Fountain Court Chambers can today announce that it has recruited several new members, including three Queen’s Counsel, as it creates a new commercial crime team and expands the capacity of its commercial practice.

NEW COMMERCIAL CRIME TEAM

Richard Lissack QC (Silk 1994, Call 1978, formerly of Outer Temple Chambers), who joined Chambers in May, will headline a new commercial crime team at Fountain Court alongside juniors Nicholas Medcroft (Call 1998, formerly of Wilberforce Chambers), Robin Barclay (Call 1999, formerly of Outer Temple Chambers) and Eleanor Davison (Call 2003, formerly of Outer Temple Chambers).

The team will be the first of its kind in a specialist commercial set, bridging the gap between the criminal and commercial bars and allowing Fountain Court to provide a high end one stop service to clients in the financial and regulatory sphere.

Stephen Moriarty QC, Head of Chambers, said:

“Commercial crime is a major growth area among solicitors and increasingly at the Bar. It is an area where we have been seeing an increasing level of demand from our clients, particularly those in financial services. But because it sits at the junction of commercial and criminal law it has not, until now, been easy to instruct appropriate teams from the same set.”

“In creating this team, we are setting out to fill this gap, providing new and existing clients with what we hope will be a unique service. The new members we have recruited to form this team, starting with Richard Lissack QC and now encapsulating Nick Medcroft, Robin Barclay and Eleanor Davison, are hugely impressive both individually and collectively.”

 Bankim Thanki QC, deputy Head of Chambers, added:

“Our work already regularly brings us into contact with commercial crime work in all its guises. I and other members of Fountain Court have worked extensively with Richard Lissack QC and the other members of our new commercial crime team. So we are delighted that they will now be colleagues and fellow members of chambers.”

“The creation of a new commercial crime team at Fountain Court will complement our core commercial work, we hope allowing us to address all aspects of complex investigatory, regulatory and litigation work seamlessly.  These are exciting times for Fountain Court.”

Richard Lissack is one of the most accomplished commercial crime barristers in England and Wales, described by Chambers and Partners as “a commanding presence in the business crime sector… traditionally recognised as a top choice for large banking and financial services clients”. Nick Medcroft has a substantial financial services regulation and investigations practice, as well as a significant commercial litigation practice, focusing on heavy banking and financial litigation.  He is described by Chambers and Partners as a “class act”.  Robin Barclay specialises in complex financial investigations and corporate fraud litigation, having started his career in leading criminal chambers, and he is described by Chambers and Partners as a “star individual”.  Eleanor Davison specialises in corporate investigation work and is an editor of the forthcoming Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations.  Chambers and Partners recognise her as having a unique experience of and expertise in cross-border investigations.

Richard Lissack QC said:

“When I was approached by Fountain Court and asked to develop a new commercial crime practice within the magic circle of premier commercial sets, I regarded the opportunity as unmissable. There is a significant gap in the offering of the commercial bar at the point at which civil litigation, regulation and enforcement collide – a gap which Fountain Court is now perfectly placed to fill.”

“Having accepted the invitation, I am delighted that I am now joined by Nicholas Medcroft, Robin Barclay and Eleanor Davison, three pre-eminent juniors in the field of criminal and regulatory law. I have worked extensively with all of them over the past ten years, and I it is hard to imagine Chambers acquiring better juniors in this field. They will complement the huge reservoir of talent that Fountain Court already possesses.”

EXPANDING TO MEET DEMAND

As well as creating a new commercial crime team, Fountain Court has also announced that it will expand its existing commercial team with the recruitment of Stuart Ritchie QC (Silk 2012, Call 1995, formerly of Littleton Chambers) and Jonathan Adkin QC (Silk 2013, Call 1997, formerly of Serle Court Chambers), alongside junior barristers Laura John (Call 2001, formerly of 3 Verulam Buildings) and Alex Barden (Call 2005, formerly of Erskine Chambers). Ian Bergson, Max Evans and Max Kasriel have also been invited to join Chambers upon the successful completion of their pupillages: they will focus on building practices in the core areas of Fountain Court’s work.

Stuart Ritchie QC is described by Chambers and Partners as a “superstar” at the commercial Bar, and will bring with him his considerable talent in commercial and employment litigation and arbitration.  Jonathan Adkin QC has appeared in some of the most high profile commercial and Chancery disputes of recent times and is described by Chambers and Partners as being “a brilliant advocate” who “inspires confidence at every turn” and is universally recognised as a rising force at the Bar whose experience fits perfectly with the “big ticket” work that Fountain Court is renowned for.  Laura John is described by the directories as “outstanding on her feet and in cross-examination” and as someone who “just ticks every box in terms of being what the modern barrister should be”.  Alex Barden is recognised for the “tenacity of his advocacy” and his “commercially astute advice and technical analysis” and has worked on some of the most significant corporate litigation cases of recent years.

The growth of Fountain Court’s core commercial team follows the expansion of its premises in London and Singapore and reflects the very high level of demand for the set’s commercial expertise.

Stephen Moriarty QC said:

“We are proud to say that our commercial practice is one of the most respected at the Bar. As a result we have seen work in our core commercial work grow exponentially over the years. Organic growth of our membership alone has made it difficult to keep up with this very high volume of work, and as a result we have, on occasions, been forced to turn down new instructions.”

“In order to keep up with demand, we have substantially expanded our premises into accommodation adjoining our base in the Temple and now have all members and staff effectively under one roof, whilst increasing our capacity for growth over the long term. We decided proactively to seek out established practitioners with stellar reputations in our core practice areas. We were delighted with the level of talent that we have managed to acquire to augment our existing reputation for excellence.”

“Stuart Ritchie and Jonathan Adkin are some of the most highly regarded commercial silks working today, whilst Laura John and Alex Barden are juniors of outstanding ability and promise for the future. Meanwhile, Ian Bergson, Max Evans and Max Kasriel have shone throughout their pupillage here and I am also delighted to welcome them as new tenants alongside our more senior recruits.”

“Any expansion amongst our barristers requires the clerking and administrative resources to match.  In this regard we are uniquely blessed with an outstanding clerking team led by Alex Taylor, consistently recognised by the legal directories and our peers as one of the best at the Bar, and a first rate administration led by Julie Parker.”

With these new recruits, and the recent appointments to Silk of Fountain Court tenants Rosalind Phelps QC and Ben Valentin QC, the set’s membership now stands at thirty four Silks and forty eight junior barristers.