Its transatlantic capabilities see Milbank advise on banking litigation and investigations in both the UK and the US. The team advises banks and lenders on competition and fraud claims, criminal investigations and enforcement actions. Practice head Julian Stait is at the forefront of high-profile litigation in the sector, as well as regulatory disputes and investigations. Mona Vaswani boasts a ‘legendary’ contentious financial services practice, representing international banks, financial institutions and private lenders. Tom Canning is another name to note, along with William Charles. Rosy Villar advises on disputes related to distressed loan and bond transactions. Mark Padley and Emma Hogwood are also active members of the team.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Mona Vaswani's practice is legendary, and she continues to get brilliant results for tough, demanding clients.’

  • ‘The banking team at Milbank is second to none. There is exceptional quality at every level, which is hard to find, combined with impressive sector knowledge reflecting the breadth and depth of experience in the team. The team works extremely well together and communicates very effectively with both clients and counsel.'

  • ‘Julian Stait, the lead partner, is one of the most experienced litigators in the London banking market. He is a go-to for large, international clients with complex cases. His judgement is extremely sound, he always asks the right questions and sees the key issues, and he is excellent on strategy, as well as being a first-rate lawyer.'

  • 'Emma Hogwood, special counsel, is one of the most impressive solicitors I have worked with. She is exceptionally bright, has a frightening attention to detail, and runs the most difficult cases with ease. She works extremely well with counsel, always thinks through points before raising them and is all round an absolute pleasure to work with.’

  • ‘Mona Vaswani is outstanding and is a top pick for any client with a knotty dispute, particularly in the fraud sector.’

  • ‘Mona Vaswani is superb. She has excellent judgement and gives clear and decisive advice.’

  • ‘The practice includes some highly transactional-minded litigators, which is helpful as they can also understand the commercial drivers of a situation and get involved in a broader sense.’

  • ‘Tom Canning (partner) and Michael Bingham (associate) are two stand out individuals. They are friendly, hyper intelligent and very easy to work with - I trust their advice blindly as it has never proven to be even slightly questionable to date.’

Key clients

  • Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.
  • Visa Inc.
  • Visa International Service Association,
  • Visa Europe Limited
  • Visa Europe Services LLC
  • Visa UK Limited
  • Apollo Global Management
  • Frigoglass Group

Lawyers

Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Julian Stait

Other key lawyers

Mona Vaswani, Tom Canning, William Charles, Rosy Villar, Mark Padley, Emma Hogwood, Michael Bingham, Peter Edworthy