Banking & Finance

Mark Howard KC is one of the very finest silks of his generation, and a barrister with a stellar practice spanning a large number of areas. Besides his exceptional ability in banking and finance disputes, he has further expertise in energy, civil fraud, professional negligence and international arbitration proceedings. He regularly appears in landmark cases for a number of leading market participants, and regularly acts for a wide array of national and international banks in matters frequently involving debt and loan recoveries.

"Mark is first-rate. He has an extraordinary ability to do trials. He's one of the leading members of the bar."

Tim Lord KC is a superb advocate who leads cases involving high-profile conspiracy claims, swaps mis-sellings, LIBOR misrepresentations and general loan disputes. He acts both for and against banks in market-leading cases, and has additional broader experience within the professional negligence and civil fraud arenas. Commentators admire his forthright and robust advocacy.

"Tim is very creative and very good at problem solving. He is also indomitable and runs his points hard."

"Tim is brilliant on his feet."

Helen Davies KC is joint head of chambers and an advocate of some renown when it comes to commercial, energy and competition law disputes. She has appeared in a number of leading banking cases, including those addressing issues of investigation procedure, fraud, mis-selling and the interpretation of the ISDA Master Agreement. Davies has acted as an advocate at all levels of the English courts, and also regularly appears as an arbitrator in domestic and international arbitrations.

"She gets into the detail very quickly, is authoritative and has a real read for how judges will react to something in court. She will always give a firm view that you can take away and rely on."

"Helen is an outstanding trial lawyer with excellent judgement; she gets to the heart of complex issues quickly."

Ben Woolgar is praised for his client-friendly approach to banking and finance proceedings. He is regularly sought out to act in high-stakes matters related to fraud, conspiracy and bribery claims, among many others.

"Ben is very good on the details. He's someone who operates at a different level to most; he is so quick and is very responsive too."

"Ben is brilliant. He's one of the stars of the future. He's very good at banking disputes, with a great brain and a tremendous work ethic."

Simon Salzedo KC is a highly adept silk handling banking litigation at all court levels, and is experienced in matters concerning negligence claims, fund recoveries and fraud disputes. He is also a noted advocate in the fields of professional negligence and insurance. His broad finance practice is informed by his previous career as a chartered accountant.

"Simon is an effective advocate because he's so clever and clear thinking. He's very good at pushing forward and is very smart and very effective."

"He is incredibly bright; he thinks about new and novel points of law and is a lateral thinker."

Stephen Midwinter KC is an experienced advocate who acts both for and against an array of national and international banks in matters involving fraud claims and ISDA-associated matters. He has additional expertise in the insurance and energy spheres.

"He is fabulous, a genius."

Tony Singla KC is a well-renowned barrister who is adept at tackling banking cases addressing issues of fraud and shareholder disputes. He is noted for his handling of substantial group litigation on behalf of banks.

"He is incredibly hard-working and responsive, and direct in his views."

"Tony is very impressive in court."

"Tony is experienced beyond his years and his judgement is spot on."

"Tony is a very clever, good advocate who is also user-friendly."

"A tenacious advocate with good judgement, Tony is effective, hard-working and good to deal with when it comes to pleadings. He is fully on top of the detail."

Craig Morrison KC frequently handles a wide array of financial and commercial litigation, and has additional expertise in the insurance and energy spaces. He has a fine grasp of cases involving fraud disputes and swap misrepresentations.

"He is a super silk in the making – clever, diligent and commercial."

"Craig is excellent. He's extremely clever and thoughtful, a pleasure to work with, a team player, and I expect him to become an outstanding silk."

Fionn Pilbrow KC is a proficient silk with expertise in handling complex financial matters. He frequently acts for international organisations and in cases concerning offshore jurisdictions. Pilbrow has effectively established a niche in matters concerning the Takeover Code.

"A top KC, his ability to quickly and calmly process issues that arise and produce a carefully considered proposed plan of action sets him apart. Passivity is an alien concept to him."

"He is ferociously smart, very responsive and very client-friendly. He's a very good advocate with very good written and oral submissions. He's the full package."

"Fionn is absolutely first class; he is extremely client-focused and proactive."

"He is everything you want in a silk. He is capable of dealing with difficult clients."

James McClelland KC is a respected silk with a wide-ranging practice spanning a variety of areas. Besides his expertise in commercial and banking disputes, he has noted ability and experience of handling cases arising in administrative and public law and professional discipline. McClelland is comfortable acting for and against banks, and is also experienced in acting for the regulator in challenges of great import. He is noted for his strength in handling domestic and multi-jurisdictional group actions.

"James' command and ability to cut through nonsense mean complex and fast-moving cases get done. He really takes a strategic view."

"James is undoubtedly the most detail-orientated barrister I have come across. He is very nice and down to earth, and co-operative. Judges and clients find him incredibly convincing."

"He has one of the finest legal minds of his generation.He chases each point to ground in a way that covers every possible counter-argument."

"He's absolutely first rate. Jamie's excellent analytical skills and attention to detail are critical to successful outcomes."

"He is very thorough and easy to work with, and he is very logical and helpful when presented with a complex set of facts."

Jasbir Dhillon KC is a banking silk who has a number of appearances in leading cases to his name. Besides his expertise in securitisation and derivatives cases, he has additional experience in handling contentious regulatory proceedings. His practice also covers professional negligence, asset tracing, fraud and insolvency matters. He is well regarded for his handling of cases relating to interpretation of the ISDA Master Agreement.

"Jasbir is very pragmatic and very client-focused. He's brilliant on his feet and a strong cross-examiner."

"An excellent leader, very committed to the detail of a case, Jasbir really gets plugged in. He is a committed and persistent cross-examiner."

"He's got that real killer instinct, and it is incredibly valuable. Jasbir is someone who isn't afraid to land the punches. He is an exceptional advocate; he throws his heart and soul into every case."

Joanne Box boasts a highly regarded banking and finance practice, with particular expertise in banking group actions. She has in-depth knowledge of complex areas of banking, including Quincecare claims and foreign exchange disputes.

"Jo is a go-to junior for us. She is very hard-working, is all over the detail and is good at managing a busy silk. She engages really well."

"She's unbelievably clever."

"A magnificent junior in any kind of commercial case – totally reliable and thorough in everything she does."

Kyle Lawson is a strong junior with experience of handling a broad array of matters for private, investment and retail banks. He acts for both claimants and defendants in cases involving loan disputes, swap mis-selling claims and conspiracy allegations.

"Kyle is excellent. He has bags of common sense and a fierce intellect. He's very user-friendly and very helpful and responsive."

Richard Eschwege KC is experienced in a wide array of banking and finance disputes and general commercial litigation. He acts in matters involving the enforcement of guarantees, breaches of confidence, restructuring, LIBOR manipulation and hedge fund disputes. Eschwege impresses with his appetite for complex cases that raise novel points of law.

"Richard is excellent. He has a mind like a steel trap and his submissions are wonderfully clear. He adds huge value, and I love working with him."

"Richard is going to be a star silk. He is massively hard-working and extremely smart. He's who you want in the trenches with you."

"Richard is incredibly hard-working and his ability to get on top of huge amounts of material is second to none in my view. He is an extremely good advocate."

Roger Masefield KC is an experienced silk who handles a wide array of banking and commercial litigation. His clients include sovereign wealth funds, among many others, and he has acted in a number of matters concerning breaches of duty, corruption allegations and derivative disputes.

"Roger is loved by clients. He is very bright and user-friendly, and is not afraid to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in."

"Roger met our very high expectations with ease. He's super easy to deal with and he comes up with very compelling arguments in very difficult cases."

"Roger is a very clever black-letter lawyer who's particularly skilled at heavy duty legal problems."

Simon Birt KC has established himself as a skilled advocate in banking and general commercial disputes. His work in financial matters often concerns cases arising from the financial crash and credit crisis. Birt works both for and against banking institutions, often undertaking cases with cross-border elements.

"Simon is very good. He is very meticulous, with a steady, direct and reassuring style."

"Simon has an extraordinary intellect with strong tactical sense. When the chips are down, he is the calmest person in the room."

Fred Hobson KC is an accomplished practitioner who handles financial disputes both for and against banks, many of which include swaps mis-selling and civil fraud claims. He has experience of acting in complex Supreme Court matters and cases concerning share options, joint ventures and private equity acquisitions.

"Fred has an extremely sharp, analytical mind that makes cutting to the heart of complex issues seems like a straightforward endeavour."

"Fred has a strong analytical brain."

"Fred has an attractive, understated advocacy style. He's very clever and has a skillful, beguiling and understated manner, which is very effective."

"Fred is very bright and he works hard."

Richard Blakeley KC is a skilled barrister with a solid financial practice involving cases relating to breaches of duty, LIBOR-related disputes and bond issues. He acts on both the claimant and defendant sides, and is further adept at handling mis-selling claims. Clients include major investment banks and government bodies.

"Richard has great maturity and is someone whose judgement I really rate. He is extremely hard-working, always on top of the detail and an accomplished advocate."