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 for complex disputes, one of the go-to sets in London.'
'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 Grabiner KC

Alain Choo Choy KC

‘In a profession of extremely clever people, Alain stands out as one of the most brilliant. He is an exceptionally impressive advocate and Commercial Court judges clearly listen to him and find his submissions reliable.’

Sa’ad Hossain KC

‘Sa’ad is a very nice guy, a great advocate, and has good judgement.’

Jeffery Onions KC

‘Jeffery exudes a calmness reflecting his well-deserved senior status at the top end of the commercial bar. Jeffery is excellent with clients, keeping them focused on the real issues at hand.’

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

‘An outstanding barrister with deep specialisation in the energy sector. Brilliant client-handling skills, and meticulous attention to detail when preparing cross-examination.’

Thomas Sharpe KC

'He is particularly good at seeing the bigger picture and making a complex story digestible for the court, and presents complex matters in a simple way so it appeals to a judge.'

Conall Patton KC

‘Conall has an outstanding intellect and a highly persuasive advocacy style. He is a team player with a good sense of humour.’

Laurence Emmett KC

‘Approachable and easy to work with, very well prepared for hearings, he provides great written work, really thinks through the critical issues in the case, and is great on his feet.’

Orlando Gledhill KC

'Orlando is smart, well prepared and thorough in his analysis. He is very thoughtful on calls and client-friendly in the way he breaks the matter down and takes it in stages.'

2024 Silks

Nicholas Sloboda KC

‘He is amongst the first pick of people when you are building a team for a case that really matters. Also, completely charming and funny and so will make everyone’s participation more pleasurable.’ \n

2025 Silks

Niranjan Venkatesan KC

'One of the next generation of super-silks in the energy sector. One of the outstanding lawyers of his generation.’

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.