Insurance and reinsurance

Essex Court Chambers

Members of Essex Court Chambers continue to act in well-known insurance market disputes, including the Covid-19 business interruption cases, among others. Jeffrey Gruder KC is involved in Corbin and King v AXA Insurance, a Covid-19 test case where the High Court decided that these covers did not provide cover to policyholders in respect of business interruption loss caused by lockdowns. John Lockey KC, David Walsh and Helen Morton have also been involved in the Russian aviation litigation, a series of multibillion dollar insurance claims brought by international lessors and leased to Russian airlines when the Russian state effectively expropriated them after its invasion of Ukraine. Further to this, members have also been involved in a number of political risks and trade credit disputes both domestically and cross-border. David Peters KC was appointed as a silk earlier in 2024, while Paul Stanley KC and Mubarak Waseem are further key names from the set.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Profile: essexcourt.com

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Essex Court is indisputably one of the heavyweight sets of the commercial bar.'
'Great set with good strength in depth.'

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

John Lockey KC

2

David Scorey KC

'David is very much a team player, equally strong on paper and on his feet.'

3

Jeffrey Gruder KC

Jeffrey is the consummate professional. He lives and breathes these Covid-19 claims. There is no-one who could be rated more highly in this arena.’

3

Mark Templeman KC

Careful, meticulous and charming.'

4

Jeremy Brier KC

‘Jeremy is incredibly responsive and keeps the team up to date on his availability. When he promises something on a certain timeframe you will receive it - without fail. His drafting is powerful and persuasive. He prepares for cases extremely carefully and takes time to think through complex legal issues. He is always a pleasure to deal with.'

4

Philippa Hopkins KC

Philippa has always impressed with her ability to make the complex seem straight forward. She is meticulous, thoughtful, and always gives sensible, commercially astute advice.'

4

Paul Stanley KC

Paul is astonishingly quick to get to the heart of the issues. Refreshing economy and effectiveness in oral and written advocacy. And critically tells it like it is, always courteously.'

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

David Peters KC

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

David Walsh KC

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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.