Chambers UK Bar 2024 – “exceptional across the board”
Serle Court is delighted to announce that chambers has been ranked in 11 practice areas in this year’s Chambers UK Bar directory.
Our barristers have received 156 individual recommendations across 23 practice areas. 53 members of chambers have received individual rankings in at least one practice area.
Members have 30 new and improved rankings.
We congratulate Oliver Jones who has been recognised as ‘Up and Coming’ in Chancery: Commercial. “Excellent to work with; his ability to absorb information and produce written submissions of the highest quality in record time is hugely impressive. Seemingly never flustered, he is also fantastic on his feet.”
We would also like to congratulate John Machell KC (Partnership), Dakis Hagen KC (Family: Matrimonial Trust/Tax Experts) and William Henderson (Chancery: Traditional & Charities) who have been recognised as ‘Star Individuals’. Philip Jones KC has also been recommended as ‘Senior Statespeople’.
Serle Court’s clerking team also receives outstanding feedback in relation to their continued client service:
- “Serle Court remains one of the strongest sets for clerking service. They are incredibly available – if you pick up the phone then you will be able to get the answer you need very quickly.”
- “The clerks are always responsive and proactive.”
- “The clerks are brilliant. They are always responsive and a pleasure to communicate with.”
- “The clerks are exceptional as they are flexible and try to accommodate last minute requests. They make themselves available after hours and help with client expectations.”
- “The clerking team at Serle Court are brilliant. They understand the needs of solicitors and are willing to go above and beyond to deliver an excellent service.”
- “The clerking is first class. They provide solutions not problems, and are attentive and commercial.”
- “Serle Court has a very strong clerking team. They are really great and were always renowned for their service. They are incredibly friendly and if there is an issue you can pick up the phone and chat to them to help get it sorted.”
- “Client service at the set is second to none. The clerks are always very responsive and helpful.”
- “The clerks espouse a ‘nothing is too much trouble’ approach, respond quickly and provide an exceptionally high level of service that leaves you comforted in the knowledge that whatever the request or job, it will get done.”
To view the full list of rankings, and Serle Court’s Chambers UK Bar 2024 profile, please click here.
Related Barristers
Elizabeth Jones KC
Call: 1984
Silk: 2000
Paul Chaisty KC
Call: 1982
Silk: 2001
Dominic Dowley KC
Call: 1983
Silk: 2002
Philip Jones KC
Call: 1985
Silk: 2006
Lance Ashworth KC
Call: 1987
Silk: 2006
David Casement KC FCIArb
Call: 1992
Silk: 2008
Christopher Stoner KC
Call: 1991
Silk: 2010
Michael Edenborough KC
Call: 1992
Silk: 2010
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
Hugh Norbury KC
Call: 1995
Silk: 2012
David Blayney KC
Call: 1992
Silk: 2013
Jonathan Adkin KC
Call: 1997
Silk: 2013
Rupert Reed KC
Call: 1996
Silk: 2014
As part of a broad Chancery-Commercial practice, Daniel Lightman KC engages with challenging and novel issues of law and civil procedure, in particular concerning shareholder disputes (having appeared in a number of landmark unfair prejudice petitions and derivative claims), company law (including in matrimonial proceedings), insolvency, civil fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and professional negligence.
Shortlisted for Company/Insolvency Silk of the Year in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards in both 2026 and 2024 and shortlisted for Chancery Silk of the Year in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2026, Daniel is recommended in Band 1 for Silks for Company by both Chambers UK, 2027 and the Legal 500, 2027 – and in Band 1 for Chancery Commercial by Chambers. Chambers UK, 2027 describes him as “A go-to silk for high value, complex disputes who leads the pack on shareholder disputes. He has great judgement and always furnishes reliable advice” and praises him for “constantly identifying innovative solutions to complex problems” and building “outstanding relationships with the wider legal team.”
Daniel has an extensive international practice, including current or recent shareholder litigation in the courts of Abu Dhabi, Bermuda, Cayman, Guernsey and Qatar, and a multi-shareholder arbitration in Hong Kong.
Daniel Lightman KC
Call: 1995
Silk: 2016
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
Justin Higgo KC
Call: 1995
Silk: 2020
Giles Richardson KC
Call: 1997
Silk: 2022
Dan McCourt Fritz KC
Call: 2007
Silk: 2023
Matthew Morrison KC has a broad commercial chancery practice, with particular expertise in civil fraud, company and partnership disputes, and insolvency litigation.
Described by Chambers UK 2027 as an “outstanding barrister” who is “technically brilliant, fantastic with clients and someone whose cross-examination is exceptional”, Matthew regularly appears in the High Court and Court of Appeal and has acted in proceedings before the Grand Court and Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI), the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, the Isle of Man High Court of Justice and the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. He also has significant experience assisting advocates before the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey. He is generally admitted to the BVI Bar and is currently admitted ad hoc on a number of matters in the Cayman Islands.
Matthew is an established legal author. He has written widely read PLC practice notes on minority shareholder remedies and edits chapters on directors’ duties and disqualification, and insolvency, in Gore-Browne, Butterworths Corporate Law Service, Tolley’s Company Law Service and Tolley’s Company Law Handbook; and on unfair prejudice, misfeasance and disqualification in the Law of Limited Liability Partnerships (Whittaker and Machell (6th ed.), 2026).
Matthew Morrison KC
Call: 2004
Silk: 2025
Michael Walsh KC
Call: 2006
Silk: 2025
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
Andrew Francis
Call: 1977
Beverly-Ann Rogers
Call: 1978
Andrew Bruce
Call: 1992
David Drake
Call: 1994
Simon Hattan
Call: 1999
Jennifer Haywood
Call: 2001
Ruth Jordan
Call: 2001
Jonathan Fowles
Call: 2004
James Mather
Call: 2006
Gareth Tilley
Call: 2007
Paul Adams
Call: 2008
Jennifer Meech
Call: 2008
Sophie Holcombe
Call: 2009
Adil Mohamedbhai
Call: 2010
Harry Martin has a busy junior practice specialising in chancery, commercial chancery, and art and cultural property work. He advises in relation to contentious and non-contentious matters, both in England & Wales and in other jurisdictions.
Harry is ranked as a leading barrister in the Chambers UK Bar and Chambers High Net Worth guides, which describe him as “a rising star”, and “very bright and commercial in his advice”.
Harry Martin
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
Stephanie Wickenden specialises in intellectual property, art and media law.
She has experience in commercial chancery cases in the creative and technology sectors, including contractual and tortious IT disputes, contentious trusts and estates matters involving creative assets, and shareholder and directors’ disputes involving IP breaches. A significant proportion of her practice has an international element, including cases involving disputed jurisdiction, foreign law, and service and enforcement out of the jurisdiction.
With a background in art and theatre, combined with expertise in IP, commercial and private international law, Stephanie is uniquely placed to advise on contentious and non-contentious matters relating to art and cultural property. Having spent three years at a top international law firm, she also advises on IP transactions and licensing.
Stephanie enjoys working as part of a team and is confident acting as sole counsel. She is regularly instructed in significant Intellectual Property cases before the UK courts, often unled and against KCs, including Thatchers v Aldi [2025] EWCA Civ 5 and EasyGroup v Nuclei and others [2023] EWCA Civ 1247. She has appeared before the CJEU (General Court), Court of Appeal, High Court and IPEC, and in registry proceedings before the UK IPO and EUIPO.
Stephanie Wickenden
Call: 2014
