Simon Rainey QC is one of the best-known and most highly regarded practitioners at the Commercial Bar with a high reputation for his intellect, advocacy skills, commercial pragmatism and commitment to client care. He has established a broad commercial advisory and advocacy practice spanning substantial commercial contractual disputes, international trade and commodities, shipping and maritime law in all its aspects, energy and natural resources and insurance and reinsurance. He appears mainly in the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal and has extensive experience of arbitration, regularly appearing before all of the main domestic and international arbitral bodies and trade associations. He particularly relishes complicated legal disputes and also cross-examination, especially in cases involving heavy expert evidence, of both technical disciplines and foreign law. He is well-known as a cheerful and easy to work with team player who rolls his sleeves up in long and complex trials and arbitrations. He is frequently appointed as arbitrator (LCIA, ICC, LMAA and ad hoc, sitting both sole and as co-arbitrator) and has given expert evidence of English law to courts in several countries. He also sits as a Recorder in the Crown Court and as a Deputy High Court Judge. He has been cited for many years as a Leading Silk in the areas of shipping, commodities, commercial litigation and dispute resolution, international arbitration, energy and natural resources, and insurance and reinsurance by Chambers & Partners and/or The Legal 500.

Qualified 1982; Lincoln’s Inn; QC 2000; appointed Recorder of Crown Court 2000 and Civil Court 2004; appointed Deputy High Court Judge 2008. Publications: numerous - see website.

Supporting Member of London Maritime Arbitrators Association (since 1998); Visiting Fellow of Institute of International Trade and Shipping Law, University of Swansea (2010); Honorary Professor in the College of Business, Economics and Law, University of Swansea (2013); Panel Member of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (2012); Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2013).