People

Reputation. Respect. Result.

John Wilson

From 1996 until 2019 he was a Full Professor at the School of Law of the Università Cattolica di Milano, where he held the chair of Private International Law and also taught Law of International Arbitration. Phil’s current practice focuses on international arbitration and litigation. He has vast experience in commercial and investor-State arbitration, as counsel and presiding, sole and party-appointed arbitrator in ad hoc and institutional domestic and international arbitrations in many different sectors and seats, and under a variety of rules and governing laws. He appears as an expert on Italian law, arbitration law, conflict of laws and jurisdictions and competition law in proceedings before arbitral tribunals (including in ICSID cases) and domestic courts.

Chris Karlsson

He is a Snr. Partner with years of experience in handling hard-fought business and commercial cases. He has practised as a Silk in a number of jurisdictions, including England, South Africa and the BVI. Chris’s specialty is heavy cases, both in court and before arbitration tribunals, which are fact-dependent and involve complex issues of law. Almost all his cases involve conflicts of law, and he has wide experience, in particular, of matters originating in Russia and the CIS. He also sits as an arbitrator and has extensive arbitration experience as counsel both here and abroad. He has acted as an arbitrator in several disputes involving international parties, both under LCIA and ICC jurisdiction, and in South Africa. He has also frequently appeared as counsel in international (ICC and LCIA) arbitrations, under English law and foreign legal systems, for example Russian, Tajik and Azerbaijan law in a Swiss arbitration.

Robert J. Brown

His practice is broad and includes a wide range of commercial litigation and arbitration, fraud, shareholder disputes, aviation work, and judicial review. He is equally happy representing major institutions or individuals. As well as a noted trial advocate and cross-examiner, Robert has significant appellate experience having appeared in four Supreme Court / House of Lords appeals and on numerous occasions in the Court of Appeal. Robert has a record of being instructed in the most difficult and demanding cases, often replacing previous counsel. His extensive commercial disputes experience includes fraud and conspiracy, restitution, aviation, pharmaceutical/life sciences, offshore trusts, business sale and joint venture disputes as well as freezing injunctions, post-termination disputes and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Charles Howe KC

He has been described by Chambers & Partners as having “a multi-faceted practice covering the whole range of commercial litigation and arbitration” and by The Legal 500 as being among “the best at the Bar”. His broadly-based practice encompasses commercial litigation and arbitration, international and domestic, and extends to disputes and proceedings in or involving overseas jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, the Channel Islands, the USA & the Caribbean. Tim accepts appointments as an arbitrator in commercial arbitrations. He also has extensive experience of ADR and mediation, including acting as a mediator.

Bridget Sibson KC

With over 25 years in practice, Bridget has advocated for individuals and companies in the most serious and complex cases within her fields, both at first instance and on appeal. Recent instructions involve disqualification proceedings, corruption investigations, allegations of fraud, proceeds of crime investigations, asset recovery, and sanctions. In corporate law, Bridget brings extensive experience to the intersection between criminal and regulatory risk, commercial obligations and directors’ fiduciary duties. Bridget has a significant advisory practice addressing the criminal and regulatory dimensions of commercial situations involving matters such as insurance arrangements, mergers, securities trading, and trade secrets. She advises Big Tech on forthcoming online safety legislation. Her work has included giving real-time advice on anti-terrorist legislation in the context of live negotiations for the release of hostages.

Clare Lucas KC

She has a broad commercial / chancery practice and specialises in civil fraud, company and insolvency law. She appears for individuals, corporations and officeholders, and is regularly retained in cases involving serious allegations of misconduct including breach of fiduciary duty; applications relating to wrongful and fraudulent trading, transactions at an undervalue and disqualification cases. She frequently appears in unfair prejudice proceedings and boardroom, joint venture and LLP disputes. She acts on breach of warranty and misrepresentation claims arising out of business acquisitions and investments. Experienced in large scale litigation, she acted as lead counsel in Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers Company v Saad Investments Company Ltd, successfully defending the AwalCo defendants at the year-long civil fraud trial in the Cayman Islands, leading a substantial team of junior counsel, London solicitors and local attorneys.

Jacob Byrne KC

Jacob is an English-qualified laywer, based in Singapore since 2011. He originally qualified as a solicitor in 2002, and practised as a solicitor-advocate in Allen & Overy’s international arbitration group before joining Fountain Court Chambers. Described as ‘enthusiastic and well informed’… with ‘a deep knowledge of arbitral rules’ (Chambers & Partners), Jacob’s experience includes cases determined under a wide variety of governing laws and arbitral rules, in Asia, Europe and the US. He frequently works as co-counsel with lawyers from many jurisdictions and has significant experience of interim measures and jurisdiction issues in arbitration. With experience across a diversity of business sectors, Jacob’s recent cases range from construction disputes in Australia and Asia, to claims relating to software licensing and the development of pharmaceuticals, to joint venture disputes.

Thomas Gelbero KC

Directories describe Thomas as a “powerful and persuasive advocate”. His diverse practice includes fraud, fintech and finance. He frequently litigates and advises on “smart contracts”, cryptocurrencies and other tech disputes, financial regulation, private equity, leveraged financing and shareholder disputes. He is particularly strong in professional negligence – from disputes arising out of the complex valuation of securitised shopping centres to claims against solicitors, laywers and bankers. Thomas is also experienced in insurance, reinsurance, art, and energy. Thomas has been instructed in many of the largest and most complex structured finance and derivative cases from the global financial crisis, including representing Lehman Bros Inc, RBS, Goldman Sachs and HM Treasury in the bank bailout scheme. He is regularly consulted on questions of legal professional privilege, conflict of laws and jurisdiction. A former solicitor with a magic circle firm, he understands the demands and requirements of corporates and entrepreneurs.

Michelle Singh

She is described as “a brilliant lawyer” and “a delight to work with” with “a rare expertise in both financial services regulation law and those aspects of criminal law which engage with regulated financial activity,” and is recommended in various legal directories including in Who’s Who Legal where she is listed as a future leader in investigations. Michelle’s advocacy experience spans the Commercial Court, the Crown Court and criminal Appellate Court, the FCA, and other regulatory and disciplinary tribunals. Her practice includes a range of interim applications and other matters including civil and criminal search orders, freezing injunctions, directors’ duties and liabilities, internal investigations, company announcements, corporate self-reports and deferred prosecution agreements, unexplained wealth orders, legal privilege, privacy and confidentiality, sanctions and criminal confiscation and compliance with requests for mutual legal assistance. She is instructed by government, enforcement agencies (the Serious Fraud Office – Prosecution Counsel A Panel, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulatory Authority and other regulators) as well FTSE100/250 companies and high net worth individuals. Uniquely, she has been seconded to a FTSE 100 financial institution in legal and compliance, spent 18 months at the FCA instructed as senior external counsel by the Enforcement division in the Standard Chartered Bank (Standard Chartered) whilst also acting for those within the regulated sector.