Belinda McRae > Twenty Essex > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Belinda McRae
Work Department
Arbitration and mediation; Civil fraud and asset tracing; Commercial law; Constitutional public and human rights law; Energy and natural resources; Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement; Private international law; Public international law; Shipping; Sport
Position
Belinda has developed a busy and wide-ranging practice, focusing on public international law, civil fraud and complex contract disputes, jurisdiction challenges (including relating to Brexit), and all aspects of international arbitration (including enforcement and challenges to awards in London-seated arbitrations).
Since she joined Chambers in 2015, she has appeared in the Supreme Court (five times), the Court of Appeal (including as sole counsel), the High Court (Commercial Court, Chancery Division, Administrative Court and Family Division), and before arbitral tribunals under a variety of rules (UNCITRAL, ICSID, LCIA, ICC, and LMAA). She also sits as arbitrator, having been appointed as sole or wing arbitrator on 7 separate occasions. She has also been appointed to the Attorney General’s Civil and Public International Law Panels.
Belinda has appeared in several high-profile cases, the subject matter of which attest to the diversity of her practice. These include acting on behalf of a group of lenders in linked Commercial Court anti-suit and arbitration proceedings (Africa Finance v Aiteo [2022] EWHC 768 (Comm)); on behalf of the Foreign Secretary in the Venezuela Gold case before the Supreme Court (Guaidó Board v Maduro Board [2022] 2 WLR 167); on behalf of Ukraine in the Ukraine v Russia application before the European Court of Human Rights arising out of the Russian invasion; on behalf of a defendant in the large-scale fraud claim in Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait v Al Rajaan before the Commercial Court (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2020); on behalf of the United States in inter-State cases before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal and the International Court of Justice; and in a rare shipping case before the Supreme Court (The Global Santosh [2016] 1 WLR 1853).
Belinda is described as ‘absolutely exceptional’, a ‘fabulous oral advocate’ and a ‘go-to junior’ by the legal directories, in which she is ranked across the fields of commercial litigation, public international law and international arbitration. In 2022, she was the winner of ‘International Arbitration Junior of the Year’ at The Legal 500 Bar awards. She was also included as one of The Legal 500 Top 10 barristers under 8 years’ call in commercial litigation for two years.
Before joining Chambers, Belinda was an Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. She brings a modern, practical and team-oriented approach to her work as a result. Belinda has also worked in international courts and tribunals in Cambodia, Tanzania and Australia, including as an associate to the Hon. Justice Dyson Heydon AC, at Australia’s highest court. She is a graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Queensland.
https://www.twentyessex.com/people/belinda-mcrae/
Languages
French (proficient)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Belinda McRae –Twenty Essex ‘Belinda is a first-rate junior: no-nonsense, unfussy and extremely user-friendly. She’s super smart and works very quickly, turning written submissions and advice at light-speed.’
Praised as a ‘top commercial and international law set’, members of Twenty Essex are frequently instructed in complex international arbitration proceedings and related commercial court cases, most notably concerning shipping, trade and commodities disputes, in which Timothy Young KC and Sam Goodman have recently been active. Members also have extensive experience in investor-state arbitration proceedings and are well-versed across various arbitral institutions and rules, including SIAC, LCIA, LMAA and the ICC. Members of chambers who have recently been involved in such cases include Duncan Matthews KC, Philip Riches KC, Sara Masters KC and Belinda McRae, to name a few. Among recent highlights for the set was the highly publicised FamilyMart China Holding Co Ltd v Ting Chuan (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp case, concerning if an arbitration clause in a shareholders’ agreement blocked a winding-up petition, in which Charles Kimmins KC led Mark Tushingham on behalf of FamilyMart.
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Belinda McRae – Twenty Essex ‘Belinda is such a brilliant person to have on your team – hard-working, fun to work with, and always knows the case and the documents inside out. She’s incredibly effective and a brilliant advocate.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4Belinda McRae – Twenty Essex ‘An incredibly effective and brilliant advocate.’
London Bar > Public international law
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Belinda McRae –Twenty Essex ‘Belinda is one of the best juniors at the Bar. A great intellect and adopting a helpful collegial approach to all aspects of a case.’