The Bar - London Bar

4 New Square Chambers

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One of the ‘leading sets in the fields of insurance coverage,’ 4 New Square Chambers continue to receive instructions across many classes of insurance and reinsurance, including employers’ liability, public liability and business interruption. Members of the chambers, such as David Turner KC, Clare Dixon KC, Shail Patel KC and Anthony Jones  have been involved in numerous cases including those involving business interruption test cases, alongside cases of contingency over-redemption policies. One such example is Opia Limited v CFC Underwriting Limited & Others, in which Turner KC acted for the insured in related to circumstances in which insurers might be liable for late payment of indemnity under s.13 of the Insurance Act 2015. Jonathan Hough KC has been involved in major litigation and arbitration over insurance coverage issues and in commercial disputes between insurers, while Justin Fenwick KC has a strong cross-border practice in this space including the Caribbean and the Far East.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Prompt and professional service from the clerks' room. Alex Dolby and Chris Ebdon are a pleasure to deal with.'
  • '4 New Square have for many years and continue to be the go to set for professional indemnity advice and advocacy.'
  • '4 New Square are great to work with and deservedly the pre-eminent set of Chambers for professional and insurance disputes.'
  • 'An excellent set with a real depth of experience, our "go to" set for insurance litigation and professional negligence claims.'
  • 'Excellent strength in depth, good range of senior juniors as well as silks.'
  • 'A very strong set.  A go to set for insurance 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.

David Turner1

David Turner

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘David remains an impressive and quick-thinking KC. He is very client friendly, and provides incisive advice and has an impressive and diverse church of knowledge and experience to call upon in diverse situations.'

Ben Elkington2

Ben Elkington

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘He is exceptionally bright and very friendly to work with. He sees what points will have traction with judges and reads the mood of the court very well, and also explains issues very well to clients.’

2

Jonathan Hough

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘Jonathan is an exceptional barrister, fantastically intelligent and producing opinions of the very highest quality. He is great with clients and gracious with it. It is an absolute pleasure to work with Jonathan.’

Ben Hubble2

Ben Hubble

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘Ben is a hugely experienced barrister at the top of his game.  He offers considered advice in a calm manner, and is always meticulously prepared.'

Alison Padfield3

Alison Padfield

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘Alison is an absolute pleasure to work with.  With Alison there is never anything less than 100% effort.   She is always prepared, calm and unflappable and has a very easy manner that puts clients from all walks of life entirely at their ease.'

3

Roger Stewart

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

'Roger's strength is he sees the big picture very well and is highly respected. He is a strong advocate and a good team player.'

4

Neil Hext

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘Neil is super smart, pragmatic, commercial and calm. As well as being very technically able, Neil also has superb client-facing skills and delivers clear and well-analysed advice in complex cases. He is a measured and effective advocate who can draw on a wealth of knowledge and expertise in insurance disputes.'

4

Jamie Smith

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

'Jamie is great to work with, smart, personable, forceful where needed, client focused and friendly and very good on paper and in court. He is a real expert in this area of law.'

Clare Dixon5

Clare Dixon

Hall of fame4 New Square Chambers

‘Clare is calm and unflappable.  She is incredibly helpful and rolls up her sleeves to become part of the team.  She is great to work with and is always well prepared.  On her feet she is methodical and persuasive.’

2024 Silks

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.

3

Nicholas Broomfield

4 New Square Chambers

‘Very bright and incisive, good at getting out of a hole and cutting through to the heart of the matter.  Excellent analysis and comes up with novel points.'

Ben Smiley3

Ben Smiley

4 New Square Chambers

‘Ben is commercial, pragmatic and efficient. He is incredibly responsive and produces written work of a very high standard. He’s very user-friendly and accessible and provides succinct advice on complex issues.’

4

Tom Asquith

4 New Square Chambers

‘Tom has an impressive knowledge of insurance law and expertise in policy coverage analysis.  He provides advice on complex policy coverage points in a manner that is clear, succinct and easily digestible, yet is very clearly on top of the detail.’

Diarmuid Laffan4

Diarmuid Laffan

4 New Square Chambers

‘Diarmuid provides clear and strategic advice. His legwork while preparing for arguments in outstanding. Given the time restrictions in arbitrations, he ensures time is utilised wisely, focusing on the primary points.  He is effective in his verbal presentations and gauges what the arbitrator sees as concerning issues, and deals with them in an entirely simple and cogent manner.’

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.

3

Nicholas Broomfield

4 New Square Chambers

‘Very bright and incisive, good at getting out of a hole and cutting through to the heart of the matter.  Excellent analysis and comes up with novel points.'

Ben Smiley3

Ben Smiley

4 New Square Chambers

‘Ben is commercial, pragmatic and efficient. He is incredibly responsive and produces written work of a very high standard. He’s very user-friendly and accessible and provides succinct advice on complex issues.’

4

Tom Asquith

4 New Square Chambers

‘Tom has an impressive knowledge of insurance law and expertise in policy coverage analysis.  He provides advice on complex policy coverage points in a manner that is clear, succinct and easily digestible, yet is very clearly on top of the detail.’

Diarmuid Laffan4

Diarmuid Laffan

4 New Square Chambers

‘Diarmuid provides clear and strategic advice. His legwork while preparing for arguments in outstanding. Given the time restrictions in arbitrations, he ensures time is utilised wisely, focusing on the primary points.  He is effective in his verbal presentations and gauges what the arbitrator sees as concerning issues, and deals with them in an entirely simple and cogent manner.’