Twenty Essex is an outstanding commercial set with a strong reputation in complex, high-value cases, particularly in shipping and commodities. In addition to a range of notable silks, the set's juniors include Monica Feria-Tinta, who acted for The Centre for Strategic Litigation in a case before the East African Court of Justice against the States of Uganda and Tanzania, challenging the construction of a $3.5bn pipeline on the grounds that it has dangerous transboundary effects, and violates human rights and environmental laws. In Socar Trading Middle East DMCC v Petrocas Energy SA, Malcolm Jarvis is defending a downstream claim for damages following termination of long-term contract for supply of ultra-low-sulphur diesel oil.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks are very responsive and helpful. I have worked in particular with Alicia Tester who has been very easy to work with.'
- 'I enjoy working with the clerks; they respond rapidly, offer options, and are commercial in terms of timing cost where needed.'
- 'Twenty Essex is generally professional and we can often find someone who fits our requirements from the set, at least for initial consideration.'
- 'Twenty Essex is an excellent set, for commercial arbitration and energy disputes generally. They provided us with roundtable training on the energy transition which was informative, thought-provoking and practical.'
- 'They offer excellence across the board in the work that I do, comprising commodities and the related fields of trade finance disputes, fraud, shipping and documentary credits. They have built-out their junior ranks admirably, too.'
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.
David Lewis KC
‘David is extremely clear in communicating complex legal opinions and, importantly, has a good grasp of clients’ commercial considerations. He is a great advocate, being calm under pressure.’
Charles Kimmins KC
Duncan Matthews KC
Wendy Miles KC
Timothy Hill KC
‘He is very hands on in terms of drafting and also very good, and assertive, in his advocacy skills as well as in cross-examination of witnesses.’
Gordon Nardell KC
Philip Riches KC
‘Philip is a well-respected and excellent silk. He is bright, approachable, hardworking, and is able to read the court well.’
Andrew Fulton 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.
Andrew Feld
‘Andy is a standout junior – razor-sharp intelligence with excellent advocacy skills. He is very clever, analytical, thorough, efficient and a pleasure to work with.’
Monica Feria-Tinta
Malcolm Jarvis
Manuel Casas
‘Manuel can digest very complex facts and simplify them in very persuasive fashion. His writing skills are unmatched, and he is very responsive.'