Legal 500 2010

Legal 500 ranked Wilberforce Chambers as a leading set for:

Individually ranked for:

Leading Sets: Banking & finance

Leading Silks: Terence Mowschenson QC

Terence Mowschenson QC is a ‘superb advocate'.

Leading Sets: Charities

Leading Silks: Michael Furness QC, Edward Nugee QC

Leading Juniors: Mark Studer

Wilberforce Chambers advises on the trust, tax, property and corporate law issues affecting charities, both in the UK and internationally. Michael Furness QC advised a very large grant-making charity on its investment powers, and Edward Nugee QC acted for the Church Commissioners for England on the management of its investments. Mark Studer has substantial experience of drafting trust and conveyancing documentation, particularly relating to the establishment of charities.

Leading Sets: Commercial litigation

Leading Silks: Terrence Mowschenson QC, John Wardell QC, Lawrence Cohen QC, Tom Lowe QC, Joanna Smith QC

Leading Juniors: Nikki Singla, Julian Greenhill, Edward Sawyer

Wilberforce Chambers' Terence Mowschenson QC is ‘a brilliant lawyer and a superb advocate, to be recommended without reservation for any advice or assistance on commercial law'. Hedge fund expert Tom Lowe QC is currently engaged in the Cayman Islands in Bancredito v GFN and Re Sphinx. John Wardell QC is ‘a first-class commercial silk', while Edward Sawyer ‘deserves the highest praise imaginable' for his ‘tireless work, incredible legal ability and unwavering calm in the face of pressure'.

Leading Sets: Company

Leading Silks: Terrence Mowschenson QC, John Wardell QC, Lawrence Cohen QC, Tom Lowe QC.

Leading Juniors: Nikki Singla

Wilberforce Chambers' Terence Mowschenson QC is singled out for his ‘phenomenally broad range of knowledge of company law - for a knotty case, few are his equal'. ‘Fantastic silk' John Wardell QC was engaged on Iesini v Westrip, concerning valuable mining licences in Greenland and involving shareholding and fiduciary duties issues. ‘Skilful, strategic advocate' Nikki Singla is engaged on the Aviva restructuring, and Tom Lowe QC's expertise encompasses company law and partnership disputes.

Leading Sets: Energy

Leading Silks: Christopher Nugee QC

Leading silks Christopher Nugee QC and Jules Sher QC at Wilberforce Chambers are widely respected.

Fraud: Civil

Leading Silks: Ian Croxford QC, Lawrence Cohen QC

Leading Juniors: Gabriel Fadipe

Fraud: crime (including money-laundering and asset forfeiture)

Leading Silk: Ian Croxford QC

Health and safety

Leading Silks: Ian Croxford QC

Insolvency

Leading Silks: Terrence Mowschenson QC, Lawrence Cohen QC

Also recommended are: Terence Mowschenson QC of Wilberforce Chambers, who has advised on numerous high-profile insolvencies, including Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander.

Leading Sets: Intellectual Property

Leading Silks: Michael Bloch QC

Leading Juniors: Alan Bryson

The ‘first-rate' Wilberforce Chambers includes the ‘incredibly bright' Michael Bloch QC, who also has ‘a good commercial sense' and is advising in Specsavers v ASDA, a passing off and trade mark infringement case. Alan Bryson is ‘self-assured and commercial', as well as being ‘extremely knowledgeable in the trade mark field'.

International Arbitration

Leading Silk: Terrence Mowschenson QC

Media, entertainment and sport

Leading Silks: David Phillips QC

Leading Juniors: Nikki Singla

At Wilberforce Chambers, sports expert David Phillips QC is recommended for his ‘thorough preparation', while Nikki Singla also receives plaudits for his ability to ‘cut through the complexities to the core issues'.

Leading Sets: Pensions

Leading Silks: Brian Green QC, Robert Ham QC, Christopher Nugee QC, Michael Furness QC, Paul Newman QC, Michael Tennet QC

Leading Juniors: Jonathan Evans, Emily Campbell, Jonathan Hilliard, Andrew Mold, Thomas Seymour.

Wilberforce Chambers remains ‘a top-class set with most of the stars at the Pensions Bar'. Silks from this set have appeared, almost without exception, in every major pensions case of the last year. All those mentioned have, for example, appeared in the Pilots' National Pension Fund litigation. The ‘unquestionably brilliant and confident' Brian Green QC stands out as ‘one of the top pensions QCs', and recently advised on Foster Wheeler. Robert Ham QC, who ‘is able to distil difficult issues into very practical advice', argued the Sea Containers case. Christopher Nugee QC, who recently appeared in Bridge Trustees, ‘simplifies the most difficult concepts into a persuasive package'. Michael Furness QC ‘is able to weave his way through the intricacies of pensions legislation with unnerving ease'. Paul Newman QC, who took silk in 2009, is an ‘aggressive litigator' who ‘gets to the heart of the issue', while Michael Tennet QC ‘provides practical and commercial advice and is able to narrow issues between the parties swiftly'. Jonathan Evans is ‘practical, likeable and at the cutting edge of contentious pensions work'. Evans recently acted in the first case involving the Pension Protection Fund to reach the High Court. Emily Campbell is ‘incredibly tenacious and never misses a point', and the ‘incredibly cerebral' Jonathan Hilliard ‘can be invaluable in a case'. Andrew Mold is ‘an outstanding junior and will rise fast', while Thomas Seymour ‘is a pleasure to work with and very through'. Jules Sher QC retired in 2010.

Planning and licensing

Leading Silks: Michael Barnes QC, Jonathan Karas QC

‘Technically very strong with some of the leading experts in their fields', Wilberforce Chambers includes heavyweight silks such as Jonathan Karas QC and Michael Barnes QC. Barnes was successful in Spirerose Ltd v London Underground Ltd in one of the last cases heard in the House of Lords. Karas appeared in a high-profile public inquiry regarding the Victoria Station upgrade in Central London.

Leading Sets: Private client: personal tax, trusts and probate

Leading Silks: Michael Furness QC, Brian Green QC, Robert Ham QC, Edward Nugee QC

Leading Juniors: Emily Campbell, Judith Bryant, John Child, Daniel Hochberg, Mark Studer, Tiffany Scott, Clare Stanley

Wilberforce Chambers continues to lead the pack for private client work, advising across the full array of trusts, tax and probate work. A deep bench of pre-eminent silks ensures the set has the gravitas and knowledge to represent clients in some of the most complex mandates in the market. The ‘accessible and commercially aware' Michael Furness QC is strong in all areas of trusts work and the ‘very clever' Brian Green QC is adept as an adviser and an advocate in both onshore and offshore jurisdictions. Robert Ham QC and Edward Nugee QC are also recommended. At the junior level, the ‘incisive' Emily Campbell is particularly accomplished at handling matters involving a high degree of technical difficulty, often involving a mathematical component, while the ‘user-friendly' Judith Bryant is particularly strong on the taxation of trusts. Other juniors of note include Daniel Hochberg, John Child, Mark Studer, Tiffany Scott and Clare Stanley.

Leading Sets: Professional negligence

Leading Silks: John Wardell QC, Jonathan Seitler QC, Ian Croxford QC, Michael Furness QC, John Martin QC, Jules Sher QC, Michael Tennet QC, James Ayliffe QC, David Phillips QC, Joanna Smith QC

Leading Juniors: Julian Greenhill, Clare Stanley, Jonathan Evans, Tiffany Scott, Nikki Singla

Wilberforce Chambers provides a ‘first-class service', and is ‘competitive and pragmatic on fees'. Jonathan Seitler QC and David Phillips QC are always on the ‘silk short list', while Michael Tennet QC provides ‘consistently high-quality advice', and has a well-developed niche in actuary negligence. John Martin QC is ‘an outstanding silk'. Joanna Smith QC is ‘great with clients, responsive and dedicated'. Clare Stanley ‘is surely heading for silk - a brilliant legal mind'. Jonathan Evans is ‘a good team player, excellent all-round'. Julian Greenhill and Nikki Singla are also recommended.

Leading Sets: Property litigation (including agriculture and housing)

Leading Silks: Michael Barnes QC, Jonathan Karas QC, Jonathan Seitler QC, John Furber QC, Christopher Nugee QC, James Ayliffe QC, John Martin QC

New Silks: Joanne Wicks QC

Leading Juniors: Martin Hutchings, Tiffany Scott, Rupert Reed, Julian Greenhill, Jonathan Evans, Daniel Hochberg

At heavyweight property litigation set Wilberforce Chambers, Jonathan Seitler QC is the ‘barrister of choice for creative flair, tactics, commercial judgement and client friendliness', while John Furber QC's practice includes all aspects of real property law, with an emphasis on property development. Senior junior Martin Hutchings has been particularly busy with restrictive covenants cases and credit crunch-related property matters, including mortgage fraud. The ‘very impressive' Julian Greenhill is ‘technically able, calm and lucid', while Tiffany Scott is ‘hardworking and an impressive advocate'.

Treasury Panel Lists

Junior Counsel to the Crown - C Panel