Noted for its ‘strength in-depth in the area of civil fraud,’ as well as banking and finance cases, 4 Stone Buildings’ members cover a wide variety of matters within the practice area, including representing clients before disciplinary tribunals, such as the FSA’s Regulatory Decisions Committee, alongside representing the FSA itself, with members having expertise in banking business transfer schemes under FSMA 2000. Richard Hill KC is a specialist in banking-based litigation and disputes, including financial mis-selling, while Sharif Shivji KC acts for investment banks, institutional investors and governments and, alongside Tom Gentleman, Lara Hassell-Hart, Zara McGlone  and Karl Anderson, were involved in Autonomy Corporation v Lynch, a case relating to the acquisition of the company Autonomy, which involves a number of banking law issues . Andrew Rose is a name to watch.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The clerks are all very personable, responsive and most importantly willing to have sensible fee discussions. Connor Ward has also been tenacious in getting matters listed for us.' 
  • 'Excellent- David Goddard still sets the standard.'
  • 'For the size of the set, 4 Stone Buildings has impressive strength in-depth in the area of civil fraud, at rates which are very competitive.'
  • 'Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel are from the top tier!'
  • '4 Stone Buildings is my no. 1 set for corporate and commercial matters.'

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.
Sharif Shivji KC
3
4 Stone Buildings
 ‘Sharif is one of the smartest, hardest working barristers. He has a very natural advocacy style and is able to cross-examine any technical witness with ease.’
Andrew de Mestre KC
4
4 Stone Buildings
 ‘Andrew is very user friendly, has a commanding presence in court and is excellent on his feet. He is also pragmatic and someone who clients instinctively warm to.’

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.
Alastair Tomson
2
4 Stone Buildings
‘Alastair is a senior junior. He gets to the nub of the matter quickly and is able to provide clear advise to clients. He is user-friendly and enjoys mentoring junior members of the team.’
James Knott
4
4 Stone Buildings
‘James is very responsive and hardworking. His ability to marshal the detail and his written advocacy set him apart.’