Who do the biggest names in the world of banking and finance turn to for advice?

None other than our silks and junior barristers, who are some of the country’s (and indeed the world’s) leading experts in banking and financial litigation – especially when matters cross over with our set’s pre-eminence in the restructuring and insolvency space.

South Square’s reputation in this core practice area is formidable, as reflected in our august client list of national public bodies including the Bank of England and the FCA, major banks and financial institutions, and top-tier law firms.

South Square Banking and Finance Rankings

We are routinely ranked in the upper echelons of the leading legal directories for banking and finance, including Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, where we are described as “unquestionably the top Chambers for restructuring and insolvency, with a strong banking and finance practice, including incredible strength in depth”.

International and cross border banking and finance litigation

Whether representing South Square’s clients in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division or in overseas courts, our members bring their extensive experience of banking and financial litigation to bear on the sorts of high-profile and high-value disputes that have the power to move the market and shape the future of the sector for years and decades to come.

Leading cases in banking and finance 

The first major test case for alleged LIBOR manipulation (Graiseley), the high-value offshore litigation arising from the fallout of the Madoff fraud (Primeo), the landmark bank charges test case (OFT v Abbey National) – you will find our silks and juniors on the front line when it comes to making legal history and setting new precedents in the banking and finance sector, both in the UK and abroad.

Mid Market Banking and Finance 

That’s not to say that every case we act on has the potential to be featured on Bloomberg or the front page of the Financial Times: our members are also involved in many mid-market banking and finance litigation cases in London and the English and Welsh regions. This gives us real strength and depth in this market, and means we have an expert barrister to suit different requirements and budgets.

Advisory and non-contentious work 

And, in addition to being world-class litigators in the sphere of banking and finance, we also excel as advisors to our clients in this sector. Our members are routinely sought out for their non-contentious and pre-action advice by some of the biggest and most familiar names in the sector, who base their commercial decision on our barristers’ expert opinion.

Recent and notable cases include:

• Structured finance and intercreditor disputes – Galapagos, Saltri/Stabilus and European DiIrectories;
• Investment funds – Primeo Fund v HSBC – now the leading authority on duties owed by custodians and administrators of investment funds;
• Swaps and derivatives – Downs v JFB Firth Rixson Inc;
• Financial collateral – ABT Auto v Aapico;
• Fixed and floating charges –Avanti Telecom;
• Syndicated and bilateral loans – Adare Finance v Yellowstone, Grupo Hotelero Urvasco v Carey and Afriexim v Shebah;
• Secondary debt trading – Morgan Stanley v TAEL, VR Global Partners v Exotix and GSO Credit v Barclays;
• Keepwell agreements – Peking University Founder Group – in relation to offshore debt issuance;
• Guarantees – Mills v HSBC and Carey Value Added v Urvasco;
• CLOs – Deutsche Bank v Barings UK Limited.