3 Verulam Buildings is ‘an exceptionally strong financial services set with excellent practitioners at all levels’, regularly acting for and against financial institutions, regulators and private clients across the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious work. Ian Wilson KC successfully acted for the defendant, opposite Lisa Lacob, in Farol & Ors v Clydesdale Bank plc & National Australia Bank Ltd, with the High Court deciding that Cyldesdale was entitled to charge break costs, and that it had not acted wrongfully in the manner it had priced and explained the loans to the claimants who entered into them. Saima Hanif KC is ’developing an impressive silk practice in financial services’ and is particularly well adept at acting for clients against the FCA.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Lucy Burrows is a pleasure to deal with. She is commercial, responsive, and on top of things.'
- 'The clerks are responsive and make arrangements quickly, at short notice where needed. Richard Ansell is particularly helpful and responsive.'
- 'Richard Ansell is particularly good at understanding what is needed and finding the best person for the task.'
- 'The clerks are very helpful and always looking to find solutions. They respond quickly to enquiries.'
- '3VB is an exceptionally strong financial services set, with excellent practitioners at all levels.'
- '3VB are probably the pre-eminent financial services set and have huge expertise stretching back a long way.'
- 'The set is first rate at junior and silk level.'
- 'First class commercial set with strengths 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.
Rory Phillips KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Incisive, very clever and has an engaging style - Rory will always get air-time with clients or judges because he makes good points very well.'
Hodge Malek KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Hodge is the difference maker on any case and he is the go to silk for financial services. He has a first rate intellect with the ability to absorb a vast about of information in a short span of time. He is on top of every detail, and his advice is always commercial.'
Saima Hanif KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Saima continues to develop an impressive silk practice in financial services.’
Ian Wilson KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Ian offers technical legal skills, a commercial pragmatic approach and a team working style.'
Farhaz Khan KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Farhaz is a hugely knowledgeable financial services specialist. He delivers top-class legal advice wrapped in commercial reality.’
Catherine Gibaud KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Catherine is superb, very clever, a very skilled advocate and someone with great judgment. She has a laser focus on what matters in order to progress a case and is highly efficient. An all-round fantastic and well-respected silk.'
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.
Charlotte Eborall
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Charlotte is great, really easy to work with, bright, commercial and very good with clients and the wider team. She is very responsive and always available when needed.’
Philip Hinks
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Philip has a very good understanding of financial services regulation. He provides great strategic advice and is a very good advocate.’
Robert Purves
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Robert has an in-depth, intellectual understanding of the complex financial services regulation across the products and regulatory perimeter and a gift advising in a pragmatic and proportionate manner. He is extremely easy to deal with and very responsive and prompt with his advice.'
Adam Temple
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Adam has excellent technical ability and an encyclopaedic knowledge of contentious and non-contentious financial services matters. He is also very user friendly.'
Theodor van Sante
3 Verulam Buildings 'Theo's work is of a consistently excellent standard. He turns work around quickly and is very user friendly.’
Chloë Bell
3 Verulam Buildings 'Chloe is very analytical, bright and is also extremely level headed and calm under pressure. She is very well respected in financial services and in Fintech work she is a real trailblazer- mounting cutting edge arguments and understanding the evolution of this area of the law.'
Teniola Onabanjo
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Teni is a recognised expert in this area - her technical ability is first rate, and she has been involved in some high-profile financial services enforcement matters.’
William Day
3 Verulam Buildings 'He has excellent judgement and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.'
Cleon Catsambis
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Cleon is insightful and clear with his advice. He breaks things down well and has a good way of explaining things to clients. His written work is extremely good quality and he is a team player.’