5 Years' Call and Under - Chambers and Partners

www.chambersandpartners.com 5 Years’ Call and Under
Stars at the Bar: 5 Years’ Call and Under
These barristers have been identified by our researchers as being amongst the
best of the emerging talent at the Bar. Some have had legal careers prior to being
called, some have not. All have, however, caught the eye of the market and are
seen as having very bright futures ahead of them.
Amy Rogers
11KBW – 2007
11KBW can take great pride in being home to
Amy Rogers who has fast emerged since her
2007 call as a “real star” who is “dazzling everyone
in sight.” Her popularity is borne from the
fact that she is “phenomenally bright,”“fantastically
hardworking,” “extremely astute “ and an
“exceptional drafter.”“Wise beyond her level of
call,” she has handled several high profile cases
in the fields of business protection, employment
and commercial law in her short career,
including Piper & others v Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions & others. In this case she
acted for the Secretary of State in successfully
resisting union challenges to the lawfulness of
up-rating public service pensions. She was also
involved in Tullett Prebon v BGC Brokers, acting
for Tullett Prebon on a significant team
poaching and conspiracy claim.
Adam Sandell
Matrix – 2008
Adam Sandell of Matrix Chambers has a blossoming
practice in public and human rights
law and handles immigration law, prison law,
and health-related matters, amongst others.
Commentators acknowledge the breadth of his
skill-set, but this practising GP has gained the
greatest plaudits for his healthcare expertise;
“he’ s the go-to guy if you’ re cross-examining
doctors.” Peers turn to him because “he brings a
real expertise that you can’ t find anywhere
else,” noting that “he is great at explaining matters
and getting judges to understand complex
medical issues; he can break down medical
reports and the findings of a psychiatrist into
plain English.” Commentators openly admit
that “usually I wouldn’ t instruct a barrister that
junior, but he is a special case.” He combines
considerable intellect, brings a unique perspective
and expertise, and “has a really good style
with clients – he makes them feel relaxed, and
makes an effort to understand everything about
them.” He was led by Alex Bailin QC in R(GC)
v Metropolitan Police Commissioner, a high
profile case which related to the police’ s ability
to retain the biometric data of individuals who
are no longer suspected of a criminal offence.
Anna Dilnot
Essex Court – 2008
Anna Dilnot of Essex Court is a former solicitor
who has built up a following in excess of
what one would expect for a barrister of her
call. She has a wide ranging commercial litigation
practice, with a particular focus on civil
fraud and asset recovery. Instructing solicitors
say that “her previous experience before joining
the Bar ensures that, unlike many juniors, she
just gets the team thing. It’ s great to bring on
board someone who understands how we
work.” Other commentators “rank her very
highly; she’ s a good lawyer and a strong advocate
who fits into a team well and has no
grandeur or pomposity.” She has been acting
for Prince Jefri Bolkiah in his long-running
legal action, and has also acted for a Cayman
Island fund in a dispute which related to global
depository receipts issues on the Luxembourg
Stock Exchange.
Anne Jeavons
3VB – 2008
Anne Jeavons of 3 Verulam Buildings has a
wide ranging commercial practice that is heavy
on banking, shipping, financial services and
professional negligence cases. Sources note that
she already “comes with the reputation of being
one of the top juniors around, but it’s a fair
billing; she’ s very clever, very quick, and has a
steely and forceful personality.” Prior to being
called to the Bar she qualified as a solicitor at
Linklaters, and this experience certainly contributes
to making her “an excellent technical
lawyer.” Instructing solicitors note that “we put
a huge amount of trust in her, especially given
her junior call,” and commentators agree that
she routinely exceeds expectations. She was led
by Ali Malek QC and Sonia Tolaney QC in
Berezovsky v Hine & Ors, a case which concerned
allegations made by Russian Oligarch
Boris Berezovsky that he part-owned assets and
funds worth up to USD3 billion held by the
estate of Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.
Daniel Robinson
Falcon – 2008
Daniel Robinson of Falcon Chambers is one of
the Bar’ s rising stars of real estate litigation. He
was recently instructed on behalf of the
telecommunications firm Arqiva against T-
Mobile and Orange, in a case concerning a joint
venture between T-Mobile and Orange to share
each other’ s signal. Observers say he is “sharp,
intelligent, and always well-prepared,” and that
“he really knows his way around property law.”
James Walmsley
Wilberforce – 2007
James Walmsley of Wilberforce Chambers has
gained a considerable following for his fast
developing pensions practice. His work spans
both regulatory and non-regulatory issues,
drawing on the industry experience he gained
prior to being called to the Bar. He was recently
led by Paul Newman QC for the regulator in
financial support direction proceedings against
a number of parties affiliated with the Chemtura
Group.
James Weale
3 Stone Bldgs – 2007
James Weale of 3 Stone Buildings is swiftly
developing a strong practice in commercial litigation,
and is touted as “someone who will go
far.” He is “exceptionally talented and experienced
beyond his years,” and has “een
instructed in some big cases. By way of example,
he appeared as junior counsel in Israeli
entrepreneur Michael Cherney’ s USD4 billion
claim against Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Jessica Boyd
Blackstone – 2007
Many commentators’ “top tip” for the future is
Blackstone Chambers’ Jessica Boyd. She has
played increasingly central roles in some major
cases, despite only being called to the Bar in
2007. Her practice is centred on public law, and
she has displayed considerable competence in
cases concerning civil liberties, human rights,
competition and European law. She was led by
Michael Fordham QC on behalf of Martin
Mubanga, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee,
in claims brought by a group of former
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5 Years’ call and under
detainees against a number of British government
departments. She also appeared as junior
counsel for Ofcom in an extensive CAT hearing
of appeals by BSkyB, BT, Virgin Media and the
Premier League concerning the regulation of
pay television. Commentators say Boyd “has
the ability to take indigestible material and
make it lucid, even when handling the most
complicated cases ever seen.” She matches significant
intellectual fire-power with “a capacity
for hard work which is truly something else; she
is remarkable.”
Sam O’ Leary
One Essex Court - 2007
Sam O’ Leary of One Essex Court is “carving
out quite a name and reputation for himself” as
a specialist in commercial litigation and international
commercial arbitration.
Commentators see him as one of the Bar’ s
future stars, and describe him as “a good man
Direct Access to the Bar
Since 2004, significant changes to the law have
ensured that there is greater direct access to the
Bar, this comes in two forms.
(A) Licensed Access.
Individuals or organisations with expertise in
specialist areas of the law are able to apply to
the Bar Standards Board to be licensed to
instruct barristers directly via the licensed
access scheme. If successful, the licence holder
is permitted to instruct any member of the Bar
for both advice, and in certain circumstances
representation, in areas relating to the licence
holder's field of expertise. Potential licence
holders must go before the Access to the Bar
Committee in order to satisfy certain criteria.
Matters which will be looked at include the
type of work the body wishes to refer directly to
a barrister, its expertise or experience, its familiarity
with any relevant area of the law, its
ability to obtain and prepare information for
the barrister and its ability to take charge and
have the general conduct of the matter on
which it wishes to instruct the barrister directly.
to go to when you’ re under pressure; he has the
ability to sometimes see issues that other people
haven’ t seen.” He “exhibits an astute mind,
considerable depth of knowledge, a tenacious
grasp of detail, and a practical awareness of his
clients’ commercial concerns.” Peers suggest
“his greatest strengths are his intelligence, his
doggedness, and his ability to knuckle down
when the going gets tough.” He was led by
Daniel Toledano QC on behalf of Skandinaviska
Enskilda Banken AB, in a two week trial
concerning claims brought by the bank’ s former
client, the hedge fund Euroption Strategic
Fund Ltd, relating to the forced close out of the
fund’ s trading portfolio.
Tony Singla
Brick Court - 2007
Brick Court Chambers’ Tony Singla has rapidly
established himself as a junior of choice for
commercial litigation and competition law
(B) Public Access.
Public access enables members of the public to
directly instruct a barrister without having to
first seek out a solicitor or other intermediary.
Prior to the implementation of public access,
clients were required to involve a solicitor or a
recognised third party who would then instruct
the barrister on the client's behalf.
The key benefits of public access for clients
are financial; having removed the need to
engage a solicitor, clients have public access to
the Bar without the added legal expenditure of
engaging a law firm.
Clients are able to make use of this new system
across the full scope of work undertaken by
barristers, with the notable exception of legal
aid funded cases. Public access is designed principally
for cases which are relatively
straightforward in their nature, and clients are
advised to carefully consider the differences
between the services offered by barristers and
solicitors before seeking to instruct a barrister
through the scheme.
Barristers are expert advisers and advocates,
and as such clients may use the scheme to garner
specialist legal advice, to instruct a barrister
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issues. He is “very bright and mature beyond
his years, and he has a gravitas that is well
beyond his year of call.” He is “highly commercial
with his advice,” and “is very quick to grasp
both the detail and the key arguments of a matter.”
He delights clients with his application,
“devoting every hour and even weekends to
getting the hard work shifted.” One instructing
solicitor who used him said that “for a case of
the magnitude we were handling, to have operated
as the only junior, that in itself is testament
to his considerable abilities.” He recently acted
for the Israeli entrepreneur Michael Cherney in
a $4 billion claim brought against Russian oligarch
Oleg Deripaska concerning shares in
Rusal, a Russian aluminium company. He also
acted for ITV in a high-profile USD30 million
contractual licensing dispute with Scottish
Television concerning the Channel 3 network.
to appear on their behalf in court, or to draft
legal documents. A barrister is not permitted to
issue legal proceedings upon a client's behalf, or
to instruct an expert witness on a client's
behalf.
Not all barristers are able to receive instructions
through the public access scheme; in
order to qualify they must have practised for a
minimum of three years, and they must have
attended a public access training course which
has been approved by the Bar Standards Board.
Clients are also advised that even barristers
who are fully qualified for the scheme are not
obliged to accept public access instructions.
For clients seeking assistance from the Bar
who cannot afford to pay, there are certain circumstances
where financial support can be
obtained from the Bar Pro Bono Unit, a registered
charity which helps to find free legal
assistance from volunteer barristers. The Bar
Pro Bono Unit is able to assist clients in receiving
both advice and representation.
In this year's publication, those barristers
who are authorised to accept instructions
under the public access scheme appear in our
tables and under their set profiles with an 'A'
appended to their names.