Twenty Essex is described as “very user-friendly,” particularly in commercial shipping matters, where its barristers frequently act in high-profile international disputes. A standout case is Angeliki Frangou v John Frangos, where Timothy Hill KC and Andrew Feld are acting against Oliver Caplin KC, who leads Patrick Dunn-Walsh in a dispute between two members of a Greek shipping dynasty concerning loss-pooling arrangements among a group of vessels. In Briety Shipping Inc v Trafigura Maritime Logistics Pte Ltd, a dispute concerning a hire adjustment mechanism after the spike of LNG prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Michael Ashcroft KC and Daniel Bovensiepen act for the claimant, opposing Philip Edey KC and Michal Hain. Julian Kenny KC and Hain also appeared in the Supreme Court in the litigation concerning the MSC Flaminia, a container ship which exploded in the mid-Atlantic, killing three crew members and causing extensive damage to the vessel and its cargo.
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Profile
Work Department
Arbitration and mediation; Banking and finance; Civil fraud; Commercial law; Insurance and reinsurance; Private international law; Shipping
Position
Oliver has a broad commercial practice which particularly focuses on international trade, jurisdiction, IP/IT, and dry-shipping disputes (including ship construction). He is ranked as a leading junior in a number of practice areas by Chambers & Partners (UK Bar), The Legal 500 (UK Bar, Asia Pacific) and Who’s Who Legal. He was nominated for Shipping Junior of the Year in 2021 by Chambers & Partners and for Shipping and Commodities Junior of the Year by The Legal 500 in 2022.
His commercial work spans a number of different sectors, including up and downstream oil and gas, energy, pharmaceuticals, telecoms and IT, and sports. Many of his cases involve jurisdictional or other conflicts of laws issues. Oliver has developed particular experience in the area of anti-suit injunctive relief.
Oliver has a broad marine and non-marine insurance practice, including reinsurance. He is the co-author of Miller’s Marine War Risks (4th Ed, Informa).
He appears frequently in the Commercial Court, both as sole counsel and as a junior to a QC. Oliver has also appeared a number of times in the Court of Appeal. He regularly represents clients in arbitral proceedings (both in London and Singapore) before the LMAA, LCIA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, GAFTA and FOSFA, as well as related arbitration applications in the Commercial Court.
Before coming to the Bar, Oliver trained and practised as a medical doctor. As a result, he has a particular interest in commercial litigation falling within the life sciences and technology industries. His scientific training also assists more generally with technical disputes involving issues of (bio)chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Languages
Italian (conversational)
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are consistently practical, approachable, and highly responsive. I work most often with Chris Theobald and Arron Zitver, both of whom are a genuine pleasure to deal with.'
- 'Historically, this set has produced very good pupils and juniors.'
- 'Twenty Essex are strong chambers when it comes to dry shipping litigation, and one of our preferred sets for this type of work.'
- 'The clerks at Twenty Essex have been a pleasure to deal with over the years. They’re straightforward, reliable, and always quick to respond – no fuss, just very capable.'
- 'The clerks turn around requests very quickly.'
- 'Twenty Essex is an excellent set.'
- 'Very user-friendly. Very strong barristers.'
- "One of the leading shipping sets."