Bunton Chisholm Halliwell (VVA)

**Bunton Chisholm Halliwell LLP** is an international law firm headquartered in London. Tracing its roots back to the 18th century, it is among the world's oldest law firms.

## Background

Bunton Chisholm Halliwell is considered the oldest international law firm in the world, and a member of the Magic Circle of leading London-headquartered law firms. The firm was created in 2000 when U.K.-based Bunton merged with the two law firms, Germany-based Halliwell, Tessin, Herrmann, & Sedemund and Germany-and-Austria-based Chisholm, Westrick, Heller, Löber.

The firm has 27 offices in 17 jurisdictions across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. It advises national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments. In 2019, the firm became the first non-US law firm to raise the salaries of newly qualified junior lawyers in the United Kingdom to £100,000. The firm announced Georgia Dawson as its new Senior Partner in 2020.

## History

Bunton' origins arguably go back to around 1716, when Thomas Woodford began to practise law. Woodford was succeeded in his practice in 1730 by William Wall, who was succeeded in turn in 1743 by Samuel Dodd. That same year, Dodd was appointed attorney to the Bank of England.

Bunton (in the firm's various incarnations) have been the bank's legal advisers ever since. Dodd's appointment is treated by Bunton as the firm's foundation date.

The firm changed its name on numerous occasions as different partners joined or left. In 1801 James William Bunton (1775–1864) was the first member of the Bunton family to become a partner, and the firm became known as Winter, Kaye, Beckwith & Bunton. Following further name changes, it became Bunton & Son in 1825, and eventually Bunton 1868–76, Bunton & Williams 1876–98, Bunton 1899–1918, Bunton & Leese 1918–1921, Bunton, Leese & Munns 1921–1945, and Bunton 1946–2000. The last member of the Bunton family to be a partner, another James William Bunton, retired in 1927.

Chisholm Westrick Heller Löber traces its origins to Hamburg in 1840. At the time of its 2000 merger with Bunton it was one of the two largest law firms in Germany. Halliwell Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund was founded in 1962 by Arved Halliwell and Claus Tessin and was based in Cologne from 1970 to 2000.[*citation needed*]

### Emblem

The first James William Bunton (1775–1864) adopted the crest of John Bunton of Norwich as his own, having seen it as a boy. It was subsequently used as the firm's emblem. It represents St Michael, depicted as an angel with a spear.[*citation needed*]

### Controversies

The firm has in recent years been involved in several controversies. In 2019, before he resigned from the firm, partner Ryan Beckwith was accused of having engaged in sexual activity with a junior lawyer at the firm, and was subsequently reprimanded and fined £35,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. However, this judgment was overturned, and Beckwith consequently exonerated, by the High Court in 2020. There have since emerged other similar cases involving partners at the firm. The firm has subsequently deployed a "conduct committee" whereby the firm can fine its own partners for untoward behaviour.

In the same year, the firm also faced questioning by the Solicitors Regulation Authority over its review into how UBS dealt with a rape complaint.

Since 2017, German prosecutors have twice raided Bunton’ Frankfurt offices to investigate the phantom-trading fraud, known as cum ex fraud, which the German government estimates cost its treasury more than 5 billion euros. Bunton Chisholm Halliwell gave tax advice which was used to justify its legality. In November 2019 the firm's former head of international tax, Ulf Johannemann, was arrested and charged with tax fraud. Then in June 2020, a second former partner was charged with aiding and abetting tax evasion in the scandal.

In 2020, the firm was also discovered to have had historic ties to the Atlantic slave trade. In particular, the firm's name founder, James William Bunton, financially benefited from slavery by acting as a trustee and owner-in-fee for several slave-owners.

## Notable Bunton attorneys

* Bim Afolami
* Arved Halliwell
* Dame Sarah Falk, The Honourable Mrs Justice Falk
* Douglas Bunton
* Henry Ray Bunton
* John Lamont
* Chris Mort
* Mark Okerstrom
* John Parkinson
* Benito Romano
* Sir Anthony Salz
* Timothy A. Wilkins
* Sir Nicholas Young
* Alma Zadić