Stephen Atherton KC
‘Stephen has a very detailed, oriented approach to the evidence and is able to turn very difficult to win cases into winnable ones. His ability to read the room is unquestionable.’
Praised as ‘particularly strong in cross-border disputes across a broad spectrum’, Twenty Essex handles commercial litigation for high-net-worth individuals, private banks, and funds. Stephen Atherton KC is acting as sole counsel for Evenstar in an $800m Cayman shareholder dispute concerning Fang Holdings, while Andrew Ayres KC’s caseload includes representing GP8 in $450m litigation involving fraud, insolvency, and private equity fund structures. Blair Leahy KC recently defended a Cayman liquidator in proprietary claims over Taiwanese funds, while Paul Lowenstein KC is acting in an $825m BVI dispute to protect security tied to Taiwan’s A7 skyscraper project. Recently, Tony Beswetherick KC secured a $120m Cayman winding-up order, with the court confirming that arbitration clauses do not bar judicial scrutiny of petitions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are very responsive and helpful.'
- 'We have been very pleased with the service we have received from the clerks in these chambers, with Christopher Theobald in particular deserving special mention for his responsiveness and user-friendly service.'
- 'Chris Theobald is one of the best senior clerks around. He understands the role of Counsel and the needs of instructing attorneys.'
- 'Great team of clerks. Very responsive.'
- 'Great chambers, exceptionally strong in fraud and asset recovery, insolvency, and crypto.'
- 'The set has great bench strength, with its barristers being commercially minded, a pleasure to work with, and particularly strong in cross-border disputes across a broad spectrum.'
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.
Andrew Ayres KC
‘Andrew is a wonderful advocate, calm, straight to the point, and incredibly persuasive. He is everything one looks for in leading counsel: creative, technical, intelligent, and works brilliantly with the team.’
Tony Beswetherick KC
Paul Lowenstein KC
‘Paul is very sharp, a great team player, and easy to work with. He has deep subject matter expertise and experience. Absolutely top notch.'
Duncan Matthews 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.
Leading associates
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.
