Mr Nigel Jacobs KC KC > Chambers of Poonam Melwani KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Quadrant Chambers Offices

Quadrant Chambers
QUADRANT HOUSE, 10 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4Y 1AU
England
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Mr Nigel Jacobs KC KC

Position
Specialising in shipping, admiralty, insurance and general commercial law in court and arbitration with an increasing focus on marine casualties (collision, salvage, limitation and unsafe ports). Nigel successfully led the team in The “ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE” in a 29-day “scuttling” trial, the only case in the English Court in which the shipowner’s right to limit has been challenged under the 1976 Limitation Convention, and is presently acting for H & M Underwriters in related Dutch proceedings. Appeared in Supreme Court in “ALEXANDRA 1 – EVER SMART” collision (1st collision appeal for 44 years) and, more recently, in The WILFORCE and FMG SYDNEY collision actions. (An appeal in the latter case is due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in December 2023.) He also represented the Owners of the EVER GIVEN in their salvage dispute. Overseas cases include commodity/letter of credit dispute in Kuala Lumpur Arbitration Centre and in the Hong Kong Final Court of Appeal in Kulemesin v. HKSAR and expert evidence in Spain, Holland and the U.S.A.
Career
Called 1983; Queen’s Counsel 2006. Arbitrator, expert witness in foreign proceedings, witness familiarisation.
Memberships
COMBAR
Education
Highgate School; Pembroke College, Cambridge (1982 MA); Trinity College, Cambridge (1984 LLM).
Personal
Married, two daughters. Interests: Holidays, sport, film and theatre.
Leisure
Family, holidays, sport, film and theatre.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Shipping
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Quadrant Chambers continues to be involved in market-leading cases in shipping, with the set fielding a large number of silks and juniors specialising in maritime matters. In FMG SYDNEY c/w MSC APOLLO, Nigel Jacobs KC acted for the owners of the FMG Sydney in a rare a decision by the Admiralty Court to contribute full liability to one vessel, the MSC Apollo, regarding a collision between the two ships in the approaches to Tianjin in 2020. James Shirley appeared on behalf of RTI in the Supreme Court in MUR Shipping BV v RTI Ltd, a case dealing with a force majeure clause in a contract of affreightment in light of Russian sanctions. Robert Thomas KC led Paul Henton in High Court limitation proceedings arising out of the high-profile grounding of the Ever Given which obstructed the Suez Canal in 2021, opposite a number of other Quadrant silks including Stewart Buckingham KC, John Russell, James Turner KC, and Michael Davey KC. Damaged undersea electricity cables running under the English Channel were the subject of claims in the Bremen Fighter, in which Caroline Pounds was instructed on behalf of the owners of a tug which had transported a dumb barge to the location where its anchor, dragging during a storm, resulted in the damage to the cables.
Regional International Arbitration – The Bar > Shipping and commodities
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Nigel Jacobs KC–Quadrant Chambers ‘Nigel is a great advocate, thorough and engaged.’