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Year of Call: 1984

E: geoffreyzelin@enterprisechambers.com

T: 020 7405 9471

Clerk: Duane Hitchman

Clerk: Kenya Mendoza

Profile

Geoffrey Zelin has built a broad-based practice encompassing all aspects of commercial and chancery litigation, often appearing against silks. He is particularly in demand for company law (including shareholder disputes and cases involving breaches of directors’ duties), corporate insolvency cases (including directors’ disqualification) and bankruptcy, as well as commercial contract disputes, the enforcement of bank securities such as mortgages and guarantees, fraud, property disputes and professional negligence claims, particularly those involving solicitors, accountants and surveyors.

For example in STEWART FORD v POLYMER VISION LTD (2009) [2009] EWHC 945 (Ch) [2009] 2 BCLC 160 he acted for the claimant on successful application for a declaration as to the validity of a debenture where the issues were whether the directors who had approved the grant of the debenture and the debenture holder had acted in good faith and within the scope of their powers in circumstances where the board was split. The company had sought to block the claim by appointing administrators under another debenture which was held to have been invalid.

In the matter of LCM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD [2013] EWHC 3957 (Ch) Geoffrey  successfully acted for the respondents in an unfair prejudice petition where the defence relied on bad leaver provisions in shareholder agreement and articles. The petitioner was alleging unfair exclusion, the respondents alleged serious breach of duty / conflicts of interest against the petitioner.

Notable recent cases in these areas include RE HENNELLY’S UTILITIES [2004] EWHC 34 (Ch), a leading case on the grant of permission to act as a director following disqualification and  acting for the bank in BANK OF INDIA v RIAT [2014] EWHC 1775 (Ch) a guarantee claim where the defendant alleged misrepresentation and economic duress and for the claimant in ORIENTFIELD HOLDINGS LTD v BID & BIRD LLP [2015] EWHC 1963 (Ch) (solicitor’s negligence). In EAST MIDLANDS PACKAGING LTD  (2013 unrep) Geoffrey succeeded in obtaining a retrospective administration order after the company had moved into liquidation, and in JSC BTA BANK v ABLYAZOV AND OTHERS Geoffrey acted for two defendants against whom the bank was claiming ownership of a London property.

In addition to his effective advocacy and litigation skills, law firms and clients nationwide rely on Geoffrey’s advice in a wide variety of property, corporate partnership and commercial matters.

  • A technically strong, unflappable and measure advocate

    Legal 500 2022
  • He brings vast experience as a senior junior and is a safe pair of hands to work with. He is calm and brilliant in court and goes the extra mile to deliver results. He is also extremely user-friendly and an excellent team player who provides sensible and pragmatic advice

    Chambers and Partners 2022
  • He is very good with clients, attentive to details and has the ability to think outside the box

    Chambers and Partners 2021
  • Extremely responsive, works very hard, always available, value for money, turn around times excellent, rolls his sleeves up, extremely clever, our favourite barrister

    Legal 500 2021
  • Highly responsive, works very hard, always available, very clever, go-to person for everything, straight talker.

    Legal 500 2021
  • Highly responsive, works very hard and is always available

    Legal 500 2021
  • He is good in court and the judges really like him. He's thorough, hard-working and good with clients.

    Chambers & Partners 2018
  • He sees the wood from the trees and is an excellent advocate.

    Legal 500 2017
  • He is knowledgeable, sensible and helpful.

    Legal 500 2017
  • Immense experience and superb intellect.

    Chambers and Partners, 2017
  • He brings intellectual rigour and is a pleasure to work with

    Chambers and Partners, 2017
  • Commercial, practical and realistic

    Chambers and Partners, 2016
  • He quietly gets to grips with a myriad of issues, and is knowledgeable and sensible.

    Legal 500 2017
  • Recommended for property-related negligence cases.

    Legal 500 2017
  • An excellent advocate, who is pragmatic, commercial and easy to work with.

    Legal 500, 2016
  • Commercially minded and highly rated.

    Legal 500, 2016
  • A commanding presence in court.

    Legal 500, 2016
  • He has wide-ranging experience.

    Legal 500, 2016
  • He rolls up his sleeves and gets stuck in.

    Chambers & Partners 2016
  • He is meticulous in his attention to detail.

    Chambers & Partners 2016
  • Commercial, practical and realistic.

    Chambers & Partners 2016
  • As good on his feet as he is on paper.

    Chambers & Partners 2016
  • He is a formidable counsel one would want on one's side.

    Chambers & Partners 2016
  • An excellent brain and a good advocate.

    Legal 500 2015
  • An excellent counsel with a tremendous eye for detail, and his interpersonal skills with clients are first class.

    Legal 500 2015
  • He has a robust approach and is tactically astute.

    Legal 500 2015
  • A very creative thinker, who is very clever, works hard and really takes ownership of the case.

    Chambers UK 2015
  • A very pleasing advocate, who does a very effective job.

    Chambers UK 2015
  • He has a very relaxed advocacy style, which endears him to the presiding judge.

    Legal 500 2014
  • His calm and collected manner inspires confidence.

    Legal 500 2014
  • Stands out for "his ability to work in a team, and his awareness of the commercial sensitivities of each matter".

    Legal 500, 2013
  • The "tactically astute" Geoffrey Zelin has "an excellent brain" which allows him to "quickly see the wood from the trees".

    Legal 500, 2013
  • The "utterly reliable" Geoffrey Zelin has "first-class oratorical gifts" and is an "outstanding leader of the Chancery Bar".

    Legal 500, 2012
  • One of the outstanding juniors of the Chancery Bar" Geoffrey Zelin "has proven himself to be a top-class performer against QC's.

    Legal 500, 2012
  • He "has an excellent courtroom manner and displays outstanding breadth of knowledge when it comes to legal principles" say commentators.

    Chambers & Partners 2012
  • Geoffrey Zelin, who is "always reliable and meticulous in his attention to detail." He combines "impressive advocacy with an ability to grasp the subject matter well."

    Chambers & Partners 2012
  • Geoffrey Zelin is "a first class Chancery counsel" and "robust in his approach."

    Legal 500, 2011
  • The "fast, accurate, practical and realistic" Geoffrey Zelin is also "extremely good with detail, and good with clients."

Practice Areas

Career and Associations

Call 1984

Middle Temple

Joined Enterprise Chambers in 1985 after competing Chancery and specialist company law pupillages

Chancery Bar Association

Property Bar Association