Philippa Webb > Twenty Essex > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Philippa Webb
Position
Philippa’s practice covers all aspects of public international law. She acts for states and private entities in domestic and international courts on a wide range of issues. These include state and diplomatic immunities, territorial and maritime boundaries, treaty obligations, law of the sea, state responsibility, human rights, humanitarian law, law of international organisations and international criminal law.
She has been described as “the foremost expert on state immunity” and is counsel in ground-breaking cases in international and English courts. Philippa advises on all aspects of immunity, including immunity from enforcement, diplomatic status, and related concepts such as act of state. She is appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law B Panel of Counsel.
Philippa is a specialist in relation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). She served as the Legal Officer and Special Assistant to Judge Rosalyn Higgins GBE QC during her presidency and in this capacity was involved in 15 inter-state cases. Philippa has since appeared as counsel and advocate in 7 ICJ cases. Philippa has also worked as a legal adviser at the ICC.
She is Professor of Public International Law at King’s College London and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution. She has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the University of Notre Dame and Université Paris Nanterre. She is on the Committee of Legal Experts for the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law.
Philippa was shortlisted for 2022 “Barrister of the Year” by The Lawyer. She has been ranked as a top junior in Public International Law, a ‘Future Leader’ in arbitration and a ‘UK Bar: Rising Star’.
https://www.twentyessex.com/people/philippa-webb/
Languages
French (proficient); Japanese (proficient)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > International human rights and criminal law
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Philippa Webb – Twenty Essex ‘Excellent judgement, a superb drafter with an extremely well-established publication record and an absolute pleasure to work with.’
London Bar > Public international law
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Philippa Webb –Twenty Essex ‘Philippa is an absolute star – the go-to person for sovereign immunity issues. A leader in the field. She is an excellent communicator and advocate, solutions-oriented, user-friendly, and an absolute joy to work with.‘
Twenty Essex remains reputed across the full spectrum of public international law, including but not limited to expertise in state versus state disputes and investor versus state disputes, as well as sovereign and state immunity cases. The chambers are described as housing ‘some of the best PIL practitioners on the globe’ with multiple members of the set regularly involved in the landmark cases in the area. Daniel Bethlehem KC continues to lead in high-profile international arbitrations and state immunity cases, including the Hedges v Al Naqbi case in the English courts, acting for the government of the UAE on the question of state immunity of behalf of state officials, where he leads Paolo Busco, among others. Bethlehem KC is also leading Philippa Webb in representing Pakistan in an arbitration against India concerning the Indus Waters Treaty’s division of water between the two states.