The Bar - London Bar
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Banking and finance (including consumer credit)

Chambers of Ewan McQuater KC and David Quest KC

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3 Verulam Buildings are the ‘go-to set for banking litigation’ with a ‘clear, demonstrable strength in depth’ in their bench. Members of the set engage on some of the area’s defining cases involving major international banks and prominent individuals. One such example this year is the case of Re an application for directions by Golden Belt 1 Sukuk Company BSC in which Richard Salter KC led Sarah Tulip acted for the claimant bond trustee and its delegate on their application for a declaration that the limitations imposed by the declaration of trust and agency on the power of certificate holders to pass resolutions. Barristers from the set have also been regularly instructed on international and cross-border cases, such as Jonathan Davies-Jones KC and David Simpson representing Siam Commercial Bank in Suppipat v Narongdei, a large civil fraud claim concerning an alleged attempt to wrest control of a wind energy company. Alongside this, the set covers disputes covering all parts of the globe, with significant instructions received from global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Juniors Ravi Jackson and Ryan Ferro are names to watch from the set, with both instructed on high-value, complex banking and finance disputes.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • '3VB have an excellent clerking team. Richard Ansell is a standout and is always accommodating and on point with his recommendations. He and his team always ensure that service levels are high and response times and delivery are as expected.'
  • '3VB's clerks are responsive and easy to work with.'
  • '3VB are the go to set for banking litigation. They have a clear, demonstrable strength in depth and I have instructed barrister from all ranges of the call spectrum. Their training sessions are always excellent.'
  • 'A friendly set, with real strengths in the banking arena.'  
  • 'Good for financial services litigation.'
  • '3VB have a high calibre of advocates and are often one of the first chambers I look to instruct in relation to complex banking and finance litigation.' 
  • 'Strong chambers at all levels.' 

Silks

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.
1
Ewan McQuater KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Ewan is a top level banking and financial services silk. He exudes gravitas, has a sharp mind and strong attention to detail and he instinctively knows which points to take and which to leave. He can always see the wood for the trees on complex cases.'
1
Andrew Onslow KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Hugely experienced and greatly respected.  He commends great respect in the court room and his advocacy is exceptional.  Always able to see the points to press and those to concede.'
2
Jonathan Nash KC
3 Verulam Buildings
 'Immensely intelligent; good and easy communicator across all mediums; client likes him!  Effective advocate across written and oral work before court.  Great strategic approach to complex litigation which to date has ensured the client's preferred procedural approach to the case has worked out.'
2
Adam Kramer KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Adam is a fiercely intelligent and sharp-minded barrister who is as able to deploy clear and persuasive argument in written and oral submission.’
2
Jamie Riley KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Jamie is a true silk. His legal arguments and drafting skills are exceptional. He can certainly pull a rabbit out of a hat in dire situations. He is extremely effective in difficult cases.’
3
David Head KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘David is a very engaging advocate, and is great at reading a judge and knowing what tone to strike in key moments. He is a fantastic person to deal with and is very personable. His written submissions are persuasive and compelling.'
3
Nicholas Craig KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Nick is a confident and effective advocate.  Good and clear advice; great at thinking around issues a finding practical solutions.  Very user friendly.’
3
Hodge Malek KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Hodge is always well-prepared and ready and willing to get into the details in preparing for a case or in advising the client. He is very pragmatic and honest in his assessment, which is truly appreciated by the lay client. He is simply excellent and top-notch. Excellent as well in dealing with cultural differences given legal practice in Asia which is a rare skill.’
4
Matthew Parker KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Matthew is an excellent advocate – balancing strong legal rigour with personable skills; he achieves results while remaining a pleasure for solicitors and clients to work with.’
4
Saima Hanif KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Saima is a shrewd operator who provides clear and concise legal advice combined with strategic nous – her wealth of experience in the area shines through in the advice she gives and helpfully informs her opinions.’
4
Ian Wilson KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Ian presents clearly to clients, who take great confidence from his counsel.  He is a go-to advocate for banking appeals and a class act.’
4
Andrew Sutcliffe KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Andrew has a gravitas that means he can be put in front of a board of directors and immediately command their respect. His work as a Deputy High Court Judge gives him a perspective that others lack. His advocacy is of the highest order and the fact that he is also a warm and kind person makes him very easy to work with.’
5
Rajesh Pillai KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Very bright, he identifies and gets into the key issues quickly. He brings a great deal of common sense and practicality to the team - he is responsive and approachable for any member of the instructing firm. An effective advocate who reads the court well.’
2022 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.
Farhaz Khan KC
3 Verulam Buildings
‘He brings a practical analysis to complex disputes, breaking things down into user friendly work product, which is great for client management.  He has an excellent sense of judgment and how a court would weigh the arguments.'

Juniors

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.
2
Charlotte Eborall
3 Verulam Buildings
‘She is a superb barrister with a great mix of analytical skills whilst also client friendly. Her drafting is thorough, precise and persuasive. She is a fine advocate. An understated, collected but effective style which plays well with the Judiciary.'
2
Lisa Lacob
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Lisa is highly intelligent, great with clients and passionate in all she does. Lisa goes above and beyond for her clients - she is always contactable, offers quick advice when needed and very commercial is her overall strategy.'
2
William Day
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Extremely intelligent and able to distil large quantities of information and complex law into clear summaries – both orally and in writing.’
2
Liisa Lahti
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Very user-friendly, she understands the commercial pressures of the clients that she works with and is an outstanding team player. Clients thoroughly enjoy working with Liisa. She is incredibly smart, dedicated and commercially minded.’
2
David Simpson
3 Verulam Buildings
‘David is an indispensable member of any legal team. He is completely across the detail and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, so can therefore provide sound strategic advice, spotting potential obstacles before they arise. He is also down to earth and user friendly.’
3
Richard Hanke
3 Verulam Buildings
‘A very strong performer.  Richard is incredibly bright and his written work is of the highest quality.  He is user friendly, responsive and hard working. His advice is always clear and considered and he is excellent on his feet.  Very popular with instructing solicitors and clients and a real asset.  Strongly recommended.'
3
James Potts
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Brilliant advocate. Unflappable on his feet – exudes calmness. Very responsive. Written work is excellent. Clear and succinct.’
3
Sarah Tulip
3 Verulam Buildings
 ‘Sarah is a force of positivity. She attacks all problems with a smile and enormous energy. Her legal reasoning is spot-on and she gets to grips very quickly with extremely complicated problems. She is greatly in demand as a junior for all of these reasons and has a fantastic future ahead of her.’
3
Adam Temple
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Adam is a pleasure to work with, speedy in turning around complex and difficult pleadings and advisory work, highly articulate and clever with a real eye for detail and a deep knowledge of the legal principles and authorities on specialist areas of practice that the case have thrown up.’
3
Rebecca Zaman
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Impressive junior who is able to distil in clear and understandable terms complex and lengthy issues. A pleasure to work with.’
3
Cleon Catsambis
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Cleon is a diligent barrister and develops a great control over documents and facts in a case such that he is an asset to any legal team. He is a great asset to the team.’
3
Christopher Burdin
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Christopher is a fantastic junior. He is an excellent lawyer, he has a brilliant grip of both detail and big-picture strategy, his drafting is universally first-class and he is a great person to be stuck in the trenches with.’
Leading Juniors
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
2
Charlotte Eborall
3 Verulam Buildings
‘She is a superb barrister with a great mix of analytical skills whilst also client friendly. Her drafting is thorough, precise and persuasive. She is a fine advocate. An understated, collected but effective style which plays well with the Judiciary.'
2
Lisa Lacob
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Lisa is highly intelligent, great with clients and passionate in all she does. Lisa goes above and beyond for her clients - she is always contactable, offers quick advice when needed and very commercial is her overall strategy.'
2
William Day
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Extremely intelligent and able to distil large quantities of information and complex law into clear summaries – both orally and in writing.’
2
Liisa Lahti
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Very user-friendly, she understands the commercial pressures of the clients that she works with and is an outstanding team player. Clients thoroughly enjoy working with Liisa. She is incredibly smart, dedicated and commercially minded.’
2
David Simpson
3 Verulam Buildings
‘David is an indispensable member of any legal team. He is completely across the detail and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, so can therefore provide sound strategic advice, spotting potential obstacles before they arise. He is also down to earth and user friendly.’
3
Richard Hanke
3 Verulam Buildings
‘A very strong performer.  Richard is incredibly bright and his written work is of the highest quality.  He is user friendly, responsive and hard working. His advice is always clear and considered and he is excellent on his feet.  Very popular with instructing solicitors and clients and a real asset.  Strongly recommended.'
3
James Potts
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Brilliant advocate. Unflappable on his feet – exudes calmness. Very responsive. Written work is excellent. Clear and succinct.’
3
Sarah Tulip
3 Verulam Buildings
 ‘Sarah is a force of positivity. She attacks all problems with a smile and enormous energy. Her legal reasoning is spot-on and she gets to grips very quickly with extremely complicated problems. She is greatly in demand as a junior for all of these reasons and has a fantastic future ahead of her.’
3
Adam Temple
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Adam is a pleasure to work with, speedy in turning around complex and difficult pleadings and advisory work, highly articulate and clever with a real eye for detail and a deep knowledge of the legal principles and authorities on specialist areas of practice that the case have thrown up.’
3
Rebecca Zaman
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Impressive junior who is able to distil in clear and understandable terms complex and lengthy issues. A pleasure to work with.’
3
Cleon Catsambis
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Cleon is a diligent barrister and develops a great control over documents and facts in a case such that he is an asset to any legal team. He is a great asset to the team.’
3
Christopher Burdin
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Christopher is a fantastic junior. He is an excellent lawyer, he has a brilliant grip of both detail and big-picture strategy, his drafting is universally first-class and he is a great person to be stuck in the trenches with.’

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