Banking & Finance

"The premier chambers for banking litigation."


The Legal 500

Fountain Court is known for being at the forefront of banking and financial disputes, including retail and investment banking.

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 Fountain Court 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
  • 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
  • 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

  • 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.
Show all cases

Banking & Finance Barristers

Richard Lissack QC

Richard Lissack KC

Call 1978 | Silk 1994

David Railton QC

David Railton KC

Call 1979 | Silk 1996

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

Charles Bear QC

Charles Béar KC

Call 1986 | Silk 2003

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

Richard Handyside QC

Richard Handyside 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

Akhil Shah QC

Akhil Shah KC

Call 1990 | Silk 2010

Andrew Mitchell QC

Andrew Mitchell KC

Call 1992 | Silk 2011

Paul Gott QC

Paul Gott KC

Call 1991 | Silk 2012

Richard Coleman QC

Richard Coleman KC

Call 1994 | 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

Ben Valentin QC

Ben Valentin KC

Call 1995 | Silk 2016

Clare Sibson KC

Call 1997 | Silk 2016

Rosalind Phelps QC

Rosalind Phelps KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2016

Henry King QC

Henry King KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2017

Adam Zellick QC

Adam Zellick KC

Call 2000 | Silk 2017

Paul Sinclair QC

Paul Sinclair KC

Call 1997 | Silk 2018

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

Robin Barclay QC

Robin Barclay KC

Call 1999 | 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

Alexander Milner QC

Alexander Milner KC

Call 2006 | Silk 2022

Simon Atrill

Simon Atrill KC

Call 2005 | Silk 2023

Deepak Nambisan

Call 1998

Nik Yeo

Call 2000

Paul Casey

Call 2002

Andrew Pullen

Andrew Pullen

Call 2016

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

Alex Barden

Alex Barden

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

Deborah Horowitz

Deborah Horowitz

Call 2010

Tetyana Nesterchuk

Tetyana Nesterchuk

Call 2011

Rebecca Loveridge

Rebecca Loveridge

Call 2011

Philip Ahlquist

Philip Ahlquist

Call 2012

Niamh Cleary

Niamh Cleary

Call 2012

Giles Robertson

Giles Robertson

Call 2012

Samuel Ritchie

Samuel Ritchie

Call 2012

Leonora Sagan

Leonora Sagan

Call 2012

James Hart

James Hart

Call 2012

Joseph Farmer

Joseph Farmer

Call 2013

Simon Paul

Simon Paul

Call 2013

Laurie Brock

Laurie Brock

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

Alexandra Whelan

Alexandra Whelan

Call 2016

Jacob Turner

Jacob Turner

Call 2016

Aaron Taylor

Aaron Taylor

Call 2017

Damien Bruneau

Damien Bruneau

Call 2016

Gillian Hughes

Gillian Hughes

Call 2018

Nathalie Koh

Nathalie Koh

Call 2019

Marcus Field

Marcus Field

Call 2019

Orestis Sherman

Orestis Sherman

Call 2019

Joseph Leech

Joseph Leech

Call 2020

Francesca Ruddy

Call 2020

Daniel Schwennicke

Daniel Schwennicke

Call 2020

Hannah Bernstein

Hannah Bernstein

Call 2020

Kit Holliday

Call 2021

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

Brian Doctor QC

Brian Doctor KC

Call 1991 | Silk 1999

Stephen Rubin KC

Call 1977 | Silk 2000

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

"Clients note that 'the set has a knack for attracting the best of the best - who also happen to be nice people'."


The Legal 500

"A go-to set for the banking, financial services and financial crime fields", with "enormous strength in depth from junior to senior leading counsel."


The Legal 500

"Fountain Court is one of the very best sets for complex banking and financial disputes. It has strength in depth, from its top QCs to its baby juniors."


The Legal 500

"A top-class set in every way."


The Legal 500

"Highly esteemed set proficient in handling a broad range of banking matters, both on the civil and criminal side, including cases involving alleged LIBOR manipulation, fraud disputes and claims of bribery."


Chambers & Partners

"Fountain Court Chambers 'continues to excel in the area of banking and finance' and has 'great strength in depth' with 'a number of eminent barristers', according to sources."


The Legal 500

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