Department profile
Fountain Court Chambers

Professional Negligence

UK Bar Guide 2026 : London (Bar)


Fountain Court Chambers

Rankings

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Professional Negligence - London (Bar)

Band 2

Band 2


What the Team is Known For

Fountain Court Chambers offers heavyweight expertise in the representation of both defendants and claimants in claims against professionals in the legal, banking and financial services sectors. The barristers have notable experience in dealing with tax-related disputes, including the Ingenious litigation and Maclean v Thornhill KC. Fountain Court leads the field when it comes to any litigation involving banking mis-selling. Professional negligence claims surrounding high-stakes business insolvencies are an additional area of strength. A recent work highlight was acting for the FRC in an investigation into the highly publicised collapse of Carillion.

Alex Taylor is senior clerk.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Fountain Court's clerks are super responsive and trustworthy in terms of the barristers they recommend for a particular instruction.

    Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • The clerks were pragmatic and commercial.

    Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • The clerks are great to work with.

    Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Star IndividualsAnneliese Day
    Star IndividualsAnneliese Day

    Anneliese Day

    Anneliese Day KC has a strong reputation for her courtroom advocacy and commercial savvy, and is very often called upon to handle high-value professional negligence and insurance disputes. She is regularly instructed in complex multiparty litigation arising from major construction projects, but is also an excellent resource on negligence claims involving accountants, lawyers or tax advisers. Her cases often originate in overseas jurisdictions.

    • Annelise Day KC is very good and very busy. She is hungry to win and is a very intelligent and strong KC.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Anneliese Day KC is just phenomenal, a real leader across every field. She is pretty iconic in this area.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Annelise Day KC is amazing on everything, especially where there is a financial services aspect.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 1Mark Simpson
    Band 1Mark Simpson

    Mark Simpson

    Mark Simpson KC is highly regarded for the forcefulness of his advocacy and for his deep familiarity with professional negligence claims in the financial and legal sectors. In addition to taking on high-profile litigated claims, he also regularly counsels businesses and firms on regulatory concerns and investigations. He receives instructions from both claimant and defendant clients.

    • Mark Simpson KC is brilliant. He wrote the book on professional negligence.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Mark Simpson KC is a pleasure to instruct and is very aware of client dynamics.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Mark Simpson KC has been outstanding in very complex and high-value litigation.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 1Nik Yeo
    Band 1Nik Yeo

    Nik Yeo

    Nik Yeo is an esteemed commercial barrister who has a strong practice in financial sector professional negligence matters, often providing counsel in cases with high exposure. His work has included a number of large-scale claims against valuers, banks and liquidators.

    • Nik Yeo KC can distil huge amounts of information. He appears in really big cases and presents a lot of detail in a very attractive and succinct way.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • He is technically excellent, an outstanding adviser who is very good at conveying complex messages to lay clients. He does excellent drafting and his advice is always meticulously prepared.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Nik Yeo is excellent.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 2Derrick Dale
    Band 2Derrick Dale

    Derrick Dale

    Derrick Dale KC typically takes on cases involving claims against financial service providers, solicitors and barristers, and has provided counsel to City and mid-market law firms, as well as insurers. He appears in both individual and group actions, and augments his professional negligence practice with a strong reputation in banking and general commercial work.

    • Derrick Dale KC is a brilliant advocate and a mastermind when it comes to complex commercial cross-border disputes.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Derrick Dale KC fights hard and takes a lot of good points. He is easy to deal with and quite fun to work with as well.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Derrick is great. His real strength is that he is incredibly personable, so clients love him and feel confident with him. He rolls his sleeves up and gets on with whatever needs to be done.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 2Leigh-Ann Mulcahy
    Band 2Leigh-Ann Mulcahy

    Leigh-Ann Mulcahy

    Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC is frequently instructed in high-value professional liability matters concerning accountants, lawyers and insurance brokers. She has broad advocacy experience, including appellate work, and is also known for her expertise in alternative dispute resolution. A Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, she is well suited to matters which are heavy on technical evidence.

    • Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC is used to dealing with very high-value professional negligence.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC is involved in huge cases and is a strong advocate.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Leigh-Ann is brilliant and very receptive. She turned around some difficult advice for us early this year much more quickly than expected.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 3Nico Leslie
    Band 3Nico Leslie

    Nico Leslie

    Nico Leslie is a strong choice for professional negligence claims in the Caymans and other offshore jurisdictions. He represents claimants and defendants in complex cases, including one concerning client confidentiality in the criminal trial of the Brazilian banker Kátia Rabello.

    • Nico Leslie is a sharp commercial mind and is currently at the top of his game.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Nico Leslie is a very strong technical lawyer. He's a very adaptable junior across a number of fields who delivers good skeleton arguments and written advocacy.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Nico Leslie is an outstanding junior barrister with top-class drafting skills.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 3Timothy Howe
    Band 3Timothy Howe

    Timothy Howe

    Timothy Howe KC's considerable experience at the Bar includes recurrent involvement in complex, high-profile professional negligence cases. He is especially adept at handling claims arising out of the financial crisis, and has acted for banks and financial institutions around the world.

    • Absolutely first rate.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Timothy Howe KC has always been held in high regard.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Timothy Howe KC is a very good litigator. He works incredibly hard and is all over the detail.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4Ben Lynch
    Band 4Ben Lynch

    Ben Lynch

    Ben Lynch KC is a highly regarded silk who is regularly instructed in high-exposure and high-value claims of professional negligence brought against solicitors, barristers and others. He acts in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings, and is well known for his outstanding expertise in insurance matters.

    • He is very effective.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Ben Lynch KC is very impressive and on top of things.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4Christopher Knowles
    Band 4Christopher Knowles

    Christopher Knowles

    Christopher Knowles is an experienced barrister with a busy practice in solicitors' and barristers' negligence claims. He also handles claims brought against accountants.

    • Christopher Knowles is excellent, really first class. He is a phenomenal brain.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4Daniel Edmonds
    Band 4Daniel Edmonds

    Daniel Edmonds

    Daniel Edmonds has a been led by well-regarded silks in major professional negligence cases. These include defending international law firms and representing claimants against top accountancy firms.

    • Daniel Edmonds is a delight to work with. He is responsive and always across all of the detail of a matter, but presents his advice in an accessible and succinct way.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Daniel Edmonds is a star junior: fully on top of the detail, with the ability to advise on the most complex issues.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Daniel Edmonds is incredibly astute with great commercial acumen.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4James Cutress
    Band 4James Cutress

    James Cutress

    James Cutress KC brings his expertise in insurance and financial services to bear in professional negligence cases, being renowned for claims involving banks and financial advisers in addition to highly topical issues in the construction industry.

    • James Cutress KC is very able indeed.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • James Cutress KC is an all-round commercial barrister with a wide practice. He is certainly impressive.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • James Cutress KC is very responsive and easy to work with.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4Natasha Bennett
    Band 4Natasha Bennett

    Natasha Bennett

    Natasha Bennett has strong experience in both financial services and legal matters within professional negligence. Her work has included a large film finance claim against a tax silk and a case concerning the management of a Welsh Government regeneration fund.

    • Natasha Bennett was committed and on top of the material.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Natasha Bennett was helpful and a delight to deal with.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
  • Band 4Tamara Oppenheimer
    Band 4Tamara Oppenheimer

    Tamara Oppenheimer

    Tamara Oppenheimer KC regularly takes on high-value professional negligence cases arising in the financial sector, including recent work advising banks on claims of financial mis-selling.

    • Tamara Oppenheimer KC is incredibly clever and hard-working, with an absolutely voracious appetite for work.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar
    • Tamara gets the ear of the Bench and has the judge eating out of her hand.

      Professional Negligence respondentUK Bar

Ranked Barristers at Fountain Court Chambers (13)

London (Bar)

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