Chambers UK 2020 

Serle Court represents a strong choice for company law matters, particularly shareholder disputes, breach of duty claims and derivative claims, among other litigious issues. Its practitioners also assist in transactional matters, and are active in cross-border cases involving interests in the BVI, the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong. Significant instructions from the last year include West Coast Capital v House of Fraser, an unfair prejudice claim, and continued involvement in the Edwardian Group litigation. Clients say: "You have the confidence that, with anybody there, you'll get a leader, and someone who is good at what they do."

Client Service: "It's a good clerking team. They work with you to find solutions to client situations, and are responsive and helpful."

Silks:

Alan Boyle QC: "Alan is a fantastically robust advocate and a real pleasure to work with. He's good strategically and straight as a die."

Daniel Lightman QC: "Daniel displays incredible attention to detail, is a creative thinker and is someone who produces brilliant skeleton arguments."

David Blayney QC: "Quickly earns the confidence of clients. He's very approachable, easy to get on with and happy to make himself available at short notice."

Lance Ashworth QC: "Lance was exceptionally good to work with, providing expert and insightful strategic input and lateral thinking. His advice was pragmatic, commercially minded and robust. His was an extremely collaborative approach and he offered fantastic availability."

Philip Jones QC: "Always happy to get into the detail and very good technically. He is also really responsive and lovely to deal with."

Philip Marhsall QC: "Forceful, clever and direct."

Juniors:

David Drake: "David is excellent on the technical detail and grasps highly complex issues quickly. He's very responsive and trusted by those that instruct him."

Paul Adams: "Incredibly bright and highly approachable. He works very fast as well, so you can refer questions to him and a polished answer will come back almost instantaneously."

Timothy Collingwood: "He is easy to work with, quick, responsive, and intelligent."

Legal 500 2020

Silks:

Alan Boyle QC: "He is very responsive and experienced."

Philip Jones QC: "He is pragmatic and commercially astute."

Phillip Marshall QC: "He is one of the best courtroom advocates at the commercial Bar."

Daniel Lightman QC: "He is a leading company silk whose knowledge in the area and strategic nous is legendary."

Lance Ashworth QC:"He is bright and engaging."

Juniors:

Timothy Collingwood: "He is experienced in breach of duty cases."

David Drake: "He has knowledge of the law and confidence in his own advice."

Giles Richardson: "Clever advocate with good commercial nous and is a great strategist."

Dan McCourt Fritz: "He brings a very sensible and pragmatic approach and is good at working collaboratively."

Matthew Morrison: "He is extremely bright and works hard, turning things around quickly."

Paul Adams: "He is an excellent lawyer and a formidable adversary; he is very quick and clever and a tenacious advocate."

Thomas Braithwaite: "He has a precise and forensic legal mind and appears to have complete mastery of his practice."

Thomas Elias: "He has excellent judgement and tactical sense, well beyond what would be expected from his level of call."

Who's Who Legal 2019

Silks:

Lance Ashworth QC: "a first rate perfomer"

John Machell QC: "the LLP guru" and "the go-to person" at the Bar. "He is such a big name in the field that nothing further needs to be said"

Daniel Lightman QC: "excellent sense of the court and very good judgment" "He is one of the most brilliant barristers I have ever instructed"

Union Castle Mail Steamship Co Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2018] UKUT 316 (TCC) and [2016] UKFTT 536 (TC):

Ruth Jordan acted for HMRC in Union Castle Mail Steamship Co Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2018] UKUT 316 (TCC) and [2016] UKFTT 536 (TC)  a case about the use of derivative contract rules to engineer £39m in tax deductible losses. The taxpayer's appeal against the decision of the Upper Tribunal which deals with the definition of 'loss and arise from' and widens the application of transfer pricing rules to certain shareholder transactions (bonus share issues) is likely to be heard by the Court of Appeal (along with another related appeal by Ladbrokes Group Finance Plc in which Ruth is also instructed) in 2019 or early 2020.

Please click here to view the judgment.  

Glenn v Watson [2018] EWCH 2016 (Ch):

Elizabeth Jones QC, Justin Higgo, Gareth Tilley, Paul Adams, Zahler Bryan and Oliver Jones continue to act for Sir Owen Glenn and his company, Kea Investments Limited in their dispute with New Zealand businessman Eric Watson, following the judgment in Glenn v Watson [2018] EWCH 2016 (Ch) in which Kea suceeded in establishing its entitlement to set aside agreements relating to a joint venture etween Sir Owen and Eric Watson on the baiss of (i) fraudulent misrepresentations made on behalf of Mr Watson, (ii) breach of Mr Watson's fiduciary duty to Kea. The court gave an important decision on equitable interest, awarding interest of 6.5% compounded annually, at [2018] EWCH 2016 (Ch). Litigation continues as Kea seeks to enforce its judgment againts Mr Watson's assets in the UK and internationally. 

Please click here to view the judgment. 

Instant Access Properties v Rosser [2018] EWHC 756 (Ch):

Lance Ashworth QC and Matthew Morrison secured judgment secured judgment for the First Defendant , Mr Rosser in Instant Access Properties v Rosser successfully defeating a fraudulent trading and breach of fiduciary duty claim of £35 million.

Please click here to view the judgment. 

Mahdavi v Sterling Avram:

Daniel Lightman QC represented the claimant, who was the victim of an elaborate and daring fraud by a consultant to a firm of solicitors: the consultant falsely represented that the firm was instructed by the owner of a property, and arranged for the sums paid by the claimant to his firm which was intended to be the purchase monies to be misappropriated by being paid out to third parties connected to him.  The victim of the fraud is claiming damages in the Chancery Division against that solicitors’ firm.

Fox-Davies v Burberry Group PLC [2017] EWCA Civ 1129:

Timothy Collingwood represented the appellant on the leading case on public access to a company's register of members under the Companies Act 2006.

Please click here for the judgment.

Cullen Investments Ltd & Ors v Brown & Ors [2017] EWHC 1586 (Ch):

Timothy Collingwood represented the claimants at trial in personal and derivate claims against a director and joint venture partner and his brother (also a director of the joint venture company), which claims concerned allegations of conflicts of interest and issues as to the extent of duties owed.

Please click here for the judgment.

Griffith v Gourgey [2017] EWCA Civ 926:

In Griffith v Gourgey, Simon J struck out the combined defences of the respondents to 3 unfair prejudice petitions for failing to comply with an unless order and refused to grant them relief from sanctions. Daniel Lightman QC was instructed to represent the respondents at their appeal in January 2017.

Please click here for the judgment.

Gunewardena v Conran Holdings Ltd [2016] EWHC 2983 (Ch):

Philip Jones QC successfully acted for Conran Holdings, a company owned by Sir Terence Conran and his children, in defending a claim brought by a former shareholder and chief executive who objected to his shares having been compulsorily purchased at nil value. 

Please click here for the judgment.

Representation of Galasys Plc [2016] JRC 188:

Lance Ashworth QC, Matthew Morrison, and Thomas Elias were instructed on behalf of the defendants in this multi-jurisdictional company law dispute where it was disputed which members of the board were entitled to give instructions on behalf of the company to pursue litigation. English interlocutory hearings in the Commercial Court raised issues such as the approach that the court should take when there is doubt as to the validity of the instructions given to solicitors purporting to act on behalf of a company. In Representation of Galasys Plc [2016] JRC 188, the Jersey COurt agreed with the defendants that a majority of shareholders could give directions to discontinue the litigation, relying on the principle that where the board is unable or unwilling to act the shareholders in general meeting have a residual power to exercise the powers of the company.

Please click here for the judgment.

Brett v Migration Solutions Holdings Ltd & Ors [2016] EWHC 523 (Ch):

Timothy Collingwood successfully represented the majority shareholder at trial in an unfair prejudice petition, defeating an allegation of quasi-partnership and establishing that there was no unfairness in the exclusion of the petitioner or the operation of compulsory transfer provisions under the articles. 

Please click here for the judgment.