United Kingdom > London Bar > Shipping
Index of tables
Shipping – Leading Sets
Shipping – Leading Silks
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- Andrew Baker QC 20 Essex Street
- David Bailey QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Graham Dunning QC Essex Court Chambers
- Christopher Hancock QC 20 Essex Street
- Stephen Males QC 20 Essex Street
- Duncan Matthews QC 20 Essex Street
- Luke Parsons QC Quadrant Chambers
- Gordon Pollock QC Essex Court Chambers
- Andrew Popplewell QC Brick Court Chambers
- John Reeder QC Stone Chambers
- Jeremy Russell QC Quadrant Chambers
- Timothy Young QC 20 Essex Street
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- Elizabeth Blackburn QC Stone Chambers
- Stewart Boyd CBE QC Essex Court Chambers
- Robert Bright QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Christopher Butcher QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- David Foxton QC Essex Court Chambers
- David Goldstone QC Quadrant Chambers
- Jeffrey Gruder QC Essex Court Chambers
- Charles Haddon-Cave QC Quadrant Chambers
- Michael Howard QC Quadrant Chambers
- Nigel Jacobs QC Quadrant Chambers
- Richard Siberry QC Essex Court Chambers
- Richard Southern QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
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- Simon Bryan QC Essex Court Chambers
- Simon Croall QC Quadrant Chambers
- Stephen Dennison QC Atkin Chambers
- Philip Edey QC 20 Essex Street
- David Edwards QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Vernon Flynn QC Essex Court Chambers
- Timothy Hill QC Stone Chambers
- Stephen Kenny QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- David Owen QC 20 Essex Street
- Christopher Smith QC Essex Court Chambers
Shipping – New Silks
Shipping – Leading Juniors
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- Stewart Buckingham Quadrant Chambers
- Geraldine Clark Serle Court
- Michael Davey Quadrant Chambers
- Edmund King Essex Court Chambers
- Michael Nolan Quadrant Chambers
- Thomas Raphael 20 Essex Street
- John Russell Quadrant Chambers
- Rebecca Sabben-Clare 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Chris Smith Quadrant Chambers
- James Turner Quadrant Chambers
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- Lawrence Akka 20 Essex Street
- Ravi Aswani Stone Chambers
- Henry Byam-Cook 20 Essex Street
- Nicholas Craig 3 Verulam Buildings
- Ricky Diwan Essex Court Chambers
- Neil Hart Essex Court Chambers
- Ruth Hosking Quadrant Chambers
- Mark Jones Stone Chambers
- Chirag Karia Quadrant Chambers
- Yash Kulkarni Quadrant Chambers
- David Lewis 20 Essex Street
- Thomas Macey-Dare Quadrant Chambers
- Benjamin Parker 7 King’s Bench Walk
- John Passmore Quadrant Chambers
- Rachel Toney Stone Chambers
- James Watthey Hardwicke
- Tom Whitehead Stone Chambers
Essex Court Chambers has a ‘great reputation as one of the leading admiralty and commercial sets’ with a ‘good selection of seniors and juniors’ and ‘very efficient clerks’. The set was heavily involved in the Fiona Trust litigation – one of the largest shipping cases, which involved claims of $800m for theft, fraud, bribery and corruption in shipping and ship finance – with the ‘smart, user-friendly and well-prepared’ Steven Berry QC, ‘heavy-hitter’ Graham Dunning QC and the ‘sound’ Simon Bryan QC representing key defendants Yuri Niki, Dimitry Skarga and Tagir Izmaylov, respectively. Meanwhile, Vernon Flynn QC, who has a ‘sharp, tactical mind’, acted for the defendants and Edmund King for the claimants in Gearbulk v Stocznia Gdynia. The ‘always reliable’ David Foxton QC is highly rated for dry shipping and commodities, and Jeffrey Gruder QC, who ‘does not sit on the fence and gives a straight answer’, has been busy with numerous disputes arising out of the collapse of the shipping market. The ‘bright, hardworking and very thorough’ Christopher Smith QC has a ‘razor-sharp mind’ and is an ‘excellent advocate/cross-examiner’. Gordon Pollock QC is ‘brilliant in everything he does’, and Philippa Hopkins is ‘very clever and practical’. Claire Blanchard QC, who made silk in 2010, is ‘hardworking and determined, and gets her teeth into cross-examination’.
20 Essex Street ‘offers a large variety of very talented barristers at all levels’ who are ‘very effective, extremely knowledgeable and pleasant to work with’. ‘A big case might justify’ the expertise of Iain Milligan QC, who is acting on the Zodiac case concerning the rights of shipowners against charterers regarding the costs of mitigating risks of piracy off the Somali coast. ‘Outstanding advocate’ Andrew Baker QC is recommended for dry shipping matters, and Duncan Matthews QC for his ‘excellent closing statements’ and ‘ability to memorise the entire contract’. Stephen Males QC is a ‘great advocate’, and Timothy Young QC is ‘formidably quick’ and ‘drives a case to an acceptable result’. David Lewis is a ‘quite brilliant junior barrister with in-depth knowledge, tactical and commercial awareness, and brilliant oral and written advocacy skills’, and Henry Byam-Cook is ‘very thorough in his analysis and preparation, with a good eye for detail’. Julian Kenny is ‘a real star at the senior junior end’, and a ‘great details man who is well on top of the more intricate legal arguments’. Michael Collett is ‘very thorough and disciplined’ and ‘truly has cumulative experience in shipping and trade matters gained over his entire time at the Bar’. Lawrence Akka is ‘friendly, able and available to clarify even smaller issues’, and Philip Edey QC an ‘excellent younger silk’, who acted in a time charter arbitration that is the first shipping group litigation.
7 King’s Bench Walk ‘excels in trade, shipping and insurance’. Timothy Brenton QC, who is ‘superb to work with, a team player, and a very persuasive advocate’, is ‘especially recommended for collision and salvage work’, and acted in ENE 1 Kos Ltd v Petoleo Brasiliero SA. Jonathan Gaisman QC, who is regularly identified as a top barrister, is acting for the underwriters in a marine casualty involving the FEDRA. Other top silks include Dominic Kendrick QC (a ‘top performer with the ability to reduce the most complex issues down to four or five good points’); Robert Bright QC (who ‘operates in the intellectual jetstream, but keeps his feet on the ground at all times’); David Bailey QC (‘extremely bright, client friendly and articulate’); Richard Southern QC (a ‘superbly persuasive advocate who is totally dedicated and always has complete mastery’); Alistair Schaff QC (a ‘top-class advocate’ who is ‘very forceful and knowledgeable’); Christopher Butcher QC (who has an ‘excellent strategic brain and is fazed by nothing’); Stephen Kenny QC (‘excellent on paper, as well as in court and arbitration’ and ‘recommended without equivocation’); and Stephen Hofmeyr QC (who has a ‘fantastic grasp of detail and is very impressive in cross-examination’). At the junior end, the ‘very approachable, articulate and thorough’ Charles Priday is ‘more of an investment; you generally get a good return’; Richard Waller shows ‘good judgement’; and Benjamin Parker is an ‘extremely able and knowledgeable junior who provides invaluable support’.
Quadrant Chambers has ‘excellent response times with good strength in depth for counsel of different calls – it is possible to find the right person for each instruction’. Lionel Persey QC’s ‘advice and assessments are always accurate and on complex issues he always manages to deliver clear answers’. ‘Top-end commercial silk’ Simon Rainey QC is used for ‘very large maritime cases’, and Luke Parsons QC has one of the ‘fastest minds around’. David Goldstone QC is ‘extremely bright and approachable’, and Simon Kverndal QC is recommended for his ‘approachability, speed of response and quality of work’. Nigel Jacobs QC is ‘effective, meticulous, thoughtful, cooperative and hardworking’. Impressive juniors include the ‘always first-class’ Michael Nolan (who ‘combines astute analysis with a clear appreciation of commercial challenges’); the ‘excellent’ Stewart Buckingham; Chirag Karia (who has a ‘complete grasp of the facts and legal issues, and the intellectual ability to make full use of that knowledge’); Yash Kulkarni, who ‘shows good commercial appreciation’ and gives ‘clear and comprehensive advice’; Ruth Hosking (‘quick to respond, pragmatic and honest’); John Passmore (‘incisive and reliable with a good grasp of commercial realities’); Chris Smith (‘practical and with good attention to detail’); John Russell (‘clear, precise and unflappable’); and Caroline Pounds (who is ‘very hardworking and provides sound advice beyond her years of call’). Jeremy Russell QC is leading James Turner in a $100m marine casualty that is one of the most important safe harbour cases, and Nevil Phillips is acting in the Northern Prince dispute, which is testing the proper approach to the assessment of damages.
‘Specialist shipping set’ Stone Chambers has ‘a number of excellent barristers’, sets ‘competitive prices’ and delivers ‘good value for money’. Wet expert Elizabeth Blackburn QC is ‘a heroine in the pollution cases sector’, and is ‘proactive and creative in her advice, always responds very quickly and is a delight to deal with’. John Reeder QC, also noted for wet work, acted in a High Court collision action between a container ship and a gas carrier, and Steven Gee QC acted in the Cendor MOPU case, which concerns the concept of ‘inherent vice’ and was heard in the Supreme Court. Vasanti Selvaratnam QC is ‘very proactive and responsive’, and Timothy Hill QC is a ‘new silk doing heavyweight cases’ and a ‘strong performer who is excellent on his feet’. Mark Jones pays ‘phenomenal attention to detail and gives prompt and pragmatic advice’; Rachel Toney ‘gives confidence about the depth of legal analysis and advice provided, yet brings a commercial perspective’ to the table; Tom Whitehead is a ‘good safe pair of hands’ and ‘good on a thorny problem’; and Ravi Aswani is a ‘clear, careful advocate’.
Also recommended are: ‘dependable and thorough advocate’ Andrew Popplewell QC and dry shipping expert Richard Lord QC at Brick Court Chambers; Sean O’Sullivan, who ‘gives very good, sensible advice’, at 4 Pump Court; the ‘responsive, approachable and accurate’ Nicholas Craig at 3 Verulam Buildings; James Watthey, who is noted in particular for yacht-related work, at Hardwicke; and Stephen Dennison QC at Atkin Chambers, for ship construction disputes.