Philip Marshall
Serle Court
More informationSerle Court continues to be instructed on high-profile and complex banking and finance cases, both in the domestic courts and international courts. One such example was the case of Eternity Sky Investments Limited v Zhang, in which Philip Marshall KC and James Mather were instructed in relation to a claim brought by Huarong Banking Group, which raised issues on public policy and illegality regarding enforcement of guarantees and Hong Kong arbitration awards. David Blayney KC has been involved in large banking cases including the RBS Rights Issue Litigation arising out of the insolvency of Lehman Brothers, while Rupert Reed KC is noted for his cross-border banking practice in the Middle East and London, with significant experience of cases involving Islamic finance. Zoe O’Sullivan KC has a broad commercial and Chancery practice and is a recognised practitioner in the DIFC courts.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Dan Wheeler and Paul Ballard are exceptionally user-friendly and helpful. It is always a pleasure to work with them.'
- 'Serle Court is a very strong set when it comes to DIFC litigation, and one of the Chambers we look to first when considering counsel options.'
- 'Serle court is now ubiquitous in the Middle East, in part due to Rupert's influence, and Gregor Horgan is a junior to watch.'
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.
David Blayney
‘David has excellent strategic judgment and is a real team player, which positions him superbly in large complex litigation. He is fiercely intelligent and has a natural ability with numbers. He conveys complex ideas straightforwardly and persuasively.'
Zoe O'Sullivan
‘Zoe possesses a profound understanding of civil litigation and commercial disputes.’
Rupert Reed
‘Rupert is, for good reason, widely renowned as one of the foremost advocates in the Middle East, not only because of his Arabic-speaking skills but also because his profound expertise in common and civil law principle and practice and amiable user-friendly approach. Rupert has an unparalleled knowledge of Middle Eastern civil law and the quirks of DIFC common law and is an incredible hard-working, astute and technically superb lawyer.’
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.
Simon Hattan
‘Simon rolls up his sleeves, very easy to deal with, displays good judgement and is commercial.’
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.
Simon Hattan
‘Simon rolls up his sleeves, very easy to deal with, displays good judgement and is commercial.’