Brick Court Chambers’ Mark Hapgood QC and 7 King’s Bench Walk’s Jonathan Gaisman QC had appeared in court together regularly on opposing sides before they joined forces to lead Ernst & Young’s (E&Y) defence of the £2.6bn negligence claim brought by Equitable Life.

The pairing of the super-organised Gaisman with Hapgood, known for his ability to dissect rapidly a series of opposing arguments, made for a formidable team. Hapgood dealt with the overview of Equitable’s claim, including causation, the lost sale claim and contributory negligence. Meanwhile, Gaisman handled the provisioning claim along with the scope and nature of an auditor’s duty. The division meant nothing was missed.

Both silks delivered damning statements to the court. Gaisman opened with a defiant speech, alleging that there was no evidence against E&Y; Hapgood closed by memorably describing the case’s settlement as "the biggest climbdown in legal history".

Gaisman and Hapgood have now gone their separate ways to continue their thriving commercial practices, breaking up what is surely one of the most successful double acts in legal history.