The Legal 500 2015

Top Tier Recommendations

  • Pensions
  • Private client: trusts and probate

Recommendations

    • Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
    • Business and regulatory crime (including global investigations)
    • Charities
    • Commercial litigation
    • Company and partnership – Company
    • Fraud: civil
    • IT and telecoms (including data protection)
    • Insolvency
    • International arbitration: counsel
    • Media and entertainment
    • Private client: personal tax
    • Professional discipline and regulatory law (including police law)
    • Professional negligence
    • Property litigation
    • Sport

Set Overview

Wilberforce Chambers is ‘the top set in trusts and high-stakes international litigation’, with ‘outstanding’ barristers who ‘go the extra mile for solicitors’ and are ‘more commercial in their approach to legal problems, compared to their counterparts in other sets’. It is ‘a terrific Chancery set’ with noteworthy expertise in private client, pensions, property, commercial and professional negligence cases. ‘The practice is smoothly run from administration level to the top QC. Work is delivered, across the board, at a high level and quickly.’ The ‘Rolls-Royce client service’ stems from the clerking room, which is ‘very good indeed – responsive and helpful at all times’. Practice director Nicholas Luckman is ‘a star’ who has ‘brought about a real focus on commercial service’ since he joined chambers in 2014. Head clerk Mark Rushton ‘makes a real effort to get to know solicitors’. Their ‘top team’ works ‘seamlessly’ together.

Banking and finance (including consumer credit)

Leading Silks:

  • James Ayliffe QC  Approachable, dynamic, calm and intelligent; he understands the clients needs.
  • Terence Mowschenson QC  A well-respected Chancery commercial silk with strong experience in banking disputes.

Leading Juniors:

  • Tim Penny He is very effective on his feet, and has the prowess to match and beat QC opponents.

Charities

Leading Silks:

Leading Juniors:

  • Mark Studer A very erudite and academically sound barrister.

Commercial litigation

Leading Silks:

  • Alan Gourgey QC A standout counsel for the most important cases.
  • Ian Croxford QC Fantastic at cross-examination and really excellent with complex financial matters.
  • Joanna Smith QC Anything you get from her will be nothing short of excellent.
  • John Wardell QC An outstanding lawyer with great communication skills.
  • Lexa Hilliard QC An absolute team player who really does think outside the box.
  • Terence Mowschenson QC A charming courtroom advocate who earns the trust of the court – he loves to win.
  • Thomas Lowe QC The type of advocate who focuses on the real issues.

New Silks: 

Leading Juniors:

  • Edward Sawyer Extremely bright, hardworking and user-friendly.
  • Iain Pester Very able and easy to deal with.
  • Jonathan Hilliard An outstanding junior with a very incisive mind and excellent advocacy skills.
  • Max Mallin Exceptionally commercial, excellent with numbers, and sees the wood for the trees.
  • Nikki Singla A real star; very capable indeed and lovely to work with.
  • Tim Penny He produces high-quality work, and is diligent, tactical and commercially astute.

Company and partnership – Company

 Leading Silks:

New Silks:

  • Clare Stanley QC A first-class advocate who carefully and thoroughly analyses all of the issues.
  • Marcia Sherkerdemian QC She delivers good news with grace and bad news with tact and a workable alternative.

Leading Juniors: 

  • Graeme Halkerston He has an excellent knowledge of offshore jurisdictions and is quick to respond.
  • Iain Pester He provides sound, pragmatic advice and good judgement on difficult issues.
  • Max Millin A fine advocate with a very good head for financial matters.
  • Nikki Singla Speedy, analytical and honest in his opinion, which is appreciated by the client.

Construction

Leading Silks:

  • Joanna Smith QC She is first rate, and judges respond to her advocacy.

Fraud: civil

Leading Silks: 

Leading Juniors: 

  • Edward Sawyer He is off-the-Richter-scale clever.
  • Gabriel Fadipe He has a strong track record in African and Caribbean related fraud cases.
  • Iain Pester He is knowledgeable, responsive and quick, and his Russian language skills are a big asset.
  • Jonathan Hilliard A hardworking, diligent and user-friendly barrister, with an excellent knowledge of trust law.
  • Max Mallin Exceptionally good with clients.
  • Tim Penny An excellent and accomplished advocate who has been, for some time, silk quality.

IT and telecoms (including data protection)

Leading Silks:

  • Alan Gourgey QC He has a unique gift for the precise expression of very complex facts.

Leading Juniors:

Insolvency

Leading Silks:

New Silks: 

Leading Juniors:

  • Iain Pester Experienced in corporate and personal insolvencies.
  • Thomas Robinson Notable experience in insolvency matters affecting Irish banks.

Media and entertainment

Leading Juniors: 

  • Nikki Singla He has very good judgement and is definitely someone you want on your team in a difficult case.

Pensions

Leading Silks: 

  • Jonathan Evans QC He has an impressive ability to think on his feet.
  • Michael Furness QC Judges love the way he explains things calmly and succinctly.
  • Michael Tennet QC He is always ready to roll up his sleeves and get into the detail.
  • Paul Newman QC Thoughtful, methodical and well prepared.
  • Brian Green QC He brings a wealth of experience and tactical awareness to cases.
  • Robert Ham QC Practical and creative.

Leading Juniors: 

Private Client: personal tax

Leading Silks:

Leading Junior:

  • Jonathan Davey Excellent at assessing a case in a forensically logical and methodical manner.

Private Client: trusts and probate

Leading Silks: 

  • Brian Green QC Excellent; he possesses profound knowledge and demonstrates great advocacy skills and strategic thinking.
  • John Martin QC One of the best advocates, and cannot be beaten on his feet.
  • Michael Furness QC He is very incisive, and adopts a common-sense and commercial approach to difficult issues.
  • Robert Ham QC Highly rated.

New Silks:

  • Clare Stanley A first-class advocate with the ability to carefully and thoroughly analyse cases.

Leading Juniors: 

  • Andrew Mold Experienced in both commercial and traditional Chancery work.
  • Daniel Hochberg Delivers consistently clear, commercial and practical advice.
  • John Child Highly experienced.
  • Jonathan Hilliard One of the best juniors at the Bar, with a stellar future in front of him.
  • Judith Bryant A bright and very capable junior.
  • Mark Studer Has encyclopaedic knowledge of the law of trusts – and enormous authority, confidence and gravitas.
  • Tiffany Scott She is accessible, down to earth, calm and very bright –  she goes above and beyond for clients.
  • Emily Campbell She has the ability and experience of a QC, and an immensely strong moral compass.

Professional negligence

Leading Silks:

  • David Phillips QC He adopts an excellent manner with clients.
  • Ian Croxford QC Extremely able.
  • James Ayliffe QC An excellent listener who is very good with clients and has an extremely intuitive approach.
  • Joanna Smith QC Fantastic with clients and very commercial in her approach.
  • Joanne Wicks QC Exceptionally talented and very user-friendly.
  • John Martin QC He is top quality and delivers excellent advice.
  • Jonathan Seitler QC He has a measured but intellectual approach and brings his experience to bear when on his feet in court.
  • Lexa Hilliard QC She is very skilled and has an impressive style.
  • Michael Furness QC His sharp brain means he usually correctly predicts the way the judge will decide the case.
  • Michael Tennet QC Extremely knowledgeable and methodical.
  • Paul Newman QC Thoughtful, methodical and well prepared.
  • John Wardell QC Recommended for his client and team management, and knowledge of the law, tactics and technical issues.

New Silks:

  • Clare Stanley QC Thorough, approachable and excellent in court, she also commands the respect and confidence of lay clients.

Leading Juniors: 

Property litigation

Leading Silks:

  • James Ayliffe QC He combines a first-rate intellect with a user-friendly manner that engenders confidence.
  • Joanne Wicks QC She is incredibly bright but has the gift of being able to convey difficult concepts clearly to lay clients.
  • John Furber QC He has a hard-hitting but gentlemanly fashion, and is well liked and respected.
  • Jonathan Seitler QC An outstanding silk and a leader in his field; a supreme courtroom performer.
  • Martin Hutchings QC An excellent advocate. He is personable and easy to work with ? nothing is too much trouble.
  • Michael Barnes QC A highly experienced silk.

Leading Juniors:

  • Charlotte Black Her solicitor experience means she understands both sides of the profession and provides commercial advice.
  • Daniel Hochberg Delivers consistently clear, commercial and practical advice.
  • Jonathan Davey User-friendly; the only Treasury Counsel property barrister to use.
  • Julian Greenhill A great team player, and succinct and accurate in his written work and preparation.
  • Tiffany Scott She rolls her sleeves up and is good with clients.

Sport

Leading Silks:

  • David Phillips QC He has excellent communication skills and great knowledge of sports law.