Michael Douglas KC
4 Pump Court4 Pump Court has extensive experience handling professional liability matters in the UK as well as those connected with the Middle East. The set has a particular strength in handing claims with the construction and engineering sector. Rachel Ansell KC leads the team acting for Kingspan in Shepherd Construction Limited v Kingspan Limited & Others, a complex claim brought by the main contractor against twenty-four defendants in relation to the design and construction of multiple cladding systems – Lynne McCafferty KC is representing another defendant. Simon Hale is instructed to act for WSP Ltd in Avantage (Cheshire) Limited v GB Building Solutions Ltd, a case arising out the destruction of a care home due to a fire. Fiona Sinclair KC has since retired from practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Sam Penny is excellent.’
- ‘A strong clerking team including Carl Wall, Paul Bloxham, and Sam Penny. They are always looking to provide solutions and accommodate requests wherever possible.’
- ‘The clerks are top notch. In particular, Billy Griffiths is very responsive and commercial.’
- ‘They are very easy to work with. In particular, Niki Merison and Richard Sumarno are very user-friendly and sensible negotiators.’
- ‘The clerks are fantastic. They are incredibly responsive and will go above and beyond to address urgent queries within the timescales requested.’
- ‘They are flexible and responsive.’
- ‘A consistently excellent service from the clerking team. They are very responsive.’
- ‘The service has been excellent.’
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.
Nigel Tozzi KC
4 Pump Court ‘Nigel is good at handling technically difficult cases. He gives clear and direct advice.’
Rachel Ansell KC
4 Pump Court ‘She provides clear and considered advice; she does not sit on the fence. She has highly forensic and top-class drafting skills.’
Sean Brannigan KC
4 Pump Court
Aidan Christie KC
4 Pump Court ‘Aidan is brilliant. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of insurance law. He is always calm and practical.’
James Leabeater KC
4 Pump Court ‘James is very calm under pressure. He is really easy to engage with and he is great with clients. His advocacy is also very calm and thought through.’
Jeremy Nicholson KC
4 Pump Court
Benjamin Pilling KC
4 Pump Court
James Cross KC
4 Pump Court
Simon Davenport KC
4 Pump Court ‘Simon's strengths are his strategic insight, his excellent manner with clients, and his ability to make the right point at the right time.’
Jessica Stephens KC
4 Pump Court4
Claire Packman KC
4 Pump CourtJuniors
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.
Simon Hale
4 Pump Court ‘Simon is an incredible advocate. He outshines other counsel in the court room with his engaging, often mesmerizing presence.’
Kate Livesey
4 Pump Court ‘Kate is quite simply one of the best barristers in the market. She is fiercely intelligent, incredibly hardworking, and technically superb.’
Simon Henderson
4 Pump Court
Luke Wygas
4 Pump Court ‘He is particularly good in adjudications. He has an innate understanding of complex engineering issues.’
James Purchas
4 Pump Court ‘James is extremely bright. He is collaborative and works brilliantly as part of a team. He is a very strong advocate.’
Thomas Crangle
4 Pump Court ‘He is commercial and good with clients. He presents written and oral arguments clearly.’
James Bowling
4 Pump Court ‘His intelligence is first-rate. He is meticulous in his preparation. His advocacy is effective, he is good with clients, and he is liked by judges.’
Martyn Naylor
4 Pump Court ‘His written work is very good. He is a very articulate and smooth advocate.’
Matthew Thorne
4 Pump Court ‘Matthew is exceptionally bright. He has the gift of being able to explain and convey complex legal issues in a persuasive and compelling manner to both clients and the court.’
Laurence Page
4 Pump Court
Jennie Gillies
4 Pump Court
Mek Mesfin
4 Pump Court ‘He is an excellent advocate. He gets to grips with the pertinent issues and documents quickly. He manages difficult clients with ease.’
Peter Oliver
4 Pump Court ‘Peter has a keen intellect and is a solid choice for construction-related disputes. He is sensible and commercial.’
James Hatt
4 Pump Court ‘His advocacy is smooth, efficient, and incisive, which reflects his powers of analysis and thorough preparation.’