Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Restructuring/Insolvency - UK
What the Team is Known For
4 Stone Buildings houses a strong bench of experienced barristers who have considerable experience appearing in high-profile disputes and sources note the set's "strength in depth at all levels as well as being flexible in their approach to delivering solutions." Drawing on the set's established strength in company law, members are also well regarded for their adroit handling of non-contentious restructurings and complex directors' disqualification cases. The set is routinely instructed to act for and advise the government on an array of insolvency-related matters, and several of its junior members are on the Attorney General's A Panels. Recent instructions for the set include representing the appellant in Katra Holdings Ltd v. Standard Chartered Bank (Mauritius) Ltd in the Privy Council, regarding insolvency issues concerning the recoverability of bank loans and alleged unlawfulness of loan arrangements in foreign jurisdictions.
Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel are joint senior clerks.
Strengths
Practice manager Louie Millard has been extremely helpful and efficient.
They are a stand out set on the clerking.
The clerks at 4 Stone Buildings cannot be faulted.
Joint senior clerks Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel always provide a high-quality service.
Ryan Tunkel is very helpful.
Notable practitioners
Jonathan Crow KC manages a busy caseload, splitting his time evenly between commercial and public law litigation. He frequently appears in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and ECtHR. His impressive roster of clients includes public authorities in addition to private clients.
A simply outstanding advocate.
A real star at the bar, he is phenomenally good, extremely good at cross-examining and is a very smooth advocate.
He is everything you could want in an advocate for big ticket cases.
Tiran Nersessian habitually attracts instructions from both private clients and government officials owing to his strong track record in this area. His flourishing practice regularly sees him appearing as sole counsel in cases up to the Court of Appeal. His experience encompasses both corporate and personal insolvency litigation. He is particularly adept at handling cases concerning directors' disqualification and high-value contractual claims.
His depth of understanding of the rules is without equal and he is great on his feet.
He is always available, sensible and pragmatic.
He's very reliable, hard-working and an enormously experienced junior in company and insolvency law.
Andrew de Mestre KC has considerable experience across the full gamut of restructuring and insolvency law. He regularly acts on behalf of an array of clients, including bondholders, issuers and corporate trustees, and routinely appears as sole counsel in high-profile cases. He is particularly well regarded for his expertise in litigation arising from securitisation transactions and other bond issues.
An exceptional silk with a gift for cutting through complexity to deliver strategic solutions in some of the most challenging situations.
Andrew has a real gravitas, has the ear of the court and is good with the client.
George Bompas KC is a leading insolvency practitioner who is recognised for his expert handling of major, sophisticated insolvency disputes alongside his significant experience in ADR proceedings. He is regularly called upon to assist with international matters and multimillion-pound claims. He is frequently instructed in overseas cases in Hong Kong, Singapore, Trinidad, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
He has a fantastic brain, he is creative and comes up with good advice on how to deal with things.
Richard Hill KC is highly sought after by an array of clients for his extensive expertise in complex insolvency disputes and for his specialist insight into various forms of ADR. His established restructuring and insolvency practice is further complemented by deep knowledge across civil fraud, commercial and company law. He is frequently instructed by bondholders and bond trustees, and is noted as an authority in contentious restructurings.
His advocacy skill and style is very good, he is my first pick for almost everything.
Alexander Cook KC regularly acts in complex restructuring and insolvency matters, appearing before English and offshore courts in claims relating to insolvent companies and winding-up orders. He is called to the Bar in the British Virgin Islands and also sits as an arbitrator.
He's meticulous, creative and really straight forward in his advice.
A safe pair of hands.
He is extremely impressive in terms of dealing with the client and providing pragmatic strategic advice.
Alexander has excellent drafting skills, his written work is exceptional and he is very confident on his feet too.
Anna Markham is regularly instructed in significant insolvency and company law matters. She has a strong reputation and has appeared both for and against government departments in a range of insolvency-related disputes. Her areas of expertise include public winding-up petitions and disqualification proceedings.
Anna was very good, her views were clear and she displayed great insight into the key issues.
Christopher Harrison has developed a highly regarded insolvency practice which is complemented by his wider strength in chancery commercial matters. He features regularly in high-profile cross-border cases and complex shareholder disputes. He is known for his expertise in obtaining freezing injunctions and also practises as a barrister in the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands.
Christopher has very measured and effective advocacy.
His style of taking the judge clearly and concisely through the evidence with determination leaves no room for doubt.
John Brisby KC has substantial experience advising on big-ticket litigation. He has appeared before the courts of the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Bermuda, among others. He also sits as a deputy High Court judge.
John is an experienced advocate, is on top of the detail and has a wealth of experience.
He is a force to be reckoned with in cross-examination.
Joseph Wigley is recognised in the market for his work on contentious restructuring and insolvency matters. He regularly acts for officeholders and liquidators and covers claims relating to winding-up orders, insolvent companies and administration applications. Wigley has experience acting as sole counsel but is equally comfortable working within a larger team.
Joe is very good at skeletons.
A reliable performer who is persuasive on his feet and works well with the solicitor team.
Joseph is a forceful advocate and has an incredible ability to deal with difficult cases and distil them down to their most basic elements, thereby helping the judge come to the right decision.
Building on her previous experience as a solicitor at Baker McKenzie, Nicola Timmins now has a busy practice at the Bar, where she specialises in insolvency. She acts for liquidators, creditors and shareholders and handles a variety of claims. Timmins is also called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands.
She is excellent in drafting.
Nicola is really good at getting up to speed on complex matters and she pays lots of attention to the details.
Sharif Shivji KC is highly sought after for his expertise in insolvency disputes and wider commercial capabilities. He is particularly adept at handling matters arising from the collapse of financial institutions, and his broad experience covers both domestic and offshore insolvencies.
A very good advocate.
Daniel Kessler has a varied practice, with a focus on restructuring and insolvency matters. He handles liquidations, liability and acts for creditors and notable clients like HMRC. Kessler also has experience handling cases independently and has appeared as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal.
Daniel is hugely accomplished and technically gifted.
He is great at drafting, providing advice and he is very insightful.
Daniel is good at problem-solving.
Donald Lilly KC is an impressive performer in insolvency proceedings, particularly those regarding the estates of well-known individuals. He is experienced in working on behalf of trustees, administrators and governments, often appearing without a leader.
A wonderfully user-friendly and astute tactician.
He is very smart, responsive, across the detail of his matters and his advocacy style is measured and effective.