Mr Jakob Reckhenrich > Chambers of Poonam Melwani KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Mr Jakob Reckhenrich

+44 20 3967 2309 jakob.reckhenrich@quadrantchambers.com

Position

Jakob practises across the whole range of Chambers’ core areas, with many of his matters having an international element. Jakob is regularly instructed at all stages of proceedings, providing advice, settling pleadings and appearing at interlocutory hearings and trials, both led and as sole counsel.

Jakob’s recent work includes a USD 35 million ICC arbitration relating to the breach of a mezzanine loan facility in which he appeared as sole counsel. The award obtained in favour of his clients is being challenged under section 67 and Jakob is led by Philippa Hopkins KC of Essex Court in defending the challenge in the Commercial Court. He is also due to appear in a 4-day LMAA arbitration, led by David Lewis KC of Twenty Essex, in a USD 4 million dispute concerning failure to give contractual redelivery notices at the end of a long-term charterparty for an LNG carrier.

Jakob was a judicial assistant in the Commercial Court, where he sat with Mrs Justice Cockerill, Mr Justice Butcher and Mr Justice Jacobs, assisting, among other matters, on The London Steam-Ship Mutual Insurance Association Limited v The Kingdom of Spain (The Prestige) [2021] EWHC 1247 (Comm), which concerned a challenge to the registration of a USD 1 billion judgment of the Spanish court against the Club. Jakob also did a secondment at the London office of an international shipping and commodities firm, where he gained valuable insight into the day-to-day work of a firm and how counsel can most productively become a part of the team for a particular matter.

His written work has been praised as “succinct” and “superbly analytical”; his legal research has been described as “especially impressive” and his advocacy has been noted as being “very much at the top end of the range”. Recent client feedback includes the following: “Jakob was very much on top of the brief and his advocacy was excellent”; “I was very impressed with Jakob. His drafting was spot on, as was his advice on the claim and his tactical comments” and “I have been very impressed with [Jakob’s] work over a number of matters.”

Jakob came to the Bar after working as an academic philosopher for a few years, completing his PhD and teaching at Brown University after studies at University College, Oxford and in Berlin.

Outside his work, Jakob keeps trying to become a proficient pianist, alas, with no great success.

Languages

German – Fluent French – Working knowledge

Education

Brown University, PhD in Philosophy

University College, Oxford, BPhil in Philosophy

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, BA in Philosophy, Politics and Sociology