The English Bar: Commercial

Leading juniors
Rising stars

Leading juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Sean Yates

Outer Temple Chambers

'An outstanding learner who approaches his work with an open mind. He quickly grasps new information pertinent to the case and skillfully adjusts his strategy to incorporate these insights. His advocacy is consistently polite and respectful, probably sometimes critical points being delivered without the necessary strength.'

Stephen Doherty

Serle Court

'Stephen is technically excellent, in particular in relation to the specific procedural requirements as well as the substantive laws of the DIFC Courts. He is extremely user-friendly, is comfortable handling challenging clients, and has an unflappable manner when on his feet.'

Ali Almihdar

Outer Temple Chambers

Karl Anderson

4 Stone Buildings

‘His drafting is excellent, he has great judgement, he is responsive, helpful, and has been excellent with the client. He is happy to roll up his sleeves and muck in with whatever needs to be done.’

Jonathan Bellamy

39 Essex Chambers

Harris Bor

Twenty Essex

Georges Chalfoun

3 Verulam Buildings

Rumen Cholakov

3 Verulam Buildings

‘Rumen is very committed. He is increasingly being instructed in DIFC proceedings and is now fairly well known in the market. He is becoming a junior to watch.’

Max Davidson

Quadrant Chambers

‘Max is unflappable. He doesn’t shy away from difficult cases but won’t advise you to run bad points for the sake of it either. He’s very personable and diligent and will really get stuck in’

Daniel Edmonds

Fountain Court Chambers

‘Daniel is a forceful advocate. Meticulously prepared and able to read the court very well. He is a skilful drafter of pleadings and has a great understanding of strategy issues.’

Arshad Ghaffar

XXIV Old Buildings

'He is excellent, very proactive and provides top notch service and demonstrate professionalism, competence, and effectiveness when appearing before an arbitral tribunal.'

Sophia Hurst

Essex Court Chambers

Ravi Jackson

3 Verulam Buildings

'Ravi is a very good barrister. He has a sharp mind and a tireless work ethic, and he combines both with a remarkable ability to get to the heart of a legal problem. His written work is of a high standard, his advocacy is strong, and he is a real pleasure to work with.'

Edward Knight

XXIV Old Buildings

Kevin Lee

Twenty Essex

‘Exceptionally bright and a brilliant strategist. Kevin’s drafting is beautiful, and his advocacy is first-rate. He is incredibly responsive, and clients appreciate the effort he puts in.’

Peter Linstead

Outer Temple Chambers

'Very responsive and detailed in his analysis of the law.'

Zara McGlone

4 Stone Buildings

Thomas Ogg

11KBW

Laurence Page

4 Pump Court

'Very approachable and excellent on his feet.'

Philip Punwar

Outer Temple Chambers

‘Philip can be very charming, and can build a good rapport with the tribunal.’

Andrew Rose

4 Stone Buildings

Albert Sampson

4 Stone Buildings

Andrew Stevens

Quadrant Chambers

‘There is a clarity and persuasiveness to his oral arguments, while his time management during closing submissions is exceptional.

Adam Temple

3 Verulam Buildings

'Adam can process large amounts of information and get straight to the salient points very effectively. He provides sensible, pragmatic advice and his drafting skills are first rate. His advocacy style is refreshingly straight forward, with no grandstanding or taking points for the sake of it. He presents the issues clearly, succinctly and persuasively.'

Mark Wassouf

3 Verulam Buildings

'Mark possesses a unique blend of legal knowledge, strategic thinking and interpersonal skills. He has a formidable intellect and the capacity to move past procedural and substantive hurdles in order to shape favourable outcomes.'

James Weale

Serle Court

'James is absolutely tireless, he produces work to an exceptional standard and extremely fast. He has the ability to present a complicated case in very simple terms taking the court to the core issues.'

Joseph Wigley

4 Stone Buildings

'Highly responsive, commercially sound, and demonstrates a strong ability to distil complex legal issues into practical litigation strategy. His drafting is clear and persuasive, and he is effective in oral advocacy, calm, well-prepared, and able to adapt to the court’s direction'

Thomas Williams

Kings Chambers

'A clear and very focused advocate, who pursues and develops the best points in his written submissions and targets the weaknesses in the other side's case. Very good at managing a wealth of documentary material and identifying the critical evidence.'

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.