Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Commercial Dispute Resolution - London (Bar)

3
Band 3

What the Team is Known For

Wilberforce Chambers has at its disposal a strong bench of commercial barristers, with particularly impressive capability at silk level. Its members are capable of handling a wide spectrum of commercial matters, including cases arising out of company law, insolvency and civil fraud. The set's barristers are well known for their ability to represent clients in international disputes and regularly appear in a range of jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Recently, its members have appeared in Public Institution for Social Security v Al-Rajaan and others, a high-value fraud claim; Steenbok & Anr v Formal Holdings and others, a case arising from a major South African public sector accounting fraud scandal; Invest Bank v El-Husseini, a claim seeking relief under Section 423 of the Insolvency Act; and Bourlakova & Others v Bourlakov & Others, a USD3 billion family dispute concerning alleged fraud. Its members also continue to act on Tulip LLP v Bitcoin Association, a very high-profile case from the crypto sector. One interviewee commented: "If a matter is extremely complicated, then Wilberforce is the first choice."

Nicholas Luckman is the practice director.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

1
John Wardell
1
Band 1

John is a creative thinker and a measured advocate who is very persuasive. He does not distance himself from the day-to-day work.

John is very brave and probably the best advocate I have worked with. He is intellectually very strong and happy to become part of the team.

He is ruthless at cross-examination.

2
Alan Gourgey
2
Band 2

Alan Gourgey is thorough, quick-minded and willing to argue difficult legal arguments for the benefit of the client.

Alan is a complete all-rounder, loved by clients, who makes every member of the team feel valued. He's a man with a brilliant legal mind and a ferocious cross-examiner.

He is just incredibly good at devising strategy and working with everyone to pull things together. I've never seen such leadership. He instils confidence in both solicitors and clients.

2
Thomas Grant
2
Band 2

A very smart, very incisive and very robust litigator, who enjoys the chase and is the option for a client who loves a fighter. He turned a losing case into a winning case - what more could you ask?

3
Bobby Friedman
3
Band 3

Bobby is a tenacious and extremely impressive barrister who is highly commercial in his mindset and excellent on his feet.

Bobby Friedman is a delight to instruct. He is a very smart and intuitive lawyer.

Bobby Friedman is a very good advocate and is very good at coming up with creative solutions.. His written work is exceptional.

3
Ian Croxford KC
3
Band 3

A man who produces fluent advocacy. He is delightful to listen to when he's in court.

He is one of the best trial lawyers around.

His advocacy alone can make the difference between winning and losing.

3
Sri Carmichael
3
Band 3

Sri Carmichael is very talented and one to watch.

I was incredibly impressed by Shri's time management and her work ethic.

3
Tim Penny
3
Band 3

Tim is a superb silk and an excellent cross-examiner. He is very smooth and reads judges well.

Tim is excellent at dealing with clients. He is also responsive and leads his team of juniors really well.

Tim is the king of resolving knotty issues. You can present him with the most shocking of cases and he'll find a way through.

He is a hard-working, bright silk.

Tim is thorough, knowledgeable, persuasive and exceptionally personable.

4
Jack Watson
4
Band 4

I liked Jack Watson a lot. He was out to impress and did impress. He was hard-working, his pleadings were good, and he was both accessible and personable.

Jack is exceptional across the board, including in his written work.

4
Marcia Shekerdemian
4
Band 4

There is nothing Marcia doesn't know about insolvency. She thinks about tactics five or six steps ahead.

Superb in terms of her legal analysis, brilliant with clients and someone who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to bear.

She is always available, affable and disarmingly candid.

5
Emily McKechnie
5
Band 5

Emily has a no-nonsense approach to work, which is refreshing. She is very smart and a pleasure to deal with.

Emily McKechnie is great and very reliable. She's a collaborative senior junior who is great for cases where there is a lot of heavy detail involved.

5
James Bailey
5
Band 5

James is super bright and can review and analyse huge amounts of documents very quickly. He also has broad knowledge, can advise strategically and is a brilliant advocate.

5
James Walmsley
5
Band 5

James has this inherent ability to have incredibly difficult discussions with clients in a way that leaves them feeling confident and that they've got the best advice out there. He's excellent.

James Walmsley has extraordinary brain power, which is only matched by his extraordinary eye for detail. He is also a delight to work with on a personal basis.

You can leave James to run a case happily. He is a very careful barrister whose skeleton arguments are really a work of perfection.

5
Max Mallin
5
Band 5

Max Mallin is a former investment banker who is very numerate and good at picking up detail in cases involving banking or accountancy issues. His advocacy style is very compelling.

Incredibly user-friendly, commercial and sensible, he will find solutions to matters.

5
Tim Matthewson
5
Band 5

Tim displays precision and is extremely detail-oriented. He is a compelling advocate who got us what we wanted; he really covered all the bases.

Tim has very good drafting skills and is all over the detail. His ability to get through a huge amount of work is amazing.

Tim Matthewson's attention to detail is superb. He never misses the important, finer points while considering the bigger picture.

6
Stephen Brown
6
Band 6

An excellent barrister who is all over the detail. He is creative as well in terms of coming up with new options and workarounds.

Stephen Brown is astute, commercially minded and someone who has great international knowledge.

Stephen is excellent. He has the benefit of years of experience as a solicitor. His USP is that he knows exactly what a solicitor needs.

6
Terence Mowschenson
6
Band 6

Terence has a very fine reputation in the commercial litigation space.

A man with a first-class brain who is excellent on his feet.

Ranked Barristers at
Wilberforce Chambers

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Commercial Dispute Resolution

1
John Wardell KC
1
Band 1
2
Alan Gourgey KC
2
Band 2
2
Thomas Grant KC
2
Band 2
3
Ian Croxford KC
3
Band 3
3
Tim Penny KC
3
Band 3
4
Marcia Shekerdemian KC
4
Band 4
5
James Bailey KC
5
Band 5
5
Max Mallin KC
5
Band 5
6
Terence Mowschenson KC
6
Band 6

Juniors

London (Bar)

Commercial Dispute Resolution

3
Bobby Friedman
3
Band 3
3
Sri Carmichael
3
Band 3
4
Jack Watson
4
Band 4
5
Emily McKechnie
5
Band 5
5
James Walmsley
5
Band 5
5
Tim Matthewson
5
Band 5
6
Stephen Brown
6
Band 6