Banking & Finance

Bankim Thanki KC is an extraordinarily versatile silk with a superb reputation in an array of practice areas, including civil fraud, financial services, offshore and international arbitration. He has acted for a variety of clients in the realm of banking disputes, including retail, investment and central banks, often where there is an overlap between contentious regulatory and banking issues. He is additionally noted for his work with central banks in Germany, Namibia and Trinidad & Tobago.

"Bankim is a very adaptable barrister. He comes across extremely well in court and is very calm and measured."

"Bankim is very intelligent and an exceptional advocate."

"Bankim has lightning-fast insight and a superbly smooth and effective courtroom manner. His cross-examination is incredibly effective, and he comes across in a relaxed and charming way."

David Railton KC is a vastly experienced advocate with a practice spanning the full range of disputes in banking and finance. He has particularly deep expertise in issues arising from the financial crash of 2008. His practice covers complex financial products, note issue construction and operation, swaps and derivatives disputes, and cases concerning allegations of LIBOR manipulation. He is also a highly adept practitioner in insurance and general commercial cases. He is further recognised for his expertise in offshore jurisdictions, including the BVI, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, where he handles highly complex financial cases and a number of group litigation matters.

"David has a natural authority that flows from a rare blend of brilliance, decency and the mastery of his subject."

"David is excellent. He's super friendly to work with and very thoughtful, and really gets into the details of a case."

Richard Handyside KC is renowned as a leading player in the banking sphere, having forged an impressive reputation for handling of market-leading cases on behalf of a variety of investment banks and financial institutions. He is particularly noted for his market-leading expertise in issues facing banks arising from the LIBOR manipulation scandal. He has knowledge of disputes relating to the sale of structured notes and film investment schemes.As well as handling the most significant domestic cases, he is also noted for his considerable experience in conducting multi-jurisdictional disputes.

"Richard provides an excellent service and always recognises the commercial needs and realities when providing legal advice."

"Richard is a very robust barrister who is tenacious on his feet, has a good manner before the judges and is excellent before the tribunal."

"Richard is a subtle and powerful advocate, and communicates clearly and effectively with clients."

"Richard is a tremendous banking litigation silk who brings clear and incisive thinking to the most difficult issues. He is a formidable advocate."

Adam Sher is a well-regarded barrister capable in LIBOR-related litigation and general financial disputes, many of which have offshore elements. He acts for an array of major national and multinational retail and investment banks.

"Adam is a premier senior junior in the banking litigation space. He has been in all the key cases. He delivers excellent written work and develops creative and practical solutions."

"Adam's ability to quickly get to grips with complex matters is extremely impressive."

"Adam is an absolute standout in the field. He's fiercely bright, across the details and very client-friendly."

"Adam is technically brilliant and commercially savvy, and clients love his enthusiasm and dedication to his cases. He is also a great advocate and cross-examiner."

Patrick Goodall KC is a renowned silk and an advocate of choice for complex financial disputes turning on intricate questions of technical law, and is particularly proficient at handling reference rate claims and swaps mis-selling cases. He acts both for and against banks, and has experience in co-ordinating cases with offshore elements.

"Patrick is a pre-eminent silk for banking and finance work. He's familiar with the subject matter from top to bottom of the market, and frequently converts that to advice for banking clients."

"Patrick has become one of the go-to silks for banking and finance matters. Crisp advice and advocacy."

"Patrick is an excellent barrister who is very clear and methodical, and manages to reduce complex cases into simple and clear points. He is unflustered no matter the size of the case."

"Patrick is simply magnificent and an absolute pleasure to work with. His advocacy is calm, relaxed and measured, and his advice is always clear, commercial and pragmatic."

"Patrick is an excellent barrister. He's very clear thinking, logical, engaging, very easy to listen to, and has a nice level-headed manner."

Andrew Mitchell KC has established himself as a silk of choice for complex finance litigation, and has an especially strong standing in interest rate swaps disputes. He is also a noted practitioner in commercial dispute resolution and insurance cases. Mitchell is frequently sought out to defend banks against allegations of fraud, and has also appeared for them in PPI mis-selling claims cases. He further advises clients on complex securitisation and underwriting issues.

"He provides valuable insights into the mind of a Judge and the application of the most forceful argument."

David Murray enjoys an excellent reputation as a versatile junior experienced in appearing before the English courts and the DIFC on behalf of a range of banking clients. He is particularly adept at handling cases relating to the mis-selling of financial products. His work sees him advising on a broad range of disputes in commercial, investment and retail banking.

"David is technically excellent, has good judgement and is a pleasure to work with."

"David's written work is always very clear and concise."

"David is a pleasure to work with. He is communicative, clear and pragmatic, and sets out his advice in a well-structured way."

Natasha Bennett is a strong-performing junior who is adept in acting for major national and multinational banks. Her wide-ranging practice covers professional negligence and financial services disputes as well as general commercial litigation and arbitration. She regularly acts in complex cases and is accomplished at acting both as part of a team and as sole counsel. She is also experienced in handling matters relating to alleged manipulation of benchmark interest rates.

"Natasha's written work is excellent and her advocacy is clear and concise."

"Natasha is incredibly hard-working, very diligent and detail-oriented, and her written submissions are excellent."

"Natasha is a pleasure to work with and is fantastic – very sharp and detail-oriented."

"Natasha is an outstanding junior who has a fantastic reputation in the market. She combines great intellect with a terrific work ethic."

"Natasha is a brilliant barrister who is always able to deliver clear, insightful and commercial advice, no matter how difficult the issue. She is wonderful to work with."

Nico Leslie is a talented junior with a reputation for handling disputes relating to interest rate swaps and alleged market manipulation on behalf of leading financial institutions. In recent years he has made great use of his fluency in Italian to handle cases for international investment banks that have had disputes with Italian authorities. He is highly experienced in conducting cases in multiple jurisdictions, as evidenced by his appearance in cases in Bermuda and the BVI.

"Nico is a clever lawyer with an excellent client manner."

"Nico is very good with clients, responsive, smart, and a strong barrister overall."

"Nico is very intelligent and provides written work of exceptional quality. His explanations and thinking are always clear and he is good with clients."

"Nico is very commercially aware and regularly works on high-value matters. The standard of work he produces is always top grade and he is incredibly sharp and on top of the details."

Nik Yeo is a notable senior junior who enjoys a solid standing among instructing solicitors and his peers for his practice in structured finance litigation matters. He has additional noted proficiency in handling professional negligence and commercial international arbitration proceedings. Yeo is regularly involved in very sizeable and complex disputes arising out of the credit crunch. He impresses with his grasp of highly elaborate structured products such as CPDOs, and is noted for his handling of cases with international law elements. He also has significant expertise in cryptocurrency-related financial litigation.

"Nik is calm, confident, supremely intelligent and a pleasure to work with. He knows vast amounts about digital assets and the developing law around that area."

"Nik is a technically excellent and very commercial barrister who is very strong on crypto matters."

Patricia Robertson KC is an experienced and versatile practitioner with a strong track record of representing clients in litigation in the banking sector, especially in cases addressing allegations of regulatory breaches. In addition to her expertise in financial disputes, she is also a noted advocate with respect to professional discipline and negligence matters. She acts with regularity in multi-party disputes relating to failed investment schemes, and is known for her knowledge of interest rate swaps.

"Patricia has an excellent eye for tricky legal issues and consistently applies sound judgement in complex litigation."

"Patricia is proactive, engaged, organised and very easy to work with."

"Patricia is highly impressive and is an encyclopaedia of legal knowledge combined with first-rate commercial and strategic astuteness."

Richard Coleman KC is a capable advocate who acts for both claimants and defendants, especially in cases concerning mis-selling disputes. He is experienced in acting for major national banks as well as prominent financial bodies, including the FCA.

"Richard is always responsive and his written work is excellent. His writing is always clear, well written and highly commercial."

"Richard's knowledge and understanding of the regulators and his thoughtful approach are always appreciated by his clients."

Richard Lissack KC is a highly regarded practitioner with a wealth of sector experience. His esteemed banking practice is focused on complex and substantial matters, regularly involving cross-border elements. He has specialist knowledge of disputes involving financial crime, fraud, bribery, money laundering and sanctions, and has handled a number of matters relating to SFO investigations. Lissack has also been called to numerous international Bars, including New York, the DIFC and the Eastern Caribbean.

"Richard has great skill and industry knowledge, making him a very impressive barrister to work with."

"Richard is excellent on his feet, charming and very well read, and has great client service skills."

Rosalind Phelps KC is an accomplished silk who is noted for her abilities across a range of banking and finance matters, and has particular expertise in bond and loan disputes, LIBOR and swap mis-selling cases. She handles significant disputes for clients including both high-street and investment banks.

"Rosalind is all across the detail. She's absolutely brilliant, and is very forceful in court while not taking bad points."

"Rosalind is superb at the law and is an excellent advocate, both in writing and on her feet."

"Rosalind is responsive, pragmatic and commercial, and works seamlessly with her team."

"Rosalind is an utter joy to work with. She is super clever and is wonderful at cutting through issues to give you a sensible perspective."

"Rosalind is a very strong barrister who is an experienced and terrifically able intellectual. She's also very creative and very strong in court."

Timothy Howe KC is an exceptionally capable advocate with an enormous amount of experience of handling banking litigation and arbitration. Within banking and finance, he is especially good at handling cases stemming from allegations of fraud concerning swaps and derivatives. He represents leading global investment banks in high-value matters relating to complex derivatives and other transactions.

"Tim combines an extraordinary grasp of the detail of heavy commercial matters with an impressive degree of energy and persuasiveness when it comes to presenting the case in court."

"Tim is an excellent all-rounder on banking and finance-related matters, from asset management to bonds and beyond."

Adam Zellick KC is a highly adept silk who co-ordinates a broad array of banking cases, including those involving derivatives, swaps and LIBOR manipulations. He is frequently sought out to handle both substantial, highly publicised litigation and cases that are reputationally sensitive.

"Adam is exceptionally bright, a true team player and hugely personable."

"Adam is a great tactician with an understated advocacy style."

"Adam is a brilliant, commercially minded, pragmatic and very impressive advocate. He is succinct but gets the point across and is fiercely intelligent, pragmatic and effective."

Daniel Edmonds is an accomplished junior who is well versed in appearing in courts at all levels. He handles an array of financial matters, including those involving substantial damages claims, debt mis-selling allegations and repayment disputes.

"Daniel is very user-friendly and personable, always willing to roll his sleeves up and get involved."

"Daniel is incredibly talented and unflappable, and deals with everything a case throws at him very well."

"Daniel has a fantastic ability to get on top of the detail and the law to cut through to the heart of any issue and deliver excellent advice that is as sound legally as it is commercially."

"Daniel is a brilliant counsel with excellent strategic judgement and is a tremendous asset on any case involving high stakes and complex issues of fact and law."

Henry King KC is a highly capable advocate whose practice in banking and financial regulatory disputes is informed, in part, by his accountancy qualification. He is well versed in handling claims on behalf of central and investment banks, and is very experienced in derivatives cases. King regularly handles both national and international financial disputes involving a range of high-profile clients.

"Henry is a very good barrister, a strong advocate and a talented cross-examiner, and is good on foreign law."

"Henry is very intelligent and provides written work of exceptional quality. His explanations and thinking are always clear."

"Henry is very thorough, cautious and excellent to work with."

"Henry is a very stern advocate who has the confidence of the court and strong gravitas."

Ian Bergson has been involved in a range of high-value and high-profile banking and financial services cases. His expertise includes mis-selling cases and banking-related insolvency disputes.

"Ian is hard-working and super creative, and thinks up new angles of approach to matters."

"Ian is very helpful, clever and hard-working. He is an asset to any team he is on and communicates clearly, setting out any advice in a well-structured way."

Jeffrey Chapman KC is a highly capable and respected advocate whose practice in banking and finance commonly overlaps with his wider expertise in commercial fraud matters. He has noted ability in international disputes, financial regulatory matters and arbitration proceedings, and regularly handles matters for national and international banks.

"Jeffrey is totally delightful and extremely well regarded in the banking and finance Bar."

"Jeffrey is easy to deal with, responsive, and very clear and client-friendly in all his dealings."

John Taylor KC has a strong track record of representing banks both in the English courts and overseas. He has particular experience in cases addressing LIBOR manipulation, the operation of standard terms and the mis-selling of interest rate swaps.His banking practice incorporates disputes in overseas jurisdictions, and he has particular experience of acting in the DIFC.

"John is a very strong oral advocate."

"John is technically strong, has a great eye for detail and is really collaborative."

Laura John KC is a highly adept and experienced practitioner with a renowned practice in financial litigation and arbitration. She is involved in significant, market-leading matters concerning LIBOR and EURIBOR manipulations and acts for a vast array of investment and retail banks.

"Laura is a joy to work with. She is skilled in client management and has an excellent advocacy style that is highly effective."

"Laura is very adaptive on her feet and her cross-examination preparation and advocacy on both witnesses and experts are skilled and well crafted."

Laurie Brock has acted in some of the more substantial, high-value cases of recent times. He is particularly skilled in cases involving allegations of derivatives mis-selling and LIBOR manipulation.

"Laurie is astonishingly hard-working, has a really detailed approach and is very reassuring and confident."

"Laurie is an extremely impressive barrister, incredibly bright and responsive, and is fantastic to have on your team."

"Laurie produces brilliant written work and great oral advocacy."

"Laurie is an outstanding barrister with phenomenal work levels, attention to detail and client service."

"Laurie is super clever and hard-working, and produces excellent advocacy."

Raymond Cox KC is a highly experienced banking and financial services silk with a great deal of expertise in derivatives, securities and insolvency matters. His work has seen him handling disputes addressing issues of mortgage interest rate alteration in tracker products and cases concerning secured loan facilities.He has expertise in multi-jurisdictional matters, including those concerning the Cayman Islands.

"Ray has been really good on his feet and analytically strong."

Rupert Allen is an impressive senior junior with significant expertise in banking and finance cases. His impressive client roster includes major international and domestic banks and financial institutions.

"Rupert readily provides sound and strategic advice and is also a strong advocate."

Tamara Oppenheimer KC is a highly adept silk acting in a wide variety of prominent banking cases for major clients. She handles matters involving fraud allegations and mis-selling disputes, and is also experienced in professional negligence matters. She has further experience of representing the government.

"Tamara is a very good, insightful, responsive barrister who knows the law very well and gives clear advice."

"Tamara is incredibly persuasive, very detail-oriented, and very good at persuading judges."

Alexander Milner KC is an accomplished barrister who is equally adept at acting both for and against banks, and is experienced in cases connected with interest rate hedging products. Milner speaks fluent Russian, and as a result has experience in working on cases from the CIS region. Domestically, he acts for and against banks in litigation covering a variety of banking and finance issues. Mis-selling claims and LIBOR misrepresentation cases are a particular specialism.

"Alexander has incredible attention to detail and encyclopaedic knowledge of case law, and is unbelievably hard-working and very responsive."

Alexandra Whelan is a respected barrister with a highly regarded banking practice. She leverages her prior experience as a solicitor to assist banks in a range of courts. She is regularly sought to act in high-profile commercial disputes involving international elements, as well as having experience of class action matters.

"She really knows her way around banking. I have no worries recommending her for complex and high-value matters."

"Alexandra is absolutely brilliant. She is very quick and her paperwork is brilliant. The quality of the work is absolutely first rate."

"Alexandra is very intelligent and provides written work of exceptional quality. Her explanations and thinking are always clear."

"She is very thorough and commercial, and has great technical abilities. She is on her way to being a star of the future. She has great judgement and is hyper-efficient."

Ben Valentin KC has undoubted expertise in banking cases as part of a wide-ranging international commercial arbitration and commercial dispute resolution practice, and has appeared in a number of leading cases for major financial clients on both the claimant and defendant sides. He is noted for his significant experience of acting in complex offshore litigation in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands in particular.

"Ben is a fantastic barrister who is smooth, merciless in court and incredibly persuasive."

"Ben has excellent drafting skills, is very polite, and reads the room very well."

"Ben provides very good oral and written advocacy, and is both team-oriented and pragmatic."

Christopher Langley has an impressive banking practice, which has seen him appear in Supreme Court cases. He is frequently instructed by high-profile banking institutions in complex finance disputes, often involving multiple jurisdictions. Langley has additional knowledge of growing finance areas, such as cryptocurrency.

"Christopher is a fantastic junior with very good attention to detail and he is always insightful with superb drafting."

"He is a good team player and very good with clients."

Craig Ulyatt is an accomplished junior who appears both led and unled in a variety of banking and financial services cases. He regularly acts in matters involving financial mis-selling, particularly concerning interest rate swaps.

"Craig is an excellent barrister who is very clever, committed, hard-working and always on top of his cases."

Giles Wheeler KC is a well-regarded practitioner who garners praise for his adept representation in a range of banking disputes, including those involving LIBOR misrepresentations and FCA challenges. He is especially well versed in handling derivatives litigation, and acts both for and against banks.

"Giles is very impressive technically and a pleasure to work with. He makes the complicated appear simple."

"Giles is excellent. He's very calm and comes across as very reasonable and hard-working. He's happy to go into the detail and is a pleasure to work with all around."

"Giles has a fantastic technical ability to understand complex issues and distil them in an easily understood way."

James Cutress KC is a well-regarded silk experienced in handling a broad range of complex and high-value banking and financial matters, as well as wider insurance and general commercial disputes. His banking cases include many cross-border disputes and arbitrations. He has also acted in a series of high-profile and well-documented interest rate swap mis-selling cases.

"James is a thorough and calm advocate. He has great knowledge and attention to detail, making for effective advocacy in a commercial context."

"James Cutress KC combines legal acumen with an ability to swiftly distil and present the core issues to the court. His advocacy is polished and persuasive."

"James is incredibly clever and brilliant to work with."

Joseph Farmer wins plaudits for his strong banking practice, which regularly sees him in court unled for a range of banking and corporate clients. He has in-depth knowledge of fraud and mis-selling matters, and has been involved in high-profile cases with international elements.

"He's calm under pressure, commercial and a good advocate"

"He provides very high-quality written and oral submissions. All contributions were considered and helpful. He is extremely pleasant to deal with."

Max Evans is known for his developing banking and finance practice, which sees him representing banks in the high court. He has experience of dealing with LIBOR-related disputes, cases involving competition elements and international matters.

"Max has an impressive capacity for complex factual analysis. He's a clear thinker with a commercial eye."

"He has a good written style and is a strong team player."

Paul Sinclair KC is noted for his impressive practice focusing on disputes involving conspiracy and fraud, and he has a solid reputation among leading solicitor firms for the superior quality of his work. His practice is going from strength to strength, as evidenced by his key roles in cases that have proven seminal for the industry as a whole.

"Paul is unfailingly polite, unfailingly brilliant at what he does and incredibly robust yet laconic in his style. A style that clicks with judges. A pleasure, he is never too busy to help."

"Paul is an excellent trial advocate and his advice is reliably of an extremely high quality. Trusted by clients at every level, Paul is very highly recommended."

Rebecca Loveridge acts for both national and international clients in a range of financial matters. She acts in matters concerning breach of fiduciary duty, the enforcement of guarantees and the mis-selling of financial products.

"She is very sharp."

"Rebecca has incredible attention to detail and leaves no point unnoticed."

Simon Atrill KC is highly experienced in acting for a broad variety of investment and retail banks in matters involving derivative disputes and swaps mis-selling. He has experience of acting in leading banking disputes, many of which are international in nature, including those concerning alleged EURIBOR manipulation.

"My favourite barrister, he never lets me down. He doesn't miss anything! You can never go wrong with Simon because his legal and analytical ability is absolutely phenomenal."

"Simon is very intelligent and provides written work of exceptional quality. His explanations and thinking are always clear."

"Simon is a fantastic barrister. He is very clever and great to work with."

James Duffy KC handles complex matters for a wide variety of major national investment banks. He has expertise in cases concerning LIBOR manipulation, swaps mis-selling and fraud disputes. Duffy has appeared in a number of the most significant cases of recent years in the banking and finance sector, and is noted for his handling of cases that are both high-profile and reputationally sensitive.

"James provides visionary contributions over the course of matters. He is incredibly hard-working while always remaining a pleasure to deal with. He provides clear advice, and very clear written work."

"I enjoy working with James very much; he provides an excellent level of service."

"Infectiously enthusiastic with real determination combined with excellent analysis and drafting skills."