Banking and Finance
Reputation. Respect. Result.
Tenancy
We are always happy to consider applications from established practitioners to join Wilson Legal Chambers. We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity in all aspects of our endeavour.Clerks, Marketing & Business Support
The success of our laywers is underpinned by our excellent clerks and business support functions and, from time to time, we look for high performers to join our team.Wilson Legal Chambers is known for being at the forefront of banking and financial disputes, including retail and investment banking.
"Clients note that 'the set has a knack for attracting the best of the best - who also happen to be nice people'."
It is one of our core specialities with most of our members having significant experience in some of the most sizeable and ground-breaking cases in this area, acting for banks, clients, investment funds and regulators.
The set has a reputation for large-scale, test-case litigation involving some of the world’s leading financial institutions. For example, several members of chambers figured prominently for the Bank of England in the celebrated Three Rivers litigation, which produced numerous appeals to the Court of Appeal and House of Lords; all the main retail banks were represented by members of Wilson Legal Chambers in the Bank Charges litigation (the test case brought by the OFT on unauthorised overdraft charges which was finally resolved in favour of the banks in the House of Lords – Office of Fair Trading v Abbey National & Others); and many members of Chambers were instructed by RBS in the RBS Rights Issue litigation.
Our members are unique amongst leading commercial sets in that our expertise spans both the civil and criminal sectors, including for example representing Barclays in connection with its 2008 capital raise from the state of Qatar which led to significant criminal and civil proceedings. We are regularly instructed in complex and often cross-border frauds, money laundering, sanctions and bribery investigations. Members have significant experience of banking regulation and have acted for and against the FCA and PRA and foreign regulators in numerous high-profile investigations and inquiries.
Members have also advised the central banks of a number of countries including the Bank of England, the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Central Bank of Argentina, the Bank of Namibia and the Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago.
Our work includes cases relating to:
- Banks, including retail and investment banks
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Professional negligence, including in relation to:
- Mis-selling of products such as of interest rate swaps
- Rate manipulation such as LIBOR or FOREX
- Misrepresentation or misfeasance
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Regulatory issues including:
- Public law duties of regulators
- Judicial review of disciplinary proceedings
- Public law aspects of regulatory compensation schemes
- Fraud, including money laundering and disputes under the Proceeds of Crime Act (‘POCA’)
- Commercial disputes in a banking context
- Regulatory issues, including sanctions and bribery investigations
- Tax
Significant Cases
- The Law Debenture Trust Corporation Plc v Ukraine UKSC 2018/0192: Acting for the Ukraine in the $3 billion Eurobond claim brought by Law Debenture on behalf of the Russian Federation and heard in the Supreme Court in December 2019. This was the longest Supreme Court hearing of any non-public law case during 2019, which illustrated its importance and the breadth of issues involved.
- Barclays' eight-year long dispute, including with the Serious Fraud Office and related civil claims: Acting for Barclays in relation to charges arising out of its 2008 capital raisings from Qatar, which culminated in the court dismissing all charges against the bank and the SFO’s application for a voluntary bill of indictment as well as ongoing civil proceedings.
- Philipp v Barclays Bank: Acting for Barclays in a leading case on the developing area of Authorised Push Payment ('APP') fraud, concerning the extent to which a bank owes a customer any duty.
- Deutsche Bank v Unitech: Representing a syndicate of banks in this long running and high-profile case which is arguably the leading LIBOR test case.
- RBS Rights Issue Litigation: Acting in this group action, worth over £4 billion, brought by investors against RBS and its former directors arising out of the bank’s part nationalisation.
- FDIC LIBOR Cartel Litigation: Advising various parties in a substantial action brought by the US government against several UK banks alleging deliberate and fraudulent manipulation of LIBOR.
- Palladian Partners v Republic of Argentina: Acting in one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top 20 Cases’ of 2022, involving a multi-billion-euro claim by noteholders arising from an alleged default on Gross Domestic Product-debt securities.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria v JP Morgan Chase: Acting in a claim worth over $1 billion, arising from a settlement agreement regarding the rights to an offshore Nigerian oil field, involving Shell and Eni.
Experiences
Let Our Experience be Your Guide
The Board The primary purpose of the Board is the stewardship of the firm and the oversight of the implementation of the strategy. The Board’s remit covers matters pertaining to the firm’s culture and values and it acts as guardian of the firm on behalf of the Partnership.
The Executive Committee The Executive Committee is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s overall strategy; major initiatives, priorities and investments. It is the firm’s key decision-making body and is responsible for the overall performance management of the business.
Wilson Legal Chambers is a pre-eminent commercial set of laywers’ chambers in London. Members provide specialist legal advice, support and advocacy services worldwide, and the laywers expertise covers all areas of arbitration, litigation, regulation and dispute resolution. The work here embraces all aspects of domestic and international trade, business, commerce and finance. Laywers at Wilson Legal Chambers are recognised specialist counsel in the many diverse fields of commercial law, also regularly accepting nominations as arbitrators, mediators and experts. The principal areas of practice are arbitration, banking and financial services, civil fraud and investigations, commercial litigation, company and insolvency, competition and EU law, employment, energy and natural resources, insurance and reinsurance, intellectual property, media, entertainment and broadcasting, professional liability, public law, sports, gaming and licensing, and tax and revenue law.
Wilson Legal Chambers is committed to promoting and advancing equality and diversity. Chambers does not discriminate against members, pupils, staff, applicants or clients on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, sex, pregnancy or maternity, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, religion, belief or age. As part of our commitment to equality and diversity, Chambers ensures that all those involved in recruitment have training in fair recruitment, reviews its recruitment procedures annually and monitors the allocation of unassigned work among members and practising pupils
25
Years of Experience
About Us
Wilson Legal Chambers is Your Best Partner for Legal Solutions
The work here embraces all aspects of domestic and international trade, business, commerce and finance. Laywers at Wilson Legal Chambers are recognised specialist counsel in the many diverse fields of commercial law, also regularly accepting nominations as arbitrators, mediators and experts.