Chancery: Traditional

Constance McDonnell KC is highly respected in the traditional Chancery market for her handling of the most high-profile matters. She focuses on probate and contentious trusts, and also handles the administration of estates.

Constance is a brilliant advocate and is the archetypal “iron fist in a velvet glove”.

"She is not only technically outstanding but also absolutely unflappable. Constance provides robust, well-balanced advice whilst never failing to recognise the human side of the work she does."

"She has the best judgement of any barrister that I have worked with – her assessment of a case is never wrong. She is also brilliant in court, very good to deal with and super-approachable."

Dakis Hagen KC is an exceptionally well-respected silk who is regularly instructed in the largest and most complex matters, particularly those with international or matrimonial finance aspects.

"What stands out about him is his towering intellect and brilliant advocacy. He's a devastatingly effective advocate, who's across the detail in a way that takes your breath away."

"He's unrivalled in this area in terms of his knowledge of onshore trust litigation."

"He quickly gets to the nub of the most technical of issues, whilst ensuring that he communicates them in a way that is easily digestible. He's empathetic with clients and brilliant to work with."

"He is the perfect trifecta – he's excellent on his feet, highly technical in his advice, and really responsive and user-friendly."

Elizabeth Jones KC is a distinguished silk whose traditional chancery practice includes a substantial amount of international work. Due to her experience in commercial chancery, she is highly sought after for trust matters with a commercial aspect.

"Elizabeth Jones is a simply outstanding barrister, who grasps the detail and presents it with simplicity. She is an outstanding advocate and, likewise, her written work is masterful."

"Elizabeth is a force of nature, who is exceptional at managing tricky matters. She is a very reassuring member of the team, who inspires confidence not only in lawyers but also in lay clients."

"Everyone has deep respect for her. In court, I've never seen a judge so attentive to counsel. Judges just trust her and can tell she's thought about every point. She's also a great team player."

Emma Hargreaves is a renowned junior whose respected Chancery practice includes cases relating to trusts, wills and estates.

"Emma is able to produce top-quality work in an extraordinarily quick timeframe. Her drafting is excellent and she has a very keen eye for detail, whilst never losing sight of the bigger picture."

"Emma is one of our go-to juniors, who is incredibly hard-working and really at the top of her profession. She's excellent for written work and oral advocacy."

"Emma is brilliant with clients, extremely clever and responsive and a hard worker. That's an unbeatable combination."

Richard Wilson KC has a particularly strong advisory practice. He is often instructed in complex trust cases and is also noted for his handling of offshore and other overseas matters.

"Richard is clever, highly commercial, very approachable and incredibly responsive. His advocacy is fantastic; he's very calm, he doesn't get rattled and he is very specific."

"Richard is very practical and strategic in his thinking, and adept at readjusting, speedily and accurately, when matters take an unexpected course. He's accessible, proactive and client-friendly."

"He is much in demand by solicitors and brings a very unique, lateral approach to problem solving. He thinks independently and creatively, and applies his technical capabilities very well."

Giles Richardson KC is an exceptionally well-respected barrister who is frequently trusted with complex multi-jurisdictional matters. He is also noted for his experience in matrimonial finance and other matters falling in the crossover between family law and traditional Chancery.

"Giles is brilliant. He's incredibly talented, he works hard and he is bright and engaging. His strategic insight and input are always valued, and clients love him."

"Great in court and a real all-rounder, he has a great reputation and rightly so. He is very detail-focused and does not get lost in the weeds."

"A joy to work with, Giles is a hugely talented advocate, who is fiercely intelligent. Clients and solicitors love him, and he also commands the ear of the court."

James Weale focuses his practice on contentious matters and is frequently acting in the High Courts. He is also experienced in cross-border matters.

"He is someone you can always rely on; I do not know any barrister as responsive as him. In court he is completely unflappable, and out of it he works incredibly hard and is such a nice person."

"James is an exceptional junior who is a pleasure to work with. He's extremely personable, always on hand, bright and hard-working."

"James is incredibly organised, very bright, and very hard-working. He's all over the detail and incredibly sought after."

Thomas Fletcher is noted for his handling of a wide variety of traditional chancery matters, and has a particular depth of expertise in offshore and cross-border related trusts matters.

"Thomas is a joy to work with. You can always be confident that no stone is left unturned and that all eventualities, even in the most high pressured and complex of cases, have been considered."

"Thomas offers calm, pragmatic advice, even in the midst of extreme pressure. He is incredibly hard-working, and constantly makes our lives easier through his provision of very high-quality advice."

"Thomas is an excellent junior with good insight and commercial acumen. He's also a strong draftsperson."

Harry Martin is a rising star who is building a highly regarded traditional chancery practice. He regularly handles wills and trusts, and is also taking on art and cultural property matters.

"Harry is astoundingly effective. He is very sharp-witted on his feet, and a tremendous asset in the mediation room or at court."

"I really enjoyed working with Harry. His input was considered, thoughtful and astute. He fitted seamlessly into an established team."

"Harry is a rising star. He has excellent judgement, he performs really well in court and he is very good at analysing his client's case. He also has huge amounts of patience, which is rare."

John Machell KC is a respected silk with a broad chancery practice, who often appears in trusts and estates cases as well as more commercial matters. He is also frequently sought after for offshore matters, particularly those concerning trusts.

"John is a quality lawyer, good on his feet, and with a much-appreciated client-facing demeanour."

"John is an absolute pleasure to work with. He's thorough, considered and extremely well regarded by clients."

"John's advice is clear, commercial and concise. His calm demeanour puts clients at ease and he is generally a pleasure to work with."

Jonathan Harries KC specialises in cross-border disputes and offshore litigation. He is also a part-time Professor at King's College Londonand a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford.

"Jonathan is simply excellent on complicated cross-border matters."

"He is the person to go to when any complex issue crops up. Although a man with a massive brain, he is extremely approachable. He's great at presenting – his written and oral advocacy is amazing."

"Jonathan knows the field like the back of his hand."

Oliver Jones represents clients in contentious probate, trusts and estate administration matters.

"He is an outstanding senior junior, who is very user-friendly and very efficient. The quality of his written work is very high."

"He is able to get on top of huge volumes of work and detail quickly, and then produce advice that is clear and persuasive. He's also sensitive to client concerns and demands."

"His drafting and advocacy are fantastic, and he's very good at reading what it is that clients want."

Stephanie Thompson is a sought-after junior who has made an impression in the market, particularly for her work in offshore and cross-border trusts litigation.

"Stephanie is a very smart barrister who handled all questions well and was good on the strategy."

"I think she might be one of the brightest people I've ever met. She has an extraordinary ability to take on masses of information, and has a very understated manner that belies her fierce intellect."

"Stephanie is personable, always on hand and someone who provides extremely clear advice."

Gregor Hogan has expertise both domestically and offshore. He is an experienced junior, acting unled on high-value trust and estates disputes.

"Gregor is properly knowledgeable about trusts law all over the globe. You can put any question to him and he'll have an answer."

"He is a great drafter, who is on top of the detail. He's also a really good advocate."

"He is a highly intelligent, excellent advocate, who navigates cases in a nuanced way and deals well with clients."

Zahler Bryan is a strong junior who advises on complex trusts matters, including international trust disputes. She also acts in commercial disputes.

"Zahler is an extremely capable junior whose written product is excellent."

"Zahler is very helpful and considered, and a pleasure to work with."

Jamie Randall is instructed in a wide range of trust and estate disputes. He has expertise in acting on high-value Inheritance Act claims and tax-related disputes.

"Jamie is a talented operator with a great intellect. He has good emotional intelligence and is calm under pressure."

"He has absolutely enormous talent. He is clearly very detail-orientated, very considered and somebody that will go very, very far."

"Jamie is an excellent draftsman who gets very good work. He is responsive, intelligent, incredibly calm and decisive."

Sparsh Garg is a relatively recent recruit to Serle Court, who has significant expertise in trusts and estate disputes, both domestically and in various offshore jurisdictions.

"Sparsh is very committed, very diligent, and delightful to deal with. His written submissions are always of the highest standard, and his advocacy is also exceptionally good."

"Sparsh is very knowledgeable but also able to distil that knowledge into practical advice that is easy to understand and implement."

"A very solid junior, who is able to grapple with complex issues of law and facts. He provides clear advice, is very responsive to emails and is just a pleasure to work with."