Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chancery: Traditional - London (Bar)

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Wilberforce Chambers has an impressive group of barristers who handle complex disputes surrounding trusts and estates, and demonstrate multi-jurisdictional knowledge of the law. The set is known among instructing solicitors for its "extremely knowledgeable and experienced counsel, with a commercial outlook". Other sources highlight the set's bench, one noting that "their range of silks and juniors is unmatched". Members of the set have appeared in a number of significant trust matters of late, including Byers v Saudi National Bank, heard in the Supreme Court, and Grosskopf v Grosskopf.

Strengths

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Notable Practitioners

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Brian Green
Star Individuals

Brian Green KC is a respected silk whose depth of experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters is widely recognised. He works on a range of challenging cases both domestically and offshore, and is a particular expert in trusts and pensions matters.

Brian Green is unmatched in his field. A genuine powerhouse of a legal thinker and strategist who is a pleasure to work with.

Brian Green's reputation speaks for itself. He is a real heavyweight chancery counsel. His views are given enormous respect by overseas judges.

Brian is an oracle on all things trusts. He is a confidant to clients and really knows what will play well in court.

He is absolutely creative and will get amazing results for clients. His knowledge going back is astounding and his seal of approval is worth a lot.

1
Clare Stanley
1
Band 1
Clare Stanley KC acts in a wide range of private client and trust litigation, regularly handling highly complex disputes. She is frequently instructed in high-value matters both onshore and offshore.

Clare is an academically brilliant lawyer and excellent on her feet. She does a really good job bridging private wealth and corporate matters.

Clare is absolutely fantastic. She is tireless in her dedication to a case and she is a great communicator. A huge amount of work and energy goes into every aspect of her advocacy.

Clare Stanley knows how to get the judge on her side. She is very good at putting her case across with the right balance of assertion and empathy.

Clare Stanley is a silk at the top of her game. She is highly technically skilled and a great advocate.

1
Fenner Moeran
1
Band 1

Fenner Moeran KC is particularly focused on high-value private client litigation and associated advice, acting in both court proceedings as well as various forms of ADR. He has a substantial advisory practice, both onshore and offshore.

He just deploys his experience to really good effect to achieve constructive solutions for clients. He thinks imaginatively on how to sort disputes and is an excellent advocate, reassuring for judges.

Fenner is brilliant. He is excellent with clients, brilliant on his feet and someone who really gets the commercial angles of his cases. He is all about detail and completely meticulous.

Fenner Moeran is my go-to counsel for contentious trusts matters. He has this extraordinary ability to explain complex concepts in layman's terms.

1
Gilead Cooper
1
Band 1

Gilead Cooper KC is an eminent silk whose respected chancery practice is focused on contentious property and trusts. He attracts a wealth of praise for his advocacy.

Gilead Cooper has great intellect and always looks at questions constructively. He is somebody I really enjoy working with. He is very businesslike and knowledgeable.

He is a real brainbox in his area. He is able to argue any side of any argument in a really exceptional way, a bit like a scholar. He thinks on a different intellectual plane to most of us.

Gilead Cooper is extremely clever. He thinks of things others don't and is great for complex cases. He is also a pleasure to work with.

Gilead Cooper comes well equipped with a fierce intellect and an enjoyment of the law. It is a pleasure to be in his company when you're fighting a fight.

1
Jonathan Hilliard
1
Band 1

Jonathan Hilliard KC has a broad traditional chancery practice that takes in a wide array of trusts matters and a substantial amount of advisory work. He is widely respected for the depth of his technical knowledge. Hilliard has built a formidable practice focusing on trusts, fraud and pensions cases.

Jonathan Hilliard is phenomenally hard-working and will help you through all sorts of issues for offshore trust litigation. He is always available and his analytical skills are second to none.

We really enjoy working with him. He is all over the technical side but also engages with the clients well. He's an excellent strategic and commercial thinker.

Jonathan Hilliard is superb, probably one of the cleverest at the Bar. He is responsive and constructive.

Jonathan Hilliard is a rare mix of super intelligent, impressively proactive and user-friendly.

Jonathan Hilliard is astounding in his intellectual ability. He has so much experience that he instantly has thoughts on any question imaginable.

1
Michael Furness
1
Band 1

Michael Furness KC has expertise in complex trust and estate matters, both domestically and offshore.

Michael really stands out in having that integrated view on trust-driven matters with complex UK tax questions. He has a very attractive way of dealing with matters.

Michael Furness cuts through issues well and can identify client needs and find short pathways to them.

Michael Furness is brilliant on trusts and pensions crossovers, which is really unique. Clients are delighted by his solutions as he thinks creatively. He is also brilliant in court; judges like him.

Michael Furness has gravitas, pragmatism and a willingness to get 'stuck in' at all levels of matters.

1
Robert Ham
1
Band 1

Robert Ham KC focuses on trusts and other private client work, including tax matters, both contentious and non-contentious. He is regularly instructed in offshore cases.

There is nothing Robert Ham doesn't know about trusts. He has been key in developing a lot of those principles here in the early stages. He is an amazing man.

Being a super senior silk, Robert has a massive amount of technical trust knowledge and also an appreciation of tax law. He is very good at looking at complex trust structures.

Robert Ham is the guy you want if you're acting for trustees. He is wise and thoughtful, with experience second to none.

Robert Ham is a legend. He has been doing this for a long time, and his experience is such that he has seen everything before. He has a tried and tested solution for any complex issue.

2
Andrew Mold
2
Band 2
Andrew Mold KC has a wide-ranging traditional chancery practice, with particular expertise in matters with matrimonial trust aspects to them. He also advises on complex fraud and pensions matters.

Andrew's ability to process massive amounts of legal information and facts is amazing. He is good with cross-border litigation and an excellent team player with very elegant delivery.

Andrew Mold is commercially and strategically brilliant. He has a sharp mind that is able to get into the weeds without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Andrew Mold is the go-to silk for family cases involving trusts. He is meticulous, technically excellent and a joy to work with. He is very clear and practical in his advice.

Andrew Mold is extremely clever and has the rare combination of being a really good advocate and someone you can introduce to clients happily.

Andrew is a lovely guy to deal with. He is always available, practical and does not overcomplicate things. He is someone I would instruct again in a heartbeat.

2
Jonathan Davey
2
Band 2
Jonathan Davey KC is frequently sought after for high-value and high-profile traditional chancery matters. He is noted for his expertise in charities and for his handling of highly complex tax litigation.

Jonathan Davey combines an ability to get into the details of the case with a grand narrative style that always has the confidence of a court.

Jonathan's advocacy is compelling. He commands huge respect from clients and has a quicksilver mind.

Jonathan Davey is charismatic, pragmatic and laser-focused on securing a result for the client. He is very strategically minded, but his real skill set shines through when he is on his feet.

2
Michael Ashdown
2
Band 2
Michael Ashdown combines expertise in private client trusts law with extensive tax knowledge to handle disputes centred on wills, trusts and estates.

Michael has formidable knowledge of trusts law and an ability to deliver detailed and commercial advice in a timely manner.

Michael has an excellent skill set for private client matters. His application of the law is great, but he is also able to dovetail it with pragmatism and look at the big picture.

He is very detail-oriented and great for offshore elements in trust cases. He is client-friendly, his advice is technically good and he is strategically excellent for particularly complicated matters.

Michael Ashdown is extremely thorough and very much willing to get into the details of a trust, but also very practical and commercial. He is happy to look at things in the round.

2
Tiffany Scott
2
Band 2
Tiffany Scott KC has a depth of experience in both contentious and non-contentious trusts matters, and is frequently instructed by high net worth individuals and top firms. Her practice also includes advisory work, and she is noted for her involvement in offshore work.

What stood out for me is her experience as a trust lawyer and how she brings that to get things done quickly, with a good strategy.

Tiffany Scott is great. A calm, measured resource in any large-scale matter.

Tiffany Scott is a straight talker. She is a concise and punchy advocate. The court really listens to her.

Tiffany Scott is so impressive. She is technically brilliant, a complete team player and a brilliant advocate too.

3
Edward Sawyer
3
Band 3

Edward Sawyer acts on both contentious and non contentious matters involving trusts, probate and succession, both domestic and offshore.

Edward is a very impressive analytical legal mind, one who will always display a calmness in any situation, however febrile.

Edward Sawyer is great at navigating practical challenges and coming up with creative legal solutions that work for clients.

Edward is very experienced and knowledgeable. He is good to go to for tough problems as he will try and strip out the core issues and advise on those.

3
Jennifer Seaman
3
Band 3
Jennifer Seaman is a specialist in probate and estate disputes, as well as pensions and inheritance matters.

Jennifer Seaman is a safe pair of hands. She has very good judgement and is really on top of everything strategic.

Jennifer Seaman is thoughtful, with a good eye for detail. She can pick up points of nuance while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

Jennifer is hugely capable and technical, with a strong focus on ensuring that all procedure is correctly dealt with at the same time as giving the best legal advice.

3
Zoë Barton
3
Band 3

Zoë Barton KC has a broad chancery practice, which makes her a particularly fine choice of counsel for matters with commercial or real property aspects. She is also noted for her work on Court of Protection matters.

Zoë Barton is very cerebral and my first choice for anything that is property and fraud related. She is a very articulate advocate.

One of her great USPs is that she is always available at the end of the phone. In terms of advocacy, she is very effective.

4
Anna Littler
4
Band 4

Anna Littler's chancery practice regularly involves significant offshore trusts matters. She also advises clients on commercial matters involving insolvency and civil fraud.

Anna Littler is fantastic. She has incredibly good judgement and thinks through to the end. She sees all the traps that could be before a litigant in a case.

Anna is one of my favourite juniors. She is so user-friendly, bright and thorough. Even as a junior who is in the weeds with drafting, you can rely on her to get to the crux of the matter quickly.

I find Anna to be very proactive and on top of the details. She is very aware of the strategic output of a case, with an eye on the best position for a client.

4
Elizabeth Houghton
4
Band 4

Elizabeth Houghton advises on a wide range of commercial and chancery matters. She is regularly involved in cases in offshore jurisdictions.

Elizabeth Houghton is unbelievably bright. She makes things happen and constantly looks at the bigger picture.

Elizabeth is the complete package. She is lovely to work with and a very commercial thinker.

4
James Goodwin
4
Band 4

James Goodwin's chancery practice sees him acting on a range of onshore and offshore trust matters.

James is really good to work with. He is just really commercial, switched on and very easy to deal with on commercial issues.

James Goodwin is an excellent junior. He is a lovely, helpful team player and I would be happy to have him on any team I am part of.

James is an incredible senior junior who provides a KC's insight into everything he does.

4
Joseph Steadman
4
Band 4

Joseph Steadman is an experienced chancery barrister with a broad practice involving property, pensions and trusts matters.

Joseph Steadman is a really brilliant, exciting junior. He's phenomenally bright and really client-friendly. I wouldn't hesitate to work with him again.

He is very thoughtful about approaching issues. His written work is just really excellent, and his arguments are broken down to ensure they are thoughtful.

Joseph is highly knowledgeable, fantastic with clients, communicative and on hand as and when needed. He will go over and above.

4
Simon Atkinson
4
Band 4

Simon Atkinson has expertise in trusts, estates and property-related disputes. He acts for a variety of international high net worth clients.

Simon Atkinson is an excellent black letter lawyer but adds to that good strategic sense. He is very good at negotiating with parties.

Simon Atkinson is highly intelligent and thorough.

Ranked Barristers at
Wilberforce Chambers

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Filter by
Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Chancery: Traditional

Brian Green KC
Star Individuals
1
Clare Stanley KC
1
Band 1
1
Fenner Moeran KC
1
Band 1
1
Gilead Cooper KC
1
Band 1
1
Jonathan Hilliard KC
1
Band 1
1
Michael Furness KC
1
Band 1
1
Robert Ham KC
1
Band 1
2
Andrew Mold KC
2
Band 2
2
Jonathan Davey KC
2
Band 2
2
Tiffany Scott KC
2
Band 2
3
Zoë Barton KC
3
Band 3

Juniors

London (Bar)

Chancery: Traditional

2
Michael Ashdown
2
Band 2
3
Edward Sawyer
3
Band 3
3
Jennifer Seaman
3
Band 3
4
Anna Littler
4
Band 4
4
Elizabeth Houghton
4
Band 4
4
James Goodwin
4
Band 4
4
Joseph Steadman
4
Band 4
4
Simon Atkinson
4
Band 4