Penelope Reed KC
5 Stone Buildings ‘Penelope is laser-focused on the material issues in the case, and her presentation in court is clear, methodical and highly persuasive.’
5 Stone Buildings is ‘an outstanding set with incredible strength in depth across the board’ for ’complex and high-value trust and estate disputes’. In Hinduja v Hinduja, Henry Legge KC acted for the now-deceased head of the family, SP Hinduja, in a long-running dispute between members of the family, described as the UK's richest, which established the Hinduja Group. Penelope Reed KC acted as leading counsel for Leigh White in Gladstone v White, a case involving a proprietary estoppel claim by a woman allegedly treated like a daughter of by the owner of a stately home, a relatively unusual case applying proprietary estoppel outside of the context of a family farm. Tracey Angus KC, who is ‘thorough in her advice and always extremely responsive and very perceptive’, recently acted for the defendant in Taj v Ali, a case involving a trust dispute over the estate of a deceased with assets in England and the Isle of Man, and involving allegations of forgery. Hugh Cumber represents a widow in an Inheritance Act claim after she was provided with the entire state on a life interest basis, but received no capital provision.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Paul Jennings is superb.'
- 'Paul Jennings is excellent to deal with and always understands market forces.'
- 'Dan Coote is a fantastic clerk. He is direct, always on top of the diaries and is efficient.'
- 'The clerks are always efficient and helpful. Dan Coote, in particular, is very useful in managing relationships with the court.'
- 'Paul Jennings runs an excellent clerks' room and is always available to deal with queries.'
- 'The clerks are excellent at finding the right person with the necessary availability. Paul Jennings has thorough attention to matters, and the clerks are reliable, capable and helpful.'
- '5 Stone Buildings is the premier chambers with great strength across the board.'
- '5 Stone Buildings is a reputable set with a good range of barrister availability and skills.'
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.
Shân Warnock-Smith KC
5 Stone Buildings ‘Shân is an absolute powerhouse for private wealth, trusts and estate work. She covers the full spectrum of trust work from advisory.’
Christopher Tidmarsh KC
5 Stone Buildings ‘Christopher provides helpful and pragmatic advice. He has a thorough knowledge of the subject matter, and his advice is spot on.’
Sarah Haren KC
5 Stone Buildings 'Sarah's intellect gives her the edge in negotiations and advocacy. She is very technical while astute and user-friendly.'
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.
Toby Bishop
5 Stone Buildings ‘Toby is an excellent barrister. He has technical skills in abundance and excellent presentational skills.’
Ruth Hughes
5 Stone Buildings 'Ruth is a strong communicator. She works efficiently and can cut through to the key details of a case quickly. She provides concise advice about the merits, often with an eye to the commercial and strategic objectives.'
Michael O’Sullivan
5 Stone Buildings 'Michael has a great depth of knowledge and can reduce complex issues to straightforward advice and clear advocacy.'
Alexander Drapkin
5 Stone Buildings ‘Alexander is a highly skilled operator and a good barrister with an eye for detail. He is an excellent junior, providing appropriate support and legal research that one can rely upon. He makes a substantial and positive contribution to the team.’
Miranda Allardice
5 Stone Buildings
Mark Baxter
5 Stone Buildings 'Mark is well-prepared and sticks to his guns. He is very well prepared and is very good with clients. He provides excellent follow-up and almost always turns papers around.'
Hugh Cumber
5 Stone Buildings
Eliza Eagling
5 Stone Buildings 'Eliza is an exceptional barrister. She works collaboratively with the legal team, assisting in all aspects of the case, and her advocacy skills are impressive. She is calm and persuasive.'
Rose Fetherstonhaugh
5 Stone Buildings ‘Rose is an expert in her field. She is highly knowledgeable, confident and adaptable. In terms of advocacy, she fights the corners for the clients in a clear, articulate and persuasive manner.'
Elis Gomer
5 Stone Buildings 'Elis is competent and quickly gets to the heart of the issues. He professionally provides his advice but is also cognisant of the client's ability to understand it, and so adjusts his tone appropriately.'
Luke Harris
5 Stone Buildings ‘Luke can see the matter as a whole and predict with uncanny accuracy the likely actions and responses of the other party. He is commercially astute and very solutions-oriented.’
Edward Hewitt
5 Stone Buildings ‘Edward is technically brilliant. He knows the area of contested trust and probate inside out. He is very user-friendly and his turnaround times for work are great. He is always calm under pressure.’
Jordan Holland
5 Stone Buildings ‘Jordan gives creative yet commercial advice. His manner with the judge is impeccable, and he can think on his feet.’
Francis Ng
5 Stone Buildings ‘Francis is incredibly bright and quick on his feet. He provides excellent insight and always keeps the goal in mind.’
Mathew Roper
5 Stone Buildings ‘Mathew is clear in his advice and gets to the heart of the matter. His advice is practical and commercial. He is an excellent tactician.’
William East
5 Stone Buildings 'William is a very strong performer.'
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.
