Six members of Fountain Court appointed as Queen’s Counsel

Fountain Court is pleased to announce that Giles Wheeler, Edward Levey, Robin Barclay, Chloe Carpenter, Ben Lynch and Tamara Oppenheimer have been successful in their applications to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel. This brings the total number of Silks at Fountain Court to 42 (in addition to our door tenant Silks).

Giles Wheeler was called to the Bar in 1998. Giles is regularly instructed in substantial commercial actions, specialising in banking and finance, civil fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, regulatory law, professional negligence and issues of foreign law. Giles is recommended in the legal directories as “a strong advocate with great client-handling skills.” Giles has substantial advocacy experience and is regularly instructed as lead advocate at appellate level. Giles also has experience of being instructed as an expert witness in foreign litigation and has given oral evidence on English law and civil procedure in a jury trial in the US District Court.

Edward Levey was called to the Bar in 1999. Edward is an experienced advocate with a strong commercial litigation and arbitration practice. His areas of expertise include banking and finance, energy and natural resources, civil fraud, professional negligence and professional discipline. Edward’s practice spans all divisions of the High Court as well as various forms of commercial arbitration.  A number of Edward’s cases involve an international element and he has been licensed to practise on an ad hoc basis in the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland.  He regularly advises in relation to issues concerning jurisdiction and conflicts of law.

Robin Barclay was called to the Bar in 1999. Robin has a wide-ranging commercial and criminal practice, specialising in international commercial, criminal and financial services fraud. He regularly appears in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division; in the Administrative Court; and in corporate, white collar and financial services enforcement investigations and prosecutions in the Crown Court and before regulatory/disciplinary tribunals. He is highly ranked in the legal directories and is described as “A class act with the brain of a commercial silk and the court-craft of a criminal one”. Robin was nominated as Crime Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2019.

Chloe Carpenter was called to the Bar in 2001.  Chloe’s commercial practice covers all areas of commercial law, in particular arbitration, commercial litigation, banking, financial services, insurance and professional negligence. She has extensive experience in all aspects of professional discipline/regulation and is described in the legal directories as “an excellent advocate. She is forensic in her approach and quick at getting back to you. Her drafting is excellent”; “Incredibly bright.” Chloe was shortlisted as Professional Discipline Junior of the Year in the 2019 Chambers and Partners Bar Awards.

Ben Lynch was called to the Bar in 2001. Ben has a specialist practice in the fields of insurance and re-insurance and was the winner of the Chambers and Partners 2017 Insurance Junior of the Year award, being described in the directories as “most highly regarded junior counsel in insurance and reinsurance”. Ben has been instructed in a number of landmark cases including AIG Europe (the leading case on aggregation claims in solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance) and he edits the seminal insurance text MacGillivray on Insurance Law. Ben is also highly regarded and ranked in the fields of commercial dispute resolution, professional negligence and telecommunications. He also has strong reputation in competition law.

Tamara Oppenheimer was called to the Bar in 2002. Tamara is considered an expert on the law of privilege, and was part of the successful counsel team in the well-publicised victory of ENRC against the SFO in the Court of Appeal. Tamara’s expertise also extends to aviation, banking and finance, commercial dispute resolution, civil fraud, insurance and reinsurance, international arbitration and professional negligence. She is recommended highly in the legal directories and is described as “ferociously clever” and “a true role model for the commercial Bar”. Tamara won the Junior of the year award for Banking & Finance at the Chambers Bar Awards 2018.

Bankim Thanki QC, Fountain Court’s Head of Chambers, said:

“We are delighted that no fewer than six members of Chambers have been successful in their applications to be appointed Queen’s Counsel, which I understand to be a record for a Magic Circle set at the Bar. This gives a strong boost to the upward trajectory of Chambers and demonstrates the strength in depth of the members of Fountain Court, as well as the strong support of our superb clerking team led by Alex Taylor, Katie Szewczyk and Sian Huckett. I have had the privilege of working with all of the new QCs as juniors — two of them were my pupils — and I am confident they will all develop superb Silk practices. We wish them every possible success.”