Charles Kimmins KC > Twenty Essex > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Twenty Essex Offices
20 ESSEX STREET
LONDON
WC2R 3AL
England
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Charles Kimmins KC
Work Department
- Banking and financial services
- Commercial dispute resolution
- Energy and infrastructure
- General commercial and insurance
- Insurance and reinsurance
- International arbitration
- Shipping and commodities
Position
Charles is co-Head of Chambers. Charles specialises in commercial law, and represents clients in both court and arbitration proceedings. His cases tend to be high value and complex, and often involve multiple sets of proceedings in several jurisdictions.
He is recommended in a wide array of disciplines in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, including international arbitration, commercial dispute resolution, banking and financial, energy, insurance and reinsurance, shipping and commodities.
Charles has represented clients in a wide variety of disputes before the Supreme Court, Privy Council, Court of Appeal and High Court.
He has also appeared in many arbitrations under many different rules, including ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ARIAS, LMAA, GAFTA, FOSFA, IPE, RSA, LME and the City Disputes Panel. He has particular experience of appeals from awards under s.67, 68 and 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (a subject on which he regularly lectures). He also accepts appointments as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. Recent cases relating to arbitration include Tenke Fungurume Mining v Katanga [2021] EWHC 3301 (successfully resisting a s.68 application), STA v OFY [2021] EWHC 1574 (successfully resisting an application for an extension to time to challenge an award). Charles acted for the LCIA in the Supreme Court case Halliburton v Chubb [2021] AC 1093, dealing with issues of arbitrator bias.
Charles was nominated for ‘International Arbitration Silk of the Year’ for both the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2019 and The Legal 500 UK Awards 2020.
He has been involved in numerous cases involving banking and investment disputes, company law and financial services. He has particular experience in derivatives. He also has significant experience in disputes arising in the private equity sector. Between 2018 – 2020, much of his time was spent on a very substantial multi-billion dollar multi-jurisdictional private equity dispute, in which he appeared in numerous hearings in London, Hong Kong, Cayman and Nevis.
He has appeared in numerous cases involving energy and natural resources, and has particular experience in the petroleum and natural gas industries. Likewise, he has acted in many insurance/reinsurance disputes, for both insured/reinsured and insurers/reinsurers, as well brokers. He has been involved in many leading cases in the fields of commodities and shipping, including shipbuilding disputes and disputes under MOAs.
Charles also has extensive experience in civil fraud cases, including cases involving fraud in the banking and shipping sectors. He is instructed in applications for urgent relief arising out of fraud claims.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Shipping
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Very good on his feet, and quick. Excellent on cross-examination, and a superb advocate.’
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Charles 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.’
‘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.
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘He provides clear thinking and careful examination of the issues and of the merits of arguments and counterarguments.’
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Charles 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.’
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.
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Charles 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.’
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.
London Bar > Commodities
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Charles Kimmins KC – Twenty Essex ‘A calm, measured and effective advocate who is first-class for fraud disputes and is also refreshingly pragmatic and practical.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Charles 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.’