Financial Services | UK Bar

3 Verulam Buildings maintains a dominant position in the market, with clients describing the team as an "excellent set of barristers" with "high profiles" and as being "synonymous with big-ticket financial service work." Members of chambers are keenly sought after for sophisticated, high-stakes regulatory concerns, and act for a prestigious client base including major banks, brokerages and private equity firms, as well as the regulatory bodies themselves. Recently, members represented five defendants in Robert Lee & others v James Hay & others, a multiparty claim by former Premier League footballers against their pension administrators.

Blackstone Chambers wins praise as "the pre-eminent chambers in this area." Its formidable offering rests on the recognised regulatory expertise of its barristers, of whom several are considered counsel of choice for regulatory bodies both in the UK and internationally. Clients describe the team as having an "unrivalled depth of experience across the spectrum" and say that members of the set have a "keen eye on not just legal issues but the commercial considerations of the client."Its members are also frequently instructed by major financial institutions on diverse and often highly significant mandates. Over the past 12 months, members of chambers have appearedinR(Elliott Associates LP) v London Metal Exchange, a judicial review challenge.

Fountain Court Chambers enjoys an established reputation as a powerhouse for financial services litigation. Members of the set are widely lauded for their capabilities across such diverse concerns as investigations, enforcement proceedings, challenges to sanctions and civil actions, and routinely act for both regulators and some of the most prominent regulated firms. A source notes the set is a "go-to for big complex judicial reviews in the financial services context." Members recently acted for the former CEO of Metro Bank facing an FCA investigation into alleged breaches of listing rules around Metro's Q3 trading update in October 2018.

4 Stone Buildings attracts high praise from market sources, who describe the set as having "deep financial services regulatory experience." Members of the set are sought out for both contentious and purely advisory work by major financial institutions as well as associated individuals. They offer extensive experience representing clients in regulatory investigations and high-profile litigation, as well as appearing before disciplinary tribunals. The set is also noted for its complementary strengths in the arenas of commercial chancery and banking litigation. Members of the set were instructed in Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse.

4 Pump Court is a well-respected set whose members offer a range of expertise in regulatory matters. This expertise is frequently called upon by the FCA in significant enforcement actions, as well as by financial institutions on regulatory challenges and civil proceedings, both in the UK and offshore. Recently, members appeared in Banque Havilland, Edmund Rowland, Vladimir Bolelyy and David Rowland v FCA, an Upper Tribunal case concerned with market manipulation.