Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Dispute Resolution: Commercial Chancery - UK
What the Team is Known For
In addition to offering significant strength in insolvency law, South Square is also highly regarded for its expertise in a wide range of commercial chancery disputes. The team is well versed in the handling of both contentious and non-contentious matters. Members are regularly called upon to act in claims brought against accountants and professional service firms, and in complex cases involving derivatives and securitisation transactions, among other commercial matters. The team is known for its expert handling of both domestic and international disputes. Recent examples include Avanti Communications, a dispute concerning the characterisation of security interests granted in accordance with LMA market precedents. Members also handled matters arising out of the collapse of Greensill Bank, and in Galapagos Bidco SARL v Kebekus, litigation arising out of the complex restructuring of Galapagos, a Luxembourg incorporated industrial group.
Dylan Playfoot is the senior clerk.
Strengths
Dylan Playfoot is brilliant. A super nice fellow who gets things done, he leads a good team of clerks, who are proactive and responsive.
South Square have great clerks. They are professional and very modern.
The clerking team is a very well-oiled machine.
Notable practitioners
Felicity is very smart and hard-working. She's a real pleasure to work with.
Very clever, very user-friendly, highly accessible and great on her feet, she is absolutely amazing and just gets it.
She is an absolute fount of knowledge.
Tom is an excellent advocate. His ability to get the right information in a case is extraordinary.
David is an extremely effective advocate. He is very clever and quick, and has the trust of the court because of his deep expertise.
One of the most sophisticated advocates I've ever seen. He's so smooth in how he presents his submissions. He builds good rapport and knows his stuff inside out.
David has a significant degree of gravitas.
Rory strikes the right balance between aggression and commerciality.
Very bright and exceptionally pragmatic.
Used to appearing in the highest courts, he is very easy to deal with and hugely impressive in his command of the brief.
Both astute and unflappable, Mark is the barrister's barrister. He is an old-school, rough-and-tumble, legal brawler that you thought they didn't make any more.
Mark has a very clear advocacy style.
Richard is a very strong communicator, who is always quick to respond. He gives good advice and is a fine all-round operator.
Richard is very good. He is intelligent and pleasant to work with.
Adam is very good in front of clients, very good at running complex cases, a good advocate who provides end-to-end service from first instance to trial.
Adam is really good on black letter law, but also a robust advocate who gives clear advice. He's an extremely modern and highly commercial barrister.
Adam bridges insolvency, offshore and fraud matters brilliantly. He is particularly incredible at disputes arising out of restructuring.