Commodities

Twenty Essex

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.

1

David Lewis KC

2

Duncan Matthews KC

3

Philip Edey KC

‘Sara is very measured, calm, sensible and very efficient, and she manages proceedings with ease.’

4

Henry Byam-Cook KC

4

Simon Milnes KC

4

Luke Pearce KC

4

Philip Riches 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.

1

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.’

1

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.

1

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.