Stephen Dennison KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stephen is far the most effective and useful KC in the offshore construction and energy sector. He works relentlessly hard and efficiently, and is always on top of his brief.’
Atkin Chambers is widely regarded as one of the leading energy construction sets, it is ‘very well known for its high-quality service’ in high-value matters spanning upstream and downstream oil and gas projects, conventional power stations, and newer technologies that are enabling energy transition. Its members frequently act for many of the world’s energy majors as well as national and local governments. Stephen Dennison KC is involved in a high-profile £133m claim by EWH arising from the termination of MW High Tech Projects UK Ltd in the construction of a waste to energy power plant in Hull. Increasingly prominent junior Shourav Lahiri frequently acts as an advocate in international construction and energy disputes in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Beijing and London for clients in East Asia, South Asia and the Gulf.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks room is very good - Justin Wilson heads a great team, very efficient and good service.'
- 'The clerks service is generally excellent. I especially refer to David Barnes, who always pays attention to the client and the instructing solicitors.'
- 'The clerks service has been sound and prompt.'
- 'Justin Wilson was outstanding, knowledgeable, responsive and exceptionally commercial showing just how important good clerking is to the overall relationship - not something we have the pleasure of seeing every day.'
- 'Senior practice manager Andy Burrows is responsive and helpful.'
- 'Great strength-in-depth. You always know you will get great quality.'
- 'One of the biggest construction and energy sets, with a well-deserved reputation for being very good at work in those fields.'
- 'The chambers is very well known for its high-quality service and I am satisfied with its performance.'
- 'One of the best construction sets.'
- 'They are one of our go-to energy construction sets.'
Silks
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.
David Streatfeild-James KC
Atkin Chambers ‘A great advocate with a fantastic mind, David is strategically astute and has good industry knowledge.’
Andrew White KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Andrew has no weakness. He is a strong advocate and for a person of his seniority he makes an impressive effort to get into the detail.’
Stuart Catchpole KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stuart is a devastating cross-examiner. He is incredibly well prepared and has an extremely impressive and persuasive advocacy style.’
Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Clear, organised and persuasive, Chantal understands the energy world and is a top-quality construction and heavy infrastructure practitioner.’
James Howells KC
Atkin Chambers ‘James is very thorough and methodical on large technical disputes, and he explores the evidence in depth before cross-examining witnesses.’
Nicholas Dennys KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Nick has always had an enviable reputation for his skill as a lawyer, and he demonstrates a great ability to master the most complex matters.’
Simon Lofthouse KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Simon is absolutely world-class in hearings, and his cross-examination, which is the result of very hard work, is really effective.’
Manus McMullan KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Manus is a fierce cross-examiner and a highly articulate advocate who is very good at reading a tribunal and addressing its concerns.’
Steven Walker KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Stephen is a persuasive, determined and tenacious advocate with the cross-examination techniques of a skilled surgeon.’
Dominique Rawley KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Dominique is an absolute powerhouse of a barrister - analytical, strategic and produces the most beautiful pleadings.’
Serena Cheng KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Serena assimilates complex, technical issues with ease and then presents the same with clarity.’
Mark Chennells KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Mark has a very good sense of strategy and an excellent grasp of the detail, making him deadly in cross-examination.’
Christopher Lewis KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Christopher delivers exceptionally clever and brilliant legal analysis. He is very good at explaining issues to clients.’
Fiona Parkin KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Fiona's skill in communicating complex legal concepts is truly impressive. She has the ability to dive deeply into the details of a case.'
2022 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.
Rupert Choat KC
Atkin Chambers ‘He is helpful and patient, accommodating urgent requests for help, and he is quick to explain aspects of complex supporting evidence.’
Rupert Choat KC
Atkin Chambers ‘Very commercial and client-focused, Rupert grasps the client’s strategic objectives and finds a way through even the most complicated cases.’
Juniors
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.
Shourav Lahiri
Atkin Chambers ‘Shourav is meticulous and willing to go the extra mile to understand the technical issues that generally accompany construction arbitration.’
Samar Abbas Kazmi
Atkin Chambers ‘Samar has great judgement, performs excellent legal analysis and has a huge capacity for hard work.’
Patrick Clarke
Atkin Chambers ‘Patrick grasps complex issues quickly and offers pragmatic and useful advice at short notice.’
Nicholas Collings
Atkin Chambers ‘Nicholas is a great advocate, cool under pressure, very well spoken and unflappable.’
Mischa Balen
Atkin Chambers ‘Mischa is an excellent advocate – easy to work with and very smart indeed.’
Lauren Adams
Atkin Chambers ‘Even in the company of silks Lauren will be the brightest person in the room. The speed with which she grasps the key issues of a matter is startling.’
Leading Juniors
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Shourav Lahiri
Atkin Chambers ‘Shourav is meticulous and willing to go the extra mile to understand the technical issues that generally accompany construction arbitration.’
Samar Abbas Kazmi
Atkin Chambers ‘Samar has great judgement, performs excellent legal analysis and has a huge capacity for hard work.’
Patrick Clarke
Atkin Chambers ‘Patrick grasps complex issues quickly and offers pragmatic and useful advice at short notice.’
Nicholas Collings
Atkin Chambers ‘Nicholas is a great advocate, cool under pressure, very well spoken and unflappable.’
Mischa Balen
Atkin Chambers ‘Mischa is an excellent advocate – easy to work with and very smart indeed.’
Lauren Adams
Atkin Chambers ‘Even in the company of silks Lauren will be the brightest person in the room. The speed with which she grasps the key issues of a matter is startling.’