Maitland Chambers

Matthew will always fight for his clients. He is a seasoned trial and appellate advocate, seen appearing before the Supreme Court in the most recent landmark judgments in his field. Matthew's cases here and abroad, span company, insolvency, trust and commercial disputes. Amongst his current varied workload are two multi-million claims in the Commercial Court, but he brings the same dedication and attention to detail to every single instruction. Matthew has over 150 reported cases to his name.

Expertise
- Commercial Litigation & Arbitration
  
  Matthew's current caseload embraces three multi-million claims including two class actions: one arising from the failed eclipse film finance scheme; the other concerning property development and involving extensive interlocutory relief: 4VVV v Spence [2022] EWCA Civ 500 and [2023] EWMC1 (Comm)
- Civil Fraud
  
  Matthew has conducted numerous high profile civil fraud cases, including two in the Supreme Court: FHR v Mankarious on constructive trusts, and Patel v Mirza on illegality - the most significant authority on civil fraud for decades, with a five person panel of justices. Matthew has recently secured a significant victory in the Court of Appeal in a £70m conspiracy claim Maranello Rosso Ltd v Lohomij EWCA CV 1667.
- Company & Partnership
  
  Matthew has long specialised in company law, and appeared in the Supreme Court in Progress Property v Moore on unlawful distributions. He has fought dozens of shareholder disputes, and he successfully defended the recent directors from a multi million claim for breach of fiduciary duty in TMD v Yeo [2021] EWMC 2033 CH.
- Insolvency & Asset Recovery
  
  Matthew has featured in most of the significant insolvencies during his career including appearing in the House of Lords in Arrows and Atlantic Computers. Recent high profile instructions include London Capital & Finance and Greensill Bank. A recent Court of Appeal appearance of Matthew's explored the assignment of insolvency claims to litigation funders: Edengate [2022] EWCA Civ 626
- Offshore & Trusts
  
  Matthew's case Denaxe v Cooper [2022] 4 WLR 52 provides the Court of Appeal with its first opportunity to review the courts jurisdiction to bless transactions by trustees and others. In the high profile London Capital v Finance Insolvency, Matthew successfully removed security trustees: [2020 EWMC 597(ch).
  
  Matthew regularly deploys his expertise in his specialist fields aboard, and has been called to the Bar in the BVI, Cayman and Bermuda. He has acted in many trials and appeals (up to the Privy Council), and has appeared in tribunals in jurisdictions as diverse as Milan and Reykjavik.
Directory Quotes

Chambers UK Company (2024)
"Matthew has a practical, no-nonsense approach. He is an excellent advocate, as well as a skilled and subtle negotiator."

Chambers UK Company (2024)
"Very charming and an agreeable person to work with, he's very client friendly and helpful."

Chambers UK Chancery: Commercial (2024)
"A very effective advocate."

Chambers UK Offshore (2024)
"Matthew is very capable, with a practical, no-nonsense approach. Excellent advocacy, aligned with skilled and subtle negotiation skills."

Chambers UK Restructuring/Insolvency (2024)
"He is a very fine and nimble-footed barrister."

Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2024)
"Matthew Collings is a very effective advocate."

Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2024)
"In court he's very good at jumping in and hammering home points when he spots a weakness."

Chambers UK Offshore (2023)
"He comes up with points that others have never thought of. It takes a special kind of lawyer who can see winning points no one else has made."

Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
"Smooth and fearless in court, he's a man who's prepared to run difficult points."

Chambers UK Restructuring and Insolvency (2023)
"Matthew is a very good advocate. He has the ear of the court and is a very learned chap. He's a real fighter and good on his feet."

Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
Matthew is a very fine, nimble-footed advocate who is a tenacious operator. He is extremely clever and consistently finds ways out of tight corners."

Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
“Thorough and very committed to his clients.”

Chambers UK Company (2022)
“Tenacious, knowledgeable and creative”

Legal 500 UK Company (2022)
“He has real knowledge and expertise in shareholder disputes and Companies Court work. He can find novel winning arguments where necessary.”

Chambers UK Restructuring/Insolvency (2022)
“He is vastly experienced, spots the big points before they've even been raised and is always two steps ahead. He is also superb with clients.”

Legal 500 UK Insolvency (2022)
“One of the most tenacious and imaginative operators.”

Chambers UK Chancery: Commercial (2022)
“Thorough and very committed to his clients.”

Legal 500 UK Commercial Litigation (2022)
“One of the most tenacious and imaginative operators at the Bar. A go-to for clients in a tight spot, as he has performed miracles.”

Chambers UK Fraud: Civil (2022)
“Wonderful to work with.”

Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2022)
“Vastly experienced, he spots the big points before they have even been raised, and is always two steps ahead. He is superb with clients, and an obvious choice for legally complex fraud matters.”

Chambers UK Offshore (2022)
“Experienced in knotty cross-border cases.”

Chambers UK Company (2020)
“A solid performer in court who has been instructed in several reported cases. He is notably active on shareholder disputes.”

Chambers UK Company (2020)
“He's really good at thinking outside the box and very good on his feet; he has the ear of the court.”

Legal 500 UK Company (2020)
“He is a very good advocate.”

Chambers UK Restructuring/Insolvency (2020)
“He is exceptionally good at handling very complex insolvency matters." "A go-to barrister for difficult and challenging cases. He's massively experienced and is a very good advocate.”

Legal 500 UK Restructuring/Insolvency (2020)
“Experienced in insolvency law.”

Chambers UK Chancery: Commercial (2020)
“He has a very impressive reputation at the Bar. He's a go-to man for tricky appellate work and is a name known by everybody at the Commercial Chancery Bar. He's a magnanimous opponent.”

Legal 500 UK Commercial Litigation (2020)
“Highly recommended for commercial litigation.”

Chambers UK Fraud: Civil (2020)
“A very fine and nimble-footed advocate." "A tenacious operator.”

Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2020)
“Matthew is a very fine and nimble-footed advocate. He's a tenacious operator.”

Chambers UK Offshore (2020)
“Matthew is a very entertaining advocate. He is a very clever man who is not to be underestimated.”
Notable Cases
Matthew Collings KC's notable cases include:

Matthew Collings KC

Call: 1985 Silk: 2006

Expertise

Commercial Litigation & Arbitration

Civil Fraud

Company & Partnership

Insolvency & Asset Recovery

Offshore & Trusts

Directory Quotes

Notable Cases