Serle Court’s ‘formidable group of silks and juniors’ are recognised in Chambers HNW 2020 rankings
We are delighted to announce that Serle Court has received a Band 1 ranking in Chancery: Traditional, by Chambers & Partners High Net Worth directory 2020. The directory ranks the top barristers and solicitors specialising in international private wealth. The guide also recommends leading accountancy firms, private banks, wealth managers, trust companies and other professional advisers to HNW and UHNW clients around the world.
We congratulate William Henderson who is highlighted as a Star Individual. He has an outstanding reputation in this field, with sources commenting that he is "unbelievably clever" and "just a fabulous advocate." He is well known for representing clients in complex, multi-jurisdictional estate, trust and probate matters.
In the new Spotlight Table in Chambers HNW 2020 Beverly-Ann Rogers is recognised as one of the 7 Trust mediators nationwide with expertise in mediating trust disputes. Beverly is acknowledged as having built a highly respected mediation practice and as notable for working on matters involving trusts. A source describes Rogers as ”very good, the sort of mediator I like – sensible,” and another interviewee says that she is “so calm and sensible -an incredibly effective mediator.”
Andrew Bruce is congratulated for his ranking in the Art and Cultural Property Law section, being described as "very knowledgeable in art law, especially on very technical issues like authenticity and title. He is definitely a barrister I would consider if I had an art issue in the UK," comments one international lawyer. An art lawyer states: "He is one of our go-to barristers. He is very intelligent, no-nonsense and has good drafting skills which nail the case." One interviewee remarks: "He is very bright. He has really good attention to detail and technical knowledge. He is good with clients and very easy to work with."
Up and Coming Oliver Jones is "brilliant," according to a solicitor, who adds: "The standout thing is his drafting skill. He's amazing at turning around documents at high speed – really clever and such a nice man." He represents clients in contentious trusts and estate administration matters and also advises on commercial cases.
We also receive high praises in relation to the administrative operation of chambers: "They are very easy to work with," observes a commentator, adding: "It's such a slick operation – they always provide a safe pair of hands." John Petrie is the set's chief executive and Steven Whitaker is head clerk.
To read Serle Court's Chambers Review and ranked barristers, please click here.
Related Barristers
Elizabeth Jones KC
Call: 1984
Silk: 2000
John Machell KC has a broad commercial chancery practice, with particular experience in large-scale litigation involving trusts, fiduciary/director duties, and fraud, particularly with an international dimension.
John is regarded as one of the leading partnership and LLP silks and has experience of a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious matters across the whole range of business sectors. A large part of his work involves issues arising from the use of partnerships and LLPs in hedge fund and private equity structures; in international commercial group structures; and as part of wealth planning strategies.
A substantial part of John’s practice is offshore, and he has appeared in the courts of Grand Cayman, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda on several occasions in recent years.
John Machell KC
Call: 1993
Silk: 2012
Described by The Legal 500 as “one of the stars of his generation”, Richard Wilson KC specialises in litigation, drafting and advisory work across traditional and commercial chancery. His practice focuses on trusts and probate, both contentious and non-contentious, related company and partnership law, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, tax, professional negligence and civil fraud.
Richard has acted in many of the most significant and high-value cases in these areas in recent years. He is currently involved in several disputes concerning the estates of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) in England and overseas.
His practice frequently involves offshore matters and private international law. He has appeared before the Privy Council, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Gibraltar, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Bermuda, the Supreme Court of The Bahamas, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. He has also provided expert evidence on English law before the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey.
Richard regularly acts in disputes across all the principal offshore jurisdictions. A significant proportion of his practice involves international clients, particularly those based in Asia, including Hong Kong.
Richard Wilson KC
Call: 1996
Silk: 2016
Dakis Hagen KC
Call: 2002
Silk: 2017
Constance McDonnell KC
Call: 2000
Silk: 2019
Giles Richardson KC
Call: 1997
Silk: 2022
James Weale KC has a very busy commercial chancery practice with a focus on domestic and international commercial and trusts disputes.
He is recognised as a leading practitioner in those fields by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Chambers Global, Chambers High Net Worth, and Who’s Who Legal, where they describe him as a “brilliant lawyer” and a “Superstar”. He was Chambers & Partners’ Chancery Junior of the Year in 2023.
He regularly appears (both as sole and junior counsel) in the English High Court and has appeared several times in the Court of Appeal. He also has considerable experience in overseas jurisdictions (including as sole counsel), including Bermuda, the DIFC, the BVI, Cayman, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar and Panama.
James Weale KC
Call: 2007
Silk: 2026
Beverly-Ann Rogers
Call: 1978
Andrew Bruce
Call: 1992
Emma Hargreaves
Call: 2012
Oliver Jones is a senior junior with a broad commercial and chancery practice, and particular expertise in private wealth and civil fraud disputes. He is recognised by the directories as a leading junior in these areas.
In addition to his busy practice in England, he regularly works in major offshore jurisdictions, including the Channel Islands, BVI and Bermuda. Ollie was called to the BVI bar in 2019.
In addition to noting his “incredible intellect” and “engaging and persuasive” advocacy, the directories note Ollie’s ability to “roll up his sleeves”, “get on top of huge volumes of work and detail quickly” and build a “great rapport with clients”. In addition to acting unled, Ollie also enjoys working as part of larger teams on large-scale litigation, in which he “consistently delivers impressive results”. Ollie takes pride in his reputation for being “user-friendly” and “great to work with”.
Before coming to the Bar, Ollie spent several years as a management consultant in the financial services, energy, and public sectors. He brings this commercial experience and perspective to bear in his cases.
Oliver Jones
Call: 2014
