Zachary Douglas KC KC > Chambers of Ewan McQuater KC and David Quest KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

3 Verulam Buildings is ‘one of the premier sets at the English commercial Bar’ with esteemed members recognised for their extensive experience handling the whole spectrum of arbitration proceedings with wide-ranging sectorial and geographical reach. Amongst the most in-demand arbitrators are Ali Malek KC who has a track record of presiding over ICSID cases, Zachary Douglas KC, whose experience as an arbitrator ranges from commercial to public international law matters, Christopher Symons KC, a full time international commercial arbitrator and Jane Davies Evans KC, a dual-qualified barrister and chartered accountant, with expertise in energy disputes, construction and commercial disputes. Alongside a busy arbitration counsel practice, Christopher Harris KC has become an increasingly sought-after arbitrator in commercial and investment arbitration matters across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

With the arrival of Zachary Douglas KC and Can Yeginsu, 3 Verulam Buildings ‘has really moved up from being a strong set for public international law to one of the two or three top sets in London’, with ‘unrivalled bench strength’ and outstanding capabilities in international investment treaty disputes, in which Tariq Baloch is particularly sought after. Yeginsu acts for states, international organisations, including the UN, and non-governmental bodies, advising on investment treaty arbitration, international claims commissions and reparations, and matters of diplomatic and state immunity. He currently acts as lead counsel to international media outlet Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty in its challenge to the Russian Federation’s designation of the organisation as a “foreign agent”. Christopher Harris KC maintains a busy practice with significant instructions as lead counsel in a variety of major international investment disputes as well as in complex enforcement proceedings. Cameron Miles, with particular expertise in investment treaty arbitration and state immunity questions arising in English courts, is advancing into the inter-state arena with high-level instructions in the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the ICJ.

3 Verulam Buildings is ‘first-class’ and has become ‘the go-to set for international arbitration in London’ for many. With strong recruits in recent years, most notably Zachary Douglas KC and Can Yeginsu, the set ‘has an excellent reputation for arbitration arising from its strength-in-depth of top practitioners’ at all levels of seniority. In synergy with its public international law expertise, chambers built a significant portfolio of the most high-profile and politically sensitive commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across a range of sectors and arbitral rules. Recent highlights include a highly politically sensitive investment treaty arbitration brought by Qatar Pharma in which Christopher Harris KC, leading Mark Wassouf , acted for the government of Saudi Arabia. Douglas KC acted for the claimant in LLC Lugzor v Russian Federation, a dispute relating to the expropriation of Ukrainian investments in Crimea upon Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014. Georges Chalfoun, led by Harris KC, is acting for Nova Group Investments B.V. v Romania, an ICSID claim arising out of the expropriation of Romanian insurer Astra Asigurări.