4 Stone Buildings are pleased to have been recognised as a Tier 1 set in the Commercial: English Bar in the Middle East category of the newly released Legal 500 EMEA guide 2025.
We are described as follows:
Highly regarded for their expertise in financial and commercial disputes, clients in particular praise 4 Stone Buildings for its members’ ‘excellent insolvency and shareholder dispute related experience’. Sharif Shivji KC and Richard Hill KC – the set’s new co-heads of chambers – are both experienced practitioners in the region, with the former leading Albert Sampson and Hossein Sharafi on the Bank Sarasin Alpen insolvency case in the DIFC regarding the alleged misappropriation of the business by the directors and shareholders and further fraud claims. Hill continues to act for the claimants in the Sawhney v Credit Suisse AG litigation in the DIFC related to the alleged misselling of investments. Members of the chambers are also present in cases before the ADGM, namely Andrew Rose and Karl Anderson, who have recently acted in a financial services dispute and an insurance claim respectively. Ben Lashmar and Ryan Tunkel are the set’s new joint senior clerks as of April 2025; David Goddard continues with the set as a consultant.
10 Members of Chambers are individually ranked in this guide:
🔹 Richard Hill KC – Tier 1
🔹 Sharif A. Shivji KC – Tier 1
🔹 Alastair Tomson – Tier 1
‘A strength is Alastair’s comprehension of respondents tactics and their moves before they happen, helping to ensure that the client and case is well founded and defended. His advocacy make any case simple before a judge, any complex defence stunts by the opposing counsel is met with a unravelling approach of the issue at hand that allow the courts to easily grasp the issue at hand and focus.’
🔹 Joseph Wigley – Tier 2
🔹 Andrew Rose – Tier 2
‘Andrew is an excellent junior barrister – ferociously intelligent, charming, and a real pleasure to work with. His drafting and research skills are second to none. He has exceptional judgement, a strong work ethic, and always takes a commercial and pragmatic approach. Increasingly taking on his own cases, he is a compelling, confident and fearless advocate.’
🔹 Edward Crossley – Tier 2
‘Extremely hard working but also pragmatic and commercial and with a very good eye for detail. Ed quickly gains the trust and confidence of the lay client and demonstrates a maturity beyond his years.’
🔹 Zara McGlone – Tier 2
‘Zara is an exceptional barrister with a strong command of legal drafting, particularly in preparing comprehensive written submissions before the common law courts. Her ability to distill complex legal issues into clear, persuasive, and well-structured submissions stands out. Zara’s drafting is always meticulously researched and demonstrates a deep understanding of both procedural and substantive law, which greatly enhances the persuasiveness of the documents.’
🔹 Albert Sampson – Tier 2
‘His strength is his grip of somewhat niche area (complex financial issues with lots of numbers and moving parts) together with meticulous attention to detail and ability to present everything simply to the Tribunal.’
🔹 Hossein Sharafi – Rising Star
🔹 Karl Anderson – Rising Star
‘A very bright up-and-coming barrister. Very user friendly and confident advocate.’
Ben Lashmar, Joint Senior Clerk, was recognised in this guide:
‘I would particularly commend Ben Lashmar for his attention to detail and proactive approach in scheduling and case management. He has been very helpful, ensuring that we had adequate support and that all documents were handled promptly.
‘Ben Lashmar is stellar!’
