Fountain Court Chambers boasts ‘strength in depth and a roster of very impressive and talented barristers’, regularly appearing in high-profile disputes in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division, and international commercial arbitrations. Richard Handyside KC represented the claimant in Allianz v JD Williams, a case related to compensation paid to customers for the mis-selling of insurance products, while Laura John KC and Samuel Ritchie acted for the defendant. In NMC Healthcare v Dubai Islamic Bank and others, a significant dispute arising from the administration of the UAE-based healthcare group following the discovery of a multi-million-pound fraud within the business, Bankim Thanki KC and Nico Leslie represented the claimants. In Philipp v Barclays Bank, Patrick Goodall KC, David Murray, and Ian Bergson defended Barclays Bank in a Supreme Court case concerning the liability of banks to customers who fall victim to Authorised Push Payment frauds; the claimants unsuccessfully sought to extend the Quincecare duty into this context. James Duffy KC was appointed silk in March 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Alex Taylor is the most knowledgeable, trustworthy and impressive clerk in London. He knows the market inside out, never oversells and leads his team of impressive clerks by example.'
- 'Sian Huckett and Alfie Harper are standout clerks in their responsiveness and can-do attitudes.'
- 'Alfie Harper is exceptional - extremely responsive, incredibly helpful and always a pleasure to work with.'
- 'Alex Taylor and Katie Szewczyk are excellent leaders of their team.'
- 'Fountain Court Chambers has strength in depth and a roster of very impressive and talented barristers.'
- 'One of the leading commercial sets. it provides an outstanding service with real strength in depth.'
- 'Fountain Court Chambers has a number of strong advocates across a range of subject matters.'
- 'An excellent Chambers packed with good silks and juniors.'
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.
Bankim Thanki KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘He's absolutely at the top of his game and has a correspondingly outstanding reputation. He's a superb lawyer who analyses complex issues remarkably well and delivers submissions beautifully.'
Richard Handyside KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Very thoughtful, very intelligent, and a particularly powerful advocate. Richard strikes exactly the right tone in court, arguing forcefully for his client’s case in a highly persuasive way.’
Charles Béar KC
Fountain Court Chambers
Stuart Ritchie KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Stuart is a very fine silk who is amongst the very best. He is a first-class advocate with an innate ability to pitch his submissions to catch the interest of whatever tribunal he is before.'
Patrick Goodall KC
Fountain Court Chambers 'An absolutely first-rate KC. His advocacy is logical and clear, and his cross-examination is devastating.'
Timothy Howe KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Tim is not just a good black letter lawyer but an effective advocate. As a cross-examiner, his style mixes forensic rigour and a polite delivery, to disguise the killer blow that is waiting.'
Jeffrey Chapman KC
Fountain Court Chambers
Anneliese Day KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Anneliese is able to provide clear analysis, draft effective pleadings, advocate powerfully, and cross-examine masterfully.'
Andrew Mitchell KC
Fountain Court Chambers 'Fantastic advocacy, great with clients, strong on detail, and very collaborative.'
Stephen Rubin KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘An outstanding advocate with a quick ability to build rapport. Stephen can read the room quickly and knows how to navigate thorny issues with expert intuition.'
Richard Coleman KC
Fountain Court Chambers
‘Extremely bright, experienced and user friendly. He gets to grips with the detail and is a calming presence under pressure.’
Derrick Dale KC
Fountain Court Chambers
Michael McLaren KC
Fountain Court Chambers
‘Michael always thinks analytically with one eye on what will best persuade the judge. On his feet, he reacts to the judge's questioning and thinking to secure the best outcome for the client.'
Rosalind Phelps KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Rosalind is an excellent commercial silk who is highly recommended. She is a very effective advocate with great instincts for the points that will appeal to a judge.’
Patricia Robertson KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Patricia is at the top of her game and is the go-to barrister when clients are in trouble. She masters the detail, outfoxes her opponents, and works hard to achieve the right outcome.'
Richard Lissack KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘The leading silk of his generation and one of, if not the, most powerful and persuasive advocates at the Bar. Clients turn to Richard to handle the most difficult and complex cases.’
Adam Zellick KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Adam is a technically brilliant barrister, hugely smart, and excellent on his feet. His advocacy is clear and succinct, and he reads the judge well and knows which points to pursue.’
Tamara Oppenheimer KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Tamara has a well-deserved reputation as an incisive legal thinker with an instinct for legal strategy. She is a genuine pleasure to work with - extremely hard-working, highly responsive and always willing to deal with urgent matters at short notice.'
John Taylor KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘John combines a fierce intellect with an engaging and approachable manner. A fighter when needed, a strategist always.'
Alexander Milner KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Alex is very smart and logical. He works very fast and he is clear in his instructions to his juniors.’
Laura John KC
Fountain Court Chambers
Akhil Shah KC
Fountain Court Chambers 'Akhil is a thoughtful and persuasive advocate. He is very much a team player and a pleasure to work with.'
Paul Sinclair KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘He is calm, clear, and clever. He leaves the whole court in awe with his ability to deliver the most complex legal arguments simply.'
Ben Valentin KC
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Ben is outstanding - all over the brief, a proper team player, insightful, and gives clear advice.'
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
Fountain Court Chambers 'Simon is very bright. An excellent advocate and a joy to work with.'
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
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Excellent advocate and highly intelligent - a first-choice barrister for banking-related matters and an excellent team player. Has a great tactical mind and ability to get results.'
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.
Rupert Allen
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Rupert is a brilliant barrister. He is excellent technically and has a commercial focus.'
Natasha Bennett
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Superb written work. Her submissions are very tidy and clear, with an engaging style.'
Daniel Edmonds
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Brilliant legal acumen coupled with an excellent commercial sense means that his advice is invariably strategically sound and focused on achieving the client's objectives. Unflappable, hard-working, very user-friendly, good on his feet and extremely popular with clients and the wider team.'
Paul Casey
Fountain Court Chambers 'Paul's drafting and advocacy is a joy - he has a way of putting things so simply and incisively that there is no room for escape.'
Nico Leslie
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Nico is simply brilliant. He has an amazing eye for detail, has impeccable judgment, and works brilliantly as a team. A silk in the making.’
Ian Bergson
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Highly intelligent. An impressive grasp of complex legal issues and the facts of a case. Hard-working.’
Richard Power
Fountain Court Chambers
Samuel Ritchie
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Calm, unequivocal advice given in an acccessible manner with strong legal analysis and considered commercial acumen. Sam is also a joy to work with- endlessly available, incredibly hard-working with a can-do attitude to any issue.'
Leonora Sagan
Fountain Court Chambers ‘Great tactical thinker. A powerful advocate who is able to deliver results for her clients.'
