Insolvency
Leading Silks
David Allison KC
South Square ‘David is the most experienced barrister in the market when it comes to schemes/restructuring plans. He is a leading authority and his views carry real weight in the courtroom. He combines his terrific legal brain with a very amenable personality and commercial mindset, which makes him very user-friendly.’
Peter Arden KC
Erskine Chambers ‘Peter is extremely approachable, very user-friendly and popular with clients. He is highly intelligent and has the confidence of the judges he appears before.’
Jonathan Crow KC
4 Stone Buildings ‘He is a top-tier advocate with vast experience. His advocacy is exceptional.’
Lexa Hilliard KC
Wilberforce Chambers ‘Lexa really is one of the team. She is approachable and happy to get stuck in. Her advice is invaluable both from a legal perspective, but she is also extremely commercial. Lexa is just as comfortable in court – she delivers submissions with such ease and creates a rapport with judges.’
Philip Marshall KC
Serle Court ‘He is just the sort of barrister that you need in a tricky case. He takes no nonsense from the other side and he also has a good rapport with the judge. He has very good tactical sense, and is very client friendly.’
Mark Phillips KC
South Square ‘Mark is at the top of the list for court-based complex work. He is an exceptional advocate with a great instinct of how to present a case to the court. He works well with a good junior and his honing into the issues and mind for solutions are first rate. He knows what a court wants to hear about a case and, more importantly, what it doesn’t.’
David Alexander KC
South Square ‘David is the perfect choice for contentious insolvency and fraud: he has all of the technical knowledge, but also has the robustness required for a serious fight.'
Daniel Bayfield KC
South Square ‘Daniel is excellent and is the obvious go-to KC for investment bank insolvencies and schemes of arrangement with anything unusual or difficult about them. He is an excellent advocate and can deal with whatever is thrown at him.’
Adrian Beltrami KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Adrian is frequently brought in to deal with complicated and difficult insolvency cases. A very talented lawyer.’
Simon Davenport KC
4 Pump Court ‘Simon brings to the table enthusiasm and a razor-like focus and provides good, focused advice. Very commercial and easy to work with.'
Richard Fisher KC
South Square ‘A very impressive silk: Richard is very bright and knows insolvency like the back of his hand. An excellent choice for anything with a financial services angle, in particular.’
Peter Shaw KC
Selborne Chambers ‘Peter is an exceptionally talented and a brilliant advocate. He masters complex issues quickly and pinpoints the essential factual and legal matters.’
Marcia Shekerdemian KC
Wilberforce Chambers ‘Marcia’s knowledge is limitless and she can absorb facts instantaneously and deliver an effective strategy that no else considered. A firm favourite with the courts, clients and her peers alike. Commercial, client-friendly and a genuine team player.’
Tom Smith KC
South Square ‘The best restructuring and insolvency silk by some distance. Excellent advocate, excellent technical and tactical advice. Always available. Top class.’
Sonia Tolaney KC
One Essex Court ‘Very bright, tenacious and extremely effective advocate. A good rapport in court and with the team makes her also easy to work with.’
Jonathan Adkin KC
Serle Court ‘Jonathan commands the court’s attention with deft and precise submissions, allied to an unerring ability to come up with a pithy phrase encapsulating the point he is seeking to make.’
Raquel Agnello KC
Erskine Chambers ‘Quite apart from Raquel’s charm and humour (which helps in stressful situations!) she is a perfect combination of the technical, strategic and practical. She hones in on the critical issues and gets straight to the point but while at the same time leading you there so as to leave no stone unturned.’
Mark Arnold KC
South Square ‘Mark is excellent and is one of my go-to barristers for insolvency and company work. He has an incredible knowledge of insolvency and company law and conveys a calm authority in the courtroom that gives the judge confidence in his submissions and in his client’s position.’
Lance Ashworth KC
Serle Court ‘Lance is a consummate professional. He is able to relay complex law in an understandable form. He is aggressive in the best way. Very responsive and personable with it. A joy to work with.’
James Bailey KC
Wilberforce Chambers ‘James is a brilliant and highly persuasive advocate and strategic thinker. He is one of the most creative silks at the Bar and is not afraid to try new things to achieve his goals. He is able to combine a wealth of experience in company, insolvency and civil fraud matters to provide big-picture strategic thinking.’
David Chivers KC
Erskine Chambers ‘Absolutely top-tier expertise in insolvency law, he commands the immediate attention of the court. His written advocacy is exceptional and his oral advocacy and skill as a cross-examiner are also at the same high level. The amazing thing about him though is that these attributes are matched by an equally extraordinary work ethic.’
Joseph Curl KC
South Square ‘Joe is an outstanding chancery barrister, his expertise is second to none, his written work is of the highest quality and his advocacy skills are exceptional, both in cross-examination and when making legal submissions.’
Glen Davis KC
South Square ‘Literally wrote the book. Authoritative, friendly, a first choice for insolvency.’
Michael Gibbon KC
Maitland Chambers 'Michael is immensely intelligent and hard working. At the same time he is user friendly, and has an ability to devise novel solutions and approaches.'
Andreas Gledhill KC
Blackstone Chambers ‘Andreas is very approachable and responsive; his legal expertise is matched by his charm and commercial awareness. As an advocate, he is a tower of strength – methodical, persistent and persuasive.’
Matthew Hardwick KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Matthew is an excellent advocate with pin-point strategic insight and a calm and collected manner. He is able to get to the heart to the matter in a way which is often well received by the judge. Good client manners, taking a step back and viewing the client’s strategic goals as a whole is second nature.’
Barry Isaacs KC
South Square ‘Barry is methodical in his preparation and analysis of all facets of the case, identifying potential issues before they arise and mitigating effectively with excellent commercial awareness to ensure the best outcome for the client.’
Blair Leahy KC
Twenty Essex ‘Technically strong and very on top of detail as well as strategy. Clients love her.’
Daniel Lightman KC
Serle Court ‘Daniel is a major player in the insolvency sphere. He knows his stuff inside out. Clients love him because he is able to come up with solutions that no one else can think of. Judges trust his submissions because they are sound and learned. Daniel is excellent at thinking of points that no one else does.’
James Pickering KC
Enterprise Chambers 'James is able to distill matters down to their key issues very quickly, and then provide commercially and strategic legal advice.'
Sharif Shivji KC
4 Stone Buildings ‘Sharif is very clever, bouncy, positive and creative. He’s a strong and persuasive advocate. His skeleton arguments are very clear. He’s excellent on client calls and gets to the point.’
Clare Stanley KC
Wilberforce Chambers ‘Clare is a first-class barrister who consistently demonstrates exceptional advocacy, unwavering dedication and a deep understanding of the law. Her thorough approach to her advice and analysis, combined with her ability to articulate complex legal arguments, has consistently impressed our clients.’
Elspeth Talbot Rice KC
XXIV Old Buildings ‘Elspeth really knows her stuff, is clear in her advice, doesn’t overstate the merits and makes herself available at short notice when needed.’
Andrew Thompson KC
Erskine Chambers ‘Very intelligent with ability to cut through very complicated legal issues. Real team player and also makes himself available to assist. Proactively deals with his cases thinking outside the box.’
3
Andrew Ayres KC
Twenty Essex ‘Andrew has an extremely effective advocacy style, he is very much on top of the detail and is incredibly eloquent.'
3
Stephen Davies KC
Enterprise Chambers
Tony Beswetherick KC
Twenty Essex ‘Tony is a brilliant asset to the team on any case. He is super bright and thoughtful but also commercial and understands and is mindful of the wider context of the case in which he is acting. Tony is accessible and user-friendly in a way that many KCs are not.’
Christopher Boardman KC
Radcliffe Chambers ‘Strong technical knowledge, ability to think laterally, proactive. Fast response times.’
Robert Levy KC
No5 Barristers’ Chambers ‘Robert is extremely responsive and always on hand to deal with queries, even when at trial on other matters. He is highly knowledgeable on the area of insolvency law and is skilled at breaking down complex issues into digestible advice. He is also very personable, approachable and is great with clients.’
Alex Potts KC
4 Pump Court ‘Absolutely clever and spot-on. Great advocacy skills especially when he has a weak case to run. Calm personality and easy to work with.’
4
Jeremy Richmond KC
Quadrant Chambers ‘Jeremy is a tenacious, wily and compelling advocate. He gets his points across in a way which judges warm to. He is no pushover even when he has a weak case.’
Jamie Riley KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Jamie has the ability to use a turn of phrase to turn complexity into clarity within a single line. He is compelling and authoritative in advocacy, and excellent in written work and analytical advice, particularly pleadings and written argument. He is a go-to silk for best results.’
Ben Valentin KC
Fountain Court Chambers 'A silk who combines intelligence, judgement, exceptional advocacy and hard work.'
4
Hugh Jory KC
4 New Square ‘Hugh’s main strength is his gravitas in the courtroom. He speaks with clarity and always gives the source of his authority – essential for any judge. This is closely followed with his legal knowledge, which is second to none. He is able to name authority off the cuff and react quickly to challenges.’
4
David Mohyuddin KC
Radcliffe Chambers ‘David is one of the most trusted KCs on insolvency matters. Whilst also an impressive advocate, he can be counted on for robust, thoughtful technical advice that strikes the right balance with the commercial practicalities present in any distressed situation.’
Hermann Boeddinghaus KC
4 Stone Buildings 'Hermann is a sharp and formidable advocate with a very good sense of the courtroom and his opponents. No brief is too challenging for Hermann and he is always one step ahead in his strategy and is able to anticipate and fully prepare for all arguments.'
Adam Kramer KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Adam is a mastermind. He is able to argue a complicated claim in such a straightforward way that it makes it so much harder for the other side.’
Stephen Robins KC
South Square ‘Stephen is incredibly clever and able to absorb huge amounts of information in very short periods and deliver analysis that is pithy, solves problems and is commercially astute. Stephen is a brilliant tactician and excellent on his feet; setting traps for the unwary opponent.’
David Scorey KC
Essex Court Chambers ‘David is responsive, inciteful, and a straight shooter. You want him on your team and certainly not appearing on the other side.’
5
James Morgan KC
Radcliffe Chambers ‘James is particularly strong on complex and very technical points. He is incredibly bright but also really gets into the detail and thinks around issues. Whilst being a deep thinker, he is also very alive to commercial agendas. Very user-friendly and responsive.’
5
Matthew Weaver KC
Radcliffe Chambers ‘Matt has a great commercial approach to matters – he knows when to take a technical approach but, more importantly, he understands the bigger picture and so is a great member of the team to have when you need to find innovative commercial solutions for a tricky legal problem.’
2023 Silks
Alexander Cook KC
4 Stone Buildings ‘Alex is very slick – he seems to tick every box for a modern barrister. His advocacy is cool, calm and collected, and he never seems to lose his nerve! He is good on the law, and also very client-friendly, with a good commercial sense.’
2024 Silks
Adam Al-Attar KC
South Square ‘Adam has an excellent knowledge of restructuring law and very deep experience of investment bank insolvencies and schemes of arrangement. Taking silk this year is a natural next step in the progress of this star of the insolvency Bar.’
Simon Passfield KC
Guildhall Chambers ‘Simon is an outstanding barrister and his promotion to KC is completely deserved. His drafting is admirably concise and his advocacy is measured and he is trusted by the court.’
