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Jonathan Adkin KC
Serle CourtPraised as ‘one of the leading chambers for international trust matters, especially high-value and complex trusts’, Serle Court features members that are notably active across the Caribbean, Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Channel Islands. Its barristers are well-equipped to act for trustees, personal representatives, and beneficiaries, especially in cases surrounding trust and estate administration disputes. Elizabeth Jones KC has an overlapping commercial and private client practice, while Jonathan Adkin KC is particularly active in high-profile disputes across Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. Of recent note, Adkin is representing the plaintiff in a dispute surrounding issues of a settlor’s capacity in the Supreme Court of the Bahamas for more than $100m. Dakis Hagen KC has a thriving offshore trusts practice, and he is currently acting for the plaintiff in the high-profile case of Wong v Grand View PTC and others, which concerns an action to set aside five purpose trusts in Bermuda which in total hold more than $18bn. Constance McDonnell KC is another key silk at the set with expertise in the cross-border administration of trusts, especially in Guernsey and Gibraltar.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks here are what other chambers should aspire to. Well led by Nicholas Hockney, they are responsive, commercial and really helpful.'
- 'Clerks are always quick and easy to deal with, particularly Daniel Wheeler and Colin Bunyan. They understand commercial imperatives for the matters and never have any issue with them.'
- 'Jim Costa is particularly good to work with.'
- 'Serle Court always offer a high level of service. Nicholas Hockney is an outstanding senior clerk.'
- 'Clerks are user-friendly, commercial and easy to work with. Charlie Payne and Nicholas Hockney are stand-outs.'
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.
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Dakis Hagen KC
Serle Court ‘Dakis is incredibly bright, a true expert in his field, and charming with professional and lay clients alike.’
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Elizabeth Jones KC
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John Machell KC
Serle Court ‘John is extremely easy to work with, superbly organised, and has a razor sharp intellect. An excellent advocate with a wonderful ability to explain very complicated concepts in simple terms for lay clients.’
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Richard Wilson KC
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Timothy Collingwood KC
Serle Court 'Timothy is a user-friendly advocate, with excellent communication skills with clients.'
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Constance McDonnell KC
Serle Court ‘Constance is determined and tenacious with opposing parties,and approachable and compassionate to her clients. She is calm and patient, persistent, and an excellent advocate.’
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Giles Richardson KC
Serle Court ‘Giles is very bright, calm and poised. He has a very good strategic approach, and works exceptionally well with a large team.’
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.
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Thomas Fletcher
Serle Court ‘Thomas is brilliant. He is a fantastic team player, a delight to work with, and he is brilliantly responsive and delivers clear, pragmatic advice in even the most complex and time-pressured scenarios.’
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Adil Mohamedbhai
Serle Court ‘Adil is an incredibly well-rounded junior. He turns difficult work around very quickly.’
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Emma Hargreaves
Serle Court ‘Emma has an amazing ability to retain and recall vast amounts of information and apply this knowledge in a practical and sensible manner.’
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Ruth Jordan
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James Weale
Serle Court ‘James is an incisive advocate with a deep knowledge of trust law and international private wealth disputes. He provides clear and astute guidance in the most complex cases.’
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Charlotte Beynon
Serle Court ‘Charlotte commands the respect of all involved in a team. She always has her eye on the wider picture - a truly exceptional junior.’
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Zahler Bryan
Serle Court ‘Zahler’s analysis is thorough, timely and excellent. She is very personable and extremely easy to work with.’
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Sparsh Garg
Serle Court ‘Sparsh is intelligent, hard-working, an innovative thinker, and is able to produce work of the highest quality in short timescales. He is very personable and a good team player.'
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Sophie Holcombe
Serle Court ‘Sophie is super strategic and always the most prepared person in the room. Silk glove and iron fist when on her feet, and judges love her.’
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Oliver Jones
Serle Court ‘Oliver is a go-to junior in contentious trusts work. He gets to the nub of issues very quickly and provides measured but astute advice, while exercising judgement beyond his call.’
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.
Stephanie Thompson
Serle Court ‘Stephanie is an excellent barrister, very efficient and always helpful.'