header-logo header-logo

28 March 2017
Issue: 7742 / Categories: Movers & Shakers
printer mail-detail

James Brightwell—Serle Court

james_brightwell_barrister_photograph

Chambers recruits highly-regarded junior

Serle Court has announced the arrival of James Brightwell, who joins from New Square Chambers.

James was called to the Bar in 2000 and is co-author of Lewin on Trusts. His practice, which covers contentious and non-contentious private client work, including the administration of estates, contentious probate, family provision, trust applications, claims concerning professional liability in these areas, and related tax matters, dovetails perfectly with Serle Court’s, and his expertise in offshore litigation further underpins Serle Court’s continuing market lead in this area.  

James is called to the Bar of Bermuda (ad hoc) and the Eastern Caribbean in the British Virgin Islands and, since 2010, has been a Deputy District Judge (Civil).

John Petrie, chief executive of Serle Court, said: “Serle Court has a reputation for having barristers who are at the very top of the Commercial and Chancery field, and James Brightwell fits that description perfectly. His arrival further strengthens our Traditional Chancery and Offshore litigation expertise and we are delighted to welcome someone with James’s reputation”.

James added: “I am very excited to be joining Serle Court—the set’s reputation is unparalleled in the field of Chancery and Commercial, and fits perfectly with my practice area.”

 

Issue: 7742 / Categories: Movers & Shakers
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll