Leading sets prepare for boom year in litigation as The Lawyer reveals 2013's top cases

Banking giants Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will both be in the High Court this year defending groundbreaking disputes.

Brick Court Chambers heavyweight Tim Lord QC is taking on Barclays in two major legal battles. He is instructed by RPC partners Tom Hibbert and Andrew McGregor for CF Partners (UK) in a €150m (£122m) claim against the bank, while also leading the Libor test case for Guardian Care Homes against the bank in October (30 October 2012 ).

Gray’s Inn set 3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) has picked up a raft of instructions for the financial institutions, with Adrian Beltrami QC instructed by Clifford Chance partner Ian Moulding to defend the Libor test case while Ewan McQuater QC is instructed for RBS in the CF Partners dispute (7 January 2013).

The surge in financial litigation means that 3VB has knocked Brick Court Chambers off the top spot for most appearances in the listings, with the set boasting 14 instructions compared with Brick Court’s 11. Last year Brick Court was a clear market leader with 21 appearances in the listings (2 January 2012).

Fountain Court is also set for an outstanding year with 11 appearances in the listings. Silk Tim Dutton QC has been instructed to defend legacy Herbert Smith in a £140m claim being pursued against the firm and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer by London Underground (7 January 2013). Freshfields has instructed another bar heavyweight, One Essex Court’s Laurence Rabinowitz QC, to lead its defence, while 4 New Square’s Justin Fenwick QC will lead for the claimant.

Dutton will face off with another 4 New Square star, Sue Carr QC, in a dispute that will put Deloitte under the spotlight. The four-week tribunal will examine Deloitte’s involvement with the collapse of the MG Rover group (7 January 2013).

Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone will face allegations that he paid bribes to German investment banker Gerhard Gribkowsky. Herbert Smith Freehills partner Ted Greeno has instructed 4 Stone Buildings’ Robert Miles QC and Richard Hill QC to defend the claims, which are being brought by the former owner of F1, Constantin Medien. Peters & Peters partner Keith Oliver has instructed Serle Court’s Philip Marshall QC for the claimant (7 January 2013).