Chancery: Traditional

Serle Court has an impressive reputation in the market for its handling of high-value chancery work. Multiple barristers at the chambers have continued to be involved in the largest ever Bermudian trust dispute, Wong v Grand View PTC & Ors, which relates to five Bermudian purpose trusts containing assets worth over USD15 billion dollars. "Serle Court will always be my first chambers of choice for complex matters," remarks an interviewee, adding: "There is nothing you can throw at them that they can't find a way through." Another source appreciates the approach taken by barristers throughout the set: "I have always found their case analysis, commercial judgement and responsiveness to be excellent."

"Nicholas Hockney and Daniel Wheeler lead the clerking team."

"The clerks are professional and easy to work with."

"The clerks are very proactive and are always very keen to find a solution to whatever problem you have. They've been absolutely spot on - they know their team well and what they're trying to achieve."

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 an absolute star." "She is not only technically outstanding but she is absolutely unflappable. Constance provides robust, well-balanced advice while never failing to recognise the human side of the work she does." "She has the best judgement for 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. He's across the detail in a way that takes your breath away." "He's unrivalled in this area in his knowledge of onshore trust litigation." "He quickly gets to the nub of the most technical of issues while ensuring that he communicates them in a way that is easily digestible. He's empathetic with clients and brilliant to work with."

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 simply outstanding. She 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. She is exceptional at managing tricky matters. She is a very reassuring member of the team and she inspires confidence not only in lawyers but also in lay clients." "She's a great team player. 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."

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 without losing sight of the bigger picture." "Emma is one of our go-to juniors. She's 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 - 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 very commercial, very approachable and incredibly responsive. His advocacy is fantastic. He's very calm, doesn't get rattled, and is very specific and very clever." "Richard is incredibly practical and strategic in his thinking and adept at readjusting with speed and accuracy 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 in these cases. 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, works hard and is incredibly bright and engaging. His strategic insight and input are always valued and clients love him." "He is has a great reputation and rightly so. He is very detail-focused and does not get lost in the weeds. He is great in court and an all-rounder." "Giles is a joy to work with. He is a hugely talented advocate and 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 completely unflappable. I do not know any barrister as responsive as him. He is someone you can always rely on, he works incredibly hard and he is such a nice person as well." "James is an exceptional junior. He's extremely personable, always on hand, bright and hard-working. James is a pleasure to work with." "He's incredibly organised, very bright and very hard-working. He's all over the detail and is 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-pressure and complex of cases, have been considered." "He offers calm, pragmatic advice even in the midst of extreme pressure. He is incredibly hard-working, constantly making our lives easier and producing very high-quality advice." "Thomas is an excellent junior with good insight and commercial acumen. He's 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 on his feet and a tremendous asset in the mediation room or at court." "I really enjoy working with Harry. His input is considered, thoughtful and astute. He fitted seamlessly into an established team." "He is a rising star. He has excellent judgement, performs really well in court and is very good at analysing his client's case. He 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, 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. Despite being such a massive brain, he is extremely approachable, he is great at presenting, and his written and oral advocacy is amazing." "Jonathan knows the field like the back of his hands."

Oliver Jones represents clients in contentious probate, trusts and estate administration matters. "He is an outstanding senior junior who is very user-friendly, very efficient, and 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 distil his advice in a way that is clear and persuasive while also being sensitive to client concerns and demands." "He's very good at reading what it is that clients want. His drafting and advocacy are fantastic. He's brilliant on his feet."

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 with good 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. She has a very understated manner that belies a fierce intellect." "Stephanie is personable, always on hand and 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 was properly knowledgeable about trusts law all over the globe. You can put any question to him and he'd have an answer." "He has great drafting, and is on top of the detail and a really good advocate." "He is highly intelligent and is an excellent advocate as well. He can navigate things in a nuanced way such that he is very good 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 with an excellent written product." "Zahler is very helpful and considered and a pleasure to work with."

Jamie Randall is instructed on a wide range of trust and estate disputes. He has expertise acting on high-value Inheritance Act claims and tax-related disputes. "Jamie is a talented operator with great intellect and good emotional intelligence, and he is calm under pressure." "He has absolutely enormous talent. He is clearly very detail-oriented, very considered and somebody that will go very, very far." "He is an excellent draftsman and has some very good work on at the moment. He is responsive, intelligent, and incredibly calm and decisive."

Sparsh Garg recently joined Serle Court and has significant expertise in trust and estate disputes in England as well as various offshore jurisdictions. "Sparsh is very committed, very diligent, and delightful to deal with. His written submissions are always at the highest standard, and his advocacy has also been of an exceptionally high standard." "Sparsh is very knowledgeable but also able to distil that knowledge into practical advice, which was easy to understand and implement." "He is a very solid junior, who is able to grapple with complex issues of law and facts, and provide clear advice. He is also very responsive to emails and just a pleasure to work with."