Simon Croall KC
'Simon is an excellent communicator and very user-friendly in terms of making himself available at inopportune times.'
Quadrant Chambers remains the leading set for shipping matters, with formidable bench strength across silks and juniors, handling the full range of wet and dry shipping disputes. Guy Blackwood KC successfully represented the shipowners in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV, marking the first detailed Supreme Court ruling on the incorporation of non-jurisdiction clauses into bills of lading, in a case in the wake of a general average claim by shipowners who paid a ransom to Somali pirates. Another significant Supreme Court case, Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV, saw Chirag Karia KC leading Ben Gardner, with the court affirming the ‘principle of mitigation’ as a fundamental tenet of the English law of damages. Unled, Saira Paruk represents the owners of the Asia Ruby III in a claim against the Ever Given limitation fund; after the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, the Asia Ruby III suffered damage to avoid running into the back of another vessel. Andrew Stevens joined from 4 Pump Court in September 2025, having appeared in Amyr Trading v Eternus Group, successfully obtaining the discharge of an ex parte injunction preventing the sale of a cargo of Venezuelan oil products.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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.
Nigel Jacobs KC
Luke Parsons KC
‘He is extremely clever and quickly gets to the heart of legally and factually complex cases.’
Simon Rainey KC
‘Simon is a brain. His approach though is one of practical and commercial experience, applying the law at every step.’
Robert Thomas KC
‘Excellent advocate and brilliant under pressure. A real street fighter.‘
Poonam Melwani KC
‘Poonam is a force of nature. Her presence, authority and stature is intimidating and reassuring in equal measure.’
John Russell KC
‘ Insightful and succinct in his written advice and oral submissions and always commercial in his approach, he has a gift for getting the judge on his side from the outset of a hearing. ’
Guy Blackwood KC
Stewart Buckingham KC
Chirag Karia KC
‘ His key strengths are numerous and consistently recognised: he possesses a formidable intellect and a deep, sophisticated understanding of the law, capable of unravelling the most complex technical and legal issues with remarkable speed and clarity. ’
John Passmore KC
‘John is a very skilled advocate, providing carefully crafted oral submissions and also with the ability to readjust and think on his feet.’
Christopher Smith KC
John Kimbell KC
Yash Kulkarni KC
‘ Calm and measured on his feet and a shrewd tactician, he is much liked and respected by courts and tribunals and gets them on his side quickly. ’
Thomas Macey-Dare KC
Michael Nolan KC
‘ Good humoured approach and immensely capable in analysing complex legal disputes.
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Nichola Warrender KC
‘ Able to quickly identify the issues. Excellent drafting.’
Matthew Reeve 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.
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.
Benjamin Coffer
Tom Bird
‘Tom's advice is concise and straight to the point — an invaluable quality when swift and confident decision-making is required. ’
Paul Henton
‘A brilliant senior junior who is user-friendly and exceptional when it comes to the detail. ’
Ruth Hosking
'Unflappable. Handles difficult witnesses adroitly and with calm authority. Succinct in her presentation of the facts and marshals legal arguments with great dexterity.'
Andrew Leung
‘Andrew is very assured on his feet for a junior with an excellent grasp of the law, which allows him to be nimble during the hearing. ’
Nevil Phillips
‘Nevil remains positive and upbeat, no matter how difficult the dispute may be. He is very patient and open-minded. ’
Caroline Pounds
‘Caroline is very sharp and takes a forensic approach to cases, while being approachable and willing to listen to ideas from the solicitors.’
Mark Stiggelbout
Highly intelligent but also extremely approachable and open to discussion. His written work is excellent and he is also an effective oral advocate. ’
James Shirley
‘He is a safe pair of hands – trusted, respected and a pleasure to work with. His advocacy skills should be praised more, as he has a strong command of the courtroom, and he is impactful without being overly aggressive – a successful combination.’
Koye Akoni
‘He is very easy to work with and is able to set out quite a complex case in very simple and easy to understand terms. ’
Ben Gardner
‘Extremely clever, responsive and hard-working. Someone you want on your side for tricky cases.’
Natalie Moore
‘She is extremely bright, quick thinking and very detailed. She really does go the extra mile, and her clients are indebted to her for all her hard work and remarkable service.’
Gemma Morgan
‘Calm and persuasive advocate, quality cross examiner, provides good strategic advice.’
Peter Stevenson
‘Peter is a first-class advocate with excellent technical legal and analytical skills. Peter is also a skilled strategist and trusted advisor. ’
Andrew Stevens
‘His advocacy skills are very good, and his oral submissions as well as his cross-examination are particularly impressive.’
Max Davidson
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Christopher Jay
He knows the market, pitches his arguments well and is savvy and charming.’
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Michael Proctor
‘Michael has gone from strength to strength. His written submissions are excellent, very persuasive, and he has a particular skill for turning the facts and legal principles to his advantage. ’
Stephanie Barrett
Jamie Hamblen
Benjamin Joseph
‘Benjamin provides clear advocacy and his written work is also strong.’
Tom Nixon
‘Tom is incredibly bright, intelligent and has excellent attention to detail.’
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Craig Williams
‘Craig has a very sharp mind, and his drafting of pleadings and documents is top drawer.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Maya Chilaeva
‘Maya is meticulous, thorough, and thoughtful. She has a keen eye for detail and is responsive, friendly and helpful.’
Celine Honey
‘She punches far above her weight in terms of technical ability and has an impressive quiet confidence.’
William Mitchell
‘William is very user-friendly, and has a very good grasp of the issues.’
Lydia Myers
‘Lydia is a very good advocate and solicitors appreciate her user-friendliness.’
Joseph Gourgey
‘He consistently provides exceptional legal insight, strategic advice, and first-class advocacy, making him a trusted and highly regarded extension to the solicitor team.’