Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Dispute Resolution: Commercial - UK
What the Team is Known For
A strong set with pronounced litigation experience across the commercial market that boasts widely recognised barristers capable of handling complex pieces of litigation. The lawyers here display particular acumen for cases involving banking and insurance. Recent examples include: CRF I Limited v Banco Nacional de Cuba & the Republic of Cuba, a high-profile claim brought by a commercial investor in historic Cuban debt, raising issues of State Immunity; and Aon UK Limited, Aon Brasil Corretora De Resseguros Limitida and Aon plc v Howden Group Holdings Limited, a case involving the alleged 'poaching' of Brazilian reinsurance units. The set also boasts a huge contingent of members offering advice on the Russian aircraft claims. One source comments: They have tremendous depth and breadth of experience in all areas of insurance law, in particular." Another says that the set's barristers are "consistently brilliant across a broad spectrum of commercial matters."
Greg Leyden is the senior clerk.
Strengths
Senior Clerk Greg Leyden is excellent and always looking for opportunities both for his members and for us.
The set has an excellent team of clerks. The service is very prompt and efficient.
7KBW clerks make you feel valued.
The clerks at 7KBW are a real pleasure to work with. Clerk Joe Clayton, in particular, provides an excellent service.
The clerks are really helpful and will definitely help you out when you're in a pinch and urgent assistance is needed. They are always available to talk to.
Notable practitioners
Jonathan Gaisman KC is the go-to silk for high-value, complex disputes where you need someone who can add gravitas to a legal team. His advocacy is always exceptional.
Top of the tree for insurance cases. He is trusted for his heavyweight intellect.
He is supremely confident and well-prepared. There is no one else like him.
David is a powerful advocate who dives into cases head-on. He has very sound judgement and gives great advice.
David Allen is a proper fighter.
A top-notch, tenacious advocate.
He is very effective as an advocate and particularly good for difficult commercial cases.
Gavin Kealey KC is exceptional.
He is one of the strongest insurance lawyers that there has ever been.
He has an amazing reputation and practice.
Keir Howie is incredibly bright and has really just encyclopaedic knowledge of law and procedure. He always has the right answer ready to go.
Keir Howie's advocacy is superb.
Keir Howie writes incredibly well and is destined for great things. I think he's a superstar in the making.
Michael Ryan can really deal with difficult cases and is very impressive. He can turn his hands to many things, and when he does so he is excellent.
Michael is very smart, user-friendly, capable and detail-oriented. He did advocacy with respect to one significant part of the claim and was excellent on his feet.
Michael is an excellent junior. I worked with him on a matter, and his preparation, mastery of the documents and drafting were exemplary.
Rebecca is a truly outstanding KC, who gets to the nub of the issue with lightning speed. She is a powerful, forensic advocate, who never gets flustered.
Rebecca is a fierce advocate and someone that you always want on your side.
Rebecca is one of the best advocates of her generation. She is totally unflappable and totally in command.
Benjamin Parker is always available and is always sensible and practical in his advice.
Ben is a formidable barrister, who provides practical advice, is supremely clever and is commercially aware. He is a pleasure to deal with and super responsive.
David is excellent in all areas. His levels of preparation and clarity of expression are exceptional.
David is swift to pick the most attractive and persuasive line for the judges. His written work is elegant and concise.
James Brocklebank is the barrister that other barristers would choose. He is exceptionally talented.
James is extremely thorough and delightful to work with. He is also very much to the point.
Richard Waller is really smart and has excellent judgement as to what to pursue and what not to pursue.
He is impressive in every respect.
Clara has everything anyone would want. She is exceptionally clever but wears it lightly, and she is steely but never unpleasant. In addition, she is committed and never lets you down.
Clara is an absolutely outstanding junior. She really is top of the pops.
Clara is brainy, user-friendly and very concise on paper.
A barrister with a very nice manner, who understands the pressures that solicitors are under and does his best to alleviate them.
Intellectually very strong and someone who has the ear of the judges.
He is a great barrister and a delightful person.
Jawdat is extremely sharp and pragmatic and very good at presenting oral arguments succinctly.
She commands respect and when she speaks, people listen.
Jo combines intellectual rigour, strategic insight and practical guidance. She is always approachable and takes the time to carefully walk both the team and clients through issues.
She is a wonderful barrister in every respect and a delightful person.
Her advice is clear and succinct, but detailed where needed. Whilst she is incredibly intelligent and on the money in terms of technical expertise, she is also engaging and collaborative.
Michael is a clear expert in his field. He is user-friendly and not averse to rolling up his sleeves and getting down to the nitty gritty.
Micheal Holmes is a great reinsurance lawyer through and through. He gets into the detail, is not precious about seniority levels and will not leave something until he's got it right.
He possesses a truly impressive brain and has great fun with it.
Timothy Kenefick is the nicest barrister in the world - just the loveliest man. What I liked about him was how good his written work was.
Tim's the one to go to if you need someone who is willing to muck in and get the job done alongside you,
Jason is very committed and energetic, and he really understand what clients need in hard-fought cases. He is a go-to for cases where you need a robust approach wrapped up in an easygoing package.
Jason Robinson is a very talented new silk.