COMPANY AND PARTNERSHIP

Ten Old Square has a good reputation for partnership matters, where it has several well-regarded juniors. Jeremy Callman has an especially strong track record, and is among the best in the market. Jonathan Gavaghan is also recommended.

CHARITIES

Ten Old Square’s Simon Taube QC (‘nothing short of brilliant’)

PRIVATE CLIENT: TRUSTS AND PROBATE

At Ten Old Square, the ‘barristers are of a consistently high quality across the set’, and the clerks are ‘charming, helpful and responsive’. Francis Barlow QC is an ‘encyclopaedia of mainstream and obscure trust and probate law’ and a ‘brave and compelling advocate’, and Simon Taube QC is ‘magisterial’ and ‘phenomenally clever’. Others of note include Eason Rajah QC and Susannah Meadway.

PROPERTY LITIGATION (including agriculture and housing)

At Ten Old Square, Jonathan Gavaghan is ‘an excellent advocate, who implements thorough research and preparation’; Samuel Laughton is ‘both good on paper and good on his feet’; and Evan Price’s arguments in court are ‘strong and well assured’.

Chambers UK 2012 – Bar Guide Summary

TEN OLD SQUARE – TRADITIONAL CHANCERY

THE SET
This Lincoln's Inn chancery stalwart remains a firm favourite with clients and solicitors both in England and beyond. A sign of the quality on offer is provided by the fact that all but one of the set's silks and a quarter of its juniors are ranked for traditional chancery. The varied and expert knowledge of these members is complemented by the attentiveness and efficiency of the clerks, making the whole set "a smooth operation," according to those who use it.

SILKS
The "outstanding" Simon Taube QC receives praise for his "beguiling, fantastic court presence" when before the bench and for his "excellent bedside manner" with clients. Inheritance tax, trusts and succession planning, often of staggering complexity, form the bulk of his chancery practice. Francis Barlow QC is spoken of fondly by market sources as being "approachable, exceedingly knowledgeable and wise." For many, he is a "first choice for variation of trusts advice," as well as probates and contested estates matters. His talent for crisp and clear drafting is widely acknowledged. New silk Eason Rajah QC owes his richly deserved elevation to the fact that he takes a "clear and decisive" approach when handling contentious trusts and estates cases. 

JUNIORS
One prominent commentator says of Susannah Meadway: "If you need a second counsel to work in a court application, she's the one you go for - she's very practical, collegiate and sees the big picture." Other sources highlight her skill at drafting and her knowledge of esoteric tax points as they relate to trusts. "Robust court performer" Georgia Bedworth metes out "very well-considered and prudent advice" to clients looking for solutions to awkward Inheritance Act, trusts and property problems. She wins market approval. Michael Waterworth is a coveted brief for top private client lawyers who need that bit of extra expertise at tax, trusts and succession planning issues. "Quietly spoken and extremely able," he is known for having "a penetrating and highly analytical mind." He is particularly valued for his ability to think through complex problems and provide concise and commercially astute advice. Also recommended, Richard Dew is a "superb junior," who combines strong academic credentials - he is an author of Tolley's Inheritance Tax Planning - with a flair for litigation and ADR. 

TEN OLD SQUARE – PARTNERSHIP

THE SET
Ten Old Square is a highly regarded chancery set which provides specialist advice on the full range of partnership issues. Solicitors praise the fact that the set's members and clerks work very hard to build up good relationships with those that instruct them.

JUNIORS
"One of the leading partnership specialists in the field," Jeremy Callman is a lawyer who gives "excellent advice and is extremely knowledgeable on complex and untested areas of LLP partnership law." It also helps that he is "a team player who is both strong on paper and an excellent advocate." His meticulous attention to detail means that "in litigation he covers every angle and leaves the other side no room to escape." "Enormously talented" Jonathan Gavaghan has "a sharp intellect and is a man who shows a deft touch in court." He has impressed recently both with his effective courtroom manner and his excellent client-handling skills.

Simon Taube QC of Ten Old Square is recommended for his litigation skills in charities law. Sources commend him and his practice, saying "as one of the younger silks, he gets better and better every year." His practice covers a broad range of chancery matters, including advisory work on UK and foreign trusts, estates and tax planning.

TEN OLD SQUARE – COURT OF PROTECTION

Sources remark that "it's not hard to see why Eason Rajah QC of Ten Old Square has taken silk." "Outstanding" in terms of both advice and advocacy, he is "clear on strategy and a very skilled negotiator." One of the best in the land for property and affairs cases, this "silky smooth" barrister also turns his hand to welfare matters. Recent highlights for him include two so-called 'granny-napping' cases, which concerned the moving of jurisdiction of elderly persons with dementia, and the tax and welfare implications of such moves.