Professional Negligence

"One of the best professional negligence sets at the Bar."


The Legal 500

Professional negligence is a core area of practice at Fountain Court.

Members of Chambers are regularly instructed in cases concerning accountants and auditors, solicitors, barristers, insurance brokers, banks, financial advisers, fund and asset managers, stockbrokers, surveyors, valuers and architects.

Our professional negligence practitioners are particularly in demand for their commercial litigation and regulatory knowledge, given the overlap with those practice areas.

We regularly advise on and act in claims against legal professionals, for both claimants and defendants, and have worked on some of the most significant cases in the field. We have worked with and for some of the largest and most well-known law firms in the country, including on confidential and highly sensitive matters.

We also regularly advise in relation to claims against auditors and claims arising out of, or related to, financial services negligence and mis-selling. Due to our extensive experience of working with financial institutions and our highly regarded banking and financial services practices, we are often the set of choice for negligence claims in these finance-related sectors.

Our expertise also extends to the construction industry where members have acted on cases involving many types of construction professional.

Across all sectors we regularly act for regulators as well as firms and individuals and our work in the professional negligence field increasingly crosses over with our professional discipline practice.

Various Fountain Court members also edit or contribute to specialist publications in this field including the three-volume looseleaf Professional Negligence and Liability, to which numerous members contribute, Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Precedents of Pleadings and The Journal of Professional Negligence.

Our work includes cases relating to:

  • Legal professionals including solicitors and barristers
  • Auditors
  • Financial services professionals including accountants and financial advisors
  • Property and construction professionals
  • Insurance professionals
  • Other professionals such as mortgage advisors and IT and technology professionals

  • ENRC v Dechert: Acting for ENRC in its much-publicised negligence claim against its former solicitors, Dechert LLP, arising out of Dechert’s conduct of an internal investigation at ENRC and Dechert’s dealings with the Serious Fraud Office.
  • China Forestry v KPMG: Acting for the claimant company in a substantial audit negligence claim against KPMG in the High Court of Hong Kong.
  • SKAT litigation: Acting for various defendants in a claim brought by Danish tax authorities to recover £1.5 billion from companies and individuals alleged to have been involved in a fraudulent scheme for claiming withholding tax in respect of “cum-ex” trades in Danish shares, or to have received the proceeds of the alleged fraud.
  • Closegate v Womble Bond Dickinson: Acting in the defence of a substantial professional negligence claim in the commercial court relating to a hotel development in Durham.
  • Ingenious Litigation: Acting for various defending banks in major litigation brought by investors who allege that they negligently advised them to enter into film schemes and wrongly advanced loans for that purpose.
  • Investors in the Scotts Atlantic Film Finance Scheme v Andrew Thornhill QC: Acting for over 100 investors who allege they were negligently advised by a barrister that investing into a film scheme would successfully allow them to mitigate tax liabilities.
  • Stanford v HSBC: Acting for HSBC in defence of potential high value claims arising from the insolvency of Stanford International Bank, including the successful strike out application relating to all but £2.4 million of a £118.5 million claim.
  • The Executive Counsel to the Financial Reporting Council v KPMG & Others: Acting for the FRC in relation to its investigation regarding the audit of Carillion, involving allegations of misconduct against KPMG and several of its former and current employees.
Show all cases

Professional Negligence Barristers

David Railton QC

David Railton KC

Call 1979 | Silk 1996

Timothy Dutton QC

Timothy Dutton CBE KC

Call 1979 | Silk 1998

Stephen Moriarty QC

Stephen Moriarty KC

Call 1986 | Silk 1999

Michael McLaren QC

Michael McLaren KC

Call 1981 | Silk 2002

Raymond Cox QC

Raymond Cox KC

Call 1982 | Silk 2002

Bankim Thanki QC

Bankim Thanki KC

Call 1988 | Silk 2003

Patricia Robertson QC

Patricia Robertson KC

Call 1988 | Silk 2006

Timothy Howe QC

Timothy Howe KC

Call 1987 | Silk 2008

Mark Simpson QC

Mark Simpson KC

Call 1992 | Silk 2008

Richard Handyside QC

Richard Handyside KC

Call 1993 | Silk 2009

Leigh-Ann Mulcahy QC

Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC

Call 1993 | Silk 2009

Jeffrey Chapman QC

Jeffrey Chapman KC

Call 1989 | Silk 2010

Derrick Dale QC

Derrick Dale KC

Call 1990 | Silk 2010

Andrew Mitchell QC

Andrew Mitchell KC

Call 1992 | Silk 2011

Richard Coleman QC

Richard Coleman KC

Call 1994 | Silk 2012

Stuart Ritchie QC

Stuart Ritchie KC

Call 1995 | Silk 2012

Anneliese Day QC

Anneliese Day KC

Call 1996 | Silk 2012

John Taylor QC

John Taylor KC

Call 1993 | Silk 2013

Adam Tolley QC

Adam Tolley KC

Call 1994 | Silk 2014

Patrick Goodall QC

Patrick Goodall KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2014

Rosalind Phelps QC

Rosalind Phelps KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2016

James Cutress QC

James Cutress KC

Call 2000 | Silk 2018

Nicholas Medcroft QC

Nicholas Medcroft KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2019

Giles Wheeler QC

Giles Wheeler KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2020

Edward Levey QC

Edward Levey KC

Call 1999 | Silk 2020

Ben Lynch QC

Ben Lynch KC

Call 2001 | Silk 2020

Chloe Carpenter QC

Chloe Carpenter KC

Call 2001 | Silk 2020

Tamara Oppenheimer QC

Tamara Oppenheimer KC

Call 2002 | Silk 2020

Laura John QC

Laura John KC

Call 2001 | Silk 2021

Simon Atrill

Simon Atrill KC

Call 2005 | Silk 2023

Deepak Nambisan

Call 1998

Nik Yeo

Call 2000

Marianne Butler

Marianne Butler

Call 2003

David Murray

David Murray

Call 2004

James Duffy

James Duffy KC

Call 2005 | Silk 2024

Rupert Allen

Rupert Allen

Call 2005

Adam Sher

Adam Sher

Call 2007

Richard Power

Call 2007

Craig Ulyatt

Craig Ulyatt

Call 2008

Natasha Bennett

Natasha Bennett

Call 2009

Nico Leslie

Nico Leslie

Call 2010

Daniel Edmonds

Daniel Edmonds

Call 2010

Rebecca Loveridge

Rebecca Loveridge

Call 2011

Philip Ahlquist

Philip Ahlquist

Call 2012

Niamh Cleary

Niamh Cleary

Call 2012

Giles Robertson

Giles Robertson

Call 2012

James Hart

James Hart

Call 2012

Joseph Farmer

Joseph Farmer

Call 2013

Simon Paul

Simon Paul

Call 2013

Nick Daly

Nick Daly

Call 2014

Max Evans

Max Evans

Call 2015

Max Kasriel

Max Kasriel

Call 2015

Ian Bergson

Ian Bergson

Call 2015

Samuel Rabinowitz

Samuel Rabinowitz

Call 2016

Nathalie Koh

Nathalie Koh

Call 2019

Marcus Field

Marcus Field

Call 2019

Orestis Sherman

Orestis Sherman

Call 2019

Joseph Leech

Joseph Leech

Call 2020

Daniel Schwennicke

Daniel Schwennicke

Call 2020

Ian Simester

Call 2022

Sam Hussaini

Call 2022

Charles Redmond

Call 2022

Tiffany Tang

Call 2022

Leah Gardner

Call 2022

Victoria Green

Call 2022

Sebastian Said

Sebastian Said

Call 2004

Michael Brindle QC

Michael Brindle KC

Call 1975 | Silk 1992

Philip Brook Smith QC

Philip Brook Smith KC

Call 1982 | Silk 2002

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Contact our clerks

For more information on our experience or to discuss a particular case, please contact us.

Call:    +44 (0)207 583 3335
Email: clerks@fountaincourt.co.uk

"'A leading professional negligence set', with 'particularly impressive silks' and 'heavyweight juniors'."


The Legal 500

"Fountain Court Chambers offers heavyweight expertise in the representation of both defendants and claimants in claims against professionals in the legal, banking and financial services sectors."


Chambers & Partners

"Fountain Court are fantastic at all levels from the most experienced silks to the clerking team and the support staff. Really impressive."


The Legal 500

"One source says: 'If you have a bet-the-company matter, you would have to go to them'."


Chambers & Partners

"Fountain Court Chambers' market-leading status in this area extends beyond its strengths in banking and finance, mixing in expertise in related areas such as professional negligence and civil and criminal fraud. The depth of experience covers every level, both for contentious and non-contentious financial regulatory advice."


The Legal 500

"Carries its reputation as a top-flight commercial chambers in the financial sector, among others, into the professional negligence sphere."


Chambers & Partners

"A strong set for professional negligence and regulatory matters."


The Legal 500

"A top set with the skill set to handle complex and sophisticated matters with ease."


Chambers & Partners

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