Financial Services

"Fountain Court is one of the top, if not the top, financial services set."


The Legal 500

Fountain Court has a superb reputation in the field of financial services, complementing our first-class banking and regulatory practices.

Members are regularly called upon to advise regulators, regulated entities and high net-worth individuals, in the most significant and complicated financial services disputes. Our members act in matters in various financial sectors including audit, accountancy, banking and insurance and much of our work spans several jurisdictions.

Members routinely act on disputes arising between regulators, such as the Financial Conduct Authority, the Financial Reporting Council and the Prudential Regulatory Authority, and businesses as well as cases involving allegations against firms and individual employees. We often also advise both regulators and businesses or individuals in relation to potential or active regulatory investigations, and on the matters which arise as a result of regulatory issues (including addressing the consequences of regulatory breaches).

Many regulatory disputes involve broader criminal implications and Fountain Court is uniquely placed at the commercial Bar in specialising in the cross over between civil, regulatory and criminal work. A significant number of the instructions received in this sector involve allegations of fraud or misrepresentation, including in the context of acquisitions or investments.

Our work also extends to matters which arise out of highly publicised administrations or insolvencies, including investigations by regulators into the circumstances of corporate collapses. Many of the matters on which our members advise are precedent-setting for the sector and shape future regulation, as well as the interpretation of existing rules.

Members of Fountain Court have had, and continue to have, central roles in most of the highest profile and highest value disputes and investigations in the financial services sector.

Our work includes cases relating to:

  • Regulatory disputes
  • Civil claims arising out of regulatory issues
  • Cases involving allegations of fraud or misrepresentation
  • Cases involving criminal allegations
  • Cases resulting from high-profile collapses
  • Matters affecting the future interpretation of regulation

  • FCA Business Interruption Insurance Test Case: Nine members of Fountain Court advised various parties in the high-profile test case relating to insurance claims made under business interruption policies as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, including in the High Court and in the 'leapfrog' appeal to the Supreme Court.
  • HP/Autonomy: Acting in these substantial proceedings for $5 billion involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and misrepresentation in relation to the acquisition of Autonomy by the Hewlett-Packard group, the largest proceedings conducted by the FRC.
  • FRC v Sports Direct: Acting on both sides of this high-profile investigation into Grant Thornton's audit of Sports Direct's 2016 accounts, including at the Court of Appeal, involving issues relating to legal professional privilege in the context of regulatory investigations.
  • Ingenious Litigation: Acting for various financial institutions in proceedings brought by a large number of investors who alleged that banks and other advisers negligently advised them to enter into film finance schemes to mitigate tax liabilities.
  • SKAT Litigation: Acting for various defendants in a claim brought by Danish tax authorities to recover $1.5 billion from parties 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.
  • The collapse of Carillion: Acting in relation to the FRC's investigations into the high-profile collapse of Carillion which has generated significant media attention and is the subject of a parliamentary enquiry.
  • Stanford v HSBC: Defending HSBC in high value claims arising from the insolvency of Stanford International Bank, alleging that HSBC should have spotted warning signs indicating that investments offered by Stanford were in fact a Ponzi scheme.
  • Re Prudential Assurance Co Ltd & Rothesay Life Plc: Representing both Prudential and Rothesay on their appeal against the refusal of the High Court to sanction a scheme for the transfer of £12 billion of insurance business under Part VII of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
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Financial Services Barristers

Richard Lissack QC

Richard Lissack KC

Call 1978 | Silk 1994

Timothy Dutton QC

Timothy Dutton CBE KC

Call 1979 | Silk 1998

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

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

Andrew Mitchell QC

Andrew Mitchell KC

Call 1992 | Silk 2011

Richard Coleman QC

Richard Coleman KC

Call 1994 | Silk 2012

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

Bridget Lucas QC

Bridget Lucas KC

Call 1989 | Silk 2018

Paul Sinclair QC

Paul Sinclair KC

Call 1997 | Silk 2018

Nicholas Medcroft QC

Nicholas Medcroft KC

Call 1998 | Silk 2019

Robin Barclay QC

Robin Barclay KC

Call 1999 | Silk 2020

Simon Atrill

Simon Atrill KC

Call 2005 | Silk 2023

Nik Yeo

Call 2000

Eleanor Davison

Eleanor Davison

Call 2003

Rupert Allen

Rupert Allen

Call 2005

Alex Barden

Alex Barden

Call 2005

Adam Sher

Adam Sher

Call 2007

Robin Lööf

Robin Lööf

Call 2009

Natasha Bennett

Natasha Bennett

Call 2009

Deborah Horowitz

Deborah Horowitz

Call 2010

Tetyana Nesterchuk

Tetyana Nesterchuk

Call 2011

Rebecca Loveridge

Rebecca Loveridge

Call 2011

Giles Robertson

Giles Robertson

Call 2012

Leonora Sagan

Leonora Sagan

Call 2012

Simon Paul

Simon Paul

Call 2013

Nick Daly

Nick Daly

Call 2014

Max Evans

Max Evans

Call 2015

Laurentia de Bruyn

Laurentia de Bruyn

Call 2018

Orestis Sherman

Orestis Sherman

Call 2019

Joseph Leech

Joseph Leech

Call 2020

Francesca Ruddy

Call 2020

Daniel Schwennicke

Daniel Schwennicke

Call 2020

Kit Holliday

Call 2021

Ian Simester

Call 2022

Sam Hussaini

Call 2022

Tiffany Tang

Call 2022

Victoria Green

Call 2022

Andrew Currie

Call 2024

Michael Brindle QC

Michael Brindle KC

Call 1975 | Silk 1992

Philip Brook Smith QC

Philip Brook Smith KC

Call 1982 | Silk 2002

Sebastian Said

Sebastian Said

Call 2004

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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

"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."


Chambers & Partners

"Fountain Court Chambers is 'quite simply one of the best chambers in London with the bench strength and quality to handle the largest and most complex cases'. The set has a 'good range of silks and senior juniors in the financial services field'."


The Legal 500

"Fountain Court is one of the pre-eminent sets for complex finance disputes."


The Legal 500

"Fountain Court have considerable strength-in-depth in this area with a host of high quality practitioners."


The Legal 500

"‘Fountain Court has a deservedly high reputation in the field of financial regulation."


The Legal 500

"Fountain Court has great strengths in this area from top to bottom. The set’s concentration on quality and the members’ work in the commercial arena mean that it is a leader in financial services regulation."


The Legal 500

"The set has a 'well-deserved reputation for dealing with difficult areas of law and regulation'."


Chambers & Partners

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