Twenty Essex > London, England > Set Profile
Twenty Essex Offices
Twenty Essex
20 ESSEX STREET
LONDON
WC2R 3AL
England
20 ESSEX STREET
LONDON
WC2R 3AL
England
Twenty Essex > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Commodities Tier 1
‘Undoubtedly the strongest commodities set’, Twenty Essex has ‘some outstanding practitioners and the widest selection of very talented lawyers in the commodities area’. One market source remarks that it is ‘the premier set for commodities work with multiple options at every level of seniority’. Michael Ashcroft KC, Michael Collett KC and Timothy Young KC are among the most prominent silks in this area of law. Ashcroft KC acted for the seller, Tintrade Inc., in Septo Trading Inc v Tintrade Inc, a fuel oil dispute concerning where title passed, who bore the risk of off-specification cargo in context of blending and supply from multiple shore tanks through pipelines, and whether cargo was, in fact, off-spec. Among the juniors, Daniel Bovensiepen, who acted as sole counsel defending a Commercial Court claim totalling about $765,000 for alleged contamination of a cargo of gasoil, and Oliver Caplin, who acted as sole counsel in a five-day oil trading dispute in the Commercial Court, are among many who are considered to be at the top of their game.Leading Silks
Michael Ashcroft KC - Twenty Essex ‘A superb strategist and a very clever, clear advocate who is good on his feet and knows how to argue a case.’
Michael Collett KC - Twenty Essex ‘He is very effective as counsel, knows his commodities law extremely well and presents his advocacy in a calm manner that goes down well with judges.’
Timothy Young KC - Twenty Essex ‘His main strength is his willingness to “think outside the box” and take on board difficult arguments.’
Charles Kimmins KC - Twenty Essex ‘A calm, measured and effective advocate who is first-class for fraud disputes and is also refreshingly pragmatic and practical.’
David Lewis KC - Twenty Essex ‘A commodities expert who is accessible and very user-friendly and who rolls up his sleeves and fights the client’s corner from the outset, whilst being alive to the commercial aspects of the dispute.’
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘A very effective silk with a strong presence in court and excellent cross-examination skills.’
Philip Edey KC – Twenty Essex ‘A clever and authoritative advocate who Tribunals respect.’
Timothy Hill KC - Twenty Essex ‘A top-rank silk for complex commodities disputes, he has a razor-sharp legal mind that cuts to the heart of the most complex of disputes and he takes no prisoners.’
Sara Masters KC - Twenty Essex ‘Excellent both technically and in handling clients, she is very good at bringing on juniors and creates very well-balanced teams.’
Michael Coburn KC - Twenty Essex ‘A very pleasant person to work with, he knows his commodities law extremely well and has a very strong intellect.’
Henry Byam-Cook KC – Twenty Essex ‘Consistently cool, calm and collected, he excels in particular in distilling complex technical points into readily understandable soundbites.’
Philip Riches KC – Twenty Essex ‘A really approachable KC who gets stuck in and comes up with creative arguments.’
Lawrence Akka KC - Twenty Essex ‘He is clear, persuasive and very easy to work with and he provides very clear advice, as well as imaginative solutions to difficult problems.’
Christopher Hancock KC - Twenty Essex ‘Very talented, but pleasant and fun to work with, he is one of the cleverest and nicest people at the Bar.’
Julian Kenny KC - Twenty Essex ‘He is strong all round - on paper and as an advocate.’
2022 Silks
Simon Milnes KC –Twenty Essex ‘An extraordinary lawyer who combines legal skills such as writing and analysis and deduction, and legal knowledge with pure genius.’
Leading Juniors
Daniel Bovensiepen –Twenty Essex ‘He is obviously extremely intelligent and very diligent, and shows good attention to detail.’
Oliver Caplin –Twenty Essex ‘However pressurised the situation, he is calm, responsive and he punches above his weight, a go-to senior junior for commodities disputes.’
Colleen Hanley –Twenty Essex ‘Very approachable and responsive, she has a collaborative approach, sound legal knowledge and an open mind.’
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex ‘He provides to-the-point and accurate advice, as well as skilful presentation of arguments in court.’
Susannah Jones –Twenty Essex ‘She stands out remarkably for her client-friendly and supportive approach to all instructions and has an immense capacity for mastering complex cases.’
Angharad Parry –Twenty Essex ‘She is very eloquent and persuasive and has an ability to propound an argument clearly, as well as in-depth knowledge of the subject.’
Luke Pearce –Twenty Essex ‘Confident and easy to work with, he is one of the brightest juniors around, a polished advocate and a rising star.’
Andrew Feld - Twenty Essex ‘Very experienced in commodity and commodity finance disputes, he is very hardworking and is someone to be counted upon when things get stressful.’
Thomas Corby –Twenty Essex ‘He is decisive, super-bright, user-friendly and inspires confidence.’
Josephine Davies –Twenty Essex ‘She has an impressive grasp of technical and financial details, responds quickly and clearly, and has a very sound knowledge of the law.’
Andrew Dinsmore –Twenty Essex ‘He is very user-friendly indeed, grounded and willing to put his shoulder to the wheel, handling advocacy with considerable cogency and focus.’
Sean Snook –Twenty Essex ‘Dependable and hardworking, he has great strategic vision and is extremely adept at assimilating large amounts of information.’
Alistair Wooder - Twenty Essex ‘For a junior barrister, his commercial approach, responsiveness and precise work quality are impressive.’
Joshua Folkard - Twenty Essex ‘He has an excellent understanding of complex legal issues, his written work is of a consistently exceptional standard and he is inordinately careful.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Undoubtedly one of the top sets for shipping and trade work.’
‘A great set for commodities disputes as well as shipping and related arbitration work. Huge spread of talent at all levels of qualification and expertise. They seem to be behind all current developments and cases in their areas of expertise.’
‘Real strength in depth. Even if our first choice counsel is not available we are referred to another strong candidate.’
’20 Essex is my preferred chambers for international trade disputes. They have great strength in depth amongst juniors and silks.’
’20 Essex Street offers the widest selection of very talented lawyers in the commodities area.’
Clerking
‘The clerks are professional and helpful, and understand the commercial constraints that come with certain cases, and are willing to compromise where necessary, which is an essential quality.’
London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators Tier 1
Twenty Essex has ‘great strength in depth in the number of arbitrators specialising in commercial disputes, but also public international law and investment treaty arbitration‘. This extends to core areas such as commodities and shipping arbitrations where many of the firm’s leading barristers have particularly strong backgrounds. The bench is packed with an impressive array of full time and part time arbitrators, including esteemed former judges such as Sir Bernard Rix
, and former solicitors and arbitration specialists, including Judith Gill KC, David Sutton and Julian Lew KC. The set also has several well regarded practicing counsel, with Duncan Matthews KC a name of note.Testimonials
Set
’20 Essex Street has a large number of excellent arbitrators.’
‘It is one of the leading international commercial law sets with a formidable array of counsel and arbitrators.’
‘They produce fine arbitrators, almost without exception.’
’20 Essex Street are on any view one of the top international arbitration sets in London particularly when it comes to shipping and commodities.’
’20 Essex has great strength in depth in the number of arbitrators specialising in commercial disputes, but also public international law and investment treaty arbitration.’
London Bar > Public international law
Offering ‘perfect service‘ and ‘great breadth and depth‘ Twenty Essex is an ‘outstanding chambers‘ that is ‘first choice for sensitive government matters and public international law‘. The set has an extremely broad selection of silks and juniors from a wide range of backgrounds, including former Legal Advisers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office such as Sir Michael Wood KCMG and Sir Daniel Bethlehem KC. Sudhanshu Swaroop KC and Penelope Nevill are currently representing the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in Duarte Agostinho v Portugal & Ors, a claim before the ECHR brought by six Portuguese children against the Portuguese government and 32 other states including the UK over their failure to meet climate change commitments. Philippa Webb is also representing a Filipino former domestic worker in the Saudi Arabian embassy in London in Wong v Basfar, a dispute before the Supreme Court concerning diplomatic immunity to cases of human trafficking and modern slavery.Leading Silks
Sir Daniel Bethlehem KCMG KC –Twenty Essex ‘Incredible strategic vision combined with a forensic approach make Daniel a Grand Master in his field.’
Wendy Miles KC –Twenty Essex ‘Very knowledgeable, in all fields. Thinks outside the box to preserve the client's interest in the best way possible.’
Sudhanshu Swaroop KC –Twenty Essex
'Complete understanding of public international law and all the intricacies of caselaw. Carefully considers and provides reasoned and comprehensive answers to complex questions. Never overwhelmed by the magnitude of the matter or issues at stake.'
Guglielmo Verdirame KC –Twenty Essex ‘He explains matters so clearly, is brilliant with clients and has the brain the size of a planet. He is a persuasive advocate and just a class act.’
Leading Juniors
Penelope Nevill –Twenty Essex 'Very quick and astute with a broad range of knowledge across areas. Willing to engage with any question no matter how big or small and always happy to get stuck into the laborious detail. Calm and diligent.'
Kate Parlett –Twenty Essex ‘First rate intellect, very well-organised mind, very diligent and able to get on with whatever the task – including complex factual and expert issues.’
Belinda McRae –Twenty Essex ‘Combines a stellar academic knowledge of public international law with formidable strategic and practical deployment.’
Philippa Webb –Twenty Essex ‘Philippa is an intellectual force to be reckoned with. She has masses of wealth of knowledge of public international law just simply stored in her head. Even though her academic credentials are impeccable, she is still practical and makes her advice and drafting accessible.’
Monica Feria-Tinta –Twenty Essex ‘Monica is extremely responsive, personable and knowledgeable regarding public international law issues particularly in the human rights field.’
Simon Olleson –Twenty Essex ‘A great supporting junior, with wide experience before international tribunals. A great asset to legal teams working in this field.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Extremely strong. Champions League.’
‘Twenty Essex is an excellent set in PIL, with many first rate practitioners.’
‘Twenty Essex is our chambers of first choice for sensitive government matters and public international law. It is an outstanding chambers.’
‘Great breadth and depth.’
Clerking
‘Perfect service.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Commercial litigation Tier 2
Twenty Essex is a ‘ go-to set for substantial commercial disputes, particularly with an international angle‘. Clients appreciate its ‘good strength in depth and a dazzling array of legal talent,‘ who bring experience of handling the largest cases. Notable instructions include Abdulhameed Dhia Jafar v The GHF Group Limited and GHF General Partner Limited, a case arising from the collapse of the Abraaj emerging markets private equity house, in which Stephen Atherton KC is leading Sarah Tresman for GHF, which sits within the Abraaj fund structure. Another major case involving several members is PJSC National Bank Trust; PJSC Otkritie Bank Financial Corporation v Boris Mints; Dmitry Mints; Alexander Mints; Igor Mints, a fraudulent conspiracy claim in relation to the restructuring of loans, with Philip Edey KC and Tresman representing Boris Mints and Duncan Matthews KC representing his son, Igor Mints.Rising stars
Sam Goodman –Twenty Essex ‘Sam is a terrific lawyer and will be one of the leading lights at the commercial bar in years to come.'
Leading Silks
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘Extremely bright and his advocacy is very persuasive.'
Philip Edey KC –Twenty Essex ‘Philip is a formidable lawyer and arguably the best advocate of his generation. He always over prepares, is client friendly and is always available to listen and discuss.'
Paul Lowenstein KC –Twenty Essex ‘Very responsive, commercial and user friendly. A robust well prepared advocate who leaves nothing to chance. Really gives it to the other side.'
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Brilliant advocate in a league of his own. Sharp intellect. Incredibly user-friendly and approachable. An absolute pleasure to work with.'
Andrew Ayres KC –Twenty Essex ‘Andrew is excellent at setting strategy and communicating that clearly to the team and clients. He is a force to be reckoned with on his feet.'
David Lewis KC –Twenty Essex ‘A smooth and charming advocate.’
Lawrence Akka KC –Twenty Essex ‘Combines a brilliant legal mind with unparalleled knowledge of the IT sector. Plus he is wonderfully user friendly. Clients love him.'
Stephen Atherton KC - Twenty Essex 'What sets him apart is that he is able to explain the law in a very straightforward and simple way (both orally and in writing) which my clients (who are not familiar with common law insolvency law) can easily understand.'
2021 Silks
Andrew Fulton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Andrew is spectacularly brilliant. He is both considered and dynamic – immaculate written work and a fearsome advocate. On his feet he is brutally forensic and commands the court’s respect and attention.’
Leading Juniors
Susannah Jones –Twenty Essex ‘Superb on legal analysis and drafting skills, accompanied by sound judgment and hard work - excellent junior.'
Josephine Davies –Twenty Essex ‘A brilliant barrister with tremendous forensic ability and personality. Excellent to work with.'
Belinda McRae –Twenty Essex ‘Solicitors can’t think of anyone they would rather instruct on a commercial claim. Her skeleton arguments are the clearest and most logical. Her advocacy is persuasive and persistent – she out-performs advocates with generations more experience.’
Luke Pearce –Twenty Essex ‘Luke is extremely bright and easy to deal with and has an excellent way with clients.'
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex ‘Highly competent and experienced when it comes to commercial litigation matters. He possesses in-depth knowledge in respect of difficult legal issues as well as the maritime industry which he operates in.'
Angharad Parry –Twenty Essex ‘Angharad is thorough, insightful and extremely approachable. She comes at cases strategically. She understands what the client wants and works as a team with her instructing solicitor to achieve this.'
Sarah Tresman – Twenty Essex ‘An impressive and confident communicator, well able to present complex analysis and strategies in digestible form, and holding her own alongside highly experienced silks. Her written analysis is also concise and to the point.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex is full of excellent barristers at all levels – my go-to set.’
‘Twenty Essex is my go-to set for substantial commercial disputes, particularly with an international angle. They provide excellent silks and juniors for most types of commercial dispute. Their barristers are very accessible and approachable.’
‘Twenty Essex are brilliant and growing strongly with excellent barristers of a high calibre.’
‘Rightly regarded as one of the leading commercial sets with a good strength in depth and a dazzling array of legal talent.’
‘Twenty Essex is a fantastic set, one of our go-to sets given the quality of counsel and their personable nature.’
Clerking
‘Really good – helpful, responsive, and realistic and commercial when it comes to fees.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil Tier 2
Twenty Essex is going from ‘strength to strength with many quality advocates at all levels particularly in fraud and insolvency‘. The set’s offering also overlaps into key areas such as banking and commodities. Multiple members were represented defendants in PJSC National Bank Trust; PJSC Otkritie Bank Financial Corporation v Mints, a fraudulent conspiracy claim in relation to the restructuring of loans, with Philip Edey KC and Sarah Tresman representing Boris Mints and Duncan Matthews KC representing Igor, one of his three co-defendant sons. In The Libyan Investment Authority v Credit Suisse International; Man Asset Management (Ireland) Limited; Frontier Investment Management Partners Ltd & others, Paul Lowenstein KC and Sam Goodman successfully defended Frontier Investment Management Partners in the last of several high-profile investment disputes brought by the Libyan sovereign wealth fund.Rising stars
Sam Goodman –Twenty Essex ‘Sam is a future star. He is excellent in his legal and factual analysis and in his judgement calls. Solicitors would never hesitate to instruct as a junior in a substantial fraud case.’
Leading Silks
Paul Lowenstein KC –Twenty Essex ‘A first rate advocate. Clear, concise, and well liked by the bench. Knows his papers well.'
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘Extremely bright and his advocacy is very persuasive.’
Philip Edey KC –Twenty Essex ‘Philip is quite simply a superb advocate. His manner is calm and measured while at the same time dynamic and intensely analytical. Outside court he is an excellent tactician who is not afraid of the detail, and has a very good client manner. He is one of the leading lights of the commercial Bar.'
Stephen Atherton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Clearly an expert on insolvency. But what sets him apart is that he is able to explain the law in a very straightforward and simple way - both orally and in writing - which lay clients can easily understand.’
Andrew Ayres KC –Twenty Essex ‘Andrew listens and supports his clients with remarkable client care skills. His preparation and cross-examination is second to none. He instills complete confidence in clients and solicitors alike.’
2021 Silks
Andrew Fulton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Andrew is an absolute class act. He is devastatingly effective both in terms of his strategy and command of the court when on his feet.’
2022 Silks
Tony Beswetherick KC –Twenty Essex ‘A star in civil fraud.’
Leading Juniors
Christopher Newman –Twenty Essex ‘Smart, tenacious and passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for his clients.'
Joshua Folkard - Twenty Essex 'Very responsive and insightful; excellent research and analysis skills.'
Sarah Tresman –Twenty Essex ‘An impressive and confident communicator, well able to present complex analysis and strategies in digestible form, and holding her own alongside highly experienced silks.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex are a strong set for civil fraud and we use other barristers in this field from that set. They have very good strength in depth.’
‘Twenty Essex has excellent barristers at all levels of seniority.’
‘Twenty Essex chambers goes from strength to strength with many quality advocates at all levels particularly in fraud and insolvency. They are always present at the relevant conferences which they often sponsor and are active in the network. Some of the advocates like Sam Goodman are leading the way in the crypto space.’
‘Twenty Essex is a fantastic set, one of our go-to sets given the quality of counsel and their personable nature.’
‘Twenty Essex continue to rise in their reputation. They have really grown rapidly, and I have not had a bad experience. The junior end is particularly high quality; and I now always see who is available when a new matter comes in.’
Clerking
‘Responsive, helpful, kind and accurate.’
Work highlights
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel Tier 2
Twenty Essex is a ‘leading, go-to set in commercial and investment treaty arbitration‘ with ‘great strength in depth amongst juniors and silks‘. The members have wide-ranging expertise in a range of issues, from traditional strengths in shipping, commodities and insurance, through to multi-jurisdictional fraud disputes and cases with public international law elements. Members regularly work together, and recently Charles Kimmins KC led Mark Tushingham in a US$134m UNCITRAL arbitration concerning the supply of power turbines to an African state. Guglielmo Verdirame KC is leading Belinda McRae, among others, on behalf of the Republic of Poland in Invenergy v Republic of Poland, a BIT dispute concerning a US$700m investment into the country’s wind energy sector.Rising stars
Sam Goodman –Twenty Essex ‘Sam is a well sought after barrister because he has excellent experience across the board but particularly involving matters with a cross-border/international element. Sam is very thorough, which is good for raising and considering points that may not have been thought about before. He is an excellent communicator who can put across his advice in a methodical and clear manner.’
Leading Silks
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Absolute class act – nobody better at the London bar for international arbitration. Top quality written advocacy and masterful oral advocacy. Understands the inner-workings of arbitral tribunals. Very modest despite his intellectual prowess. An indispensable asset in high-value arbitration.’
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘Extremely bright and his advocacy is very persuasive.’
Philip Edey KC –Twenty Essex ‘A clever and forceful advocate.’
David Lewis KC –Twenty Essex ‘Extremely clever and efficient, he is not phased by large amounts of material and cuts through it quickly to identify the key points. Superbly well-prepared and assiduous, he does not miss a point and identifies ones that nobody else has thought of. Great on his feet, strong and persuasive but with an easy manner that appeals to tribunals.'
Timothy Young KC –Twenty Essex ‘Hugely knowledgeable and creative lawyer. Boundless energy. Indomitable opponent. Brilliant advocate.’
Michael Ashcroft KC –Twenty Essex ‘He is a first rate advocate. He is able to understand complex factual issues in a short space of time and present them in the most favourable way for the client. He is also very user-friendly and skilled at communicating with non-native English speaking clients who may be unfamiliar with the English adversarial system.'
Wendy Miles KC –Twenty Essex ‘Very knowledgeable, in all fields. Thinks outside the box to preserve the client's interest in the best way possible.’
Sara Masters KC –Twenty Essex ‘Sara is very good technically but also a good strategist. She has been great at hearings and we particularly like her results driven approach, focusing on the important points. She understands the arbitrators' perspective.'
Timothy Hill KC –Twenty Essex ‘Tim is a first rate silk at the commercial Bar and would a first choice for commodities disputes. His advocacy is of the highest order and he is a superb cross-examiner. He is prepared to roll his sleeves up and get fully involved in a dispute from the early stages. A first class operator.’
Guglielmo Verdirame KC - Twenty Essex 'Highly knowledgeable and incredibly persuasive as an advocate.'
2021 Silks
Andrew Fulton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Exceptionally practical and effective, lovely calm demeanour even while pulling out all the stops.’
Leading Juniors
Harris Bor –Twenty Essex ‘Harris a real asset to any case team, and the definition of a team player. His drafting and oral advocacy is well considered and persuasive, comparable to many silks.'
Belinda McRae –Twenty Essex ‘She is a fantastic advocate. She can deal with extremely complex topics and narrow them down in an understandable manner for the tribunal. ’
Jonathan Ketcheson –Twenty Essex ‘Jonathan is very smart and a first class advocate, both on his feet and on paper – excellent in the field of investor-state disputes.’
Mark Tushingham - Twenty Essex 'Fantastic lawyer, brilliant legal brain, fast and effective turnaround on papers but always manages expectations if he has other engagements.'
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex has deep bench strength on public international law and arbitration-related litigation.’
‘Excellent set. If your first-choice counsel is unavailable you never get a second best offered as a substitute. In footballing terms they are all in the starting line up.’
‘Excellent chambers, particularly for international arbitration.’
‘A leading, go-to set in commercial and investment treaty arbitration.’
‘20 Essex is my preferred chambers for international trade disputes. They have great strength in depth amongst juniors and silks.’
‘A great choice for barristers in arbitration and PIL.’
Clerking
London Bar > Shipping Tier 2
Praised as a ‘premier set in shipping and commodities with strength in depth at all levels’, Twenty Essex supports clients in disputes across the whole gamut of maritime matters. Timothy Hill KC, Alex Carless, and Michal Hain all acted on the CMA CGM Libra, which proceeded to the Supreme Court in 2021 and held that a defective passage plan renders a vessel unseaworthy. Elsewhere, Timothy Young KC acted for the Spanish government in London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association Ltd v Spain opposite Alexander Thompson; the case concerns one of the largest oil spills in Europe caused by the sinking of the Prestige off the coast of Galicia in 2002. Henry Byam-Cook KC and Philip Riches KC continue to receive instructions on high-profile disputes, with the former involved in two cases arising out of the insolvency of a trading company and a subsequent ship arrest which will be heard concurrently in the Commercial Court. Oliver Caplin, who specialises in dry shipping, has also had a strong year, including acting as sole counsel against silks.Rising stars
Michal Hain –Twenty Essex 'Michal is incredibly smart and always has the most relevant case, or excellent strategic suggestions on the tip of his tongue.'
Leading Silks
Michael Ashcroft KC –Twenty Essex 'Very well-regarded by clients and opponents alike for his incisive analysis and appealing court manner. Industrious in his legal research, Michael thinks every point through - often further than his opposition.'
Christopher Hancock KC –Twenty Essex ‘One of the cleverest and nicest people at the Bar.’
Timothy Hill KC –Twenty Essex 'Clever and commercial. Quick on his feet in court and understands business.'
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex 'Duncan is extremely bright and his advocacy is very persuasive.'
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex 'Very good on his feet, and quick. Excellent on cross-examination, and a superb advocate.'
David Lewis KC –Twenty Essex 'Simply fantastic - superb on jurisdiction.'
Michael Coburn KC –Twenty Essex 'Very competent, well prepared, most helpful, and a deep thinker.'
Michael Collett KC –Twenty Essex 'Very effective as counsel. He knows his charterparty law extremely well and has a very strong intellect. His advocacy is well presented in a calm manner which goes down well with judges and arbitrators.'
Henry Byam-Cook KC – Twenty Essex ‘Henry is a very clear and polished advocate. His arguments are always well-structured and carefully pitched.’
Thomas Raphael KC –Twenty Essex 'He is very bright intellectually and knows his field of law extremely well. His advocacy is incisive and well presented in a calm manner.'
Julian Kenny KC –Twenty Essex ‘A first choice silk for shipping and commodities disputes. Excellent at advising on complex issues of law in a way that is readily understandable by clients. Very good on his feet.’
2022 Silks
Simon Milnes KC – Twenty Essex 'Combines legal skills such as writing, analysis, deduction, and legal knowledge with pure genius.'
Leading Juniors
Daniel Bovensiepen –Twenty Essex ‘Exceptionally bright.'
Colleen Hanley –Twenty Essex 'She approaches her work in a straightforward, decisive manner but with attention to detail and a keen understanding of commercial aspects, which makes working with her an efficient, as well as helpful, process.'
Luke Pearce –Twenty Essex 'One of the brightest juniors around and a rising star. Very high quality written work and a polished advocate.
Thomas Corby –Twenty Essex 'Super bright, inspires confidence, excellent on paper. A real star.'
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex 'Malcolm is extremely thorough, always on top of the minutiae of matters, and very quick to put all the pieces together.'
Angharad Parry –Twenty Essex ‘She understands the issue very quickly and clearly and she is a very effective advocate. She gives careful thought to presenting her written arguments.’
Josephine Davies –Twenty Essex ‘Impressive grasp of technical and financial details. Has widened her skill set to include a range of sectors.'
Andrew Dinsmore –Twenty Essex 'Highly intelligent, commercially aware, and exceptionally efficient.'
Richard Greenberg –Twenty Essex 'Strengths include excellent attention to detail and an ability to give a well informed and practical view.'
Alexander Thompson –Twenty Essex 'A joy to work with and a fierce intellect.'
Karen Maxwell – Twenty Essex ‘Extremely bright and knowledgeable.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Premier set in shipping and commodities with in-depth strength at all levels.’
‘Twenty Essex is a top-notch set for shipping matters.’
‘One of the premier shipping sets.’
‘Very strong commercial set with both breadth and depth.’
‘Twenty Essex is an incredibly strong commercial Chambers with barristers who are at the top of their field. They are incredibly user friendly and accommodating.’
Clerks
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit) Tier 3
Twenty Essex is a ‘go-to set for high-value banking and finance work, both in litigation and arbitration‘. The members are noted for their ‘broad skill set and are able to help us on a range of cases ranging from high volume caseloads to large and complex matters‘. A major dispute before the Court of Appeal was Canada Square v Potter, a high profile PPI mis-selling test case, in which Charles Kimmins KC led a team including Sean Snook for Citibank as defendant. Luke Pearce acted for the defendants (having previously been led by Philip Edey KC) in Victor Pisante; Swindon Holdings & Finance Ltd; BCA Shipping Investments Corporation; Castor Navigation Ltd v George Logothetis; Lomar Corporation Ltd ; Lomar Shipmanagement Ltd; Libra Holdings, a Commercial Court case stemming from various investments in the shipping market and in Piraeus Bank.Leading Silks
Paul Lowenstein KC –Twenty Essex ‘Paul is a senior silk at the top of his game. He is always in demand (and rightly so), and is an excellent strategist in high-value, complex claims.'
Andrew Ayres KC –Twenty Essex ‘Great manner in court, very effective advocacy style. On top of the detail, and always well prepared for calls with clear advice on calls and in writing. Organised and responsive. A pleasure to work with.’
Philip Edey KC –Twenty Essex ‘A capable lead counsel with real breadth of experience and knowhow.'
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Charles is a go-to leader for complex cases, and is a brilliant advocate and practitioner. One of the hardest working silks in the business, he never fails to impress the client with his ability and attitude. Universally well liked amongst the solicitors and clients he works with, which is firms go to him time after time.’
2021 Silks
Andrew Fulton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Andrew is absolutely first rate. The clarity of his advice, and his ability to bring clarity and calmness to difficult legal issues are unparalleled. A formidable team leader.'
2022 Silks
Tony Beswetherick KC –Twenty Essex ‘Tony is a phenomenon - a complete barrister who unsurprisingly took silk earlier this year. He has an unrivalled ability to find a course through the most difficult of situations and his advocacy, both written and oral, is sublime.'
Leading Juniors
Luke Pearce –Twenty Essex ‘He is is able to cut through numerous complex and finely balanced legal issues and draft in a clear, concise and powerfully persuasive way.'
Sean Snook - Twenty Essex 'Excellent strategic brain, compelling advocacy style and outstanding written work. A very capable all-rounder who is great to work with. Comfortably able to lead cases as part of larger or smaller teams, which is of tremendous value to clients.'
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex is my go-to set for high-value banking and finance work, both in litigation and arbitration. They have outstanding barristers at all levels and counsel is always available to assist.’
‘Twenty Essex is a set we use regularly, and we have a good relationship with the counsel and clerking teams. Counsel have a broad skill set and are able to help us on a range of cases ranging from high volume caseloads to large and complex matters.’
‘Twenty Essex are our current go to chambers for banking and finance and commercial litigation.’
Clerking
‘Back office runs very smoothly and clerks are very efficient and helpful.’
‘Very responsive, particularly Arron Zitver.’
‘Their clerks are impressive and they offer serious strength in depth.’
London Bar > Energy Tier 3
Twenty Essex is ‘a go-to set for substantial commercial disputes, particularly with an international angle’ and it provides ‘excellent silks and juniors who are very accessible and approachable’. One client remarks that ‘it has become the best set as a whole for shipping and commodities disputes’, which brings its members firmly into the energy arena. Duncan Matthews KC is a leading trial advocate with a broad practice in international and domestic commercial dispute resolution, and Michael Ashcroft KC frequently handles cases concerning contracts for the exploitation of resources, construction, transportation, sales and insurance. Ashcroft acted for BP Oil International in a case concerning the return of advance payments for shipments of crude oil. Andrew Fulton KC handled a US$16m Commercial Court dispute arising out of insolvent collapse of Singapore oil trader. Junior Malcolm Jarvis has significant expertise in complex high stakes arbitration and litigation on the broad span of upstream, midstream and downstream disputes. The clerks, led by Anthony Carroll, provide ‘an excellent support service at all levels and are very helpful and fair in negotiations on fees and briefs’.Leading Silks
David Lewis KC –Twenty Essex ‘An accessible and very user-friendly silk who rolls up his sleeves and fights the client's corner from the outset, he is superbly well-prepared, robust and persuasive.’
Michael Ashcroft KC –Twenty Essex ‘He is incredibly meticulous, calm and organised, and remains polite and yet immovable in his advocacy, unaffected by any opposing barristers’ antics.’
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘He provides clear thinking and careful examination of the issues and of the merits of arguments and counterarguments.’
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘He is extremely bright and his advocacy is very persuasive.’
Timothy Hill KC –Twenty Essex ‘A first-rate silk at the commercial Bar, his advocacy is of the highest order, and he is a superb cross-examiner.’
Philip Riches KC – Twenty Essex ‘He is hardworking and creative, with an ability to get to grips quickly with complex factual matters.’
2021 Silks
Andrew Fulton KC –Twenty Essex ‘With his insight and the clarity of his advice on the trickiest of issues, he is exceptionally hardworking and a great team leader.’
Leading Juniors
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex ‘He is highly competent and experienced, and he possesses in-depth knowledge in respect of difficult legal issues and provides excellent advice.’
Testimonials
Set
’20 Essex has unrivalled strength in depth and its barristers at every level are first-class. The good thing about 20 Essex is that even if my first (or even second) choice counsel is not available, there is usually an acceptable alternative.’
’20 Essex is my preferred chambers for international trade disputes. They have great strength in depth amongst juniors and silks.’
‘Twenty Essex is my go to set for substantial commercial disputes, particularly with an international angle. They provide excellent silks and juniors for most types of commercial dispute. Their barristers are very accessible and approachable.’
Clerking
‘Great service from the clerks. Easily accessible and responsive, including after hours.’
‘The clerks provide an excellent support service at all levels. I have been particularly impressed with Tara Shah.’
‘They are efficient and commercially sensible, led well by Chris Theobald.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance Tier 4
‘Up there as a go-to set for insurance litigation‘, Twenty Essex acts across the whole spectrum of commercial insurance and reinsurance disputes, both in arbitration (seated in England and elsewhere, including Bermuda), as well as in court. Further to the recent high-profile pandemic-related FCA test case concerning business interruption, Philip Edey KC‘s recent activity includes a number of other lockdown-related business interruption insurance disputes; and Charles Kimmins KC‘s longstanding track record includes leading insurance matters that come before the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal. At senior-junior level, insurance and reinsurance work features prominently within Susannah Jones ‘ practice; and in a boost to Chambers, Joshua Folkard, who has a significant insurance practice, joined from 4 New Square in September 2021.Leading Silks
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Clear thinking and careful examination of the issues in dispute and the merits of arguments and counter-arguments. A pleasure to work with.’
Michael Ashcroft KC –Twenty Essex ‘Incredibly bright and hardworking silk with excellent judgement. A very effective advocate who has the confidence of judges.’
Leading Juniors
Joshua Folkard – Twenty Essex ‘Joshua is outstandingly bright, with impressive intellectual rigour which really shows in his pleadings, advice and submissions. He is particularly recommended for cases with an international dimension, especially those involving complex jurisdictional and conflict of law points. However, he also has broad experience of insurance and reinsurance disputes, and a deep knowledge of the law in this field.’
Oliver Caplin – Twenty Essex ‘Oliver has an incredibly sharp legal mind. He has the ability to cut through the noise and identify the key issues in the case, and he is very responsive, dedicated and thorough.‘
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex is up there as a go-to set for insurance litigation.‘
‘We use Twenty Essex heavily in our practice and it is a superb set; all of the barristers are reliably excellent.‘
Clerking
‘The clerks’ team is incredibly responsive and user friendly.‘
‘Arron Zitver really knows his market and is a pleasure to deal with.‘
‘The members of the team with whom I have interacted (Anthony Carroll and Arron Zitver) are extremely responsive and thorough in following up on the management of ongoing briefs.‘
London Bar > IT and telecoms (infrastructure and contracts)
Leading Silks
Lawrence Akka KC –Twenty Essex ‘Combines a brilliant legal mind with unparalleled knowledge of the IT sector. Plus he is wonderfully user friendly. Clients love him.'
Thomas Raphael KC –Twenty Essex 'He has an incredible ability to get into the detail and develop powerful arguments, whilst also seeing the bigger picture. He is a great advocate who is both charming and authoritative.'
Paul Lowenstein KC –Twenty Essex ‘One of the leading IT barristers at the Bar. Paul understands all the underlying tech and is able to synthesis complexity on his feet for a judge.‘
London Bar > Company
Leading Silks
Stephen Atherton KC – Twenty Essex 'Able to explain the law in a very straightforward and simple way, both orally and in writing.'
Blair Leahy KC – Twenty Essex 'Blair is very user friendly. She interacts well with clients and fits easily into the advisory team on matters.'
Leading Juniors
Harris Bor - Twenty Essex 'Unflustered, logical, reading the judge well and anticipating what the judge requires focus on.'
London Bar > Environment
Leading Silks
Wendy Miles KC – Twenty Essex ‘Very knowledgeable, in all fields, she thinks outside the box to preserve the client's interest in the best way possible.’
Leading Juniors
Monica Feria-Tinta – Twenty Essex ‘Personable, knowledgeable and practical in her approach, she turns work around in a short period of time.’
London Bar > Insolvency
Leading Silks
Stephen Atherton KC –Twenty Essex ‘Stephen is clearly an expert on insolvency.‘
Blair Leahy KC – Twenty Essex ‘Blair is always on top of the detail, but at the same time takes a holistic approach to the matter more generally.'
2022 Silks
Tony Beswetherick KC – Twenty Essex 'Exceptional in all aspects, Tony is fantastic to work with and impresses clients in conference.'
Tony Beswetherick KC – Twenty Essex 'Tony is a phenomenon - a complete barrister.'
London Bar > Construction
Leading Silks
Michael Ashcroft KC – Twenty Essex ‘Michael has fantastic advocacy skills and has a rare manner about him – he is a joy to watch. He is completely unflappable and is always wonderful to work with.’
London Bar > International crime and extradition
Leading Juniors
Monica Feria-Tinta –Twenty Essex ‘She has significant expertise in the fields of public international and human rights law.'
London Bar > Administrative law and human rights
London Bar > Intellectual property
Leading Juniors
Josephine Davies –Twenty Essex ‘Josephine has an excellent commercial understanding of what motivates clients in this area, and gives pragmatic and practical advice that displays considerable legal knowledge and insight. She is someone that clients absolutely want to have on their team for jurisdictional disputes in IP cases.’
London Bar > Professional negligence
Leading Juniors
Joshua Folkard – Twenty Essex ‘ I have found his written work to be of a consistently exceptional standard. He is inordinately careful and leaves no consideration unaddressed in his analysis of a matter.’
Asia Pacific - The English Bar > Shipping and commodities Tier 1
Twenty Essex is well-regarded in Singapore for the work conducted in shipping and maritime issues such as letters of indemnity, unsafe port claims, enforcement of parent company guarantees, mis-delivery disputes and oil trading disputes. Timothy Young KC and Simon Milnes KC were against David Lewis KC and Alistair Wooder in an arbitration concerning delay to platform supply vessels which pushed them past the deadline to comply with the new MARPOL standards in 2016.Leading Silks
Timothy Hill KC – Twenty Essex
‘He is very commercial and quick on the technical issues.’
Duncan Matthews KC–Twenty Essex
‘Exceptional and inspirational advocacy. Seems to be able to do the impossible.'
David Lewis KC–Twenty Essex ‘David is able to dissect complicated issues and advise in a clear and concise manner. He is equally effective at communicating with tribunal and judges as well.’
Timothy Young KC – Twenty Essex ‘Tim is vastly experienced with a fantastically analytical and legally creative mind. Fun and lively to work with. He carefully builds up the case and pursues it with decisive cool and calm, and also deftly adjusts course at times depending on the apparent perception of the argument by the tribunal.’
2022 Silks
Simon Milnes KC – Twenty Essex ‘Simon is very commercial and practical in his advice and is able to understand Mandarin, which is extremely valuable in cases involving Chinese parties, particularly when the personnel and client representatives are more comfortable in Mandarin.’
Leading Juniors
Oliver Caplin–Twenty Essex
‘Oliver provides sound and commercial advice, responds promptly and is able to quickly grasp concepts that may sometimes be pretty technical (especially in the shipping/commodities industry).'
Testimonials
Set
’20 Essex Street is a very strong shipping and commercial arbitration set.’
‘Chambers is excellent. Very strong across the shipping and energy space. Good availability of counsel at all levels and responsive to requests for support.’
‘Helpful and professional.’
’20 Essex is pretty good all round in the shipping and commodities field.’
Clerking
’20 Essex Street have a very strong clerks’ room and excellent service.’
‘Happy with the support provided by the clerks. Friendly and approachable.’
Asia Pacific - The English Bar > Construction, energy and infrastructure Tier 2
Twenty Essex features a large and strong team of specialised barristers in renewables, energy and natural resources, including case crossing over with civil fraud in this space. The past few years have seen the chambers get instructed on cases involving claims under letters of indemnity, oil trading disputes and sale and purchase of bunker fuel disputes. Michael Ashcroft KC has expertise in areas including energy markets, contracts relating to the exploitation of resources, construction, transportation, sales and insurance. Simon Milnes KC and Tony Beswetherick KC were both appointed silk this year.Leading Silks
Nakul Dewan SA – Twenty Essex ‘Nakul is a very skilled advocate. His written and oral advocacy help tie together large and complex disputes in a manner which was appreciated by the tribunal. The cross-examination carried out by him of factual and expert witnesses demonstrates a mastery over not only the facts of the case, but also of the necessary evidence required to establish the claim. A particular strength of his is the ability to bring commercial logic and practicality to a case.’
Testimonials
Set
‘Twenty Essex strikes me as a highly professional organisation and pleasant to work with generally.’
Clerks
‘Efficient and friendly.’
India - Senior Advocates > Commercial disputes Tier 2
Nakul Dewan is a member of Twenty Essex – his arbitration-based practice has strong connections to Singapore.The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore Tier 4
Twenty Essex are well known for their fraud, insolvency, banking and financial services based casework. Members are often involved in cases with parties from Asia who have their companies structured through offshore vehicles. Stephen Atherton KC is the joint Head of Chambers and has a practice encompassing areas such as international and domestic corporate insolvency, restructuring and company law. Tony Beswetherick KC works on cases with a strong international element, with experience of cross-border issues arising in connection with foreign insolvencies. Sarah Tresman is a renowned junior for offshore work, having spent three years at the Cayman Islands as a litigation attorney before returning to London and has featured in cases such as Abdulhameed Dhia Jafar v The GHF Group Limited and GHF General Partner Limited, a case that is part of the fall-out from the collapse of emerging markets private equity house Abraaj.Testimonials
Set
‘The set is a first rate international chambers who re very client focused.’
‘Chambers has an excellent reputation and while my direct experience of other members of chambers (and the workings of chambers) is limited, I know that others in my firm speak highly of the set and instruct them often.’
‘Good strong commercial set of barristers.’
‘Twenty Essex are a great set. They have significant strength in depth and their members, including their pupils and juniors, fit a pattern of being user friendly, commercially minded and just very very good.’
‘One of my go-to Chambers due to quality of counsel and willingness to work as a team with instructing solicitors.’
Clerking
‘Very responsive and efficient.’
Asia Pacific - The English Bar > Commercial
The ‘utterly brilliant’ Twenty Essex has grown significantly with its increased investment into the Asia Pacific region, where its members undertake practice areas such as commercial arbitration. The set continues to have Michael Ashcroft KC has vast experience within numerous jurisdictions such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea, with cases involving commercial contract disputes. Timothy Hill KC and David Lewis KC are other key names in the set for Asian work.Leading Silks
Simon Milnes KC – Twenty Essex ‘Simon has great sense of how judge will see the case and a great sense of bringing the various ingredients together. His knowledge of Chinese is useful, and his advocacy is tip-top. It is useful that Simon can handle cross border and multi jurisdictional issues.’
Nakul Dewan SA – Twenty Essex ‘It is a pleasure to work with Nakul. He is very meticulous and thorough in preparation, andis known for his expertise particularly in the field of arbitration and willing to discuss and share his views on any interesting legal proposition. He is always ready and willing to take that extra effort by devoting time and thinking out-of-the-box to arrive at solutions that best suit the client’s interest.’
Twenty Essex > Set Profile
A leading commercial set of chambers, the barristers of Twenty Essex offer outstanding legal minds combined with a modern and commercial disputes experience.
Clients include major global companies, institutions, governments and their advisors from around the world and our barristers advise and appear as advocates in court or arbitration in relation to a broad range of company and commercial, EU, competition, and public international law disputes. Practices involve the preparation and conduct of litigation before a wide range of courts and tribunals, in the UK, in foreign jurisdictions as well as on the international stage.
The vast majority of the work is international in nature and we have well-established links to many overseas markets, including through our Asian hub in Singapore servicing clients throughout Asia Pacific and beyond.
The set is also home to a number of highly respected domestic and international arbitrators and mediators, some of whom were previously judges either in the UK or overseas.
Types of work undertaken:
Commercial dispute resolution: most members of Twenty Essex advise and act as advocates in relation to all types of commercial disputes, particularly in disputes with an international dimension. These may be resolved in the English courts, by institutional or ad hoc international arbitration, or by London maritime and commodity trade arbitrations. Members are experienced in representing overseas and large corporate clients and advising in complex, high-value and multi-forum litigation. The areas in which members accept instructions are: financial services (banking/compliance/regulation); international trade (including shipping, commodities and sale of goods); energy and natural resources; insurance and reinsurance; civil fraud; aviation; information technology, data protection; intellectual property; telecoms and media; ; shareholder, joint venture and partnership disputes; agency and sport.
Brexit, EU and competition: a number of members at Twenty Essex specialise in the substantive law of the EU (including Brexit) and in UK and EU competition law. Virtually all members deal with aspects of EU law regularly. A number have experience of working in the European Court of Justice, at the European Commission and for UK government regulatory authorities. Members appear before the: Competition Appeal Tribunal; Competition Commission; European Commission; European Court of First Instance; and European Court of Justice. In addition, members of the set appear regularly before domestic courts and tribunals to argue questions of EU and competition law. They also advise and represent Community institutions, member states, corporations and private individuals. Advice and the conduct of litigation both for and against the OFT and other regulatory bodies also forms a significant part of members work.
International arbitration: Twenty Essex has a strong reputation as a leading arbitration set. It has an exclusive team of 15 leading international arbitrators from around the globe. In addition, the set has 79 barrister members who act as advocates and arbitrators at all of the world’s major institutions. Its high-quality silks and juniors deal with all manner of international commercial disputes involving banking, shipping, international trade and energy, and investor trade disputes (among many others).
Insolvency and company: members of Twenty Essex are well known for their expertise in contentious and non-contentious restructurings (including schemes of arrangement), insolvency law and company law, spanning all business and industry sectors. In the context of restructurings and insolvency, members regularly advise and represent insolvency office-holders, companies, creditors, shareholders and company directors (both in the UK and abroad) and have been heavily involved in most of the major restructurings and insolvencies of recent years.
Public international law: Twenty Essex is pre-eminent in public international law. Two members of chambers have been principal legal advisers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Others have been appointed judges ad hoc of the International Court of Justice, president and members of the North American Free Trade Association tribunals and members of tribunals under the World Bank’s International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and have been engaged as legal adviser within the United Nations. Members provide legal and strategic advice to states and other parties and appear before English courts in cases in which issues of public international law arise, before international courts and tribunals including: The International Court of Justice; dispute settlement panels of the World Trade Organisation; the European Court of Human Rights; the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; and international arbitral tribunals.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-head of Chambers | Philip Edey KC (1994) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Co-head of Chambers | Charles Kimmins KC (1994) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| CEO | Jemma Tagg | JTagg@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Practice Director | Arron Zitver | AZitver@twentyessex.com | 442078421205 |
| Practice Director | Christopher Theobald | CTheobald@twentyessex.com | 442078421210 |
| Practice Director | Anthony Carroll | ACarroll@twentyessex.com | 442078421230 |
| Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific | Lara Quie | LQuie@twentyessex.com | 6597261383 |
| Arbitrator Practice Director | Catherine Reeves | creeves@twentyessex.com | 442078426788 |
| Member | Alexander Layton KC (1976) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Timothy Young KC (1977) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Christopher Hancock KC (1983) | CHancock@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Duncan Matthews KC (1986) | DMatthews@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sir Daniel Bethlehem KC (1988) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Stephen Atherton KC (1989) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 44207842100 |
| Member | Timothy Hill KC (1990) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Paul Lowenstein KC (1988) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michael Coburn KC (1990) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Gordon Nardell KC (1995) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michael Ashcroft KC (1997) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Lawrence Akka KC (1991) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sara Masters KC (1993) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michael Collett KC (1995) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | David Lewis KC (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Thomas Raphael KC (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Wendy Miles KC (2020) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Andrew Ayres KC (1996) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sudhanshu Swaroop KC (1997) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Julian Kenny KC (1997) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Guglielmo Veridrame KC (2006) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Nakul Dewan SA (2014) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 6562257230 |
| Member | Henry Byam-Cook KC (2000) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Blair Leahy KC (2001) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Phillip Riches KC (2001) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Andrew Fulton KC (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Jonathon Redwood SC (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Tony Beswetherick KC (2003) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Simon Milnes KC (2005) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Albert Dinelli SC (2007) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 6562257230 |
| Member | Sir Michael Wood (1968) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Karen Maxwell (1992) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Julie Anderson (1993) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Malcolm Jarvis (1998) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Susannah Jones (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Zannis Mavrogordato (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sean Snook (2000) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Socrates Papadopoulos (2001) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Baiju Vasani (2001) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Angharad Parry (2002) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Simon Olleson (2002) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Colleen Hanley (2003) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Christopher Newman (2003) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Daniel Bovenseipen (2004) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Josephine Davies (2006) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Harris Bor (2006) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Patricia Edwards (2006) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Stefan Talmon (2007) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sarah Tresman (2008) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Luke Pearce (2007) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Penelope Nevill (2010) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Rupert Hamilton (2010) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Thomas Corby (2011) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Mahnaz Malik (2012) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Oliver Caplin (2012) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Alex Carless (2012) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Richard Greenberg (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Matthew McGhee (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Andrew Feld (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Andrew Dinsmore (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Joshua Folkard (2013) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Monica Feria-Tinta (2014) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Belinda McRae (2014) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Alexander Thompson (2014) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Kate Parlett (2015) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sam Goodman (2015) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Alistair Wooder (2015) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Jonathan Ketcheson (2016) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Phillipa Webb (2016) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Mark Tushingham (2016) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Patrick Dunn-Walsh (2012) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michal Hain (2017) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Fiona Whiteside (2017) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Matthew Chan (2018) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Edward Gilmore (2018) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | James Gardner (2018) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Maria Kennedy (2018) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Fiona Petersen (2018) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Manuel Casas (2020) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Courtney Grafton (2020) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Talia Zybutz (2020) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Paulo Busco (2017) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Paolo Busco (2021) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Daniel Kalderimis (1999) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Brendan Plant (2019) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Alexandros Demetriades (2021) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Matthew McGonagle (2021) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Dr Rishab Gupta (2021) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Thomas Wong (2021) | enquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | The Honorable Charles N Brower | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michael Lee (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 6562257230 |
| Member | David Sutton (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | J William Rowley KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Malcolm Holmes KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | L Yves Fortier KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sir Bernard Rix (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | David Owen KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Michael Tselentis KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Professor Julian Lew KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Dr Michael Moser (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sir Martin Moore-Bick (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sir Mark Havelock-Allan (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Clare Ambrose (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Sir Peter Gross (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Lord Glennie (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Nigel Rawding KC (Arbitrator) | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
| Member | Professor Hi-Taek Shin | arbitralenquiries@twentyessex.com | 442078421200 |
Barrister Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Lawrence Akka KC | Lawrence’s practice encompasses high value and technically complex commercial and contractual disputes.… | View Profile |
 | Clare Ambrose | Clare Ambrose is a full time arbitrator with wide ranging experience in… | View Profile |
 | Julie Anderson | Julie has an outstanding level of “hands on” litigation experience in the… | View Profile |
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| Michael Ashcroft KC | Michael is an experienced silk with a broad commercial practice, specialising in… | View Profile |
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| Stephen Atherton KC | Stephen’s practice comprises of international and domestic corporate insolvency and restructuring, company… | View Profile |
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| Andrew Ayres KC | Andrew has an established commercial disputes practice, with a core of trial… | View Profile |
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| Tony Beswetherick KC | Tony has a busy practice specialising in the fields of insolvency, civil… | View Profile |
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| Sir Daniel Bethlehem KC | Daniel Bethlehem is a barrister practising in the field of public international… | View Profile |
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| Dr Harris Bor | Harris’s practice covers all areas of international arbitration and commercial and company… | View Profile |
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| Daniel Bovensiepen | Daniel’s practice covers a broad range of international commercial work, with a… | View Profile |
 | The Honorable Charles N Brower | Charles’s 55-year career in the law has combined extensive practice at the… | View Profile |
 | Paolo Busco | Paolo practices in the fields of public international law and international dispute… | View Profile |
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| Henry Byam-Cook KC | Henry practises in a range of commercial disputes, principally shipping, energy, IT/telecoms,… | View Profile |
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| Oliver Caplin | Oliver has a broad commercial practice which particularly focuses on international trade,… | View Profile |
 | Alex Carless | Alex specialises in a broad range of commercial matters, including banking and… | View Profile |
 | Manuel Casas | Manuel is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ areas of… | View Profile |
 | Matthew Chan | Matthew has a broad practice in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He… | View Profile |
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| Michael Coburn KC | Michael practises in all aspects of commercial law, usually with an international… | View Profile |
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| Michael Collett KC | Michael specialises in commercial law. His areas of practice include general commercial… | View Profile |
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| Thomas Corby | Thomas has a varied commercial practice, with a focus on international arbitration,… | View Profile |
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| Josephine Davies | Josephine specialises in all areas of commercial law and litigation. She has… | View Profile |
 | Alexandros Demetriades | Alex is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ core practice… | View Profile |
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| Nakul Dewan SA | Nakul practises from Singapore, Delhi and London. He accepts appointments both as… | View Profile |
 | Albert Dinelli | Albert’s practice in London and Singapore focuses on arbitral proceedings and advice… | View Profile |
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| Andrew Dinsmore | Andrew has extensive international commercial litigation and arbitration experience. His practice focuses… | View Profile |
 | Patrick Dunn-Walsh | Patrick has a broad commercial practice in line with Chambers’ profile, with… | View Profile |
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| Philip Edey KC | Philip is co-Head of Chambers. He is a specialist lead advocate whose… | View Profile |
 | Patricia Edwards | Patricia has a broad commercial practice, with a particular emphasis on advising… | View Profile |
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| Andrew Feld | Andrew has an eclectic practice encompassing the full spectrum of commercial litigation,… | View Profile |
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| Monica Feria-Tinta | Monica is a specialist in public international law and international arbitration. She… | View Profile |
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| Joshua Folkard | Josh has a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice including civil fraud… | View Profile |
 | The Honorable Yves Fortier KC | Yves is recognised as one of the top arbitrators in the world.… | View Profile |
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| Andrew Fulton KC | Andrew has a broad and busy practice. He advises and appears in… | View Profile |
 | James Gardner | James has a diverse commercial practice with a particular focus on banking,… | View Profile |
 | Judith Gill KC | Judith is recognised as one of the leading practitioners in the field… | View Profile |
 | Edward Gilmore | Edward’s practice spans the range of Chambers’ expertise in commercial litigation and… | View Profile |
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| Sam Goodman | Sam specialises in complex, high-value commercial litigation and arbitration. His practice has… | View Profile |
 | Courtney Grafton | Courtney has developed a broad practice in commercial litigation, international arbitration and… | View Profile |
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| Richard Greenberg | Richard has a broad commercial practice, with a particular focus on civil… | View Profile |
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| Michal Hain | Michal’s broad commercial practice is evenly split between English courts and international… | View Profile |
 | Rupert Hamilton | Rupert enjoys a varied practice covering all aspects of commercial law. He… | View Profile |
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| Christopher Hancock KC | Christopher has appeared before courts at all levels, including the High Court,… | View Profile |
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| Colleen Hanley | Colleen is a recommended leading junior in both Chambers & Partners and… | View Profile |
 | Sir Mark Havelock-Allan KC | Mark is a former Mercantile Judge on the Western Circuit, and judge… | View Profile |
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| Timothy Hill KC | Timothy specialises in international commercial litigation and arbitration. He has considerable expertise… | View Profile |
 | Malcolm Holmes KC | Malcolm is a chartered arbitrator primarily based in Sydney but with an… | View Profile |
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| Malcolm Jarvis | Malcolm specialises in commercial disputes arising in a variety of sectors including… | View Profile |
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| Susannah Jones | Susannah’s practice focuses on commercial disputes in areas including fraud, banking, commodities,… | View Profile |
 | Maria Kennedy | Maria is developing a broad commercial practice across all of Chambers’ practice… | View Profile |
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| Julian Kenny KC | Julian specialises in commercial law, particularly banking, shipping and commodities, insurance and… | View Profile |
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| Jonathan Ketcheson | Jonathan practises across all Chambers’ areas of expertise, including international arbitration, public… | View Profile |
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| Charles Kimmins KC | Charles is co-Head of Chambers. Charles specialises in commercial law, and represents… | View Profile |
 | Alexander Layton KC | Alex is a specialist in private international law. His practice consists almost… | View Profile |
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| Blair Leahy KC | Blair has a broad commercial practice with an emphasis on complex multi-jurisdictional… | View Profile |
 | Michael Lee | Michael is an experienced international commercial arbitrator practising principally from Singapore and… | View Profile |
 | Dr Julian Lew KC | Julian is a full-time arbitrator in international commercial and investment disputes. He… | View Profile |
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| David Lewis KC | David is a specialist advocate who took silk in 2014 at the… | View Profile |
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| Paul Lowenstein KC | Paul is a leading commercial silk in domestic and international litigation and… | View Profile |
 | Mahnaz Malik | Mahnaz is a barrister and arbitrator at Twenty Essex who specialises in… | View Profile |
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| Sara Masters KC | Sara is “hugely experienced in the international arbitration field, both as counsel… | View Profile |
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| Duncan Matthews KC | Duncan is a leading trial advocate with a broad practice in international… | View Profile |
 | Zannis Mavrogordato | Zannis is a barrister, French avocat and arbitrator. He is a specialist… | View Profile |
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| Karen Maxwell | Karen practises in commercial law and international trade, with a particular focus… | View Profile |
 | Matthew McGhee | Matthew enjoys a broad commercial practice. Clients instruct him to advise or… | View Profile |
 | Matthew McGonagle | Matthew is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ main practice… | View Profile |
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| Belinda McRae | Belinda has developed a busy and wide-ranging practice, focusing on public international… | View Profile |
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| Wendy Miles KC | Wendy is a specialist in international arbitration and dispute resolution with a… | View Profile |
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| Simon Milnes KC | Simon is praised by clients for his strategic advocacy in international commercial… | View Profile |
 | Sir Martin Moore-Bick | Sir Martin recently retired as a Lord Justice of Appeal after serving… | View Profile |
 | Dr Michael Moser | Michael serves as arbitrator in high-value, complex international disputes. His specialities include… | View Profile |
 | Gordon Nardell KC | Gordon specialises in international litigation and arbitration. He has a particular focus… | View Profile |
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| Penelope Nevill | Penelope is a specialist in international law. Her practice focuses on disputes… | View Profile |
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| Christopher Newman | Chris has a broad commercial practice with a focus on heavyweight commercial… | View Profile |
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| Simon Olleson | Simon’s practice focuses on public international law and international arbitration (including both… | View Profile |
 | David Owen KC | David is a full-time arbitrator and mediator, with a practice covering a… | View Profile |
 | Socrates Papadopoulos | Socrates has been a tenant at Twenty Essex since October 2001. He… | View Profile |
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| Dr Kate Parlett | Kate specialises in public international law and international arbitration. Her practice covers… | View Profile |
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| Angharad Parry | Angharad specialises in advisory and advocacy work in a wide range of… | View Profile |
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| Luke Pearce | Luke has a broad practice covering all aspects of commercial law, with… | View Profile |
 | Fiona Petersen | Fiona is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ practice areas.… | View Profile |
 | Brendan Plant | Brendan has a broad practice covering all aspects of public international law… | View Profile |
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| Thomas Raphael KC | Thomas is a commercial silk, with a wide commercial practice, and well… | View Profile |
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| Philip Riches KC | Philip is recognised as a leading barrister in international commercial dispute resolution.… | View Profile |
 | Sir Bernard Rix | Sir Bernard retired in 2013 as a Lord Justice of Appeal with… | View Profile |
 | Mr J. William Rowley KC | Bill is a highly experienced international arbitrator. He joined Twenty Essex in… | View Profile |
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| Sean Snook | Sean advises and represents clients in a broad range of commercial and… | View Profile |
 | David St John Sutton | David is a full-time arbitrator practicing in London and Paris in international… | View Profile |
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| Sudhanshu Swaroop KC | Sudhanshu practices arbitration, commercial and public international law. He has acted in… | View Profile |
 | Prof Stefan Talmon | Stefan Talmon is currently a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.… | View Profile |
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| Alexander Thompson | Alexander practises across a broad range of areas in commercial and international… | View Profile |
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| Sarah Tresman | Sarah is a versatile barrister with extensive client-facing experience. She specialises in… | View Profile |
 | Michael Tselentis KC | Michael Tselentis KC’s practice as an international arbitrator covers a wide field,… | View Profile |
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| Mark Tushingham | Mark has a broad practice in commercial law, international arbitration and public… | View Profile |
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| Guglielmo Verdirame KC | Lord Verdirame KC specialises in public international law, international arbitration (especially investment… | View Profile |
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| Philippa Webb | Philippa’s practice covers all aspects of public international law. She acts for… | View Profile |
 | Fiona Whiteside | Fiona is a versatile barrister with a broad commercial practice and is… | View Profile |
 | Sir Michael Wood KCMG | Sir Michael is a member of the United Nations (UN) International Law… | View Profile |
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| Alistair Wooder | Alistair Wooder is a barrister practising in commercial litigation and arbitration with… | View Profile |
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| Timothy Young KC | Timothy’s principal area of practice is international trade, embracing shipping, commodities, insurance,… | View Profile |
 | Talia Zybutz | Talia is developing a wide-ranging practice in all of Chambers’ main practice… | View Profile |
Languages
Cantonese Chinese (Mandarin) Czech French German Greek Italian Japanese Hebrew Hindi SpanishMemberships
AIPN CEDR Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) General Council of the Bar of England and Wales Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) ICCA INSOL - International Association of Restructuring IBA (International Bar Association) International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) KLRCA London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) London Maritime Arbitrators Association (supporting member) SIAC COMBAR British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) Young International Arbitration GroupDisputes Yearbook 2020
Briefing
The evolution of the Commercial Bar (https://www.legalbusiness.co.uk/analysis/disputes-yearbook-2020/sponsored-briefing-the-evolution-of-the-commercial-bar/)
Duncan Matthews QC, co-head, and Jemma Tagg, chief executive, reflect on the evolution of Twenty Essex and wider sector changes across the Commercial Bar
- Commodities
- International arbitration: arbitrators
- Public international law
Top Tier Set Rankings
- IT and telecoms (infrastructure and contracts)
- Company
- Environment
- Insolvency
- Construction
- International crime and extradition
- Administrative law and human rights
- Intellectual property
- Professional negligence
- Asia Pacific - The English Bar > Shipping and commodities