Richard Coleman KC
‘He knows the areas better than almost anyone else. His written and oral advocacy is excellent and he never puts a foot wrong.’
Rated highly for being a ‘leading set in banking work with strength in depth across all parts of the banking sector,’ Fountain Court Chambers handles all aspects of banking and finance matters, ranging from acting for and against large retail and investment banks, to representing their current and former customers in a wide variety of claims. In terms of banking disputes, members of chambers have been involved in a number of precedent setting cases, including NMC Healthcare and Others v Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC and Others, which saw Bankim Thanki KC, Henry King KC, Nico Leslie, Alexandra Whelan and Damien Bruneau represent successful claimants in a dispute arising from competing claims regarding security arrangements over high-value loans. Other standout cases include Loreley Financing v Credit Suisse, where Patrick Goodall KC, Adam Sher, Laurie Brock and Marcus Field successfully acted for Credit Suisse in a claim relating to a CDO that it had entered into, which was linked to residential mortgage-backed securities. Richard Coleman KC and Patricia Robertson KC are noted for their work on a broad range of banking matters, while Rebecca Loveridge is praised as ’responsive and dedicated,’ as well as being involved in a number of high-value and high-profile claims. James Duffy KC was appointed silk in 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ''The clerking at Fountain Court is second-to-none. Sian Huckett, Alfie Harper and George Hack in particular are brilliant: responsive, easy to work with and very knowledgeable.'
- 'The clerks are personable, easy to get hold of and helpful.'
- 'Strong chambers with excellent juniors.'
- 'The clerks are generally good and more responsive and pro-active than some other chambers.'
- 'Fountain Court Chambers are excellent and always a pleasure to work with.'
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Patrick Goodall KC
‘Outstanding legal analysis. Presents difficult arguments in a way the judge will find attractive. A formidable opponent.’
Richard Handyside KC
Richard is one of the absolute leading lights of the banking and finance Bar. He is a stellar advocate, delivers beautifully written work, and is an absolute delight to deal with. He is also a tenacious fighter – meaning clients adore him because they really see how he fights their corner hard. Richard achieves excellent results and is constantly in high demand as a result.’
Timothy Howe KC
Tim brings an uncompromising, no-stone-left-unturned approach to the cases he leads, with a willingness to get into the fine detail which you don’t often see at his level of seniority. He does not shrink from difficult points and is a formidable cross-examiner.’
Richard Lissack KC
‘Richard has a proven ability to turn the tide in complex cases.’
Andrew Mitchell KC
Andrew is one of the best banking/commercial litigators. He always has the ear of the court, he inspires confidence, and gives 150 per cent to his cases.’
David Railton KC
Patricia Robertson KC
Lightning grasp of detail in a complex factual landscape.’
Bankim Thanki KC
‘Bankim is justifiably a super-silk. He can come in to any case at any stage and he brings gravitas and a lifetime’s experience. He has the court’s ear, not because he is in the least flamboyant or bombastic, but simply because what he says is right.’
Jeffrey Chapman KC
Rosalind Phelps KC
‘Ros is superb. She is brilliant to work with.’
Adam Zellick KC
Adam is a pleasure to work with. He is calm under pressure, analytical and authoritative and has a deep knowledge of contract and banking disputes.’
James Cutress KC
James is an experienced counsel and advocate. His written advocacy is excellent, and he delivers oral submissions on complex matters in a concise, persuasive and effective manner.’
Alexander Milner KC
Alex is extraordinarily well prepared.’
Tamara Oppenheimer KC
‘Smooth advocate and has ear of court. Strong expertise on privilege issues. All round impressive court room performer.'
Akhil Shah KC
Akhil is a go-to silk for trade finance-related work. His speed of analysis and responsiveness really sets him apart.'
Paul Sinclair KC
‘Paul is highly intelligent, impressively concise in his written arguments and a good advocate.’
John Taylor KC
Ben Valentin KC
‘Ben is a convincing speaker with an impressive command of the facts of the case and a good way of simplifying complex matters.'
Raymond Cox KC
Derrick Dale KC
‘Derrick always comes up with solutions and avenues for even the most difficult of cases. A robust advocate who remains calm and controlled in all situations.’
Laura John KC
Laura is a formidable opponent, identifying her points with clarity and arguing them with tenacity.’
Henry King KC
‘Henry is the real deal. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and the factual record. He is also a powerful oral advocate who isn’t afraid to argue difficult points. A real star of the Bar.’
Giles Wheeler KC
‘Giles is a top class banking litigation silk. He is a formidable advocate, with an ability to win the ear of the court quickly. He is fantastic with clients.’
2025 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Rupert Allen KC
Alex Barden KC
Alex displays sharp legal analysis paired with a sensible commercial approach.’
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Simon Atrill KC
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
James Duffy KC
‘James is a pleasure to work with. He is very hard working, extremely able, and very commercially minded.’
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Adam Sher
‘Adam grasps the detail of complicated cases impressively quickly. His input is always well-considered and valuable. He has great command of the detail, and strong drafting skills.’
Natasha Bennett
‘Natasha is very hard working and clear in her advocacy. She is also a pleasure to be opposite: always respectful and polite which allows the issues to fight each other, not the individuals!’
Ian Bergson
Ian is a superstar in the making and enormously in demand in chambers and externally. He is utterly relentless in his work ethic, and always in good cheer. He is genuine, thoughtful and creative with a genuine interest and talent for the law. He always masters the factual detail, so he is on top of the points of detail in a way that is astounding.’
Nick Daly
Nick has infectious enthusiasm for cases and the complex issues they throw up. He is a pleasure to work with.’
Daniel Edmonds
Daniel is an exceptionally talented lawyer. His written advocacy is extremely persuasive and he always has an eye for detail.'
Nico Leslie
Very intelligent and diligent, user-friendly and engaging to work with.'
Rebecca Loveridge
Rebecca is an absolute star of the Bar. She is extremely quick and very easy to work with; she has fantastic judgement and her advocacy is compelling. She also remains calm under pressure and is a reassuring presence for the client.’
David Murray
Simon Paul
Laurie Brock
‘Laurie has an utterly formidable work ethic; for him near enough is never good enough. He combines ever-present strategic thinking with a command over the detail which is second-to-none.’
Daniel Carall-Green
‘He has strong and sophisticated written advocacy skills. He also provides excellent support to leading counsel in the context of complex hearings.’
Joseph Farmer
Joseph was a pleasure to deal with. He is very intelligent and drafts really well.’
Christopher Langley
Exactly the junior you want on a difficult and substantial case. Incredibly intelligent, really excellent analytical ability, produces great paperwork and a joy to work with.'
Leonora Sagan
‘Leonora is articulate, has clarity of thought and is robust in how she presents her arguments.'
Aaron Taylor
Craig Ulyatt
Craig demonstrated a rare level of rigour in understanding the instructions that were provided to him.’
Alexandra Whelan
‘An outstanding commercial junior. Sharp, extremely hard-working and efficient, with excellent judgment. Alexandra is a standout junior at the commercial Bar.‘
Nik Yeo
‘Great to work with and technically excellent.’
Marianne Butler
Max Evans
Max is an excellent barrister – extremely clever, thorough, very good judgement and wonderful with clients. His documents are always clear and persuasive. A go-to junior in this area and a strong addition to any counsel team.’
Deborah Horowitz
Excellent drafting skills.’