Chambers UK 2020

Silks

David Blayney QC: "He is an extremely nice man and a very clever, thoughtful and original thinker." "He is very good and deals with the technical aspects of cases enormously impressively."

Legal 500 2020

Silks: 

David Blayney QC: "His intellect has truly frightening firepower, but he wears it lightly and is incredibly easy to work with."

Dominic Dowley QC: "Extremely responsive and helpful in a time-pressured case."

Philip Marshall QC: "One of the best courtroom advocates at the commercial Bar."

Elizabeth Jones QC: "Her intellectual powers are outstanding, as is her tenacity."

Juniors: 

Simon Hattan: "Absolutely brilliant – a real all-rounder who you can totally trust on a range of commercial and financial litigation."

Wyatt v Royal Bank of Scotland:

Acted for the guarantor of debts of a company which had entered into interest rate hedging product with RBS. The guarantor faced a claim for £14m.

Greenwood & Ors v Goodwin & Ors:

The ongoing group litigation relating to the £12bn rights issue undertaken by RBS in 2008.  Philips Marshall QC is representing the so called 'Bird & Bird Group' of claimants and David Blayney QC and Simon Hattan are representing RBS and the individual director defendants.  The claim is likely to be one of the highest value claims ever to come before the English courts, with an expected value of between £3bn and £4bn. 

Bank of St Petersburg v Vitaly Arkhangelsky & Anor:

A claim to enforce a series of guarantees afforded to a defaulting oligarch and for declaratory relief to exonerate the Bank from accusations of corporate raiding made against it by the Defendant.

JSC BTA Bank v Mukhtar Ablyazov, Zharimbetov & Ors:

Large fraud trial in which the Bank successfully obtained Judgment for over $1billion in relation to a series of banking frauds.

Philip Marshall QC acted for the Bank at trail; Hugh Norbury QC represented the second Defendant, Mr Zharimbetov at trial. Philip Jones QC, Matthew Morrison were also involved for the Bank during the litigation; Justin Higgo acted for Mr Zharimbetov; Dan McCourt Fritz acted for Mr Ablyazov.

Access Bank plc v Akingbola:

The case involved a fraud claim against the former Chief Executive of Access Bank plc, a Nigerian Bank, for misappropriation, illegal share purchase and price manipulation.

Lexi Holdings v Pannone:

Philip Marshall QC and Ruth Holtham continued to appear on behalf of Lexi Holdings plc in the fall out following its collapse in circumstances of fraud.  Philip appeared in front of Briggs J on a summary judgment application against solicitors in respect of a claim for breach of mandate. The Court considered the scope of the actual and apparent authority of a managing director to give instructions to solicitors leading to misapplication of company funds.

JP Morgan Chase Bank v Springwell Navigation Corporation:

A mis-selling claim against a bank relating to a US$600m portfolio of emerging markets bonds which collapsed in value following the Russian government's default on its debt.  Issues were raised as to the existence and scope of any duty of care owed by the Bank whether the Bank was in breach of duty and what losses resulted.

Nicholas Lavender QC was instructed in this case. The 68-day trial raised issues as to the existence and scope of any duty of care owed by the Bank.

North Shore Venture v Anstead Holdings:

Acting for the defendants in a case which raises important issues of principle on the scope of the pre-guarantee duty of disclosure and conclusive evidence clauses.

Tchigirinski v Orton Oil:

Philip Marshall QC led Ruth Holtham for the Defendant, Orton Oil, a decision of Beatson J on the effect of equitable assignment and the grant of interlocutory relief in relation to arbitration proceedings.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc v Winterthur (UK) Holdings Ltd:

A £37m claim for breach of warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation arising from the takeover of Churchill Insurance.   The case settled during trial.

Simon Hattan and Gareth Tilley appeared for the claimants in a £37m claim for breach of warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation arising from the takeover of Churchill Insurance.

National Westminster Bank v Rabobank:

Decision on circumstances in which implied misrepresentation can arise between banks in a "work out" of non-performing loan and guidance on when it is appropriate to award indemnity costs.

Redwood Master Fund v TD Bank Europe Ltd:

Claim by vulture funds that majority banks' decision in syndicated loan was a fraud on the minority.

SAMA v Dresdner bank:

Set off arising out of syndicated loan

Bank of Ireland v AMCD Property Holdings and others:

The claimant sought summary judgment in relation to an advance made under a facility letter and associated guarantees. The Defendants unsuccessfully sought to argue that the advance was outside the terms of the facility letter and / or that on its true construction in the context of the case, "on demand" did not entail immediate payment