Set, Band 1
4 Stone Buildings is an impressive chancery set, housing a strong bench of barristers at both senior and junior level who are well versed in high-profile and complex disputes. The team’s expertise spans a wide range of areas, and members routinely undertake cases involving financial services and banking, commercial contracts and insolvency law. Shareholder disputes are also a key area of strength for the team, drawing on the set’s established expertise in company law. The set’s barristers are regularly instructed in litigation arising in the oil and gas sector, and have experience of acting in both domestic and international matters. As testament to their skill they have recently been involved in some major cases including Autonomy Corporation v Michael Lynch, a USD5 billion claim heard over a ten-month trial, and Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse, a very high-profile fraud case which is being litigated in a number of jurisdictions around the world. Commentators say: “It is an excellent set for the more complex work.”
“They have a very proactive clerking team, led by David Goddard.”
“The clerks are very responsive and always helpful.”
“Commercial, responsive and pragmatic, they are exactly what you want from a clerking team. Ryan Tunkel stands out as a shining example of this.”
“Absolute legend” David Goddard is the universally respected senior clerk, while the “diligent, popular and enthusiastic” Ben Lashmar is the first junior clerk.
Jonathan Crow KC, Star Individual
George Bompas KC, Band 1
“Great at analysing and identifying where the real risks in a case lie.” “Delightful and terribly clever.”
“George Bompas is a consummate professional with an eye for detail. He’s a go-to individual.”
“A charming, traditional silk, who has a very nice manner about him.”
“A big name at the Bar, who is always a pleasure to work with.”
“George has an excellent legal brain and gives great advice that you can be confident in.”
“He is calm, cerebral and someone with the ability to zero straight in on the relevant point.”
Richard Hill KC, Band 1
“He is very analytical and technical.”
“He is very thorough, commercial and a good cross-examiner.”
“Richard makes very calm, assured submissions.”
“We think he is one of the top trial lawyers at the Bar; he is robust, concise and very good with judges.”
“Very thorough, incredibly commercial and a good cross-examiner.”
“Richard is one of the top trial lawyers at the Bar. He is robust, concise and very good with judges.”
“He is very thorough, highly commercial and a good cross-examiner.”
“Richard is a very clever individual.”
“He is very thorough and a great cross-examiner. A lot of our clients are incredibly commercial and want everything presenting to them in a digestible format and he is good at that.”
“He has incredible judgement and skill.”
John Brisby KC, Band 2
“John has a wealth of experience and commercial nous.”
“A powerful advocate of great intelligence.”
“John is very bright and a great thinker. He thinks outside the box and is extremely well liked by clients.”
“Very bright, a great thinker and a good draftsman.”
“An exceptionally good lawyer who can see things no one else can see. He has got a brilliant mind.”
Sharif Shivji KC, Band 2
“A real rising star at the top end of the Bar.”
“Very commercial and incredibly diligent, he really gets stuck into the detail of a case.”
“He has a phenomenal brain which he applies to his high-quality practice.”
“Sharif is very hands on, all over the details, has very clear arguments and his advocacy is excellent.”
“His advocacy is excellent as is his forensic and intellectual analysis of cases. He’s so good and knowledgeable.”
“Sharif Shivji is exceptional. Extremely clever and combines academic, detail-oriented rigour with pragmatism. He’s also an excellent advocate: quick, precise and collected.”
“Sharif is intellectually superb.”
“Incredible across all the detail and really helps drive the strategy from the outset.”
“Sharif is excellent. He’s extremely hard-working and gives concise and pragmatic advice.”
“A client-friendly, thoughtful strategist who is a pleasure to work with.”
“Sharif is very commercial, incredibly diligent and a barrister who really gets into the detail of a case.”
Andrew De Mestre KC, Band 3
“Andrew is excellent – commercial and responsive.”
“Andrew is extraordinary at understanding complex factual and financial information. He can grasp tiny details incredibly quickly.”
“He is a first-rate junior silk who is very good at getting his head around the facts.”
“He is approachable and has a fantastic memory and attention to detail.”
“He is great with clients and confident on his feet and in his technical abilities.”
“Very user-friendly, he provides clear strategic direction and goes the extra mile. He has considerable experience and great strategic intelligence.”
“Andrew is very good for the big, technical cases, particularly those concerning structured investment vehicles.”
“His experience, ability to understand the commercial aims of the client and excellent drafting have all been invaluable.”
“Andrew is genuinely user-friendly, always accessible and very persuasive on his feet. If you want to win, take Andrew with you.”
“Andrew is exceptional. He is always accessible and very persuasive on his feet.”
“Very user-friendly and provides excellent and clear strategic direction. He always goes the extra mile.”
“He is excellent, commercial and responsive, and has a good understanding of the client’s needs.”
Andrew Clutterbuck KC, Band 4
“Very effective and always a pleasure to work with.”
“He is academically very strong and has a great presence in court.”
“Andrew is a real expert in his field and a great team player.”
Hermann Boeddinghaus KC, Band 4
Gregory Denton-Cox, Band 1
“He is a go-to. He produces first-rate drafting and has great knowledge of the case law relating to complex commercial matters.”
“He is hard-working, user-friendly and responsive. A super-modern barrister who is really pleasant to work with.”
“His persuasive and incisive advice on law and strategy is a great asset to any team.”
“Disarmingly good, he’s straightforward, very articulate and precise in a non-pedantic way.”
“Gregory has a fantastic grasp of the law. He is a craftsman when it comes to written submissions and is effective on his feet.”
“He is an accomplished advocate, who adopts a very pragmatic approach.”
Christopher Harrison, Band 2
“An absolute must for shareholder disputes. He is a man of great wisdom who takes a pragmatic, commercial approach to his cases.”
“He is extremely able, highly approachable and a very good team player.”
“Christopher is technically very good and is very measured in his advice.”
“Christopher is a good advocate and safe pair of hands, with excellent technical knowledge.”
“Christopher is a tenacious advocate and a very effective mediation advocate.”
“His strengths are his attention to detail and thoroughness. He is also clear, patient and charming with clients.”
“A measured and confident advocate who reads the court well and adapts accordingly.”
“Very strong across the board, he is calmness personified and a man of good judgement, who handles difficult situations well.”
“His submissions are effective and extremely clear, yet delivered in a relaxed and unpretentious manner.”
“He has excellent technical skills, provides incisive analysis and remains focused throughout on efficiently achieving clients’ objectives.”
James Knott, Band 2
“Thoughtful, composed and always right, James is very committed to delivering successful outcomes no matter how difficult the challenge.”
“He considers everything holistically and tailors his advice depending on the client. His is a very collaborative style and he is very patient especially with difficult clients.”
“Extremely diligent, detail-orientated and hard-working.”
“James knows the law like the back of his hand and pleasingly matches it with commercial acumen.”
“Calm and cogent, he’s unflappable even in the most stressful situations.”
Tom Gentleman, Band 2
“He is really good value for money and a great communicator.”
“A very polished practitioner.”
“An excellent member of any team, however large, who’s extremely bright and always willing to roll his sleeves up.”
“Tom is a safe pair of hands who works constructively with both the solicitors and the client.”
“Brilliant to work with and someone with an exceptional future ahead of him.”
Alexander Cook, Band 3
Donald Lilly, Band 3
“Donald is extremely bright. He is very easy to work with and provides sound legal and tactical advice in a manner that clients can easily comprehend.”
“He is extremely responsive and a great team player.”
“A very sophisticated operator at the top of his game.”
“Bright, helpful and commercially astute.”
“Donald is very thorough and practical.”
“He is excellent.”
Alastair Tomson, Band 4
Eleanor Holland, Band 4
“Eleanor is the engine room of any team she’s on: she produces very complicated documents in a very short space of time and work of an excellent standard. She is extremely bright, very easy to deal with and diplomatic in her dealings.”
Joseph Wigley, Band 4
“Clever, thorough and very easy to work with.”
“He is very responsive, tactically very sound, and both user-friendly and time-friendly.”
“He is an excellent advocate, who is a very calm presence.”
Nicola Timmins, Band 4
“An exceptional junior who gives good, sensible advice. She is a team player and a pleasure to work with.”
Tiran Nersessian, Band 4
Lara Hassell-Hart, Rising Star
“Lara is always so approachable and a pleasure to work with. She has a real teamwork mentality.”
