Mr Gemma Morgan > Chambers of Poonam Melwani KC > London, England > Lawyer Profile

With long-standing experience in the maritime sector, Quadrant Chambers is seen by many clients as the ‘go-to set for shipping work.’ Silks and juniors alike are regularly instructed in market-leading matters across the full spectrum of wet and dry shipping. Simon Rainey KC and Nigel Jacobs KC appeared in the Supreme Court in Evergreen Marine v Nautical Challenge – after becoming the first appeal in a collision case to come before the highest court for almost half a century, the matter has been remitted back to the Admiralty Court. Rainey also led Tom Bird on The Eternal Bliss, which examined demurrage under voyage charterparties. Another Supreme Court case, the CMA CGM Libra, was handled by John Russell KC and Benjamin Coffer  , and concerned if a defective journey plan renders a vessel unseaworthy. Coffer continued to have a strong year in 2021 and was led by Robert Thomas KC on Holyhead Marina Ltd v Farrer, which considered the right of harbours, docks, and marinas to limit their liability for damage done to vessels at their facilities and which also featured Nigel Cooper KC acting on behalf of the defendants. Thomas Macey-Dare KC and Stewart Buckingham KC were both instructed on a number of high-profile wet and dry shipping disputes before various courts and arbitration fora. Gemma Morgan acted as sole counsel in the Commercial Court in Havila Kystruten AS v Abarca Companhia de Seguros SA opposite silks.

Quadrant Chambers ‘has an impressive energy practice, with real expertise at all levels’ and it is ‘well regarded, clearly having a broad range of well-qualified barristers to pull from’. Renowned as one of the strongest shipping sets, it is increasingly active in disputes concerning energy infrastructure projects and upstream contractual disputes. Energy is one of the sectors identified as a key area of focus for growth in the set’s new ten-year strategy, which was introduced in 2019. Lionel Persey KC is one of the go-to arbitrators for large and complex energy disputes. Simon Rainey led increasingly prominent junior Henry Ellis in a $100m dispute arising from the US$2.7bn divestment of ConocoPhillips’ UK North Sea oil and gas production businesses to Chrysaor in 2019. In Shell Energy Europe Limited v Metaenergia S.p.A., another promising junior Gemma Morgan acted for Shell in a leading case on the right of a party to have its arbitration award enforced as a judgment under s.66 of the Arbitration Act 1996

Quadrant Chambers provides ‘first class advice from the most senior silks to the most junior tenants‘. The set is especially known for shipping, trade and commodities-related arbitrations, but many members have ‘first-rate expertise‘ in more general commercial arbitrations. Guy Blackwood KC has been representing Greece in several high value ICC arbitrations against Privinvest concerning the construction of military submarines. Senior junior Gemma Morgan  regularly appears as sole counsel, and in Shell Energy Europe v Metaenergia, concerning a disputed energy supply contract, she is assisting Shell on enforcement proceedings before the courts. Simon Rainey KC remains one of the market’s best regarded advocates and has recently led juniors Gaurav Sharma and Ben Gardner in high value claims in the Middle East and Africa.