The members of XXIV Old Buildings are well-equipped to handle corporate, commercial, and finance-based disputes, including fraud and insolvency matters, before the courts of Gibraltar, Bermuda, BVI, the Cayman Islands, and the Crown Dependencies, including Jersey and Guernsey. Stephen Moverley Smith KC specialises in restructuring, fraud, and insolvency work, as well as cases surrounding allegations of corruption. He represented the successful respondent in the Cayman Court of Appeal in a case which saw, for the first time, an appellant decision confirming the jurisdictional power and scope of the Grand Court when considering injunctions in support of foreign arbitrations (Minsheng Vocational Education Company Limited v Lead Education Holding Limited and Others). Francis Tregear KC has recently been active in major liquidation cases in Cayman, and David Brownbill KC is skilled in fraud and asset recovery claims. He is representing the defendant in the Gibraltar-based case of Ambra and Others v Fiman Limited and Others, which concerns allegations of breaches of statutory, fiduciary, and tortious duties which are said to have caused substantial losses to several offshore companies. International disputes specialist Steven Thompson KC is active in the BVI, where he has appeared before the Court of Appeal and Privy Council. A key junior, Bajul Shah boasts company, commercial, and insolvency expertise.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Very good. Paul Horsfield, Perry Brown, and Tommie Drury are excellent.'
  • 'The clerks room are always professional and responsive. Paul Horsfield and Perry Brown stand out.'
  • 'Very responsive and flexible. Paul Horsfield in particular often goes the extra mile to build and maintain relationships with instructing counsel.'
  • 'Paul Horsfield, Perry Brown and James Ladbrook are a formidable team. They are organised and responsive and make for a seamless experience when instructing members.'
  • 'Paul Horsfield, head of clerking, is excellent. Very approachable, always prepared to be commercial on fees, has an in-depth understanding of the work of chambers and looks to build relationships and make introductions wherever possible.'

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.
1
Stephen Moverley Smith KC
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘Stephen’s decades of experience operating in offshore jurisdictions makes him a go-to choice for high-value disputes.'
2
David Brownbill KC
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘David is very knowledgeable and very user-friendly.’
3
Steven Thompson KC
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘Steven is an outstanding advocate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law. He is very hands-on and great with clients.’
2023 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.

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.
2
Daniel Warents
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘Daniel is an outstanding junior, thoroughly across the law and with a knack for presenting matters in a straightforward and sensible way. He blends serious intelligence with a very pleasant and down-to-earth manner.’
3
Nicole Langlois
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘Nicole is very personable, has strong knowledge of the relevant law and process, and is comfortable when dealing with a difficult judge.’
3
Hugh Miall
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘Hugh is a passionate and committed advocate who is fiercely loyal to his client’s cause. He is exceptionally articulate and clearly has the ear of the court.’
Leading associates
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.
James Fennemore
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘James is very responsive and spots issues and potential pitfalls before they are even on the horizon.'
Alex Peplow
XXIV Old Buildings
 ‘A junior with very good legal research skills.’