Serle Court‘s members handle a broad range of cross-border and domestic insolvency cases, having been involved in bringing innovation to the practice area, with cases ranging from dealing with the first ever winding up of a listed PLC on the just and equitable ground, to challenging excessive administrator remuneration in an energy insolvency. Daniel Lightman KC, alongside Tim Benham-Mirando, has been involved in Re BHS Group Limited, defending a claim for wrongful trading and misfeasance. Philip Marshall KC is active in insolvencies in offshore jurisdictions, particularly those involving asset tracing and fraud, while Jennifer Meech has appeared as sole counsel in a number of insolvency cases.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Serle Court is an excellent set in Commercial Chancery, and also in offshore work.  They have great strength in depth.'
  • 'Nicholas Hockney runs a very good clerks room, and is a pleasure to deal with.'
  • 'Responsive and commercial service provided by the clerking team.'
  • 'Amber Feltwell has excellent communication skill and responds quickly to questions about fees and availability.'
  • 'Serle Court has an excellent reputation in insolvency and corporate law and the majority of the barristers have strong practices in these areas.'

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.
Philip Marshall KC
1
Philip Marshall KC
Serle Court
‘He is just the sort of barrister that you need in a tricky case. He takes no nonsense from the other side and he also has a good rapport with the judge. He has very good tactical sense, and is very client friendly.’
Jonathan Adkin KC
3
Jonathan Adkin KC
Serle Court
‘Jonathan commands the court’s attention with deft and precise submissions, allied to an unerring ability to come up with a pithy phrase encapsulating the point he is seeking to make.’
Daniel Lightman KC
3
Daniel Lightman KC
Serle Court
‘Daniel is a major player in the insolvency sphere. He knows his stuff inside out. Clients love him because he is able to come up with solutions that no one else can think of. Judges trust his submissions because they are sound and learned. Daniel is excellent at thinking of points that no one else does.’
Lance Ashworth KC
3
Lance Ashworth KC
Serle Court
‘Lance is a consummate professional. He is able to relay complex law in an understandable form. He is aggressive in the best way. Very responsive and personable with it. A joy to work with.’

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.
James Mather
2
James Mather
Serle Court
‘Good advisor, team player with prompt and sensible advice. Written work is good.’
Ruth Jordan
3
Ruth Jordan
Serle Court
‘Ruth is incisive and can assimilate a large amount of information quickly and efficiently. She is good with clients and has a quite confidence about her that they appreciate.’
Jennifer Meech
3
Jennifer Meech
Serle Court
 ‘Jennifer is a very experienced and able junior, who is a great choice for any insolvency dispute.’
Thomas Elias
4
Thomas Elias
Serle Court
‘Thomas is astonishingly clever. He also has terrific judgement and appears to command enormous respect from the judiciary.’
Matthew Morrison
4
Matthew Morrison
Serle Court
‘Matthew is extremely thorough in his preparation for hearings and is a safe pair of hands in the courtroom. He is also personable and approachable.’
Giselle McGowan
4
Giselle McGowan
Serle Court
‘Giselle is extremely knowledgeable and a very safe pair of hands. She gives comprehensive advice in a timely fashion.’
Wilson Leung
4
Wilson Leung
Serle Court
‘Wilson has a great knowledge of insolvency law, and is a clever and resourceful barrister.’
Lara Kuehl
5
Lara Kuehl
Serle Court
  ‘Lara is very thorough and precise. She comes across as very reliable and trustworthy. She is not easily thrown and is a strong and careful advocate.’
Rising stars
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.
Tim Benham-Mirando
Tim Benham-Mirando
Serle Court
‘Tim is very intelligent, conscientious and strategic. He demonstrates real depth to his legal analysis, as well as the ability to assimilate huge volumes of factual information, from which he identifies what is core to the issues in dispute.’