caselaw and applying them to the facts.’
William Willson – South Square ‘Extremely commercial and very personable, William gets straight to the point and is an effective communicator.’
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Andrew Blake – Erskine Chambers ‘Andrew’s depth of legal knowledge is fantastic.'
Harris Bor – Twenty Essex
Stephen Brown – Wilberforce Chambers ‘He is able to defuse situations created by high-stakes cases and demanding clients.’
Edward Crossley – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Edward has a superbly analytical mind and is able to grasp the details quickly, ask pertinent questions, and provide reassuring advice.’
Rachael Earle – Wilberforce Chambers
Thomas Elias – Serle Court ‘Thomas is astonishingly clever and has terrific judgement.’
Rosanna Foskett – Maitland Chambers
Daria Gleyze – Three Stone ‘Daria is first-rate, and she is able to come up with novel approaches to difficult situations.’
Nicholas Goodfellow – Littleton Chambers ‘A calm and measured advocate.’

Amit Gupta – Enterprise Chambers ‘A fantastic advocate with a good personal touch who is dedicated to getting the right result for the client and strives to do so.’

Katherine Hallett – Three Stone ‘She is very good on her feet and has an easy style with clients that generates confidence, and she is not afraid to address the difficult questions.’
Emma Hargreaves – Serle Court
Emma Horner – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Emma is very thorough and detail-focused. She is able to distil swathes of information into a user-friendly format.’
Edward Knight – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Edward is an accomplished advocate who radiates confidence and competence.’
Daniel Lewis – Wilberforce Chambers ‘A very user-friendly and forward-thinking junior.’
Anna Lintner – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Anna understands complex matters quickly and reads the courtroom well.’
Alec McCluskey – Maitland Chambers
Samuel Parsons – Erskine Chambers ‘Samuel is intelligent, with a keen eye for identifying the main issues in a case.’
Justin Perring – New Square Chambers ‘A junior who is able to provide candid advice to clients.’
Jessica Powers – New Square Chambers ‘A practical junior who is great on her feet.'
Anna Scharnetzky – Erskine Chambers 'Anna’s technical analysis of complex areas of law is first-rate and her contributions are invaluable.'
Timothy Sherwin – XXIV Old Buildings
Chantelle Staynings – Erskine Chambers

Rising Stars

Daniel Kessler – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Daniel is excellent on the papers and very responsive. He shows good judgement.’
Zara McGlone – 4 Stone Buildings ‘Knowledgeable, bright and efficient, Zara gives sensible commercial advice.’
Conor McLaughlin – Erskine Chambers ‘Conor is an absolute star: very bright, conscientious, organised and tenacious.’

James Shaw – Gatehouse Chambers ‘James is a fantastic junior who is very strong on complex points of company law.’

Company in London Bar

Erskine Chambers


Erskine Chambers stands out as 'the leading company law set', with 'deep knowledge of this area of law' and 'the best range of counsel in the market, with excellent strength in depth'. Shareholder disputes are a core area of strength for the team, which is regularly sought after to advise on a wide range of complex contentious and non-contentious company law work. David Chivers KC is a highly regarded practitioner in the space, with an excellent track record in handling restructuring and insolvency work in the corporate field as well as offshore matters. Edward Davies KC and Jack Rivett appeared in ClientEarth v Shell, involving a derivative claim brought against the directors of Shell for alleged breaches of directors' duties in relation to Shell's climate change risk management strategy.

Les références

‘Very good. I have dealt with Alex Calder and Samantha Rouse. They are both very helpful and knowledgeable.’

‘The clerks at Erskine are excellent and more responsive and user friendly than most other sets that I work with. Michael Shillingford is my favourite clerk to work with.’

‘Seamus Nixon has been first-class in managing diaries and understanding the pressures of an instructing solicitor.’





4 Stone Buildings


4 Stone Buildings is 'a pre-eminent set for company law'. Members are highly regarded for advising across the full range of contentious and non-contentious company law matters, and the set has developed a reputation as a key point of contact for insurance company law. Jonathan Crow KC is a highly regarded silk, with a solid track record in appearing before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. At the junior end of chambers, Christopher Harrison is very well known for his expertise in representing defendants and claimants in shareholder disputes and directors’ disqualification matters.

Les références

‘4 Stone Buildings’ clerking team is well-known for its outstanding service. It has excellent clerks at all levels, including the well-renowned senior clerk, David Goddard, and extremely skilled first and second junior clerks, Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel respectively.’

‘David Goddard is a clerking legend. He is both wise and full of energy leading a very happy and enthusiastic team who all are pleased to help with any problem.’

‘The clerks were very responsive and provided reasonable quotes. Ryan Tunkel, Connor Ward and Louie Millard were particularly helpful.’





Maitland Chambers


At Maitland Chambers, the team is adept at handling litigation and advisory work for clients in a broad range of sectors, including sport, retail, tech, construction, banking and financial services and private equity. The group's workload includes cases involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and directors' duties matters. Catherine Addy KC is highly regarded for her excellent track record in handling complex, high-profile shareholder disputes, and Gregory Banner KC is sought after for his experience in advising on a broad range of contentious matters, including claims against directors and  share warranty claims. Unled, Rebecca Page successfully represented the third defendant in Henderson & Jones Ltd v Ross, concerning claims worth £33m for alleged breaches of directors’ duties, conspiracy, negligence and dishonest assistance.





Serle Court


Serle Court is 'a quality set that rightly deserves its first-class reputation'. The team garners praise for being 'extremely bright and able with a fantastic skill set for company work, especially with an insolvency, fraud or trusts angle'. Recent work for the group includes Jonathan Adkin KC appearing in Re: Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd, an ongoing, high-value shareholder appraisal action dispute in Bermuda, while Philip Marshall KC is acting in a major injunction case concerning a NASDAQ listed company in the Cayman Islands. Among the juniors, David Drake is sought after for his experience in handling unfair prejudice petitions and claims for breaches of directors' duties, and Tom Braithwaite's workload includes claims in insolvency.

Les références

‘Charlie Payne is a fantastic clerk. He is quick to respond to new instructions and he provides the right level of support from instruction through to the conclusion of any matter.’

‘Their clerking team is highly responsive and commercial. I deal in particular with Daniel Wheeler and Amber Feltwell, who I always find to be a pleasure to deal with.’

‘I have always found the clerks to be helpful and responsive. I have dealt with both Nick Hockney and Arron Snipe and have found them to be equally helpful and responsive.’





South Square


South Square is 'a go-to set for most insolvency, company and commercial litigation matters'. The 'commercial and technically brilliant' team often acts in high-profile shareholder disputes, and the group's expertise in company law is bolstered by its strength in corporate restructuring and insolvency law. Tom Smith KC recently appeared before the Privy Council in a case concerning the issue of whether a shareholder has a right of action against a company for an improper issue of shares by the company. The 'super-smart and pragmatic' Felicity Toube KC is very highly regarded for her expertise in handling international proceedings, often appearing in the Cayman Islands. William Willson is a highly rated senior junior, with experience in advising on offshore company law matters.

Les références

‘The clerking team is and has always been highly responsive. Dylan Playfoot is completely plugged into the offshore market and is one of the leading clerking figures in London for the type of work we do. It really does add value for us.’

‘All excellent. Dylan Playfoot and Marco Malatesta in particular – both are approachable and very responsive. Have a good sense of the matter and level of experience required. So good at bridging to the courts and understanding the list, availability.’

‘The clerks are excellent and a pleasure to deal with. Dylan Playfoot, Luke Clark and Chris Filby in particular.’





Wilberforce Chambers


Wilberforce Chambers 'offers strength and depth across the board in all company and Chancery matters, with approachable and ferociously bright barristers'. The set has a solid track record in advising on cross-border company law matters, and continues to advising on cases involving directors' duties issues, financial assistance and shareholder disputes. Lexa Hilliard KC is sought after for her strong track record in advising on high-profile shareholder disputes. Thomas Grant KC is appearing in proceedings in the Cayman Islands concerning the value of minority shareholdings in Chinese social media company Weibo.

Les références

‘The operation is very smooth. Nick Luckman and Andrew Barnes are a pleasure to work with.’

‘The clerks are efficient and easy to deal with. They have a good approach to client care. I particularly like Tara Shah and Antonia Matthew.’

‘Led by the charming Stewart Cameron, the clerks are helpful and responsive.’





XXIV Old Buildings


At XXIV Old Buildings, ‘counsel are of an extremely high calibre', and clients remark on chambers' 'extremely complementary blend of private wealth, offshore, corporate and commercial expertise, which is well suited to heavyweight litigation'. Shareholder disputes, often involving allegations of fraud, form the backbone of the set's practice. Stephen Moverley Smith KC  continues to handle a high volume of prominent, high-profile company law cases, often involving international elements. Elspeth Talbot Rice KC is a 'confident and experienced' silk, with a solid track record in advising on unfair prejudice claims and breach of duty issues. Stuart Adair is well versed in handling claims against directors and directors’ disqualification matters.

Les références

‘James Ladbrook and Tommie Drury are a pleasure to work with. They are responsive and cooperative at all times. Their client care and regard for instructing solicitors is first rate.’

‘I enjoy working with James Ladbrook and the other clerks. They are always helpful and constructive.’

‘The clerking team are superb. They work really hard to support us in any situation, and put the hard work in behind the scenes to build a relationship that you can rely on under pressure.’





Enterprise Chambers


Company law is a key area of expertise for the team at Enterprise Chambers, which also attracts praise from clients as 'great for commercial and insolvency matters'. The group is well versed in handling the full range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including derivative actions, unfair prejudice claims and directors’ disqualification issues, involving shareholders, directors and companies. In a prominent case highlight, Niall McCulloch successfully acted on behalf of the liquidators of an insolvent company before the High Court in Bouchier, Williams and Bell (Liquidators of Tiuta International) v Booth and Nicholas, concerning a high-value fraud perpetrated on an unregulated investment fund. The court ruled that the former directors of the company conducted the business fraudulently and had acted in fraudulent breach of their fiduciary duties to the company.

Les références

‘Michael Ireland is excellent. He understands the client’s needs and is always responsive.’

‘Always there to help – Michael Ireland is outstanding and goes above and beyond what I would expect.’

‘A good clerking team, particularly Raj Lamba.’





New Square Chambers


New Square Chambers' team has 'excellent strength and depth of knowledge' in the company law arena. The set reports an increase in work involving unfair prejudice claims, directors’ disqualification matters, breach of duty claims and breach of warranty issues. Robin Hollington KC is very highly regarded for his expertise in advising on shareholders' disputes. Among the juniors, Simon Adamyk is sought after for handling disputes with international elements, and Mark Hubbard has extensive experience in advising on claims against directors, offshore matters and shareholder disputes.

Les références

‘Michelle Greene is a pleasure to work with, organised, attentive and thoroughly efficient.’

‘The clerks are extremely organised and efficient. Charlie Sherwood in particular deserves a special mention for his professionalism and efficiency.’

‘Charlie Sherwood is a superstar.’