Twenty Essex has a deep bench focused on commodities, shipping and international trade. Among its members are some of the most respected silks and juniors in the commodities space, including those who have established key points of law that govern market practice. In Omni v Samancor, a $7m SIAC arbitration concerning the sale of manganese, standout silk Michael Ashcroft KC achieved a favourable settlement in a matter that involved complex issues regarding applicability of sanctions clause following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Michael Collett KC defended a GAFTA appeal in Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV, which arose from the non-performance of two contracts for the purchase of pulses. New to the top tier of silks is Timothy Hill KC, who is ‘one of the very best’. Turning to the set's juniors, Alex Carless is assisting Glencore in seeking €110m in payment for cargoes of diesel.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks Arron Zither and Robert Wheeler are both excellent. The clerk's room generally is very amenable to discussing rates and availability.'
- 'Arron Zitver is very approachable and helpful.'
- 'Twenty Essex is my go-to set due to their large number of high-calibre commodities specialists.'
- 'Twenty Essex has considerable depth and real quality. Good service a from clerks. Wide range of suitable counsel at all levels."
- 'Twenty Essex is one of the leading if not the leading set for commodities litigation. The offer strength and depth at both KC and junior level. A real go-to set for commodities litigation.'
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Michael Ashcroft KC
Michael Collett KC
Timothy Hill KC
A tenacious and an excellent advocate, and one of the very best for commodities disputes. He has first-rate knowledge and shows incredible attention to detail in his hearing preparation.’
Charles Kimmins KC
‘He is exceptionally user-friendly, particularly when breaking down complicated points of law for the lay client. He is also excellent in court.’
David Lewis KC
Duncan Matthews KC
Philip Edey KC
Julian Kenny KC
Sara Masters KC
‘Sara is very measured, calm, sensible and very efficient, and she manages proceedings with ease.’
Henry Byam-Cook KC
Luke Pearce KC
Philip Riches KC
Simon Milnes KC
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Oliver Caplin KC
‘Oli’s great advantages are his ability to give clear, commercial advice, his willingness to make himself available at short notice, and his mindfulness of the strategy for a whole dispute.’
Josephine Davies KC
‘Josephine is incredibly hardworking and thinks strategically and carefully. She provides practical and succinct advice and never stops turning a problem over in her mind.’
2025 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Angharad Parry KC
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Daniel Bovensiepen
Alex Carless
Andrew Dinsmore
Colleen Hanley
‘Colleen exhibits approachability, responsiveness, and confidence in her advocacy.’
Malcolm Jarvis
Susannah Jones
Andrew Feld
Thomas Corby
Joshua Folkard
‘Josh has a keen eye for detail and is very commercial. He is also very responsive and a pleasant person to deal with.’
Richard Greenberg
Sean Snook
‘Very user-friendly and creative in terms of finding solutions in trying circumstances. Sean is plain-speaking and to the point.’