Ms Caroline Pounds > 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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Ms Caroline Pounds
Position
Caroline is an experienced and sought after junior whose practice encompasses all aspects of general commercial litigation and arbitration, including international arbitration. Her particular areas of specialism include shipping, energy / offshore, shipbuilding and commodities. As regards her shipping practice, Caroline has extensive experience of bill of lading and charterparty disputes, including claims for damage to/mis-delivery of cargo, unsafe port claims, claims for early/late/wrongful redelivery, off-hire disputes, claims for demurrage/damages for detention and claims concerning the application and effect of the Hague/Hague-Visby/Hamburg Rules. Caroline’s practice in the energy sector has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with a focus on upstream matters in particular. She is regularly instructed on high-value and complex disputes arising out of contracts for (e.g.) the construction / operation of semi-submersible drilling rigs and FPSOs. Caroline’s practice also includes a broad range of other shipbuilding, ship sale and purchase and commodity disputes. Please visit www.quadrantchambers.com for Caroline’s detailed CV.
Career
Called to the Bar in 2003; recognised as one of Legal Week’s ‘Stars at the Bar’ in 2013; Chambers and Partners ‘Shipping Junior of the Year’ in 2015 and 2020; named as one of the top 10 maritime lawyers of 2020 by Lloyd’s List.
Languages
French.
Memberships
COMBAR; LCLCBA; Young International Arbitration Group of the LCIA; Young Arbitrators Forum of the ICC; WISTA.
Education
Hertford College, Oxford University (BA Law with French Law, first class honours).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Shipping
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Caroline Pounds –Quadrant Chambers ‘Caroline is very thorough. She is a great strategist and very commercial in her advice.’
Quadrant 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.
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Caroline Pounds – Quadrant Chambers ‘Caroline is a go-to senior-junior: exceptionally clever, with an analytical eye for detail, and very approachable.’
Regional International Arbitration – The Bar > Shipping and commodities
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Caroline Pounds–Quadrant Chambers ‘Caroline has a sharp mind and excellent legal knowledge. She always provides clear and effective advice.‘