‘A go-to set for any international matter’, Twenty Essex’s public international law expertise covers disputes between states, non-state actors, major investors, and global commercial bodies in an array of international courts and tribunals. Daniel Bethlehem KC has continued long-term involvement on behalf of Pakistan in a dispute with India concerning the Indus Waters Treaty dispute, with a recent full hearing on merits in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and Sudhanshu Swaroop KC, praised for his ‘top notch attention to detail, precision and concision’, acted for India in Devas Mauritius Ltd & Ors v Republic of India, challenging the enforcement of a major international investment treaty in English courts. The ’highly authoritative’ Kate Parlett has expertise in investment treaty arbitration, and acted on behalf of investors in the Court of Appeal in The Czech Republic v Diag Human SE and Stava, concerning an investment treaty arbitral award of over $730 million.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Mentions
Profile
Work Department
Arbitration; Commodities and international trade; Energy and infrastructure; Public international law
Position
Kate specialises in public international law and international arbitration. Her practice covers the full range of public international law including land and maritime boundaries, law of the sea, state responsibility, treaty obligations, immunities, the use of force, international humanitarian law, international trade law, human rights, environmental law and sanctions. She also represents states and investors in investment treaty arbitrations, including under the ICSID and UNCITRAL rules.
Kate has extensive experience as an advocate before international tribunals and domestic courts. Kate has been instructed and appeared before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in disputes concerning land and maritime boundaries, transboundary environmental harm, and treaty and other international obligations. She has also been instructed in several cases before the European Court of Human Rights. She has recently appeared before the English courts in numerous leading cases involving diplomatic immunity, head of government immunity, and Foreign Act of State.
She also sits as arbitrator in international commercial disputes across a range of sectors and institutional rules. Kate holds Australian nationality only.
Kate is recommended as a leading junior for public international law in the legal directories. She has been most recently described as having a ‘first rate intellect, very well-organised mind, very diligent and able to get on with whatever the task – including complex factual and expert issues.’
Kate has taught public international law, international investment and commercial arbitration, and international human rights law at the universities of Cambridge, Paris-II (Panthéon-Assas), Queen Mary (University of London), Queen’s University (Canada), Queensland and at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.
Languages
French (conversational)
Content supplied by Twenty Essex
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Super efficient and top-notch clerking team.'
- 'Very professional and courteous, in particular Anthony Carrol.'
- 'The clerks are responsive and a pleasure to deal with. Very user friendly.'
- 'The clerks room have always been good to deal with - efficient and well organised.'
- 'They are an excellent chambers. Consistently impressive across all of the barristers and clerks.'
- 'Twenty Essex are one of the top sets in public international law and has strength across all levels.'
- 'Twenty Essex offers a deep bench of Counsel in the PIL space and so provides an excellent offering of talent to draw on.'
- 'A go-to set for any international matter.'