One Essex Court is 'at the top of the market for commercial disputes work'. Laurence Rabinowitz KC is 'a true litigation heavyweight who combines a calm demeanour with an ability to find solutions in the most complex of cases'. Sonia Tolaney KC and James MacDonald KC are acting for the defendants in BM Brazil & Ors v Sibanye, a $1.2bn claim concerning the alleged wrongful termination of share purchase agreements for the acquisition of two Brazilian mines from a private equity firm; the defendants had invoked an MAE clause to terminate the agreements following a geological event at one of the mines. In a boost to chambers, Michelle Menashy KC and Niranjan Venkatesan KC were both elevated to silk in March 2025.
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Profile
Position
Niranjan was appointed King’s Counsel in 2025 after only nine years in practice.. Before taking silk, he was one of the leading juniors at the Commercial Bar (Legal500 Junior of the Year 2023; C&P Commercial Dispute Resolution Junior of the Year 2024; ranked in C&P Band 1).
He is generally instructed as lead advocate in complex commercial litigation and in international arbitration. He also has extensive appellate experience, having appeared eight times in the Supreme Court and on multiple occasions in the Court of Appeal. He is often brought into appeals and is known for his ability to find solutions in difficult cases. Before coming to the Bar, he read and taught law at Oxford where he was a Vinerian, Eldon and Rhodes scholar.
Current or recent cases include: Invest Bank v El-Husseini (Commercial Court); DP World v Soprim (Commercial Court); Gormsen v Meta (Competition Appeal Tribunal); Hopcraft v Close Brothers (Supreme Court); Watford Control Instruments v Brown (Chancery Division); BAT Industries plc v Sequana [2022] 3 WLR 709 (Supreme Court and Court of Appeal); Grand View Private Trust Co v Wong [2022] UKPC 47; PJSC NBT v Mints [2023] EWHC 118 (Comm), [2022] EWHC 871 (Comm); Enka v Chubb [2020] 1 WLR 4117 (Supreme Court and Court of Appeal).
He is also called to the Indian Bar (non-practising) and is able to advise on matters of Indian law.
Career
Called in 2015
Memberships
Combar, LCLCBA.
Education
BA LLB (Hons); BCL, DPhil (Oxon); Vinerian, Eldon and Rhodes scholar
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