One Essex Court is ‘a first-class pre-eminent set’ for energy disputes of all kinds. Among them is John McCaughran KC was recently instructed by Shell UK Limited in relation to a Court of Appeal dispute concerning a gas sale agreement with British Gas Trading Limited that raised key issues around the assessment of damages. He also represented Scottish Power UK in its claim for damages relating to the extended shutdown of the Andrew Field, which resulted in the complete cessation of supplies of gas. Another standout silk is Alexander Gunning KC, who acted for the defendant in Visalia v Seadrill, a claim for a £70m commission purportedly owed due to an introduction made to Sonangol, the Angolan state oil company. Sa’ad Hossain KC continues to rise in prominence with cases such as Drax Smart Generation Holdco Limited v Scottish Power Retail Holdings Limited, in which he defended a breach of warranty/indemnity claim relating to the construction of a potential new power station. New silk Niranjan Venkatesan KC is currently involved in high-profile proceedings concerning the Brae complex in the North Sea. Nehali Shah, who acted as sole for the Government of India in hearings concerning a £70m arbitral award, and Michael Watkins are among the set’s many market-leading juniors.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Excellent chambers in all respects. Quality across the board in relation to the barristers, the clerks room is head and shoulders above the rest, and they rightly have the reputation of being at the very top of their game.'
- 'Truly special. Top of the tree. Platinum-class.'
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.
Lord Wolfson KC
‘David is one of the top advocates practising at the Commercial Bar at present. He has fantastic analytical skills aligned with incredible advocacy strengths, plus the ability to read the court well.’
Charles Graham KC
Thomas Sharpe 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.
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.
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.
Nehali Shah
‘Nehali is calm and collected, responsive, proactive and a delight to work with. She is immensely bright and has great attention to detail.’
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Michael Watkins
‘Mike is truly one of the stars of his generation. An absolutely superb lawyer with terrific judgement, who immerses himself in the detail of cases and works super-hard.’
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