18 St John Street Chambers

Commercial and chancery law.

Mike is a specialist in business and property law and has built up a successful practice, typically dealing with complex and high value cases, often involving allegations of fraud or difficult legal arguments and regularly crossing swords with more senior opponents.

It is testament to Mike’s growing reputation that he finds himself in high demand, solicitors and clients alike requesting him specifically for their cases and returning time and again with new instructions. Mike’s passion for tackling problematic cases combined with his wealth of legal knowledge and his willingness to make himself available to take “that” call, make him a formidable asset for any legal team. He is an accomplished and effective advocate, highly regarded for his commitment to the cause and for his determination. He takes a pragmatic and hands on role working with those instructing him to form and develop case strategy and tactics to secure the best outcomes possible in every case.

Most of Mike’s work is in the Business and Property Courts of the High Court but he has also appeared in all sorts of other courts and tribunals including and on a number of occasions with success in the Court of Appeal. He acts predominantly as sole counsel but he has collaborated on a number of occasions with Chambers’ silk, and on appropriate cases he is happy to work with others as a part of a team. With his breadth of knowledge and experience he is also well suited to disputes spanning different disciplines.

Mike’s practice encompasses the traditional range of commercial and chancery work including:

-commercial contract disputes,

-shareholder and company disputes (including unfair prejudice petitions, derivative actions, misfeasance claims, claims to enforce directors duties, and actions upon shareholder agreements),

-partnership law (with particular experience of medical and legal practice disputes),

-civil fraud (including cases requiring urgent asset protection or recovery),

-professional negligence (with an emphasis on property and transactional work),

-building disputes and construction law,

-insurance and banking,

-consumer and consumer credit,

-mortgage cases,

-landlord and tenant disputes, and

-real property work.

Mike recognises the importance of Counsel being accessible as cases progress and also for difficult files.  His commercial practice includes urgent and time-sensitive work for example acting on applications for injunctive relief (including freezing injunctions, search orders and orders for the preservation and inspection of critical evidence) and advising on completions or exercising termination rights or rescission or other elections. Mike also provides urgent advice and assistance concerning issues arising under the Limitation Act 1980.

In the traditional chancery field, Mike is often instructed to deal with probate and trusts disputes including claims concerning the validity, interpretation and rectification of wills, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 and the administration of estates.

In the area of insolvency, Mike has wide-ranging experience acting for both office-holders and for debtors or creditors. As well as dealing with contested petitions and statutory demands and applications for administration orders and extensions, Mike has developed a particular specialism in antecedent transactions and transaction avoidance. He has been involved in a large number of cases involving challenges to transactions defrauding creditors and he has developed a particular interest in actions by company creditors directly against directors or shareholders of a company typically where that company is insolvent.

Mike also has expertise and experience in international and transactional work, including EU Law, in which he has an LLM, and banking and finance, for which he has been awarded a Phd. Mike has undertaken commercial arbitrations and keeps up to date with European and international law, helping to run the European Circuit of the Bar as a member of the executive committee.

Mike is accredited for direct access from members of the public. He is approved as a pupil supervisor. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Manchester Incorporated Law Library society.

Mike is an accredited mediator and is also available to be booked to mediate disputes.

To book or contact Dr Mike Wilkinson, email his clerks marked for his attention at: [email protected]

Called 2006; Inner Temple.

French, Spanish.

Chancery Bar Association.

University of Durham (University College); University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium; Law School, London (BBP). Qualifications: LLB (Dunelm); LLM (Coleurop). Scholarships and prizes: Swiss Confederation Foreign Scholar Award; UK Government Full Scholarship for Masters Programme Overseas; Inner Temple Exhibition Award and Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship; Inner Temple Maakhad International Trade Law Mooting Competition, First Prize.