Serle Court 4th International Trusts and Commercial Litigation Conference 2019 (New York)

We would like to thank our external speakers, clients and guests for attending our 4th International Trusts and Commercial Litigation Conference on Monday, 11th November 2019.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the merger that created Serle Court.

The conference took place at one of New York’s most iconic landmarks, the Rainbow Room, rising 65 stories above the Rockefeller Center. A cocktail reception followed at the Upstairs at The Kimberly.

We have released the materials presented at the conference. Please visit our client secure area on our home page using the username: newyork and password: newyork2019 to access the handouts.

Please note that feedback is important to us, therefore if you’d like to send us a comment or testimonial, email us at rsvp@serlecourt.co.uk.

Once again, we would like to thank Therium for sponsoring this event.

Related Barristers

Lance Ashworth KC

Call: 1987
Silk: 2006

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

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

Timothy Collingwood KC has a broad commercial and chancery practice, with a particular emphasis on litigation concerning commercial agreements, company, insolvency, and international trust matters.

Described in Legal 500 (2025) as “a truly gifted advocate who is totally committed to the case”. The directories recognise him as a leading practitioner in these fields. He has extensive experience of claims concerning breaches of duty, in particular in respect of directors or trustees and frequently involving allegations of fraud, and of shareholder disputes.

Prior to commencing practice in this jurisdiction, Tim was called to the bar in the Cayman Islands and practised as an attorney-at-law. He continues to undertake work in respect of a number of offshore jurisdictions. He is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands.

Timothy Collingwood KC

Call: 1996
Silk: 2020

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

Gareth Tilley

Call: 2007

Amy Proferes’ practice covers both traditional and commercial Chancery. She has particular interests in contentious probate, company, civil fraud, and property, and is experienced in dealing with cases where these areas overlap. She appears regularly in the High Court, often unled, but also enjoys working as part of a larger team.

Amy is ranked as a leading junior in Private Wealth & Probate by Legal 500 and in Chancery: Traditional by Chambers & Partners. The directories describe her as “remarkably versatile across company law and trust and estate disputes” and “very thorough, has an intricate knowledge of the law, and is also very approachable.”

Amy Proferes

Call: 2012

Charlotte Beynon has a commercial chancery practice encompassing contentious trusts, civil fraud, insolvency and commercial litigation.

Her clients say, “Charlotte is brilliant. A superstar in the making”, and they also commend her as “pragmatic, responsive and commercial.”

She frequently handles complex, high-value cases, onshore and offshore, often with international elements. She is particularly experienced in acting in high-value offshore trusts disputes and complex fraud claims – often raising issues of private international law.

Charlotte regularly appears in the High Court and County Court both led and as sole counsel. She also appears as specialist chancery counsel in matrimonial proceedings in the Family Division. Her legal writing has been published in Trusts & Trustees.

Charlotte Beynon

Call: 2015

Jamie Randall has a practice spanning a wide range of disputes concerning commercial and personal interests, and frequently the interconnection between the two. His recent trust and probate work covers the full spectrum of traditional chancery proceedings, including claims for breach of trust, accounts and removal of trustees, proprietary estoppel, 1975 Act claims, and probate disputes. Those cases often have an international element and he has acted on cases in numerous jurisdictions, including Jersey, Guernsey, Singapore, The Bahamas and Bermuda. His commercial work often includes claims for breach of fiduciary duty, deceit, unfair prejudice and insolvency-related issues.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Jamie worked in strategy consulting focused on the financial services sector. He approaches cases with pragmatism and always maintains a focus on the commercial outcome for clients. He also still enjoys being able to apply his financial experience to complex claims concerning valuation and forensic accounting issues.