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Classements par PratiqueLondon Bar

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Leading Sets

1
4 Pump Court
2
8 New Square
3
11 South Square
Atkin Chambers
Devereux
Three New Square

Leading Silks

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Lawrence Akka KC –Twenty Essex 'Lawrence is one of the few barristers with a deep technical understanding of computer systems and software, as well as an excellent understanding of the law in the area, which allows him to speak to clients and to the court with authority. He is a calm, measured advocate and is very user friendly.' 
Guy Burkill KC –Three New Square
Alex Charlton KC –4 Pump Court ‘Alex is not only very intelligent and legally knowledgeable, he is also very familiar with the IT sector and comfortable with its jargon and practices. He is an excellent advocate, being clear, concise and forceful, and is clear in his advice.'  
Philip Roberts KC –One Essex Court ‘Phil is a superb advocate and one of the top KCs. He is simply outstanding in court.’ 
Michael Silverleaf KC – 11 South Square
Nigel Tozzi KC –4 Pump Court ‘Superb advocacy style. He somehow manages to be forceful, without it being noticeable – he has a playful and engaged tone that lands tough points with real impact, but without aggression or theatrics. This works well with judges.’ 
Mark Vanhegan KC – 11 South Square
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Daniel Alexander KC –8 New Square
Michael Douglas KC –4 Pump Court
James Howells KC –Atkin Chambers ‘James is excellent at getting to the heart of a matter and giving straightforward, non-nonsense advice. He is also bold in his merits assessments and does not sit on the fence.’ 
Thomas Raphael KC –Twenty Essex
Graham Read KC –Devereux 'An extremely personable silk who is easy to work with.'
David Streatfeild-James KC –Atkin Chambers
3
Terence Bergin KC –4 Pump Court ‘He is an excellent and engaging advocate who argues clearly and has the respect of his opponents and judges. He is extremely good with clients and cutting through difficult topics. He is very easy to work with.’
Sarah Ford KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Analytical thinking, self-assured and composed. Sarah has a concise and impactful advocacy style.’
Thomas Hinchliffe KC –Three New Square ‘Tom really cares about the cases he is involved in and is very active in working alongside the solicitor team to get into the detail and to forge the case theory from an early stage. His advocacy reflects his grasp of the case and the subject area and he is able to keep the experts honest through his cross examination.’
Martin Howe KC –8 New Square
Paul Lowenstein KC –Twenty Essex 'Paul is second to none. There aren't many KCs at the Bar who are as experienced as he is.'
Brian Nicholson KC – 11 South Square
Roger Stewart KC –4 New Square ‘A go-to silk for IT disputes, with a judicious approach to advocacy.’
4
Lynne McCafferty KC – 4 Pump Court
Douglas Campbell KC –Three New Square
Mark Chacksfield KC –8 New Square ‘Mark gets to grips with the technical detail of the patents and has been in most of the big IT and telecoms cases of the last ten years, which gives him great experience.’
Lindsay Lane KC –8 New Square
Ben Lynch KC – Fountain Court Chambers
Robert O’Donoghue KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Robert is an absolute star, the best KC to work with. He is very smart, always available and a great advocate. He has a unique ability to tackle complex questions in a simple and effective manner, which is particularly important in highly technical cases.' 
Benjamin Pilling KC –4 Pump Court
Nicholas Saunders KC –Brick Court Chambers
Jonathan Seitler KC – Wilberforce Chambers
Adrian Speck KC –8 New Square

2023 Silks

Matthew Lavy KC – 4 Pump Court ‘Matthew is completely brilliant. He is embarrassingly smart, but at the same time down-to-earth and very collaborative. He has a wonderful bedside manner. There is nothing he cannot do.’

2024 Silks

Tristan Jones KC - Blackstone Chambers

Leading Juniors

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Simon Henderson –4 Pump Court ‘Simon has vast expertise of IT and tech disputes. He has a modest and understated style which belies his deep expertise and stellar client list. He is willing to roll up his sleeves and delve deeply into complexity, whilst maintaining clear focus on the issues that matter.’
Jaani Riordan –8 New Square ‘A total star. Across all the details and ready to put forward informed views on strategy at the drop of a hat. A great team player, no-nonsense and easy to deal with.’
2
Rory Cochrane –Devereux ‘Brilliant at the detail. A phenomenal grasp to digest a lot of material and produce very high quality submissions. He is also a great team player and works so well with the client and the solicitors.’
Joe Delaney –Three New Square
Michael Hicks –Hogarth Chambers
Michael Lazarus –3 Verulam Buildings
Iain Munro –4 Pump Court ‘Iain is highly intelligent and has a phenomenal memory. He is extremely thorough and his written work is of very high quality.’
Thomas Ogden –4 New Square ‘Tom really sees the big picture and cuts to the chase. He is always on top of the detail but he is concise in putting his point. He is tremendous and his approach saves a lot of unnecessary words and costs. Very impressive indeed.’
Jacob Turner –Fountain Court Chambers 'Jacob continues to be the leading barrister in the AI space. He is a guru of AI law and regulation, and now has an unparalleled almost decade worth of experience in this area.’ 
Nik Yeo –Fountain Court Chambers ‘Nik is exceptional at getting into the intricacies of a very technically complex dispute at near lightning speed, which is truly remarkable in and of itself but also helps him craft persuasive and intricate legal submissions.’
3
Shaen Catherwood –Devereux
Patrick Clarke –Atkin Chambers 'Patrick is a pleasure to work with. He sees the issues clearly, is unflappable and is loved by clients. He also has a real depth of expertise and experience in IT disputes.' 
Miles Copeland –Three New Square 'Miles is an excellent senior junior. He is bright, incredibly diligent and always open-minded and creative in his thinking. He is a pleasure to work with and his wonderfully approachable manner makes him particularly user friendly towards junior members of the team, who can often find conversations with counsel to be daunting.' 
Daniel Goodkin  – 4 Pump Court
Jonathan Hill –8 New Square ‘Excellent technically, client friendly, charming and responsive. Jonathan is an excellent advocate.'    
Daniel Khoo – 4 Pump Court ‘ His technical and procedural knowledge is excellent, and his input on identifying and shaping the critical evidence is extremely valuable.’ 
Richard Osborne –4 Pump Court
Gideon Shirazi –4 Pump Court ‘Gideon is an outstanding advocate with excellent attention to detail, and extremely experienced in IT disputes.’
Guy Tritton –Hogarth Chambers
Jonathan Wills –Landmark Chambers
Laura Wright – 4 Pump Court ‘Laura has an excellent ability to grasp complex technical material and break it down concisely and clearly.’ 

Rising Stars

Rebecca Keating  –4 Pump Court ‘Rebecca is a fantastic barrister and easily one of the best juniors at the tech bar. Her advocacy is well-pitched and effective, her written work is excellent, and overall she is well ahead of her call and a match for barristers twice her seniority.’

IT and telecoms: projects and services in London Bar

4 Pump Court


4 Pump Court is ‘the go-to choice for any IT or technology dispute’ and operates at the forefront of technological developments, handling matters concerning cloud computing, big data, analytics, and cyber security. Nigel Tozzi KC and Matthew Lavy KC are acting for the supermarket chain in TIBCO Software (Ireland) Ltd v Tesco Stores Ltd, a claim concerning the extent to which Tesco has, if at all, exceeded its license to use TIBCO’s software. Lynne McCafferty KC is appointed to the independent advisory panel for the Post Office Sub-Postmasters scandal, addressing the catastrophic failures of Fujitsu's Horizon electronic point-of-sale IT system which led to over 900 wrongful convictions. Lavy KC led Iain Munro when representing the claimant in Tata Consulting Services v Disclosure and Barring Service, a 7 week trial relating to the provision of outsourced IT services for the UK’s DBS; with the High Court judgment in May 2024 rejecting most of the TCS’s delay claims.

Les références

‘Clerks Stewart Gibbs and Sam Penny deserve particular praise.’ 

‘Bill Griffiths is excellent and his team provide very good service.’ 

‘Clerks are helpful and knowledgeable and easy to deal with.’ 

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8 New Square


8 New Square is an ‘elite set’ for information technology law and regularly acts in cases concerning liability of internet intermediaries and FRAND rate determinations, as well as continuing to expand its offering in IT litigation related to the development of AI technology and the set's core strength of intellectual property. Jaani Riordan is acting for the defendant in IBM v LzLabs GmbH & Ors, with the claimant alleging that LzLabs illegally reverse-engineered its mainframe software to develop its Software Defined Mainframe. In InterDigital Technology Corp v Lenovo Group Ltd, Mark Chacksfield KC is representing the claimant as the Court of Appeal will address fundamental questions on the recoverability of interest in telecommunications FRAND actions. Jonathan Hill appeared before the High Court in PQ Systems Inc v Aughton, successfully establishing for the claimant that its software had been illegally copied and concealed.

Les références

‘An elite set.’ 

 

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11 South Square


11 South Square offers strong expertise in information technology disputes, especially those which intersect with the related area of IP law. Mark Vanhegan KC, who is regularly sought after by global tech and telecoms companies, continued to act for the defendant in IBM v LzLabs; with the complex dispute regarding alleged software reverse-engineering culminating in a 6-week trial before the High Court in April 2024. Brian Nicholson is adept at handling IP disputes with a substantial electronic and computing element.

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Atkin Chambers


Atkin Chambers provides a deep bench of IT expertise at both silk and junior level, with considerable experience advising on disputes centred around a broad range of issues, including alleged negligence, project management and procurement and implementation failures. James Howells KC and Patrick Clarke appeared on opposite sides of Capita v IBm UK v Kyndryl UK Ltd, a dispute concerning the proper construction of a complex IT services contract and the subcontracting of certain IT-related services. Clarke, who has a strong reputation for his ‘real depth of expertise and experience in IT disputes’, also acted for the US tech giant TII in respect of a claim relating to the supply and performance of telecoms connection hardware installed across the BT Openreach Network.

Les références

‘The clerks provide a responsive and seamless service.’ 

 

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Devereux


Devereux members’ have accumulated a broad range of experience in telecoms work, encompassing commercial disputes involving telecoms companies, Electronic Communications Code issues concerning IT disputes and regulatory appeals. Graham Read KC acted for BT in its dispute against TalkTalk for alleged non-payment of services for electronic communication services, with the defendant similarly counterclaiming regarding service level guarantee payments by Openreach.

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Three New Square


Three New Square is widely regarded as an ‘excellent set’ for IP matters and has developed a strong bench of expertise in the field of information technology, particularly technical matters concerning electronics. In Nokia v Oneplus and Oppo, Guy Burkill KC acted for the Chinese manufacturer in two separate patent infringements related to various aspects of mobile phone technology. Douglas Campbell KC represented two out of the five claimants in Interdigital v Lenovo & Motorola, a complex dispute before the Patents Court regarding 4G and LTE mobile technology. Miles Copeland brings particular knowledge of patent disputes concerning mobile phones, tablets and the internet.

Les références

‘The set has an excellent clerking team.’ 

‘Nick Hill is first rate, junior clerk Georgia Onyett is learning the ropes well and Zena Robbins on reception is a warm and welcoming presence for all clients.’ 

‘Nick Hill is a delight to work with. Always has time and does his best to accommodate requests.’ 

Principaux dossiers