Year of Call: 2007 Year of Silk: 2023
“Brilliant in the courtroom"
Dan was among the very first of his cohort to take silk, at only 15 years' call - an achievement made more remarkable by the fact that Dan practises across a wide range of heavyweight chancery commercial specialisms. He has rapidly established a thriving practice at silk level, centred on three inter-related areas: company law, civil fraud and trust disputes.
Dan’s practice spans a range of jurisdictions in addition to England, including the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the BVI, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Dan is called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean on a permanent basis, and to the Bars of the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar on a case specific basis.
In company law, during the past three years Dan has appeared in the Court of Appeal in four appeals concerning unfair prejudice (Zedra, Loveridge (No.1), Loveridge (No.2) and Zedra (No.2)) and in the notorious BIG (regarding the scope and effect of the rule against reflective loss). Dan’s clients succeeded in all four appeals.
In civil fraud, Dan is lead advocate for the claimant in Isbilen, a multi-jurisdictional fraud claim arising from the alleged misappropriation of some £40 million, and (led by David Allison KC) acts for the plaintiffs in Re The Port Fund, in which the general partner of a Caymanian exempted liability partnership is alleged to have conspired with others to cause losses exceeding £150 million to the fund’s limited partners. Dan is also lead counsel in a related claim against the general partner’s attorneys for breach of fiduciary duty.
In both fraud and company law contexts, Dan regularly acts and advises in relation to insolvency issues (see e.g. Re Black Capital; Re Breton Park).
In trusts disputes, Dan’s range of expertise makes him especially sought after in cases concerning allegations of dishonesty and/or corporate structures. Recent examples include (i) Equity Trust, in which Dan’s clients succeeded at first instance and in the Court of Appeal in resisting claims for fraudulent breach of trust against a corporate trustee and one of its employees, and (ii) Kazzaz, a breach of trust claim in Guernsey in which Dan’s clients (subsidiaries of Standard Chartered) won at trial and in the Guernsey Court of Appeal.
Across the broad spectrum of his practice, Dan has developed noteworthy expertise in committal proceedings (representing both applicants and respondents). He has acted in many of the leading civil contempt cases over the past decade, including Loveridge (No.2), Isbilen v Turk, Super-Max v Malhotra, Emmott v Willson, Ablyazov, Berry Piling and Masri.
In the majority of his cases Dan acts as lead or sole advocate, and he excels at leading a team (Chambers & Partners notes that he is “an absolute joy to work with”). He is however equally comfortable working under senior KCs within or outside chambers, as he is currently doing across a range of cases in England and overseas. Dan’s ability and experience as an oral advocate are outstanding, especially given his call: his recent appearances include a successful appearance in the Privy Council (in Re The Port Fund, concerning derivative claims), numerous appeals in the Court of Appeal (in which Dan has yet to lose as advocate), lengthy High Court trials and arbitrations involving extensive cross-examination, and heavy interlocutory applications (with a particular emphasis on applications for search orders, freezing orders and proprietary injunctions). In Chambers & Partners Dan is described as “magnificent in court”, with his advocacy being recognised as "incredibly impressive" and “exceptional”. To similar effect, Legal 500 praises Dan as “a fierce intellect and a brilliant advocate”, whose advocacy is "persuasive and skilful beyond his years".
Dan McCourt Fritz KC admitted to the Eastern Caribbean Bar
Serle Court is pleased to announce that Dan McCourt Fritz KC has been called to the Bar of the Eastern... Read More
A Standout Year in the Chambers UK Bar 2025 Guide
We are delighted to announce that Serle Court has been recognised for another outstanding year in the Chambers UK Bar 2025... Read More
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge - BA Neuroscience (First Class, ranked joint 1st)
City University - LLB Hons. (First Class); GDL (Distinction)
Senior Scholar, Gonville and Caius College
Shelford Scholarship (2007), Lord Mansfield Scholarship (2006) and Lord Bowen Scholarship (2005), Lincoln’s Inn
City University Scholarship (2005)
The Legal 500
Shortlisted for Chancery Junior of the Year
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