QEB Hollis Whiteman is reputed for its specialism in financial crime and corporate offences, with the set’s members being sought out for their vast defence expertise, while also frequently acting for prosecution agencies such as the SFO and the FCA. Adrian Darbishire KC represented a founder charged with bribery offences following the sale of his company, while Selva Ramasamy KC‘s busy workload includes defending in a private prosecution for fraud brought by an American company against a solicitor related to the purchase of a castle in Scotland. Tom Doble  acts for the former CEO of a mining company charged with conspiring to make corrupt payments to government officials in Sierra Leone. Mark Aldred advises an executive on the multinational investigation involving the US Department of Justice and the SFO related to bribery allegations against Glencore in connection with allegations of bribery to officials in different West African countries.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'A well-oiled machine. The team is led by Chris Emmings and Faye Stimpson, who run a tight, efficient and knowledgeable team.'
  • 'Strong: Chris Emmings is helpful, sensible, and accommodating as well as being an extremely nice man, ably supported by Faye Stimpson.'
  • 'QEB has a large and established clerks' room with a deep knowledge developed over several years in the market and of the skills and experience across all members of chambers. David O'Sullivan is knowledgeable, calm, reassuring and always gets the job done.'
  • 'Superb. Sam Window is always exceptionally helpful.'
  • 'Super efficient clerks room.'
  • 'Clerks are very helpful and will sometimes help in finding suitable alternative chambers when they can't take a case.'
  • 'Top flight quality of service from the clerks. Never had an issue.'
  • 'Have ever had a problem. Flawless.'

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.
Adrian Darbishire KC
1
Adrian Darbishire KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Adrian is an absolute star of the Bar. His advocacy is of the very highest quality – engaging, clear and persuasive. His vast experience at the cutting edge of corporate crime puts him top of the list for directors facing prosecution.’
Mark Ellison KC
2
Mark Ellison KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
'Mark is extremely calm and collected. Clients feel as though they are in a very safe pair of hands. His advocacy is understated yet utterly persuasive.'
William Boyce KC
3
William Boyce KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
'Bill is a quite brilliant barrister and in a complex case had a sure strategical approach. A superb and gentle advocate who persuades by his subtle and charming approach rather than using brute force.'
Crispin Aylett KC
3
Crispin Aylett KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
'Exceptionally able. Has great business acumen and is a formidable performer in court.'
Sean Larkin KC
3
Sean Larkin KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Clinical and eviscerating in questioning. At the same time, he has a remarkably calm demeanour with clients which puts them at ease. A go-to silk for complex matters.’
Paul Raudnitz KC
3
Paul Raudnitz KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘The supreme all-rounder; as comfortable in a heavy weight fraud as he is in dirty crime. Paul is exceptional at whatever he turns his hand to.’
Selva Ramasamy KC
3
Selva Ramasamy KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Selva is a very able and intelligent barrister who commands real confidence with lay clients. Selva quickly masters the details of the case and provides valuable input to the global strategy during the investigation phase. Selva’s advocacy is concise and engaging, and very jury friendly.’
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.
Ben Fitzgerald KC
Ben Fitzgerald KC
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Ben is an absolutely class act. Brilliant advocate whether he is appearing before a judge or jury. Extremely bright, a total pleasure to work with and quickly gains the absolute confidence of the client.’

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.
1
Rachna Gokani
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Rachna is a workhorse who will work tirelessly to ensure the best result for any case in which she is instructed, however big or small. A star of the junior bar.’
Tom Doble
2
Tom Doble
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘Tom is the stand out criminal barrister of his generation, particularly in corporate and white collar crime. On his feet, he has the assurance of barristers twice his call, with the intellectual skill and intuition for his tribunal to match.’
Jason Mansell
2
Jason Mansell
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘He is the among the best in the cross-over between criminal work and regulatory work. He is authoritative and pragmatic in equal measure, always looking for the swiftest solution for the client.’
3
Polly Dyer
QEB Hollis Whiteman
‘She is fantastically hard working, very clever and very organised. A great advocate.’