INDIVIDUAL PROFILE

John Machell KC

High Net Worth 2026

Serle Court

Ranked in 1 practice area

Chancery: Traditional

London (Bar)

10 years ranked

About

Provided by Serle Court

High Net Worth

Practice Areas

John Machell KC has a broad commercial chancery practice, and particular experience of large-scale litigation involving trusts, fiduciary / director duties, and fraud and trusts, particularly with an international dimension.

John is regarded as one of the leading partnership and LLP silks and has experience of a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious matters across the whole range of business sectors. A large part of his work involves issues arising from the use of partnerships and LLPs in hedge fund and private equity structures; in international commercial group structures; and as part of wealth planning strategies.

A substantial part of John’s practice is offshore and he has appeared in the courts of Grand Cayman, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda on a number of occasions in the last few years.

John also acts as an arbitrator, expert and mediator.

Career

Call: 1993

Silk: 2012

Professional Memberships

Association of Partnership Practitioners

Commercial Bar Association

Chancery Bar Association

Publications

Whittaker & Machell on the Law of Limited Liability Partnerships 6th edition 2026 (Bloomsbury Professional)

Forfeiture of Fiduciaries’ Remuneration, Trusts and Estates Law, with Jennifer Haywood, March Edition 2018

A third way? A review of cases relevant to trustees’ liability to forfeit remuneration for breach of fiduciary duty T.E.L. & T.J. 2018, 194 (Mar), 11-13

Consultant Editor, Halsbury’s Laws Partnership (5th edition)

Limited partnerships: limited partners fight back? (2014) B.J.I.B. & F.L. 29(3), 152-153

Discretionary decision making in a commercial context (2013) B.J.I.B. & F.I. 28(4), 195-198

In the matter of the AB Trust (2013) T. & T. 19(5), 486-490

Equitable compensation: a free-standing remedy for breach of fiduciary duty (2013) T. & T. 19(8), 811-815

LLP Legislation Handbook 2010 (Bloomsbury Professional)

Fishing for your talent, Legal Week 2009, 11(1), 33-34

Forging a union based on mutual obligations, Law Society Gazette 2008, 105(13), 17 Covering all bases, New Law Journal 2008, 158(7324), 804-805

Vicarious Liability for equitable wrongs: partners beware! New Law Journal 2003, 153(7071), 405, 409

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers High Net Worth

Chancery: Traditional - London (Bar)

Band 3

Individual Editorial

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 in the Cayman Islands.

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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

John is incredibly good. He is responsive and sensible.
Chancery: TraditionalChambers High Net Worth
John Machell is all over the detail, very user-friendly, and very helpful when it comes to guiding strategy and case direction. He rolls up his sleeves and gets stuck in.
Chancery: TraditionalChambers High Net Worth