Ten Old Square ranked highly in the Legal 500 2020 Directory
27th Sep 2019
Ten Old Square’s barristers and clerks are delighted to have been ranked highly in the Legal 500 2020 Legal Directory Rankings. Ranked across 9 practice areas, 15 of our barristers have been individually mentioned.
The Legal 500 overview states: “‘Excellent from top to bottom’, Ten Old Square is ‘a favourite set for complex, traditional Chancery matters’ and ‘the go-to set for trustee applications involving rectification, variation of trusts, and other administrative court proceedings’. Chambers has ‘technically able and user-friendly’ barristers who are considered ‘good value for money’. Senior clerk Keith Plowman leads a team which ‘goes out of its way to work calendars, ensure availability, and keep solicitors updated’. [Keith] Plowman is supported by the ‘utterly reliable’ deputy senior clerk Marc Schofield and first junior clerk Fay Bennett.”
Ten Old Square have been ranked Tier 1 in Company and Partnership, with Gideon Roseman and Jeremy Callman being highlighted for their work in this practice area. The Legal 500 stated: “Ten Old Square’s members are veritable partnership and LLP law experts, instructed by both partnerships and individuals across a wide variety of sectors in disputes and advisory matters relating to sensitive internal issues. In a particular highlight, Gideon Roseman successfully acted for the claimant and first Part 20 defendant in Shah v Shah, the third trial in a partnership dispute between brothers who operated businesses in England and India, and involving the interaction of various debts with a non-partner and the ability of the debtor partner to seek a contribution from other partners. Also of note, Jeremy Callman regularly acts for managing partners of major law firms and accountancy firms in highly-sensitive internal issues, and has substantial experience in non-contentious matters including drafting and updating LLP agreements.”
The Leading Juniors for Partnership see Jeremy Callman regarded as ‘the standout barrister on all things partnership’, Gideon Roseman as having an ‘incredible tenacity and a will to win’, Jonathan Gavaghan is ‘a superb and persuasive advocate as well as an excellent cross-examiner, where he manages to be both aggressive and charming at the same time’ and lastly, Naomi Winston ‘is at the top of the game for partnership and LLP work, and a pleasure to work with’.
Ten Old Square has been ranked Tier 2 in Private Client: Trusts and Probate, with a number of members being highlighted for their work in this practice area. The Legal 500 stated: “Ten Old Square ‘excels from top to bottom.’ The chambers is ‘the go-to place for trustee applications involving rectification, variation of trusts and other administrative court proceedings.’ In Investec Trust (Guernsey) v Glenalla Simon Taube KC successfully persuaded the Privy Council to hold that the trustee was not personally liable for losses. This was as a result of the terms of Jersey trust law and the adoption of a new rule of private international law that affected trusts. Overall it is an ‘excellent set of chambers.’”
All three of our KCs are ranked as Leading Silks in Private Client: Trusts and Probate. Francis Barlow KC ‘has huge experience of complex trust issues’, Simon Taube KC ‘is very much a go-to counsel for serious trust law issues where the court is being asked to consider novel points or enters uncharted territory’ and Eason Rajah KC ‘is very clever and knows his trust law inside out. He is also a good tactician and can explain the options to clients very well’.
The Leading Juniors for Private Client: Trusts and Probate are Georgia Bedworth who is regarded as ‘a very thorough junior’, Richard Dew as ‘a skilled advocate and fights fiercely for his clients – drives a hard bargain’, Susannah Meadway as ‘extremely knowledgeable and very clear in the advice she gives’, and James MacDougald as having ‘a keen eye for detail and knows trusts inside out’.
Ten Old Square has been ranked Tier 5 Property Litigation with Samuel Laughton, Jonathan Gavaghan and Evan Price being highlighted for their work in the practice area. The Legal 500 stated: “Work undertaken by Ten Old Square includes commercial landlord and tenant disputes, rent review arbitrations, dilapidations, leasehold enfranchisement, estoppel, co-habitees, and trusts. In one instruction worthy of note, Samuel Laughton is currently representing the wife of a defendant in Latchworth Ltd & Ziya v Tilly & Tilly, a multimillion-pound fraud claim which the claimant is attempting to enforce against the matrimonial home.”
The Leading Juniors for Property Litigation see Samuel Laughton regarded as ‘a first-rate advocate who is skilled in multidisciplinary litigation’, Jonathan Gavaghan comes ‘highly recommended for property litigation matters’ and Evan Price is ‘knowledgeable of equitable interests, boundary disputes and restrictive covenants’.
Simon Taube KC is ranked as a Leading Silk in Charities commending him as ‘a supremely clever silk’. Court of Protection and Community Care Leading Juniors are Georgia Bedworth, who ‘is a reassuring voice and she will not hesitate to stand firm on matters and fight her corner’ and Leon Pickering for his ‘technical knowledge is excellent and he has a good manner of explaining this to the client in a way they understand’. Samuel Laughton is ‘recommended for a variety of agricultural-related matters’ and Georgia Bedworth has been praised with the comment ‘The real beauty of her advice is its clarity’. Both have been recognised as Leading Juniors in Agriculture.
Jonathan Gavaghan has been ranked as a Leading Junior in Commercial Litigation and it has been noted that he is ‘well respected for his commercial Chancery expertise’. Leon Pickering is also ranked as a Leading Junior for Offshore, where it is noted that ‘he provides very clear advice and analysis’. Two Leading Silks are also ranked in this practise area. Eason Rajah KC is ‘very good with clients and very user-friendly’ and Simon Taube KC is quoted as being ‘an immensely bright and vastly experienced silk’. Robert Arnfield is recognised as a Leading Junior in Private Client: Personal Tax and regarded as ‘an excellent junior counsel’.
With special thanks to the research teams and editors at the Legal 500 and to our clients who continue to instruct us and gave us our commendable references during the research process.
Francis Barlow KC – (1938 – 2023)
Simon Taube KC
Call 1980
The Honourable Mr Justice Rajah
Susannah Meadway
Call 1988
Jeremy Callman
Call 1991
Jonathan Gavaghan
Call 1992
Samuel Laughton
Call 1993
Robert Arnfield
Call 1996
Naomi Winston
Call 2006
Gideon Roseman
Call 2007
Leon Pickering (retired)
James MacDougald
Call 2011
Richard Dew
Call 1999
Evan Price
Call 1997
Georgia Bedworth
Call 2001
