Albert’s practice in London and Singapore focuses on arbitral proceedings and advice and appearance work in cases that raise private international law issues. He has a DPhil (the University of Oxford equivalent of a PhD) in that area. He has also been involved, usually as counsel, in numerous international arbitrations in the Asia-Pacific region, most notably in Singapore and Hong Kong. Albert has particular experience in maritime and mining disputes, and also acts as an arbitrator. Albert was educated in Australia, where he maintains chambers. He has been engaged as Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. The commission was established by the Australian government in December 2017 and its final report was submitted on 1 February 2019. Following his appointment, The Australian stated in February 2018: “Jet-setting Melbourne barrister Albert Dinelli brings an impressive professional curriculum vitae to his new role as Counsel Assisting Banking Royal Commissioner Kenneth Hayne.” https://www.twentyessex.com/people/albert-dinelli/
Twenty Essex
20essexst.com 20essexst.comBarristers
Alex specialises in a broad range of commercial matters, including banking and finance, regulation, energy, fraud, shipping, commodities and construction. He is regularly instructed (either led or as sole counsel) in matters in the Commercial Court, the Chancery Division and arbitration. Alex also appears in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. Alex has spent time at an international bank in London and a defence club in Oslo. Alex holds degrees from the University of Cambridge (Law, Double First) and the University of Oxford (BCL, Distinction). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/alex-carless/
Alexander practises across a broad range of areas in commercial and international law. He is well known for his work as a specialist junior acting in complex cases in private international law, jurisdictional immunity, and sanctions. In his commercial work, Alexander keeps a wide practice. He acts in general commercial disputes, fraud, maritime law and international trade, insurance (in particular P&I Club and marine insurance), aviation, joint ventures, and company and insolvency disputes. Alexander is listed as a “Rising Star” for shipping in The Legal 500 directories. He appears in international arbitrations including under ICC and LCIA Rules and has been instructed in cases at all levels of the judicial hierarchy, including the High Court (Commercial Court and Chancery Division), Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Court of Justice of the European Union. Increasingly Alexander is developing a practice in cross-border IP disputes involving difficult questions of conflict of laws in copyright, patent and related claims in the Intellectual Property List. Alexander is an adept linguist and has extensive experience working with underlying documentation in French, Spanish and Italian. He has particular experience of working with Spanish and Latin American clients, as well as with teams of foreign lawyers and experts in issues of foreign law. Together with Professor Andrew Dickinson (Oxford University), Alexander is the author of The State Immunity Act 1978 (OUP, forthcoming), a new edition based on one of the leading texts in the law of jurisdictional immunities. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/alexander-thompson/
Alex is a specialist in private international law. His practice consists almost entirely of cross-border disputes over a wide range of commercial and other matters, including aspects of public international law and state immunity. His practice is mainly in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division of the High Court, as well as appellate work and arbitration. Alex has been admitted ad hoc to the Bars of Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. He also sits as an arbitrator in international commercial arbitrations both in the UK and abroad. Alex has given expert evidence on English and European law for proceedings in Europe, Russia, Canada, Latin America and the US. He has also lectured on topics of European and international law in Britain, Europe and the US. Alex was a Visiting Fellow of New York University’s Center for Transnational Litigation and Commercial Law in 2011 and 2018. He is currently a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, teaching private international law. Alex is also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Journal of Private International Law and Oxford University’s Institute of European and Comparative Law. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1998 and a Recorder in 2000, sitting in both civil and criminal jurisdictions. Alex is also a Deputy High Court Judge. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/alexander-layton/
Alex is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ core practice areas, including commercial litigation, international arbitration, as well as public and private international law disputes. Before joining chambers, Alex qualified as an advocate in Cyprus, working on human rights claims before the ECtHR during his traineeship. He undertook a Blue Book Traineeship at the Contract Law Unit of the DG for Justice and Consumers (European Commission). Alex assisted the unit’s work in developing policies to remove private law obstacles for the use of smart contracts and in monitoring the implementation of the Digital Content Directive and the Sale of Goods Directive. He has also interned at the DG for Human Rights (Council of Europe). Alex has completed his two-year military service in the Cypriot National Guard as a cadet officer and was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant by the end of his service. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/alexandros-demetriades/
Alistair Wooder is a barrister practising in commercial litigation and arbitration with particular emphasis on shipping and commodities. He also has experience of high-value commercial fraud litigation. Alistair has appeared in the Court of Appeal and High Court. He has acted in arbitrations under most major arbitral rules, with particular experience of LMAA arbitration. Alistair has experience of a wide range of issues commonly arising in shipping and commodities disputes, including repudiation, off-hire, demurrage, cargo claims, damage to vessel, misdelivery and claims against bill-holders. In more general commercial litigation, highlights include: Defending US$250m enforcement proceedings in Deutsche Bank v Sebastian Holdings (England, Turks & Caicos Islands and Connecticut). Acting for former CEO of Lloyds Bank in his successful claim for his share scheme award. Alistair holds a first-class law degree and LLM from Cambridge. He was the top-ranked student in his year in Bar exams. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/alistair-wooder/
Andrew has extensive international commercial litigation and arbitration experience. His practice focuses on cybersecurity fraud, banking, shipbuilding, shipping, energy, insurance and sport. He is often instructed to appear both as junior counsel in complex, multi-jurisdictional, high-value cases and as sole counsel in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division and in arbitration. Andrew is instructed in a number of high-value international fraud claims across a range of contexts including conspiracy, misappropriated funds by a director and transactions defrauding creditors within s. 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986. He acted for the tenth defendant in a US$300m fraud concerning forged warehouse receipts in the context of commodities repurchasing agreements in Hong Kong and Singapore (led by David Lewis QC) which proceeded to a five-week trial in the autumn of 2021: E,D & F Man Capital Markets Limited v Come Harvest Limited & others [2022] EWHC 229 (Comm). They appeared in the Court of Appeal in this case on the application of the res inter alios acta principle: [2022] EWCA Civ 1704. During this case, they appeared in a jurisdiction challenge in the High Court, [2019] EWHC 1661 (Comm), [2019] I.L.Pr. 40, and the Court of Appeal, [2019] EWCA Civ 2073, concerning the role of multiplicity of proceedings in a Part 11 challenge. Further, Andrew acted as junior counsel to Philip Edey QC in Suppipat v Narongdej, which concerned a US$2 billion fraud relating to shares in a Thai wind farm and is cited in The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2022. Andrew also acts regularly as sole counsel. He recently appeared in a complex limitation case requiring a full day of cross-examination in the High Court, Giddens v Frost [2022] EWHC 1022 (Comm). Further, he appeared as sole counsel in Tonstate Group Limited v Wojakovski [2021] EWHC 1122 (Ch) in which he successfully argued that money held on account by solicitors were not ‘assets’ of the respondent to a freezing injunction and obtained indemnity costs, [2021] EWHC 1995 (Ch). Previously, Andrew appeared as sole counsel in Schenker Ltd v Negocios Europa Ltd [2018] 1 WLR 718; [2017] EWHC 2921 (QB) where he successfully extended the law so that the freight rule applies to airfreight. Andrew is also acting in a complex, nine-figure derivative action claim concerning the stripping of company assets by a director (led by Philip Riches KC) and an eight-figure international conspiracy claim concerning the Steinhoff Group (led by Andrew Ayres KC). Andrew has experience of large-scale, complex arbitrations having acted in 11 inter-linked shipbuilding arbitrations (led by Duncan Matthews QC and Josephine Davies). Andrew was also part of a further Counsel team in the same dispute that successfully defended a s. 69 application in Jiangsu Guoxin Corporation Ltd (formerly known as Sainty Marine Corporation Ltd v Precious Shipping Public Co. Ltd [2021] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 413, [2020] EWHC 1030 (Comm), in which Butcher J held that the prevention principle did not apply to the amended SAJ Form. He regularly publishes articles for the New Law Journal (NLJ), the Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), the European Business Law Review and the Lloyd’s Maritime & Commercial Law Quarterly. He also sat on the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR) Brexit Working Groups, which published papers on the impact of Brexit on private international law and on international arbitration.
Andrew has an eclectic practice encompassing the full spectrum of commercial litigation, with particular specialisms in private international law, civil fraud, and shipping international trade. His recent caseload covers an unusually broad range of practice areas – from marine insurance to privacy injunctions – including energy and natural resources, banking and finance, tech and IP, and insolvency and restructuring. Andrew has appeared recently in the large-scale litigation in Deutsche Bank v Sebastian Holdings and Sabbagh v Khoury. He also has extensive experience of cases involving jurisdictional and conflicts of laws issues, including anti-suit injunctions, cross-border insolvency cases, and disputes involving the interaction between courts and arbitral tribunals. Before coming to the Bar, Andrew worked for several years as a competition and regulatory economist. He enjoys bringing his fluency with numerical data and analysis to his commercial cases. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/andrew-feld/
Andrew has a broad and busy practice. He advises and appears in a range of high-value financial and commercial disputes, often with an international dimension. He acted for the “Guaidó Board” of the Central Bank of Venezuela in its high-profile battle with the Maduro regime for control of billions of dollars’ worth of assets in London, appeared in expedited hearings in the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. A large proportion of his other work in recent years has involved major fraud litigation and asset recovery exercises. He also has particular experience in capital markets and investment banking disputes, derivatives and structured products. Andrew has experience of contractual disputes across a wide range of industry sectors. These include construction and offshore drilling arbitrations, telecommunications, mining, and motor racing. He appeared as sole counsel in a leading Court of Appeal decision on Norwich Pharmacal relief. Before joining Twenty Essex, Andrew worked as an in-house advocate in several major law firms, most recently in the London office of US litigation specialists Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Andrew was admitted as a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2003 and to the Bar of the East Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands in 2015. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/andrew-fulton/
Andrew has an established commercial disputes practice, with a core of trial advocacy before courts and tribunals across the globe. He has strong multi-jurisdictional connections, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, the Caribbean and within the wider offshore community. He has been recommended in the legal directories in the following areas: commercial litigation, banking & finance, civil fraud, company & partnership and commercial chancery. Andrew also specialises in urgent injunctive relief, including freezing, search orders and the appointment of provisional liquidators. Andrew appears before all courts and tribunals in England and Wales, including the courts and lists of the Business and Property Courts, including the Commercial and Admiralty Courts, Circuit Commercial Courts, the Technology and Construction Court, the Financial List, and the Company and Insolvency List, together with the balance of the Queen’s Bench Division, the Administrative Court and the higher Appellate Courts. Andrew also appears as Counsel at international and domestic arbitrations (including LCIA, ICC, SIAC, DIAC, ICSID, under UNCITRAL rules and ad hoc). Andrew takes appointments as arbitrator. Andrew has a breadth of expertise across a range of sectors and services, including aviation, banking and finance, construction and engineering, energy and natural resources, fraud and asset tracing, international trade, joint ventures, professional liability and risk, structured products and derivatives and TMT. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/andrew-ayres/
Angharad specialises in advisory and advocacy work in a wide range of commercial and private international law disputes concerning litigation and arbitration (both domestic and international). Her practice focuses on projects and heavy industry, sale of goods, commodities, energy and natural resources, offshore, carriage of goods, shipping and conflicts of laws. Angharad works with public international law issues arising in a commercial context. She also has expertise in topical matters relating to international trade and commercial work, including export bans, frustration and force majeure arguments arising out of volatile political situations, and sanctions issues. Angharad regularly undertakes work in respect of relief such as freezing orders, anti-suit injunctions, strike-out applications, security for costs and enforcement of foreign judgments. She has represented clients in numerous LMAA arbitrations. In addition, Angharad frequently acts in arbitrations before other arbitral bodies, including ICC, LCIA and CIArb. She regularly undertakes advisory work in relation to trade arbitrations (GAFTA, FOSFA etc.). Angharad also accepts arbitral appointments. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/angharad-parry/
Belinda has developed a busy and wide-ranging practice, focusing on public international law, civil fraud and complex contract disputes, jurisdiction challenges (including relating to Brexit), and all aspects of international arbitration (including enforcement and challenges to awards in London-seated arbitrations). Since she joined Chambers in 2015, she has appeared in the Supreme Court (five times), the Court of Appeal (including as sole counsel), the High Court (Commercial Court, Chancery Division, Administrative Court and Family Division), and before arbitral tribunals under a variety of rules (UNCITRAL, ICSID, LCIA, ICC, and LMAA). She also sits as arbitrator, having been appointed as sole or wing arbitrator on 7 separate occasions. She has also been appointed to the Attorney General’s Civil and Public International Law Panels. Belinda has appeared in several high-profile cases, the subject matter of which attest to the diversity of her practice. These include acting on behalf of a group of lenders in linked Commercial Court anti-suit and arbitration proceedings (Africa Finance v Aiteo [2022] EWHC 768 (Comm)); on behalf of the Foreign Secretary in the Venezuela Gold case before the Supreme Court (Guaidó Board v Maduro Board [2022] 2 WLR 167); on behalf of Ukraine in the Ukraine v Russia application before the European Court of Human Rights arising out of the Russian invasion; on behalf of a defendant in the large-scale fraud claim in Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait v Al Rajaan before the Commercial Court (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2020); on behalf of the United States in inter-State cases before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal and the International Court of Justice; and in a rare shipping case before the Supreme Court (The Global Santosh [2016] 1 WLR 1853). Belinda is described as ‘absolutely exceptional’, a ‘fabulous oral advocate’ and a ‘go-to junior’ by the legal directories, in which she is ranked across the fields of commercial litigation, public international law and international arbitration. In 2022, she was the winner of ‘International Arbitration Junior of the Year’ at The Legal 500 Bar awards. She was also included as one of The Legal 500 Top 10 barristers under 8 years’ call in commercial litigation for two years. Before joining Chambers, Belinda was an Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. She brings a modern, practical and team-oriented approach to her work as a result. Belinda has also worked in international courts and tribunals in Cambodia, Tanzania and Australia, including as an associate to the Hon. Justice Dyson Heydon AC, at Australia’s highest court. She is a graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Queensland. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/belinda-mcrae/
Sir Bernard retired in 2013 as a Lord Justice of Appeal with 20 years’ experience in the Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal. Since 2013 he has accepted appointments as an arbitrator and mediator in a wide variety of settings, including oil and gas, shipping, insurance, sale of goods, and share purchase transactions. He has acted as an expert witness, mock arbitrator and special master in the US federal courts. He has experience of arbitrations under the rules of, amongst others, the LCIA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, JCAA and LMAA as well as ad-hoc. Sir Bernard has conducted virtual arbitration hearings including taking witness and expert evidence remotely. He is an International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court and a member of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. He is also Professor of International Commercial Law at The Centre of Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London. As a barrister, Sir Bernard practised in commercial chambers at 3 Essex Court (now Twenty Essex). He specialised in international commercial and arbitral disputes (as both barrister and arbitrator) and also appeared in the courts of Singapore and Hong Kong. He was Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association in 1992–1993. In 1993 Sir Bernard was appointed to the High Court and sat predominantly in the Commercial Court, of which he was judge in charge from 1998 to 1999. In that period, he was responsible for introducing to the Commercial Court the Woolf Reforms to civil procedure law (the Civil Procedure Rules) and redrafting the Commercial Court’s Guide and Practice Directions. In 2000 Sir Bernard was appointed to the Court of Appeal where he delivered a wide range of judgments on arbitration, aviation, banking, insurance and reinsurance, private and public international law, oil and gas, sale of goods and shipping disputes. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/bernard-rix/
Blair has a broad commercial practice with an emphasis on complex multi-jurisdictional fraud claims and disputes with technical insolvency or company law aspects. She is ranked across all her main practice areas in the latest editions of Chambers UK Bar and The Legal 500, and prior to taking silk, won Insolvency Junior of the Year at The Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2019. She is described in the directories as “all-round excellent” and receives particular praise for her court room skills (“her advocacy is on another level”) and “amazingly good judgment”. Blair advises and represents clients in both domestic and international court and arbitration proceedings. Her overseas practice includes Cayman, BVI, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Isle of Man and Dubai. Although she has a busy advisory practice, Blair is above all a litigator. She has extensive trial and cross-examination experience and is also experienced in obtaining and resisting applications for pre-emptive and interlocutory relief, including freezing and disclosure orders and the appointment of provisional liquidators. Blair also accepts appointments as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/blair-leahy/
Brendan has a broad practice covering all aspects of public international law and commercial arbitration. Brendan has advised states, NGOs and private entities on a wide range of issues, including territorial sovereignty and land boundaries, maritime delimitation and the law of the sea, international environmental law, international investment protection, the law of treaties, human rights, refugee law, and international cultural heritage law. He also has experience in commercial arbitration. Brendan has acted in cases before a variety of international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights, the UN Committee Against Torture, and the East African Court of Justice. He has also acted in cases before national courts, including the UK Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia. Brendan was previously an Academic Research Panelist at Blackstone Chambers (2015–2021), where he assisted on questions concerning human rights and refugee law, media law, privacy and data protection, and he has practiced at major law firms in Sydney and London, including Allens Arthur Robinson (now Allens Linklaters) and Latham & Watkins. Alongside his legal practice, Brendan has enjoyed an extensive and far-reaching career in academia. At the University of Cambridge, he is Associate Professor at Downing College and a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, and was previously a Fellow of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. He is co-author of Evidence before the International Justice (2009, BIICL), and author of Effectiveness and the Adjudication of Territorial Disputes (2022, OUP). He teaches international law and contract law at the University of Cambridge, and has lectured on all aspects of public international law at universities around the world. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/brendan-plant/
Charles is co-Head of Chambers. Charles specialises in commercial law, and represents clients in both court and arbitration proceedings. His cases tend to be high value and complex, and often involve multiple sets of proceedings in several jurisdictions. He is recommended in a wide array of disciplines in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, including international arbitration, commercial dispute resolution, banking and financial, energy, insurance and reinsurance, shipping and commodities. Charles has represented clients in a wide variety of disputes before the Supreme Court, Privy Council, Court of Appeal and High Court. He has also appeared in many arbitrations under many different rules, including ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ARIAS, LMAA, GAFTA, FOSFA, IPE, RSA, LME and the City Disputes Panel. He has particular experience of appeals from awards under s.67, 68 and 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (a subject on which he regularly lectures). He also accepts appointments as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. Recent cases relating to arbitration include Tenke Fungurume Mining v Katanga [2021] EWHC 3301 (successfully resisting a s.68 application), STA v OFY [2021] EWHC 1574 (successfully resisting an application for an extension to time to challenge an award). Charles acted for the LCIA in the Supreme Court case Halliburton v Chubb [2021] AC 1093, dealing with issues of arbitrator bias. Charles was nominated for ‘International Arbitration Silk of the Year’ for both the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2019 and The Legal 500 UK Awards 2020. He has been involved in numerous cases involving banking and investment disputes, company law and financial services. He has particular experience in derivatives. He also has significant experience in disputes arising in the private equity sector. Between 2018 – 2020, much of his time was spent on a very substantial multi-billion dollar multi-jurisdictional private equity dispute, in which he appeared in numerous hearings in London, Hong Kong, Cayman and Nevis. He has appeared in numerous cases involving energy and natural resources, and has particular experience in the petroleum and natural gas industries. Likewise, he has acted in many insurance/reinsurance disputes, for both insured/reinsured and insurers/reinsurers, as well brokers. He has been involved in many leading cases in the fields of commodities and shipping, including shipbuilding disputes and disputes under MOAs. Charles also has extensive experience in civil fraud cases, including cases involving fraud in the banking and shipping sectors. He is instructed in applications for urgent relief arising out of fraud claims. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/charles-kimmins/
Charles’s 55-year career in the law has combined extensive practice at the bar with distinguished public service, both national and international. For nearly 40 years he has focused on public international law and international dispute resolution. As counsel or arbitrator he has handled cases on all six continents, principally under the rules of the ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, AAA, United Nations Compensation Commission, ICSID, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Insurance and Reinsurance Arbitration Society and LMAA. These cases have involved a wide variety of commercial disputes as well as issues of public international law, particularly involving the oil and gas sector, major infrastructural projects, expropriations, and other investment disputes, including ones arising under both bilateral and multilateral investment treaties. Charles started his career with White & Case LLP in New York, before serving for four years in the United States Department of State in Washington, DC, concluding as its Acting Legal Adviser. He then rejoined White & Case LLP, co-founding its Washington, DC office, where his practice came to be comprised almost exclusively of substantial international arbitrations. He has served continuously since 1983 as a judge of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, The Netherlands. That service was interrupted for some months in 1987 by White House service as Deputy Special Counsellor to President Reagan. Charles resumed partnership in White & Case LLP from 1988 until joining 20 Essex Street in 2001. Since 2014 he has also served as a Judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice. In 2015 Charles was only the fourth ever recipient of the Global Arbitration Review Lifetime Achievement Award. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/charles-brower/
Christopher has appeared before courts at all levels, including the High Court, Court of Appeal, House of Lords and Privy Council. Christopher is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is also an LMAA supporting member and sits regularly as a commercial arbitrator. He is a former Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR). Christopher was appointed as a Recorder in 2004 and a deputy High Court judge in 2008. He sits regularly as a judge of the Commercial Court. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/christopher-hancock/
Clare Ambrose is a full time arbitrator with wide ranging experience in commercial arbitration. She is a leading figure in maritime and commodities arbitration with an impressive commercial practice including in ICC, LCIA and SIAC arbitration. Before becoming a full-time arbitrator in 2017 she built up 25 years’ experience of commercial litigation as a barrister with particular expertise in international trade and energy. As arbitrator she has had over 300 appointments in international arbitrations, sitting as chair, sole and co-arbitrator. Appointments have been made under the rules of the LCIA, ICC, LMAA, SCMA, SIAC, SCC, the Swiss Arbitration Centre and UNCITRAL, and also on an ad hoc basis. Clare’s practice as an international arbitrator covers a wide field, which includes areas such as shipbuilding, offshore facilities, aviation, banking services, construction projects, distribution and licensing agreements, entertainment, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, competition law, professional negligence, share purchase agreements and joint ventures. She is a full member of the LMAA, Fellow of CIArb and a Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator, and was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018. She is a member of the ICC Commission and the UK ICC National Committee and is a coordinator on the current ICC Taskforce on issues of corruption in international arbitration. She frequently lectures on arbitration issues and is co-author of the leading textbook on shipping arbitration, London Maritime Arbitration (4th edn, Informa 2017). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/clare-ambrose/
Colleen is a recommended leading junior in both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. She specialises in commercial litigation with a particular focus on shipping, commodities and international arbitration. Colleen appears regularly before the Commercial Court and international arbitration tribunals in disputes involving complex commercial sale contracts, charterparty construction, cargo claims and jurisdictional issues. She has particular expertise in challenging arbitration awards under the Arbitration Act and in obtaining anti-suit injunctions. Colleen has also acted for some of the world’s largest commodity traders in sale of goods disputes and has specific expertise in oil and gas sale disputes. She has also advised in superyacht disputes. Early in her career, Colleen worked in-house at the Nordisk Shipowners’ Defence Club in Oslo and has a unique understanding of the day to-day legal issues arising for shipowners. She regularly advises and acts for a variety of shipowners’ defence clubs and is happy to accept direct instructions. In addition to her main commercial litigation practice, Colleen has expertise in UK and European competition law. From 2008 to 2009 she was the Principal Legal Adviser at Ofgem with responsibility for all competition law matters, as well as advising on public and regulatory law issues. As a Pegasus Scholar, Colleen worked in-house in the anti-trust department of the Washington DC office of Morgan Lewis Bockius LLP and as a Visiting Fellow on Capitol Hill during which she was seconded to the staff teams of a prominent US senator and well-known congressman. Colleen was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2017. She also has full rights of audience to appear before the AIFC, in Astana Kazakhstan. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/colleen-hanley/
Courtney has developed a broad practice in commercial litigation, international arbitration and public international law. Courtney is instructed on a broad spectrum of litigation in the English courts and in international arbitrations under a variety of institutional rules, and she regularly advises the UK Government on a range of public international law issues. Before joining Twenty Essex, Courtney qualified as a solicitor-advocate and worked at a leading Wall Street firm. Courtney was also an Assistant Legal Adviser at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, where she advised on urgent issues arising in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtney also served as a Judicial Assistant to Lord Hodge and Lord Lloyd-Jones at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, where she worked on over 40 cases.
Daniel Bethlehem is a barrister practising in the field of public international law from Twenty Essex chambers in London, in which role he acts both as arbitrator and as counsel / adviser. From May 2006 to May 2011, he was the principal Legal Adviser of the U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). Prior to this, he was in practice at the Bar from 1990 until 2006. In parallel with his Bar practice, he was Director of the Lauterpacht Centre of International Law at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge. In addition to his legal practice, Daniel is the founder and director of Legal Policy International, a discreet strategic consultancy advising on high legal content international policy and political issues. He was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List in June 2010. As arbitrator, Daniel has been appointed in both investor-State and non-investment cases, with notable experience in both PCA and ICSID-administered arbitrations. While he sits frequently as presiding arbitrator, he has also been appointed by both claimants and respondents. Daniel is a member of the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, designated by the United Kingdom pursuant to Article 13(1) of the ICSID Convention, and a panellist, designated by the United Kingdom, on the WTO Indicative List of Panellists maintained by the WTO Secretariat in accordance with Article 8.4 of the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding. He is also a member of the Chairpersons Arbitration Panel designated jointly by the United Kingdom and the European Union pursuant to Article 171 of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. Given the extent of his investor-State arbitral practice as arbitrator, Daniel does not as a general matter accept instructions as counsel in investor-State cases. As counsel, Daniel has appeared in every major international forum, including the ICJ, ITLOS, UNCLOS VII tribunals and the so far sole UNCLOS Annex V conciliation commission, WTO panels, the Iran – U.S. Claims Tribunal, European Court of Human Rights, and others. He is frequently asked to put together and lead specialist strategic advisory and litigation teams dealing with complex and multi-faceted disputes. He is experienced in both behind-the-scenes advisory and upfront litigation roles. On high legal content policy matters, he has been consulted on issues ranging from peace negotiations to third-party conciliation processes and engagement in multilateral and regional diplomatic fora. He has extensive experience of engagement with and at the United Nations, various of its Specialised Agencies, and other inter-governmental and supra-national organisations. In parallel with his legal and advisory practice, Daniel is Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and has an affiliation with the Department of Law at Columbia University in New York, where he has previously been a visiting professor. He remains a Senior Fellow at the Human Rights Institute of Columbia Law School. Daniel’s previous academic appointments include the London School of Economics and Cambridge University, at which he taught graduate courses in United Nations law, GATT/WTO and international trade law, and advanced general courses in public international law, including the use of force, the law of armed conflict / international humanitarian law, the law on State responsibility, immunities, and more. Amongst other appointments and affiliations, Daniel is a member of the Board of Palantir Technologies UK Ltd, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Lauterpacht Centre of International Law at the University of Cambridge, and a Member of the Advisory Committee on International Law of the U.S. Department of State. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/daniel-bethlehem/
Daniel’s practice covers a broad range of international commercial work, with a particular emphasis on shipping, commodities, energy and natural resources, and related international disputes. Daniel also accepts appointments as an arbitrator. He has extensive experience, including in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and before a wide variety of arbitral bodies. He has an outstanding reputation as a friendly and approachable team player. Beyond his impressive skills as an advocate, he is happy to assist at all stages of litigation, providing advisory and drafting services, strategic input and any other required support. Daniel is one of the few junior counsel to be ranked in Tier 1 in both the shipping and commodities practice areas by The Legal 500, and is also highly ranked in Chambers & Partners, Chambers & Partners Global, and Who’s Who Legal. He received the award for “Shipping Junior of the Year” at the Chambers UK Bar Awards in 2016, and was nominated for the award of “Shipping Junior of the Year 2018” by The Legal 500. Daniel has further significant experience in interim applications; as an SCMA trained counsel in mediations; and providing expert opinions for foreign courts. He is also registered as a public access practitioner qualified to accept direct instructions from corporations and in-house legal departments. Daniel has previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Law Commission of England and Wales, in the Hong Kong office of a leading City law firm, and as a Judicial Assistant to Lord Justice Dyson in the Court of Appeal. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/daniel-bovensiepen/
David is a specialist advocate who took silk in 2014 at the age of 36. He has been described as a “meticulous and formidable silk who can cut through complex cases”. He is experienced in a wide range of general commercial and private international law disputes, with an emphasis on energy and natural resources (including renewables), shipping and commodities, civil fraud and the conflict of laws. He also has a particular interest in crypto disputes. David is renowned for his strategic instincts as to how judges and arbitrators think, his incisive intellect and his responsiveness. He is frequently involved in complex, high value, multi-jurisdictional disputes either leading a large team or working as co-counsel with foreign lawyers. He also has considerable experience of injunctive relief, in particular anti-suit and freezing injunctions. A substantial amount of his work is in international arbitration. David has acted as lead counsel in arbitration hearings in London, Singapore (where he was based permanently from 2009 to 2010), Paris, Dubai and Hong Kong. He is regularly instructed on challenges to arbitration awards and disputes relating to their enforcement. He was nominated for ‘International Arbitration Silk of the Year 2019’ by The Legal 500. In addition to appearances at all levels of the High Court (including the appellate courts), he is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), registered to appear in the Singapore International Commercial Court (as a foreign lawyer) and in the DIFC Courts and has appeared (ad hoc) before the Courts of the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar. He also accepts appointments as arbitrator, and has acted as arbitrator under various institutional rules and ad hoc. He also gives expert evidence on English law in foreign Court proceedings. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/david-lewis/
David is a full-time arbitrator and mediator, with a practice covering a wide range of international commercial disputes. The Chambers UK Guide has described him as “a figure right at the heart of the commercial dispute resolution world”. Arbitration David is regularly appointed as a chairman, panel member and sole arbitrator in arbitrations conducted under the rules of international arbitral institutions, and on an “ad hoc” basis. His appointments include appointments under the rules of: the LCIA, ICC, LMAA, SIAC, SCC, NAI, and UNCITRAL. His recent appointments have included disputes in areas such as: shipping and shipbuilding, commodities and international sale of goods, energy, oil rigs, finance, securitisation, derivatives, share sales and warranties, corporate fraud, joint ventures, limited liability partnerships, insurance/reinsurance, and international infrastructure projects. He is a Full Member of the LMAA, and chaired the drafting committee responsible for the 2017 revision of the LMAA Terms. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and has been appointed to the panels of numerous arbitration institutions. Mediation David has been mediating disputes since being accredited as a mediator in 2002. The cases which he mediates are often international, and frequently factually or legally complex. His experience as an arbitrator and barrister means that he can provide robust reality testing where appropriate. He is committed to working with parties to find pragmatic solutions to apparently intractable disputes. David has conducted mediation ‘virtually’, working with the parties to ensure a fair and effective process. Recent mediation appointments have included disputes in the areas of: shipping and maritime claims; superyachts; commodity sales; finance and derivatives; fiduciary asset management; corporate fraud; joint ventures; company acquisition; international legal services; pharmaceuticals; public procurement; product liability; and infrastructure projects. He has regularly been involved in training mediators internationally, and has been appointed to numerous mediation panels. David is also listed within The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for mediation, which highlights individuals who have received ongoing praise, from clients, for their continued excellence. Professional background David was a barrister for over 30 years before becoming an arbitrator and mediator, and was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2006. His practice involved advocacy and advisory work in arbitration and litigation relating to a wide spectrum of international cases, including complex technical issues, and cases involving states and state bodies. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/david-owen/
David is a full-time arbitrator practicing in London and Paris in international commercial and investment disputes. He is also an accredited mediator. He has been involved with international arbitration for many years, first as counsel and then as arbitrator and author. David also practiced commercial litigation in the courts of England and Hong Kong. Until 2001, David was a partner in the law firm of Allen & Overy where, with the benefit of a higher advocacy certificate, he led that firm’s dispute resolution department in London for many years. He also practiced as counsel and arbitrator in Hong Kong, and later in Paris, before leaving Allen & Overy. As counsel, David acted for government entities, utilities, banks and commercial undertakings in a variety of disputes. His professional experience as an arbitrator extends to a wide range of transactions, relating to banking and finance, joint ventures, oil and gas (onshore, offshore and pricing), intellectual property, licencing of patents, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications. David has also decided substantial claims involving civil fraud and related torts, as well as cross-border bankruptcy. As an arbitrator, David has sat in many countries, east and west, and he has applied a variety of civil laws as well as common laws. He has been appointed as sole arbitrator and president of tribunals by many of the leading arbitration institutions, including the ICC, LCIA, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), Zurich Chamber of Commerce (ZCC), ICDR, HKIAC and SIAC. He has also conducted ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL rules. David has experience of virtual arbitration having conducted hearings remotely. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/david-sutton/
Duncan is a leading trial advocate with a broad practice in international and domestic commercial dispute resolution. He helps clients in English higher court proceedings and overseas. He also has a large international arbitration practice, with experience of a wide range of arbitral institutions including the HKIAC, ICC, JCAA, LCIA, LMAA, UNCITRAL and SIAC (ad hoc). Duncan accepts arbitral appointments and has been appointed sole arbitrator and as chairman of three-member tribunals. He is a registered foreign lawyer with the Singapore International Commercial Court. He is also admitted to the Bars of the Turks and Caicos Islands (ad hoc), British Virgin Islands, St Kitts and Nevis (ad hoc), and East Caribbean Supreme Court. Duncan is ranked in the leading legal directories for civil fraud, commercial dispute resolution, energy and natural resources, international arbitration, shipping and commodities, and as an arbitrator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/duncan-matthews/
Edward’s practice spans the range of Chambers’ expertise in commercial litigation and international arbitration, with particular expertise in civil fraud, banking, international trade and energy disputes, typically with an international element. Edward is admitted to the bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, BVI. Edward is comfortable working as part of counsel teams of different sizes and is regularly instructed as sole counsel. He has appeared unled in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division and County Court. Edward is currently instructed by the Republic in The Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse and others; Commercial Court proceedings worth at least US$2 billion concerning, inter alia, the enforceability of sovereign guarantees in the wake of the ‘Tuna Bond’ scandal, claims in conspiracy, bribery, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt, and a number of state immunity issues. From January to April 2020, Edward worked as a judicial assistant in the Commercial Court to Mr Justice Andrew Baker and Mr Justice Foxton. He worked on a variety of interlocutory and injunctive hearings as well as applications under the Arbitration Act and a full trial.
Fiona is a versatile barrister with a broad commercial practice and is regularly instructed as led and unled counsel in cases of the utmost importance, including in the Supreme Court. Her practice encompasses international trade, civil fraud, insurance, company/insolvency, construction/energy and jurisdictional disputes. Fiona regularly advises in her own right and appears as a sole advocate in the High Court and County Court, including on appeal. Highlights of her recent litigation and arbitration experience include successfully defending a test case for the business model of an energy broker client, obtaining injunctive relief on behalf of a partnership to enforce post-termination restrictive covenants against a departing partner, and succeeding in a sale of goods dispute which turned on a complex construction argument about the meaning of “Insurance Total Loss”. Fiona is a confident and experienced advocate who has received praise from judges for the quality of her submissions in both the High Court and County Courts, for example, while acting for a global bank defending an appeal about the legal requirements for a binding settlement agreement, and while acting pro bono to resist an injunction in order to prevent a family losing their home. Before joining Chambers, Fiona was a policy advisor to the UK government, where she led a complex IT procurement project and the commercialisation of a multi-billion-pound government programme. She also taught law at a leading German university (world trade law, EU law and English public law). An active publisher, Fiona has contributed to the foremost authority on the conflict of laws, Dicey on Conflicts. She also contributed to the White Book 2019 on issues of European jurisdiction and service, and Cullen on Freedom of Information in the UK. Fiona prides herself on being a flexible, personable barrister who is quick to grasp points and easily able to integrate into teams. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/fiona-whiteside/
Fiona is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ practice areas. She has experience both in courts and with arbitration. In 2021 to 2022, Fiona was seconded to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. She gained experience with advising on public, international, information, procurement and commercial law and litigation. In addition, Fiona is on the Attorney General’s Junior Junior panel and has advised a range of government departments and agencies. For example, she recently advised on powers to make secondary legislation, where the powers were contained in a retained EU regulation. Before coming to the Bar, Fiona worked as a research assistant on the automated vehicles project at the Law Commission.
Gordon specialises in international litigation and arbitration. He has a particular focus on claims by and against state bodies, combining commercial expertise with a sound understanding of administrative, EU and public international law. Gordon is known for his work in complex cases involving energy transition, infrastructure and utilities. He also acts in commercial regulation, judicial review and contract disputes in other sectors including transport, public/private partnerships and financial services. Gordon works at the cutting edge of contemporary legal issues, covering cases such as intra-EU investment claims, the relationship between business and human rights law, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on contracts, regulation of Hydrogen and other emerging energy technologies, and post-Brexit UK-EU relations. Gordon is a barrister in England & Wales and Ireland and a foreign member of the Dutch Brussels Bar. He is also a Registered Foreign Lawyer with the Singapore International Commercial Court. Gordon accepts arbitral appointments ad hoc and under the rules of the main institutions. He is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. Gordon has extensive experience in Parliamentary and public affairs work in the UK and internationally. Since the UK’s 2016 EU referendum he has advised extensively on Brexit issues affecting business and government, serving on professional and government bodies. He began his professional career as a commercial litigation solicitor, qualifying in 1987. He practised public international law at the Council of Europe and served as UK Parliamentary Counsel before moving to the Bar. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/gordon-nardell/
Lord Verdirame KC specialises in public international law, international arbitration (especially investment treaty arbitration and inter-state arbitration), human rights and constitutional law. His practice covers the full range of public international law including international dispute resolution; immunities; foreign investment protection; law of the sea; territorial and maritime boundary disputes; status of territories; human rights; use of force; law of armed conflict; international organisations; sanctions; trade. Guglielmo has acted as counsel in many high-profile cases before international courts and tribunals, including before the ICJ, ITLOS, Annex VII Tribunal under UNCLOS. He was counsel for the UK in the last dispute to be brought against the UK in the International Court of Justice (Marshall Islands v UK), and for the Italian Republic in the Enrica Lexie Incident dispute before both the UN Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the arbitral tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He is currently instructed for Ukraine in the case against Russia arising from the recent conflict in the European Court of Human Rights. Guglielmo has also been instructed in some of the highest-level litigation involving international law issues in the English courts. Before the Supreme Court, he was counsel for the government in the first Miller case on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, and for the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights in the Shamima Begum case. He has recently acted for Princess Haya of Jordan in the widely reported proceedings between her and the Prime Minister of the UAE, which have led to very important judgments on the immunity of heads of government and on foreign act of State. He is regularly instructed, including by the Foreign Office, in cases concerning armed conflict and immunities. Guglielmo is much in demand as counsel in international arbitration, and he is particularly sought-after by investors and states for his expertise and experience in investment arbitration (under BITs, ECT or investment chapters of FTAs). On the investor side of his practice recent highlights include winning a US$600 million investment claim against a European state. On the state side, they include successfully defending Ukraine from a US$6 billion Energy Charter Treaty claim, and Kenya from a US$2 billion BIT claim. He has acted in arbitral proceedings under all the main institutional rules (ICSID, ICSID- Additional Facility, PCA, UNCITRAL, ICC, SCC, LCIA, Court of Arbitration for Sport). While he works mainly as counsel, Guglielmo has also sat as arbitrator (PCA, ICC, LCIA). Guglielmo has a very busy advisory practice for governments and multinational corporations. He is regularly instructed to advise on complex legal matters in very sensitive political, economic and diplomatic contexts. In this role, he has worked closely with the upper political and administrative echelons of a number of European, Asian and African states, as well as the top management of multinational corporations. For many years, Guglielmo combined his professional career at the Bar with academia. He is still Professor of International Law at King’s College London, albeit only on a part-time basis. In past, he was a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge; a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford; and a Visiting Professorial Fellow at Harvard Law School and a Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School. He has published extensively in the field of public international law, and currently sits on the Advisory Board of the American Review of International Arbitration. Lord Verdirame KC was appointed to a life peerage in October 2022. He will sit in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated member. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/guglielmo-verdirame/
Harris’s practice covers all areas of international arbitration and commercial and company litigation, with a particular emphasis on corporate, joint venture, and fraud disputes (including s994 petitions). He appears routinely on his own and as part of a team in the English High Court, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and before international arbitration tribunals. His appellate experience includes matters before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Harris also has a strong Middle East litigation and arbitration practice, having acted in disputes related to that region for many years. He regularly appears before the DIFC Courts (both Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal) on injunction and commercial cases and is a contributor of several chapters to “DIFC Courts Practice” (2020), endorsed by the DIFC Courts as the official companion to the rules of the DIFC Court. He has also appeared before the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Court. Harris’ arbitration experience covers significant proceedings under the LCIA, ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, SCC, LMAA, and WIPO arbitration rules. These have included several disputes under bilateral investment treaties (BITS) and commercial disputes relating to major projects, joint ventures, distribution agreements, technology and AI, and the alleged misuse of intellectual property and confidential information. He is also experienced in court applications to enforce awards and for injunctions in support of arbitration, including freezing and anti-suit injunctions. Harris is editor of Arbitration in England (with chapters on Scotland and Ireland) (2013) and has tutored on international arbitration at post- graduate university level. Harris also acts as an arbitrator (sole and joint) and is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. His recent appointments as arbitrator include on a middle east construction dispute and UK franchise dispute. Harris is listed as a leading junior in The Legal 500, Chambers UK Bar, Chambers & Partners Global, and Who’s Who Legal, and has previously been nominated for The Legal 500 arbitration junior of the year. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/harris-bor/
Henry practises in a range of commercial disputes, principally shipping, energy, IT/telecoms, banking, fraud and insurance. He frequently represents clients as sole counsel, but also has considerable experience working as part of a larger team. Clients and the directories highlight his advocacy (“his oral advocacy is superb”), depth of analysis (“has a very sharp mind”) and user-friendly approach (“absolute pleasure to work with”). He is regularly instructed on cases in the English High Court (Commercial Court, TCC and Chancery Division) and has also appeared in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. He has extensive experience of jurisdictional disputes and interim applications (including obtaining and resisting urgent injunctive relief, anti-suits and freezing orders), together with acting in trials, often with a complex, technical dimension. Henry also has a strong commercial arbitration practice. He represents clients in all forms of international arbitration – ad hoc, institutional and trade arbitrations. In addition, he has considerable experience of applications to court in support of arbitral proceedings, appeals against arbitration awards, jurisdictional challenges and enforcement. He accepts appointments to sit as an arbitrator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/henry-byam-cook/
Bill is a highly experienced international arbitrator. He joined Twenty Essex in 2002. Bill’s practice at the Bar covered all aspects of international commercial law, including competition, contracts, banking, oil industry, insurance, corporate governance, and arbitration law and practice. Bill was elected Chairman of the Canadian firm, McMillan LLP in 1996 and Chairman Emeritus and Special Counsel on his retirement from the partnership in 2009. He relinquished these roles in 2014. While at McMillan, Bill headed the firm’s competition law group from its inception and oversaw the development of its arbitral practice. He has chaired or participated as a tribunal member or counsel in over 200 international arbitrations. These have involved a variety of national laws and investment treaty systems including those of ICSID, NAFTA and ECT. Recent arbitrations have included disputes involving offshore oilfield production sharing agreements, long term liquefied natural gas supply contracts, hydroelectric concessions, timber industry licenses/investments, gas concession contract disputes, petroleum industry joint ventures, wind turbine farms, international trademark licensing, Bermuda Form insurance/re-insurance claims, gas pricing/repricing formulae, international telecom licensing, telecom joint ventures, AMIs/PSCs and long term supply contracts, power supply projects, defence industry contracts, water and sewage services investment, gasoline additives investment, telecom investment, oil and gas supply contracts and steel industry investment. He was a member of the LCIA court for two terms, serving as chairman of the Board of Directors, until 2017. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/william-rowley/
Jonathan practises across all Chambers’ areas of expertise, including international arbitration, public and private international law, shipping, banking, and commercial law generally. He has acted for states and investors in investment treaty arbitrations, under both the ICSID Convention and the UNCITRAL rules. Jonathan has also acted for companies in international commercial arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA and LMAA rules. He is also appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law C Panel of Counsel. He initially qualified as a solicitor in Australia, practising in commercial litigation, before working as an associate to Justice Crennan of the High Court of Australia. Jonathan was also a senior associate at Hogan Lovells in London, specialising in investment treaty arbitration, public international law and international arbitration. Prior to joining the bar, Jonathan was a research assistant to Professor James Crawford (now Judge Crawford of the International Court of Justice) and completed a doctorate on international dispute settlement at the University of Cambridge under Professor Crawford’s supervision. Jonathan was also an assistant to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/jonathan-ketcheson/
Josephine specialises in all areas of commercial law and litigation. She has a unique skill-set combining: depth and breadth of legal knowledge (in established fields, notably, competition, intellectual property, shipping, commodities and private international law and in developing areas including cryptocurrency and FRAND litigation); strong technical understanding based on her scientific background (BA in Physical Natural Sciences and MSci in Chemistry); extensive and diverse litigation (including urgent injunction and trial work) and arbitration experience. Josephine is a strong advocate with experience in the Court of Appeal, the High Court (Commercial Court, Chancery Division and Queen’s Bench Division) and in international arbitrations and appeals. Josephine particularly enjoys urgent injunctive work and cross-examination of factual and expert witnesses including in relation to fraud allegations and complex scientific and financial matters. Josephine has notable expertise in: the developing cryptoasset fraud sphere, in jurisdiction disputes, and in injunctive work (e.g. anti-suit, freezing, Norwich Pharmacal, breach of confidence and associated contempt proceedings). Her work covers a range of sectors including IP, pharmaceuticals, science, technology and IT, distribution, shipping, commodities, shipbuilding, and energy. Josephine is recognised by the legal directories for commercial litigation, shipping and commodities work. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/josephine-davies/
Josh has a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice including civil fraud and asset tracing, commodities, insurance and professional negligence. He has acted for clients in the automotive, energy, finance, private equity, IT, M&A, mining, property development and joint venture/shareholder spheres. Josh has a particular specialism in private international law/the conflict of laws and is regularly instructed in international and cross-border disputes. Alongside full-time practice, Josh teaches International Commercial Litigation, Conflict of Laws and International Arbitration at University College London and has published widely on issues of jurisdiction and enforcement, most recently in festschrifts for Lord Sumption and Professor Bermann. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/joshua-folkard/
Julian is a full-time arbitrator in international commercial and investment disputes. He accepts appointments as arbitrator in international commercial and investment disputes. He has been involved with international arbitration for more than 40 years as an academic, counsel and arbitrator. Before 2005, Julian was a partner and, for some years, the head of the international arbitration practice group of Herbert Smith. Professional expertise includes international transactions affecting investments, purchase and sale of corporate entities and assets, joint ventures, oil and gas exploration, development and production agreements, research and development and promotions of pharmaceutical and chemical products, mining and concession arrangements, distribution, agency, licensing contracts, infrastructure and construction projects, international trade finance, trading arrangements with developing countries, EC law and arbitration arising out of all such transactions. Julian has been appointed as a sole, presiding and co-arbitrator in arbitrations under the rules of all the major arbitral institutions and under UNCITRAL and Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution rules. He is Professor of International Arbitration and Head of the School of International Arbitration, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. He has held these positions since the School’s creation in 1985. Julian received the GAR Award for Best Prepared and Most Responsive Arbitrator in 2015. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/julian-lew/
Julian specialises in commercial law, particularly banking, shipping and commodities, insurance and reinsurance, conflicts and jurisdiction, and arbitration. He is a leading specialist in chartering and international sale of goods disputes. In addition, Julian has extensive banking experience, particularly with disputes involving swaps and derivatives based on the ISDA Master Agreement. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/julian-kenny/
Julie has an outstanding level of “hands on” litigation experience in the higher courts and specialist tribunals. Through the very highest levels of court appearances each year, she has built up exceptional expertise in managing civil litigation of all kinds. Over 25 years, Julie has developed expertise and experience of public law, human rights, EU law, tax, social security, and Refugee Convention law and practice. In addition, she has practical experience of the wide range of areas in which public and EU law principles arise from chancery and commercial fields to sanctions and national security cases. Julie has uncommon experience in handling cases where a number of highly specialist areas intersect, often within a controversial factual context. In both 2017 and 2018 she was listed in the top two junior barristers with the highest number of cases and hearing days in the UK higher courts and tribunals (The Lawyer, Litigation Tracker Reports for 2017 and 2018). Julie appears frequently before all the higher courts, with an exceptional record of appearances before the Court of Appeal and the Administrative Court. In addition, she acts regularly in cases before the Supreme Court (UKSC). She has a wealth of experience before the specialist tribunals in both their appellate and judicial review jurisdictions. Julie is often instructed in cases before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). She has acted in cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and EU General Court and has acted for the EU Commission. Also, she has advised on litigation at the highest level on instruction from overseas governments and authorities outside the EU. In particular, Julie has experience of cases in “offshore jurisdictions” relevant to tax and revenue issues including Jersey. Julie also has a broad advisory practice. She was appointed to the Attorney General’s panel of counsel in 1999 and to the most senior A Panel in 2012. Julie has provided advice over 20 years to a wide range of government departments, local authorities and other public, non-governmental and regulatory bodies. Within her commercial practice, Julie advises a range of commercial organisations and private clients. She is qualified to undertake public access instructions. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/julie-anderson/
Karen practises in commercial law and international trade, with a particular focus on arbitration and shipping. After being called to the Bar, Karen practised at Twenty Essex where she established a commercial law practice. She then spent time at Practical Law Company (PLC), establishing and leading Practical Law Arbitration, before returning to the Bar. At PLC, Karen wrote and developed guidance and current awareness covering all legal and practical aspects of English and international arbitration, including commercial and investment treaty arbitration. Following the acquisition of PLC by Thomson Reuters, she was appointed Head of Current Awareness, with responsibility for updates published in Lawtel, Westlaw and Practical Law. Karen returned to resume her practice at Twenty Essex in 2016. Karen is regularly instructed to advise and appear in shipping, shipbuilding and arbitration disputes. She has particular expertise in procedural issues relating to arbitration, including award challenges, appointments and arbitrator challenges, costs and enforcement. Karen has recently advised in several cases involving sulphur emissions and MARPOL Annex VI. She also writes and lectures widely on arbitration, private international law and shipping topics. Karen is the co-author of London Maritime Arbitration, the fourth edition of which was published in 2017. She accepts appointments in maritime and commercial arbitration references. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/karen-maxwell/
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. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/kate-parlett/
Lawrence’s practice encompasses high value and technically complex commercial and contractual disputes. He specialises in cases involving new technologies, media and telecommunications, frequently with an international element. Lawrence is instructed to appear in courts at all levels. He also acts in numerous confidential IT, shipping, commodity and commercial arbitrations and mediations in the UK and abroad. In his technology practice, Lawrence has acted in a wide range of disputes involving software and hardware procurement, outsourcing, development, fintech and blockchain technologies, data protection, e-commerce, broadcasting, internet and telecommunications law. He is the Legal 500’s Technology and Data Silk of the year for 2022. He has been involved with IT for over 30 years and has a thorough grasp of the technical and other issues involved in the industry. Lawrence is a member of the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce of the Lawtech Delivery Panel, and the ICCA-IBA Joint Task Force on Data Protection in International Arbitration, and is the vice-chairman (civil) of the Bar Council IT Panel. He has written domestic and business software applications and is fluent in several computer programming languages. Lawrence also has a significant wider commercial practice in shipping, banking, commodities, fraud and commercial law. He sits as sole, party-appointed and presiding arbitrator in both technology and commercial disputes and has accepted appointments under many different sets of rules. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/lawrence-akka/
Luke has a broad practice covering all aspects of commercial law, with a particular emphasis on banking and finance, international arbitration, shipping & commodities and civil fraud. He regularly appears in the High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as before arbitral tribunals under a variety of rules. He has also appeared three times in the Supreme Court. Luke is recommended in the Chambers UK and The Legal 500 guides as a leading junior in the fields of (1) commercial dispute resolution; (2) banking and finance; (3) international arbitration; (4) shipping; and (5) commodities. In 2021, he was shortlisted by Chambers and Partners for the award of ‘International Arbitration Junior of the Year’. He has also been shortlisted twice by The Legal 500 and once by Chambers and Partners for the award of ‘Shipping junior of the year’. In 2013 he was named by Legal Week as one of their ‘Stars of the Bar’ under ten years’ call. Before coming to the Bar, Luke taught contract law at Worcester College, Oxford and King’s College, London. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/luke-pearce/
Mahnaz is a barrister and arbitrator at Twenty Essex who specialises in representing governments and corporations in commercial and investment arbitration. She has extensive expertise in advising governments, corporations and international organisations on international disputes. Mahnaz has acted as counsel on behalf of both investors and states in several investment and commercial disputes including ICC, ICSID, LCIA and PCA administered arbitrations. Mahnaz’s appointment as an arbitrator in EuroGas Inc and Belmont Resources Inc v Republic of Slovakia makes her one of the youngest ever appointed to an ICSID Annulment Committee since records began, and the youngest woman. She serves on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and was on the editorial board of the ICSID Review. She is routinely sought for her expertise in a range of common law systems across Asia and Africa. Mahnaz is particular adept in dealing with states and state entities as parties to international arbitration proceedings. Mahnaz recently joined the Shanghai Arbitration Commission’s new cohort of SHAC Arbitrators (Overseas). Mahnaz also has extensive expertise in advising governments and international law organisations on international investment law issues, developing model treaties and negotiating positions, sovereign guarantees, foreign investment laws and the training of government officials. She also assists individuals and corporations in relation to obtaining investment treaty protection and sovereign guarantees. She has analysed some 1000 treaties and advised over 20 governments and three regional groupings on international law. She has designed and delivered training for over 600 government officials. She publishes, teaches and speaks extensively. Her writings are frequently cited in academic journals, academic theses and appear on syllabi. Her professional awards include the prestigious Financial Times Legal Innovator of the Year Award 2007 and the Law Society of England’s national award for the Trainee Solicitor of the Year 2001. Mahnaz has also served as a member of the ICC Commissions on Arbitration and Anti-Corruption. After graduating with a MA in Law from Cambridge University, she qualified as an Attorney at Law (New York), Solicitor (England & Wales), advocate of the high court in Pakistan and an English Barrister (Lincoln’s Inn). She recently taught investment law at the LLM programme of the University of Zurich and has been elected as a Governing Body Fellow of Hughes Hall College Cambridge University from 01 September 2021 Her name is also spelt as Mehnaz Malik. She is registered on her practising licence as Mehnaz A. Malik. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/mahnaz-malik/
Malcolm specialises in commercial disputes arising in a variety of sectors including energy and natural resources, international trade and shipping (including shipbuilding) and offshore construction. He is ranked in The Legal 500 UK Bar for energy, shipping, commodities and commercial litigation. He has been described as “easy to work with and very commercial” (The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022) and “impressive on his feet – robust and determined” (The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020). Malcolm’s client base is both domestic and international and he has extensive experience appearing in the High Court (Business and Property Courts) and the appellate courts in England. He also represents clients in commercial arbitrations, including institutional (for example ICC and LCIA) and trade (for example LMAA, GAFTA and FOSFA). He is instructed both as sole advocate and as part of a team. Malcolm’s practice often involves cross-border disputes. He has considerable specialisation in jurisdictional and conflict of law disputes and in obtaining and opposing interim applications for anti-suit and freezing injunctions. Malcolm is regularly instructed on challenges to arbitration awards in the High Court. His EU law practice complements his commercial practice and includes ‘retained EU law’ and other legal instruments implementing post-Brexit agreements between the UK and the EU. Malcolm regularly publishes on energy law and particularly the oil and gas sector. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/malcolm-jarvis/
Maria has a broad commercial practice with a particular focus on fraud, insolvency, jurisdiction, service, and international arbitration. She frequently appears both led and as sole counsel in the High Court and arbitral proceedings. Before coming to the Bar, Maria was a qualified solicitor-advocate. She spent five years working at a top international law firm, where she specialised in commercial litigation. During this time, she gained first-hand experience in oral and written advocacy. She also spent six months in the firm’s Singapore office and worked on cases in Russia, Norway and Zambia. Maria speaks fluent Russian and has lived and worked in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. She has a double first class degree in Modern and Medieval Languages from the University of Cambridge. Maria is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/maria-kennedy/
Mark has a broad practice in commercial law, international arbitration and public international law. He has acted for corporations and State-owned entities in a wide variety of disputes at all levels of the English courts and in international arbitrations under all major institutional rules. Mark recently acted for the “Guaidó Board” of the Central Bank of Venezuela in its successful appeal to the Supreme Court (and subsequent proceedings in the Commercial Court) in widely reported proceedings arising out of Venezuela’s constitutional and political crisis and the battle for control of Venezuela’s gold reserves at the Bank of England. Mark is currently instructed in a number of other high-profile cases, including an appeal to the Privy Council (from the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands) concerning the arbitrability of disputes between shareholders and an ICSID arbitration brought by a US investor against Slovakia concerning oil and gas exploration. Mark is described as “fantastic lawyer” with a “brilliant legal brain” in legal directories, where he is ranked as a leading junior in the fields of international arbitration and commercial dispute resolution. Before joining the English Bar in 2016, Mark practised as a barrister in New Zealand at a leading commercial set. He also worked as a law clerk for two leading international arbitrators, where he gained exposure to many international commercial arbitrations and investment treaty arbitrations. Mark holds degrees in both Law and Accounting from the University of Auckland. Mark also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford where he obtained a Distinction. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/mark-tushingham/
Mark is a former Mercantile Judge on the Western Circuit, and judge in charge of the Bristol Technology and Construction Court (TCC), having retired in May 2017. As a Mercantile and TCC judge his work covered a wide commercial field, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, banking, financial services, insurance, professional negligence, and a wide variety of disputes arising out of construction contracts and procurement. Since his retirement from the Bench, Mark has accepted appointments under LCIA, LMAA, QICCA and DIFC rules, including as chair and sole arbitrator. In 2019, Mark joined the Market Supervision and Review Committee at Lloyd’s of London. He took over as Chair in 2022. Before becoming a judge in 2001, Mark practised as a barrister in Chambers for 25 years specialising in all aspects of international trade, in particular in cases involving carriage by sea and by road, shipbuilding, the international sale of goods, commodity trading, the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, and arbitration law and practice. Mark appeared frequently in maritime arbitrations and in arbitrations before the London commodity trade associations, such as GAFTA, FOSFA and the Refined Sugar Association. Mark also sat as an arbitrator in LMAA arbitrations and at Lloyd’s of London, and he chaired the LMAA Supporting Members’ Liaison Committee at the time of the passing of the Arbitration Act 1996. As counsel, Mark appeared in the Commercial Court, Admiralty Court, TCC,Court of Appeal and House of Lords. Mark sat as a Recorder in the Crown Court between 1994 and 2001. He has been a Bencher of Inner Temple since 1995.
Sir Martin recently retired as a Lord Justice of Appeal after serving for more than 20 years as a judge of the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal. He is currently chairing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. As a barrister he practised at 3 Essex Court (later 20 Essex Street, now Twenty Essex). Sir Martin specialised in disputes relating to the carriage of goods by sea and road, commodity trading, general sale of goods, insurance and reinsurance, arbitration law and practice, banking and financial matters, and other kinds of commercial contracts. He sat as an arbitrator and Deputy High Court Judge before he was appointed to the High Court in October 1995. Between October 1995 and his appointment to the Court of Appeal in April 2005 Sir Martin sat mainly in the Commercial Court, of which he was Judge in Charge from October 2000 to April 2002. During that period, together with the Admiralty Judge, he oversaw the drafting and adoption of Parts 58, 61 and 62 of the Civil Procedure Rules relating to proceedings in the Commercial and Admiralty Courts, including proceedings relating to arbitrations. Sir Martin also played a major role in drafting a new edition of the Commercial and Admiralty Courts Guide to harmonise with the new rules. From December 2005 to December 2009 he was chairman of the Legal Services Consultative Panel, which advised the Lord Chancellor on the regulation and training of lawyers and others offering legal services. From 2007 to 2012 he was Deputy Head of Civil Justice and day-to-day chairman of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. From October 2014 to December 2016 he was Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, Civil Division. For any enquires relating to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry please contact: [email protected] https://www.twentyessex.com/people/martin-moore-bick/
Matthew enjoys a broad commercial practice. Clients instruct him to advise or act in national and international litigation and arbitrations across Chambers’ practice areas. Matthew was ranked as a Band 4 Junior for Shipping & Commodities by Chambers & Partners for 2023 named as a Rising Star in Shipping by The Legal 500 2021 and 2022. He also has a particular interest in cybersecurity matters and is the author of ‘A Practical Guide to Cyber Fraud Litigation’. His recent cases have focused on shipping and commodities, company and insolvency, civil fraud, and banking disputes. As well as acting as sole counsel, Matthew has extensive experience of being instructed as part of a team in large and complex commercial disputes. He appreciates and enjoys the different demands of these cases and the need to work efficiently and effectively with legal and other professionals. Matthew is frequently instructed to obtain or resist emergency relief, often at short notice, in order to protect his clients’ positions. This has included applications for freezing orders, disclosure orders, interim receiverships, interim declarations and other bespoke injunctions, including against persons unknown. Matthew also accepts instructions to act on a direct access basis or to provide advice in non-contentious situations. He has previously given expert evidence on English law for use in foreign proceedings and has also provided opinions by way of early neutral evaluation. Matthew also teaches Equity & Trusts at Queen Mary University London and sets questions for the Bar Council Civil Litigation examination paper. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/matthew-mcghee/
Matthew has a broad practice in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He has particular interests in shipping and international trade, civil fraud, insurance, banking, company and insolvency law, and the conflict of laws. He is comfortable being instructed as part of a team or in his own right. Matthew has considerable experience of high-value commercial litigation and arbitration. He is currently instructed by the Privinvest Group in Republic of Mozambique v Privinvest and others, a Commercial Court dispute involving claims in excess of US$2 billion, and allegations of bribery and corruption, relating to maritime infrastructure projects in the Republic. Matthew is also increasingly developing a busy practice as sole counsel. He regularly appears in his own right in the High Court and in arbitration, and recently appeared unled in a 5-day final hearing in a 7-figure HKIAC arbitral dispute involving the sale and shipment of commodities. Before coming to the Bar, Matthew read law at the University of Oxford and gave tutorials in trusts law to undergraduates as a lecturer of Somerville College, Oxford. During his studies, he obtained a First Class degree and ranked second in the year. He then went on to complete the Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford with Distinction and the Bar Professional Training Course at City Law School, where he achieved the second-best results in the year. Matthew is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese and has a good understanding of the Asian markets. In particular, he maintains a keen interest in the legal industry in Singapore, where he grew up. Matthew is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/matthew-chan/
Matthew is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ main practice areas, including commercial disputes and international arbitration. Before coming to the Bar, Matthew worked as a solicitor at Linklaters LLP, where he specialised in commercial litigation, arbitration, and internal investigations. Whilst at Linklaters, Matthew undertook a secondment to Plan International, one of the world’s largest children’s charities, where he advised on a range of legal issues. Matthew graduated with a first class degree in History and Politics from the University of Oxford. He also represented the University of Oxford at Yale, having been awarded a scholarship to study international relations on the International Alliance of Research Universities’ Global Summer Program. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/matthew-mcgonagle/
Michael is an experienced international commercial arbitrator practising principally from Singapore and London. Before joining the English Bar he was a solicitor and a partner in a major international law firm, Norton Rose, where he managed the Paris office and the firm’s international arbitration group. Michael has over 30 years’ experience of practising commercial litigation in the English High Court and international arbitration, as well as coordinating and overseeing overseas litigation. Michael has a wide-ranging practice as an international arbitrator. He has served as a member of the tribunal in over 150 international arbitrations administered under the rules of various international arbitration institutions. These have included the SIAC, HKIAC, ICC, LCIA, ICSID and AAA as well as ad hoc arbitrations and those under UNCITRAL rules. Arbitrations in which he has been appointed have included disputes in the fields of energy supply, oil and gas, agency, joint ventures, expropriation and engineering, as well as finance and banking, involving a variety of national laws and jurisdictions. Michael is on the panel of international arbitrators of the AAA, SIAC, HKIAC, Beijing Arbitration Commission, Asian International Arbitration Centre (formerly Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration) and Indian Council of Arbitration. Michael is also a Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-lee/
Michael serves as arbitrator in high-value, complex international disputes. His specialities include energy/oil and gas, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, major projects/construction, investor-state disputes and bilingual arbitration proceedings (English/Chinese). He has served as arbitrator in more than 300 cases sited in Asia, Europe and North America under both ad hoc and institutional rules. Michael is an accredited arbitrator of the major international arbitration institutions worldwide. Resident in Asia (China/Hong Kong/Japan) for more than 30 years, Michael has special expertise in relation to disputes involving Asian sovereigns and commercial parties. He has served as Council Member and Chairman of the HKIAC, Court member of the LCIA, and Board member of the SCC. He currently sits as a member of the Board of the SIAC and the VIAC. Michael has been honoured by Chambers Global for his contributions to arbitration in Asia. He was ranked by Chambers Global 2019 as a “Star Individual” and one of the “Most in Demand Arbitrators” worldwide. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-moser/
Michael Tselentis KC’s practice as an international arbitrator covers a wide field, which includes energy and natural resources (principally oil and gas, mining and minerals and power sale agreements), shipping and commodities, commercial disputes (including agency, distribution/franchising, joint ventures, shareholder agreements and contractual disputes generally), investment arbitration (with a focus on mining disputes in Africa), telecommunications, insurance, infrastructure, construction and engineering. He has been a full-time arbitrator since 2015 when he retired from advocacy work in order to concentrate on his international arbitration practice. During a 36-year career as an advocate (1978-2015), he appeared as leading counsel in many cases in these areas before trial and appellate courts and arbitral tribunals, including a number of high-value international arbitrations in London, Paris and Singapore. Details of his advocacy and advisory work in this period appear in the “Advocacy and Advisory Career” link below. Before Michael relocated his practice to London in 1996, he was a leading commercial Silk at the Johannesburg Bar, with a specialisation in mining law, and held general retainers from the Anglo American and De Beers groups of companies. He was appointed as an acting judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa in 1992, and was the Chairman of the Johannesburg Bar in 1993/1994. Michael has been appointed in approximately 140 references as presiding arbitrator, tribunal member and sole arbitrator, principally (though by no means exclusively) in ICC, LCIA, PCA, SIAC, LMAA, HKIAC and ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL rules. Much of his arbitration work has an Asian or African focus. Arbitral seats have included London, Paris, Geneva, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, DIFC, Lagos, Cyprus, Dar Es Salaam, Jakarta, Johannesburg and Mauritius. His appointments have involved a wide variety of governing laws, including the laws of England, France, Spain, Singapore, the Netherlands, Western Australia, Indonesia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Malaysia and international law. His common law expertise is complemented by a wide experience of civil law systems, including South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, Finland, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-tselentis/
Michael is an experienced silk with a broad commercial practice, specialising in high value and complex (often highly technical) commercial contractual disputes. He took silk in 2011, at only 38 years of age. He is very well set-up to work remotely in these challenging times, and successfully represented Trafigura in one of the first applications (for a mandatory injunction requiring payment of US$76m security) dealt with under the Covid-19 Protocol in the Commercial Court. He was awarded the prestigious “International Arbitration Silk of the Year” by Chambers & Partners in 2016 and also won Chambers “Shipping Silk of the Year” in 2019. He has been shortlisted multiple times for other awards by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Over recent years, he has been ranked as a leading silk by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 in the following practice areas: shipping, commodities, energy, civil fraud and international arbitration. Michael has vast experience of jurisdictional disputes, having appeared in several of the leading cases. He is also regularly involved in applications for injunctions and for the enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards. His most recent ongoing work includes advising in relation to offshore decommissioning contracts, acting for a Gulf based bank in a very substantial ICC arbitration concerning bonds, acting for Sunderland FC in a professional negligence dispute in the Commercial Court and advising in relation to multiple mortgage contracts. He appears regularly in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court. Michael also has a wide range of experience of cases before, and on appeal from, arbitration tribunals in various jurisdictions (including Singapore, Hong Kong, Sweden, Malaysia, Paris and New York) and he has been admitted to the Bar of St Kitts and Nevis (on an ad hoc basis). He is a team player and has led large teams of counsel in significant cases; he works frequently as co-counsel with lawyers qualified in other jurisdictions. Michael also has significant experience of mediation. Michael accepts appointments as an arbitrator both in London and abroad. He is a member of the MOOGAS panel of international arbitrators and mediators. Michael also acts as an expert on English law in foreign proceedings. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-ashcroft/
Michael practises in all aspects of commercial law, usually with an international dimension, with particular emphasis on shipping, international sale of goods, and commodities. He is a specialist in a broad cross-section of shipping and international trade issues including disputes arising out of charterparties, general average, commodities and shipbuilding contracts. He has acted in precedent setting cases such as Spar v GCL heard in the Court of Appeal concerning the obligation to pay hire. Michael acts in English court and arbitration proceedings. He has acted as arbitrator in a number of references. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-coburn/
Michael specialises in commercial law. His areas of practice include general commercial disputes, international trade, shipping (including charterparty, contract of affreightment, bill of lading, shipbuilding, and ship sale and purchase disputes), commodities, conflicts of laws, insurance (including marine insurance and protection and indemnity cover), reinsurance, banking, and shareholder disputes. Michael appears both in court and before a variety of arbitration tribunals. He is registered to appear before the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC). He accepts appointments as an arbitrator. Michael has been involved in a number of references under various regimes, including the LCIA and LMAA terms, UNCITRAL rules, and ad hoc. He is a member of the panel of arbitrators of ARIAS (UK), MOOGAS, SCMA and SIAC. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-collett/
Sir Michael is a member of the United Nations (UN) International Law Commission. He was the principal Legal Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) between 1999 and 2006. During his 35 years as an FCO lawyer, Michael attended many international conferences, including the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea. He spent three years at the UK Mission to the UN in New York, dealing chiefly with Security Council matters. Since leaving the FCO in 2006, Sir Michael has acted for many governments in cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and inter-state arbitral tribunals. He has written extensively on public international law. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michael-wood/
Michal’s broad commercial practice is evenly split between English courts and international arbitral tribunals. He acts in general commercial cases with an emphasis on complex multi-jurisdictional litigation. Michal is also experienced in specialised areas, including investor-state disputes, insurance, and insolvency. In the legal directories, he is described as “superbly gifted and a pleasure to work with”. Michal is increasingly instructed to act as sole counsel, including in a one-week, high-value Commercial Court trial (Albion v Heritage and another [2022] EWHC 162 (Comm). He also frequently works in larger teams, not least in appellate cases, where he draws on his experiences as a Judicial Assistant to Lord Reed, then Deputy President, and now President of the Supreme Court. He was recently instructed in two Supreme Court appeals: The CMA CGM LIBRA [2021] UKSC 51 about the proper construction of the Hague Rules and SAS v WPL regarding the jurisdiction of the English court to prevent, by injunction, the enforcement of a foreign judgment that was inconsistent with a prior domestic judgment and inconsistent with domestic public policy (in which the appeal settled). As a Judicial Assistant at the UKSC in 2018-19, Michal worked on a number of leading commercial cases, including Vedanta [2019] UKSC 20 (jurisdiction in the context of a parent company’s liability for a subsidiary’s torts), Poole BC v GN [2019] UKSC 25 (assumption of responsibility in tort law), and Marex [2020] UKSC 31 (reflective loss rule in company law). Prior to joining chambers, Michal taught contract and tort law at various Oxford colleges and, whilst at Harvard Law School, worked as a mediator in the Harvard Law School Mediation Programme, as a Student Attorney in the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project, and as a Judicial Intern in the Massachusetts Superior Court. As a native German and Slovak speaker, Michal can work with original documents in German, Slovak and Czech. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/michal-hain/
Monica is a specialist in public international law and international arbitration. She is featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 2020 as amongst “the most daring, innovative and creative lawyers” in the United Kingdom and has won ‘Environment Junior of the Year’ at the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Awards 2023. Monica was ‘Barrister of the Year’ Finalist in The Lawyer’s Awards 2020 and is recognised as a leading practitioner in public international law in the main legal directories which describe her as a ‘highly respected international lawyer’ possessing ‘amazing brainpower’ and delivering ‘excellent oral submissions… impressive on paper and on her feet’; as a barrister with a ‘sharp intellect, dedication and excellent knowledge of the law and experience, willing and able to think outside the box’; ‘incredibly hard working with a fine eye for detail’ and as ‘a great junior who will take Silk before too long.’ Monica is a generalist public international advocate. She was awarded the prestigious Diploma of the Hague Academy of International Law early in her career for demonstrating exceptional command of the entire canon of public international law areas. Her practice in public international law is substantial and covers the full spectrum in the field, including statehood, treaty interpretation, state responsibility, the law of immunities, investment law, law of the sea, boundary delimitation, transboundary environmental damage, environmental law, UN law, the law of international organisations, diplomatic protection, consular law, self-determination, human rights, use of force, international refugee law, humanitarian law, international criminal law and international dispute settlement. She has made seminal contributions in various specialist areas of public international law. Monica’s practice also covers private international law (acting increasingly, in group litigation), international arbitration and public law. In addition to counsel work, Monica also accepts appointments as arbitrator. Prior to the Bar Monica trained in a civil law system. Her dual training in the common law and civil law systems (with fluency in legal technical Spanish) is making her a popular choice as counsel/arbitrator in international arbitration cases. She is currently sitting as co-arbitrator in an USD $70 million+ LCIA arbitration and recently sat as Chair in a €1.2 billion+ claim investment arbitration with a seat in The Hague. Monica has been a guest lecturer at the LCIL Executive Course on Investment Law and Arbitration, University of Cambridge. She is in the UK-Korea FTA and UK-Japan CEPA dispute resolution lists of arbitrators (proposed by the UK) and was appointed by the government of Malaysia to the Advisory Council of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC). Regularly instructed in complex and high-profile cases, Monica acts as counsel for Sovereign states and private parties in cases before English courts, international courts and arbitral tribunals under a variety of rules and applicable laws. She has acted and advised in cases before the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), OECD procedures, UN human rights treaty-based and Charter-based bodies, regional human rights Courts, East African Court of Justice, ICSID, SCC, LCIA and SIAC tribunals, International Criminal Tribunal for ex-Yugoslavia (ICTY), UN Special Procedures and diplomatic fora. She is admitted before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Increasingly, she is instructed to appear also in foreign courts. She advises in English, Spanish and French. Monica is considered to be one of the preeminent experts in climate change and environmental litigation worldwide. She provided seminal advice to Sovereign States on the feasibility of an Advisory Opinion on climate change before the ICJ and ITLOS, and her expertise in this area of law is acknowledged in her appointment to the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (Oceans and Climate Change Specialist Groups). Notably, she was a speaker addressing the topic of the “World Court and Climate Change” at COP26 in Glasgow and is currently acting for a Sovereign State in Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change in the ICJ, for a party in the Advisory proceedings on Climate Change and Human Rights in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and was instructed in the Request for an Advisory Opinion on Climate Change and International Law before ITLOS (for WWF). Monica also acted in the first climate change contentious case before the UN Human Rights Committee, the Torres Strait Islanders case, securing a landmark decision protecting the rights of peoples in low-lying islands, and in the ground-breaking Los Cedros case, the first ‘Rights of Nature’ case in the world, before the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. In recent years she has been active in cases raising sea-level rise issues, sinking islands, environmental degradation, oil spills, transboundary harm, climate change as a human right issue, environmental harm of waterways, protection of rivers, biodiversity, phasing-out coal mining cases and the enforcement of the Paris Agreement before a variety of international organs. She also advised a State Party representative of a Least Developed Country in the drafting of the Rules of Procedure of Compliance with the Paris Agreement and acted as adviser for a party at COP28 on proposals of a text for a fossil fuels resolution, contributing to the historic adoption of a COP28 Resolution on fossil fuels containing unambiguous language. Monica’s work has been featured in the documentary series Earthrise, ‘Planetary Justice’ by Al Jazeera, broadcasted in 2022 and 2023. Monica’s current international practice also includes advising in matters relating to Statehood and Self-Determination before UN political organs (GA, UN Security Council, and the UN Special Committee on Decolonization). In litigation in English Courts, Monica has developed expertise in Group Litigation and recently appeared in a high-profile torts group claim in the energy sector raising conflict of law issues in the High Court. Her recent work also includes acting in a deprivation of nationality case and in technology-related cases involving bulk surveillance and the right of privacy (Gençay Bastimar v Turkey), and successfully defending a claim in the first case in which the OECD Guidelines have been applied to a digital dispute involving cryptocurrency. Monica is an expert in the substance and procedure (including service of process) of diplomatic immunity, state immunity, and the immunity of State officials and special missions. She is also an expert in consular law, in all aspects of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. From 2018 to 2019 she served as Assistant Legal Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she routinely advised in those areas, including in the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment in Benkharbouche (in which the UKSC held the incompatibility of sections of the State Immunity Act with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights). During her time at the FCO, Monica advised in a broad number of cases raising sensitive extra-territorial issues, and led the litigation on behalf of the FCO, in Verica Tomanovic and others v FCO, in the High Court (alleged vicarious liability for human rights violations of the contributing state to EULEX) and Foreign Commonwealth Office v Bamieh [2019] EWCA Civ 803 (relating to the extra-territorial application of the Employment Rights Act 1996) in the Court of Appeal. Recent notable work includes acting for a Sovereign in an employment case rising issues of State immunity decided in The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Cultural Bureau) & Ms A Alhayali); acting in the judicial review of Harry Dunn’s parents against the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (raising nuanced aspects of diplomatic immunity), advising a UN Specialised Agency on the immunity of international organisations and arbitration in complex contracts, advising in the high-profile US$1 billion gold dispute relating to the Central Bank of Venezuela (on recognition of governments and executive certification before commercial courts), and advising a State sitting on the board of the World Bank on immunity matters. Her expertise in the area of immunities is reflected in her forthcoming book Foreign State Immunity and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in English Courts to be published by Oxford University Press. Monica’s career at the Bar is built on significant experience working for international courts and tribunals which include the International Court of Justice where she advised in the seminal case on Genocide (Bosnia v Ex-Yugoslavia), and the ICTY (Chamber Trial I) where she advised on international humanitarian law and the law of command responsibility. Her experience working with international law institutions includes assisting members of the International Law Commission (ILC) drafting comments to the ILC Draft Articles on State Responsibility, acting as Amicus (with the ILC Special Rapporteur on Diplomatic Protection); drafting responses relating to UN Special Procedures; acting as expert to the Final Report of the Independent Expert on the right to reparation for victims of gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law; assisting in the drafting of UN General Assembly Resolutions (in an advisory capacity); and serving as legal adviser to a State Delegation to the Diplomatic Conference that negotiated the Rome Statute and established the ICC. Monica’s litigation work in public international law has been cited in Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v Uganda) in the ICJ, in the Reparations Order in The Prosecutor v Bosco Ntaganda and in the Katanga case by the ICC, as well as in proceedings before UN organs. Her scholarship has been referred to in proceedings before the ICJ in in the case of Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v United States of America), by the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, by the UN Secretary General on a Guidance Notes on Reparations under International Law, and by Lord Carnwath of the UK Supreme Court. Monica has published extensively in the area of public international law (with recent contributions to the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law, a Chapter in a seminal book on Deep Sea Mining together with Judge Kamga of ITLOS, several publications on climate change and international courts, and a Chapter on arbitration-related applications before the European Court of Human Rights in International Arbitration and EU Law). She is the editor of International Law for the 21st Century: Essays in Honour of A.A. Cançado Trindade (Asser Press, Springer, forthcoming). Her latest scholarship in investment law and arbitration was designated compulsory reading at the Hague Academy Private International Law course in The Hague. She has lectured and been a speaker worldwide including as guest lecturer at Oxford University; Kurt Bosch-University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Guangxi Normal University (Faculty of Law), China; the United Nations (Geneva); Council of Europe; Lancaster House (FCO); Trinity College, Dublin (Distinguished Speakers Series); the British Institute of Comparative and International Law; Universidad de los Andes Law Faculty (Colombia); Universidad Autónoma de Mexico; Universidad de Chile (Faculty of law), the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (Faculty of Law); Jindal Global Law School (India); Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa); FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School; NUS Centre for International Law – CIL eAcademy (Singapore),and Georgetown University Law Centre. She has held academic positions at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (University of Cambridge) (Visiting Scholar and Partner Fellow), and at the London School of Economics (as Teaching Assistant to H.E. Christopher Greenwood, former ICJ Judge). In 2021, she was elected Visiting Fellow at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Monica has taken part in expert missions to Kenya (2020), Myanmar (2016), Guatemala (2015), and has trained advocates in South Africa on international law (2017), Colombian lawyers on judicial processes in the context of transitional justice (2017), and members of the Bar in Honduras on international arbitration (2016). She has been appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Preferred Counsel (B Panel) who are generally instructed where “substantial knowledge and experience is required” in cases of great public importance concerning the Equality Act 2010 and human rights breaches in litigation before domestic and European Courts. Monica was benched at the Middle Temple in 2021.
Nakul practises from Singapore, Delhi and London. He accepts appointments both as counsel, for international arbitration and international litigation, and as arbitrator. He specialises in disputes and international law advice relating to banking and finance, construction and engineering, corporate (joint venture/shareholder/partnership disputes), international commercial law (including media and telecommunications), mining, energy and natural resources. Nakul brings a significant level of experience to complex trials, interim applications, injunctions, appellate hearings, jurisdictional disputes and enforcement matters. He has appeared as counsel in setting aside and enforcement proceedings relating to international arbitration awards in all three jurisdictions. He has been appointed as arbitrator by the SIAC, ICC and LCIA, and also accepts ad hoc appointments. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/nakul-dewan/
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. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/oliver-caplin/
Paolo practices in the fields of public international law and international dispute settlement, with a specific interest in matters concerning the interaction between international law and diplomacy. He is qualified both in Italy as an “avvocato” and, as a barrister, in England and Wales. He is well-versed both in common law and civil law and has appeared before courts in both systems. Paolo has also been a legal advisor to senior Government officials, including Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Home Affairs in Italy and in the Middle East, working across the full spectrum of international law and relations. He has been involved as counsel in matters before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Court of Justice of the European Union, ICSID investment tribunals, Annex VII to UNCLOS arbitral tribunals, and several domestic courts. Paolo also has significant experience in inter-State negotiations and mediations, which he developed in various advisory capacities in the context of complex political and diplomatic disputes. Before qualifying as a barrister, Paolo practiced international law in several capacities. Among other things, he worked as a senior legal consultant to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Riyadh and, before that, as an Assistant Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He trained as a lawyer at the Office of the Attorney General of Italy. He holds law degrees from Luiss University in Rome (LLB), the University of Cambridge (LLM) as well as the University of Paris 1 Sorbonne and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa (PhD). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/paolo-busco/
Patricia has a broad commercial practice, with a particular emphasis on advising and acting on complex cases with an international dimension. She advises and acts in a wide range of disputes, including very substantial and complex trials, both with leaders and alone. Patricia also regularly appears in high value international arbitrations. Patricia’s practice encompasses insurance, aviation, banking, international trade and private international law work. She also has considerable experience of intellectual property, sports and competition law disputes, and is uniquely well positioned to act in commercial and chancery cases that raise issues in these areas. Many of her cases raise both difficult legal questions and technical factual issues, and she is experienced in dealing with, and cross-examining on, complex scientific and financial evidence. In addition to working with technical and financial experts, Patricia has worked with experts in a wide range of foreign laws. Patricia also accepts appointments to act as an arbitrator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/patricia-edwards/
Patrick has a broad commercial practice in line with Chambers’ profile, with a particular focus on international trade, civil fraud/asset recovery, insurance, company/insolvency and shipping disputes. Patrick also has a particular interest in and experience of cases raising issues of private international law, and has published in this field: [2021] LMCLQ 27. His advocacy was recently described by Henshaw J as “clear and cogent…, both in writing and at the oral hearing”. He has substantial experience of complex litigation in the High Court, and of international arbitration under LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL, and LMAA Rules, both as sole counsel and as part of a team. Recent highlights as sole counsel include appearing, against a silk, for the appellants in an appeal under s.69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (Fastfreight v Bulk Trident [2023] EWHC 105 (Comm)), and appearing for the successful defendant in a 4-day High Court trial involving multiple factual and expert witnesses (Arnold v Halcyon Yachts [2022] EWHC 2858 (Admlty)). Recent highlights of led work included being led by Julian Kenny KC for the buyers in a dispute concerning the sale of a c.US$40million superyacht, being led by Charles Kimmins QC and Sean Snook in the Court of Appeal in the important case Potter v Canada Square Operations Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 339, and being led by David Lewis QC in an eight-figure shareholder dispute before the Courts of Gibraltar, arising out of the merger of two of the world’s largest online gambling companies.” Patrick read law at the University of Oxford, graduating with a first class degree and ranked first in the university in contract law. He also studied for the BCL, taking papers in restitution of unjust enrichment, conflict of laws, commercial remedies and corporate insolvency. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/patrick-dunn-walsh/
Paul is a leading commercial silk in domestic and international litigation and arbitration. A highly experienced courtroom advocate, he has expertise in high-profile, heavy, and sensitive commercial, financial, and international disputes of all kinds. He appears regularly in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division, other specialised courts, and the appellate jurisdictions in England and the Eastern Caribbean; as well as in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), where he is called to the Bar. He is regularly instructed in complex and ground-breaking international and domestic fraud and asset-tracing cases, often involving pre-emptive injunctions, disclosure, and jurisdictional and choice of law issues. He has substantial experience of litigation involving digital assets, hacking and cyber-fraud; and obtained the first Worldwide Proprietary Injunctions and Freezing Orders against persons unknown in the English courts. Paul has strong and overlapping practices in the fields of banking and finance, information technology and telecommunications and art and antiquities. He firmly believes in maintaining a broad commercial practice and regularly leads teams of barristers both within his core fields of practice and in diverse and specialist areas. Acknowledged as a formidable trial, interlocutory and appellate advocate and an accomplished cross-examiner, Paul is a team player and expert strategist with a highly commercial approach. Paul has been listed for many years as a leading silk in several categories in all the principal directories, including commercial dispute resolution, civil fraud, banking and finance, information technology and telecoms. Paul is regularly instructed in international and domestic arbitration and in English and BVI court proceedings in aid of arbitral proceedings and in connection with the enforcement of arbitration awards and foreign judgments. He also advises overseas lawyers on issues arising in domestic and international litigation and arbitration and gives expert evidence on issues of English law and procedure arising in foreign proceedings. Paul is a member of the Service sub-committee of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and a co-author of its 2022 report on “Proposed Amendments to the PD6B ‘Gateways”, leading to the introduction on 1 October 2022 of the new Disclosure Gateway (PD 6B para 3.1(23)). He is a qualified Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) mediator and an experienced mediation advocate. Paul is an active senior advocacy trainer at the Middle Temple and in Chambers and sits as a Chairman of Bar Disciplinary Tribunals. He is Chairman of Trustees of the International Law Book Facility (ILBF), a registered charity that provides used printed legal texts to the developing world. In 2015, Paul was nominated for the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Bar Pro Bono Award for his work with the ILBF. In addition to his practice at the Bar, Paul is a member of the Investment Committee of Harbour Litigation Funding. Paul was a nominee both for the ‘Barrister of the Year’ award at The Lawyer Awards (London, 2019) and for the ‘Commercial Advocate of the Year’ award at the Legal Week Awards (London, 2019). Paul is registered with Rights of Audience in the Astana International Financial Court, Kazakhstan. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/paul-lowenstein/
Penelope is a specialist in international law. Her practice focuses on disputes and transactional advice across a range of areas, including public international law, EU law, public law and human rights, commercial disputes raising questions of international and EU law and the interaction between legal systems and regimes. She has appeared as counsel before the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, the General Court of the EU and a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Annex VII Tribunal, as well as the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of England and Wales. In addition, Penelope regularly provides transactional advice to governments, the private sector and NGOs. Penelope has extensive and varied experience in practice and academia. Her career commenced as a litigation lawyer in New Zealand with leading firm Chapman Tripp and includes time as a full-time academic at the University of Cambridge, teaching public international law, EU law and the law of armed conflict. She is currently a Visiting Lecturer at King’s College, London. Penelope is a panellist on the Attorney General’s Specialist Public International Law Panel (B Panel) and the General Panel (B Panel). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/penelope-nevill/
Philip is co-Head of Chambers. He is a specialist lead advocate whose practice focuses on commercial disputes both in court and arbitration. He is ranked in the leading directories for civil fraud, commercial dispute resolution, banking and finance, international arbitration, insurance, shipping, and commodities. He has considerable experience in relation to freezing injunctions. Philip is also particularly noted for his cross-examination skills. Philip’s current cases include acting for a prominent high-net-worth individual in relation to fraud claims for around US$500 million brought against him and others by two banks; and for Dechert and the individual defendants sued by two prisoners in Ras Al Khaimah who allege that the defendants are responsible for their alleged mistreatment. He also recently acted for certain policyholders in the test case brought by the FCA against insurers who denied that their business interruption cover protected the policyholders against the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of Philip’s work has a strong international element, with his clients coming from all around the world. The cases on which he is instructed often raise complex jurisdictional and conflict of laws issues, including the interplay between proceedings in court and arbitration. He has acted as lead counsel before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of England and Wales, as well as in many arbitrations seated both in England and overseas. Philip also accepts appointments as arbitrator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/philip-edey/
Philip is recognised as a leading barrister in international commercial dispute resolution. He appears regularly in the English courts and in international arbitrations in England and overseas. Philip has a strong practice in complex, high-value commercial disputes across a range of business sectors. His work has been particularly focused in recent years on civil fraud disputes, often requiring urgent injunction applications, energy disputes and disputes relating to the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards. Philip’s practice frequently involves state parties or state-owned entities, in both commercial and investment treaty disputes. Philip is regularly instructed as an expert in foreign proceedings, particularly on issues of English arbitration law. He accepts appointments as an arbitrator, with experience as an ICC and as an SCC arbitrator. He has also been admitted to the Bar of the East Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands and to the Bars of The Cayman Islands and St Kitts and Nevis (on an ad hoc basis). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/philip-riches/
Philippa’s practice covers all aspects of public international law. She acts for states and private entities in domestic and international courts on a wide range of issues. These include state and diplomatic immunities, territorial and maritime boundaries, treaty obligations, law of the sea, state responsibility, human rights, humanitarian law, law of international organisations and international criminal law. She has been described as “the foremost expert on state immunity” and is counsel in ground-breaking cases in international and English courts. Philippa advises on all aspects of immunity, including immunity from enforcement, diplomatic status, and related concepts such as act of state. She is appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law B Panel of Counsel. Philippa is a specialist in relation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). She served as the Legal Officer and Special Assistant to Judge Rosalyn Higgins GBE QC during her presidency and in this capacity was involved in 15 inter-state cases. Philippa has since appeared as counsel and advocate in 7 ICJ cases. Philippa has also worked as a legal adviser at the ICC. She is Professor of Public International Law at King’s College London and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution. She has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the University of Notre Dame and Université Paris Nanterre. She is on the Committee of Legal Experts for the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law. Philippa was shortlisted for 2022 “Barrister of the Year” by The Lawyer. She has been ranked as a top junior in Public International Law, a ‘Future Leader’ in arbitration and a ‘UK Bar: Rising Star’. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/philippa-webb/
Before joining Twenty Essex in February 2023, Philippa was the Head of International Arbitration at Stewarts in London; the UK’s largest disputes-only practice. She was a law firm partner for 15 years. She specialises in complex, high-value cross-border arbitration disputes, and has 24 years’ experience of proceedings before the major arbitral institutions. As solicitor/solicitor-advocate she has acted for clients including sovereigns, state owned entities, major global corporations in the aviation, pharmaceutical, power, and oil and gas industries, and high net worth individuals. Philippa has accepted appointments as arbitrator for a number of years and has sat as sole, chair and party-appointee in ICC, LCIA, SIAC, SCC, FAI, AAA-ICDR and ad-hoc arbitration. She has particular experience as arbitrator in energy, technology and general commercial disputes. Philippa has experience in mediation and other ADR formats as well as arbitration, High Court and appellate proceedings in jurisdictions including England, the United States, France, Sweden, the UAE, and Nigeria. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/philippa-charles/
Richard has a broad commercial practice, with a particular focus on civil fraud, shipping and commodities, banking and finance, and private international law. He was ranked in Shipping as a “Rising Star” by The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022 and a “leading junior” in The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023. Richard’s “strengths include excellent attention to detail and an ability to give a well informed and practical view”. Richard has appeared in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court. He has considerable experience of being led in complex, high-value litigation across Chambers’ practice areas, but also regularly appears as sole counsel. Many of his cases have involved jurisdictional disputes as well as other interim applications, including freezing injunctions. He has extensive experience of arbitral proceedings, particularly in civil fraud, shipping, commodities, banking and general commercial cases. His experience covers arbitral proceedings under a variety of rules, including ad hoc, institutional (ICC, LCIA and SIAC) and trade arbitrations (LMAA and Gafta). In addition, he has considerable experience of applications to court in respect of arbitral proceedings, appeals against arbitration awards, and jurisdiction challenges. Richard has undertaken secondments to a major city firm, where he spent three months in the litigation department, and a Norwegian Defence Club, where he spent six weeks advising on claims arising under charterparties and bills of lading. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/richard-greenberg/
Dr Rishab Gupta is a specialist in international arbitration, commercial litigation and public international law. He is regularly instructed to appear before courts in India and internationally, including before English courts and arbitration tribunals. Rishab has represented clients in arbitrations conducted under most major arbitration rules (SIAC, ICC, UNCITRAL, HKIAC, SCC, LCIA, AAA and MCIA). His recent instructions include acting for several private equity firms in Singapore seated SIAC arbitrations arising under share purchase agreements; representing Indian companies in India seated construction arbitrations; and appearing before a London seated LCIA tribunal in a gas price review arbitration. Rishab also has considerable expertise in investment treaty arbitrations. He has represented investors and States in more than ten investor-State disputes conducted under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules. His notable recent instructions include Korea Western Power Company Limited v India (PCA Case No. 2020-06) and Dalal v United Arab Emirates (ICSID Case No. ARB/19/10). https://www.twentyessex.com/people/rishab-gupta/
Rupert enjoys a varied practice covering all aspects of commercial law. He has experience across Chambers’ key areas of expertise, including in particular shipping and international trade, arbitration, company and insolvency disputes, and private international law. He is regularly instructed to advise and to represent parties both in litigation and in arbitration proceedings. While Rupert is frequently led by silks and senior juniors on high-value, complex cases, he is also often instructed as sole counsel and has appeared unled both in the Commercial Court and in the Court of Appeal, as well as in matters before the Insolvency and Companies Court. Rupert prides himself on being responsive to clients’ needs and on being a team player who is ready to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in. He goes out of his way to make himself available for clients and ensure that their expectations can be met. Before coming to the Bar, Rupert read science at university and then spent three years working in investment banking as a corporate finance analyst. He is good with figures and also with difficult technical or scientific issues and he particularly enjoys dealing with expert evidence, while his expertise with Excel regularly proves invaluable on cases. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/rupert-hamilton/
Sam specialises in complex, high-value commercial litigation and arbitration. His practice has a particular focus on civil fraud / asset recovery, technology, energy / environment, banking, company and international trade. The legal directories rank Sam for ‘Commercial Litigation’, ‘Fraud: Civil’, ‘International Arbitration: Counsel’ and ‘Cryptocurrency’. He is one of the only junior barristers to be recommended as a Global Leader for Asset Recovery by Who’s Who Legal (2022). He is described in the directories as “miles ahead of his peers, and often his seniors; a great barrister to work with in all respects”; “one of the leading lights at the commercial bar in years to come”; “an excellent lawyer who shows great judgement and is very articulate”; “a rising star in the fintech space and digital space particularly”; and as having “outstanding abilities on difficult matters, with judgement well beyond his years”. Sam has experience of substantial litigation before the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He is regularly instructed (both led and unled) on interim applications such as freezing orders, search orders, prohibitory injunctions and Norwich Pharmacal/Bankers Trust relief. He acts in international arbitrations under a variety of rules (LCIA, ICC, SCC, LMAA etc.) as well as in English court proceedings in aid of arbitral proceedings and concerning the enforcement of arbitration awards. He has a particularly strong civil fraud practice, having acted in several multibillion dollar fraud claims over the last few years. Sam is a co-opted member of the Service Sub-Committee of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee and recently worked on the October 2022 revisions to the gateways for service out of the jurisdiction. He is a founding member of both ‘ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE Starters’ (an industry group for fraud, insolvency and asset recovery practitioners) and ‘CFAAR’ (the first global network for professionals working in the crypto-fraud field), and he sits on the editorial committee of the ‘Tech Disputes Network’. Sam has a particular expertise in disputes involving emerging technologies and cryptoassets. He has acted in several landmark cases concerning ransomware, cryptocurrency fraud and artificial intelligence. He is a co-author of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet and Maxwell, 2020), The Legal Statement on the Status of Cryptoassets and Smart Contracts (UK Jurisdiction Taskforce, 2019) and The Legal Statement on Digital Securities (UK Jurisdiction Taskforce, 2023). His expertise in this field was recently recognised when he was named as the youngest lawyer in Global Data Review’s “40 Under 40”. Prior to joining Twenty Essex, Sam taught private international law as a Teaching Fellow on UCL’s Conflict of Laws course. He has previously worked at litigation boutique Kobre & Kim LLP. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sam-goodman/
Sara is “hugely experienced in the international arbitration field, both as counsel and arbitrator”. This is complemented by a busy court practice as Leading Counsel. A go-to Silk for cases raising difficult jurisdiction and private international law issues, Sara’s practice extends to commercial disputes, (particularly complex multi-jurisdictional disputes), EU law (with a focus on competition and private international law), shipping (including shipbuilding and ship sale disputes) and commodities, construction, energy, insurance (including marine insurance) and re-insurance. She regularly appears as Counsel in international commercial arbitrations before the major international arbitral institutions, and also before trade specific bodies including the LMAA, GAFTA and FOSFA. Her arbitrations have covered areas such as shipping and commodities, ship building, super yachts, joint production oil agreements off-shore construction, gas supply agreements, share purchase agreements and licensing. She has been involved in virtual arbitration hearings as both Counsel and Arbitrator She also acts as an expert witness on English law before foreign courts, including the French, Singaporean, Malaysian, Hong Kong and US Courts. Sara also has experience in the rapidly changing world of commercial sanctions both as counsel and as arbitrator with a particular focus on Russian and Iranian sanctions in the transport and energy sectors, but also extending to more general commercial contexts. Sara has appeared in the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Privy Council and before the European Court of Justice and Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. She is registered to appear before the Singapore International Commercial Court. She accepts appointments as an arbitrator both in a variety of global seats. She has wide experience of both ad hoc and institutional arbitrations including LCIA, SIAC, CIETAC, UNCITRAL and LMAA. Sara is also a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sara-masters/
Sarah is a versatile barrister with extensive client-facing experience. She specialises in commercial disputes in the areas of fraud and asset tracing, banking and financial services, insolvency and company law and international arbitration. Many of the matters she is involved in have an offshore element. Sarah has spent significant periods of time working in-house in London, Norway, and the Cayman Islands. She has substantial experience appearing in the courts of England and Wales and the Cayman Islands. She spent seven years at Twenty Essex followed by three years in the Cayman Islands as a litigation attorney with a top tier offshore law firm, Walkers. Whilst at Twenty Essex, Sarah developed a strong commercial practice across Chambers’ core practice areas. During her time in the Cayman Islands, Sarah worked in the insolvency and dispute resolution department with a focus on litigation. She pursued work related to insolvency, civil fraud and asset tracing, contentious trust litigation, and provided legal services to global corporations, financial institutions, capital markets participants and investment fund managers. In August 2019, she returned to Chambers, with significant expertise in civil fraud and asset tracing, company law, and commercial law. Since returning to Chambers, Sarah has appeared in the courts of England as sole advocate and as a junior in the British Virgin Islands. She has experience obtaining and responding to applications for freezing and proprietary injunctions, receivership orders, and Norwich Pharmacal relief. Sarah is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands and is direct access qualified. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sarah-tresman/
Sarah joined Twenty Essex in August 2022 as a full-time arbitrator. She has over 20 years of experience in international commercial, investment treaty, and public international law dispute resolution proceedings. She has built an impressive professional network spanning Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific (particularly Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, South Korea), Russia, North America, and Australasia. From 2016 to 2022, Sarah served in the highly public role of Secretary-General of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) during which time it was ranked the third most preferred institution in the world. Prior to that, she spent a decade at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague where she administered complex inter-State, investor-State, and contractual disputes involving States, State entities, and intergovernmental organisations. Sarah has also worked at the ICC International Court of Arbitration (ICC) in Paris administering hundreds of commercial cases under the ICC Rules of Arbitration. Prior to that she worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP in Paris and in private practice in New Zealand. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sarah-grimmer/
Sean advises and represents clients in a broad range of commercial and private international law disputes. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal and the High Court (particularly the Commercial Court). Sean has also been instructed to represent clients before all the major arbitral bodies (including the LMAA, GAFTA, FOSFA, ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, London Metal Exchange and Refined Sugar Association). In addition to trial work, Sean has extensive experience in interim proceedings, in particular obtaining freezing orders, inspection orders and anti-suit injunctions. He has also assisted in mediations. Before joining Chambers, Sean worked for 11 years at Morgan Grenfell & Co Ltd (the investment banking division of Deutsche Bank AG). He was an Associate Director specialising in project and export finance, syndicated loan finance, and corporate and debt restructuring. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sean-snook/
Simon is praised by clients for his strategic advocacy in international commercial disputes. He specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration (Chambers & Partners, Leading Juniors, 2020), particularly the fields of energy (The Legal 500, Tier 1 ranking 2019 – 2016), commodities (The Legal 500, Leading Juniors, 2020), shipping / shipbuilding and rig-building (The Legal 500, Leading Juniors, 2019, 2017, 2016 and listed as a “Top Ten” maritime lawyer by Lloyd’s List in 2015), infrastructure / engineering / projects and insurance / reinsurance. Simon also has extensive experience in civil fraud disputes and is increasingly instructed in fraud matters involving Russia / CIS, China and elsewhere. “He is very enthusiastic, with Mandarin skills that are helpful when dealing with Chinese parties,” (The Legal 500, 2018), and is regularly instructed by Asian clients, in particular from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the wider ASEAN region. He acts as a sole or lead counsel in arbitrations under the SIAC, ICC, HKIAC and LCIA rules. He is experienced in dealing with Asian law (Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Philippines, Kazakhstan) in commercial disputes. Simon’s work comes highly recommended by market sources, who say: ‘He is absolutely spectacular and his drafting is unimpeachably good.’ Another source enthuses: ‘He is just a genius – his analysis is so thorough.’” (Chambers & Partners, 2020). In the commodities field he is known as “a very bright and commercially astute barrister who gets to the point quickly.” (The Legal 500, 2020). With a wealth of experience in unled advocacy work across a range of different arbitration systems rules, he “is good on his feet, thinks off-the-cuff very well, speaks confidently without notes and is dogged and determined in pursuit of the case” (Chambers Asia Pacific, 2015). Simon’s recent cases include arbitration and court litigation arising from: an alleged fraud and unlawful means conspiracy related to a call option agreement in respect of a shareholding in Vladivostok’s commercial port; a claim by a Chinese company for alleged fraud and breach of fiduciary duty; cancellation of the contract for the world’s largest drillship (US$120 million); an oil rig contract termination dispute; an arbitration over alleged contracts for the sale of heavy fuel oil (over US$12 million); a dispute over shares in valuable ASEAN-based renewable energy companies (over US$100 million); breach of a contract for observation satellite services (US$32 million); a co-investment agreement concerning an Eastern European bank (over €25 million); a long-term electricity off-take agreement and associated commission payments (€50 million); ‘hull swapping’ at Korean shipyards (US$ 40 million); a share option dispute in the offshore services sector; a joint venture dispute over construction of a mine and associated power plant; a complex dispute over a pharmaceutical licence and distributorship agreement in Asia (subject to Indonesian law); cases at the intersection of commercial with public international law, including investment treaty disputes (where he “has notable experience in investment treaty arbitrations”, Chambers & Partners, 2020), law of the sea issues and climate change risks and liability; several reinsurance treaty arbitrations triggered by natural disasters; anti-suit injunctions; freezing injunctions; enforcement and challenge of arbitral awards and foreign judgments; numerous arbitrations relating to international sales of oil, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, chemicals, metals, and soft commodities. Simon is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands. He acted (led by Duncan Matthews QC) in JSC BTA Bank v Mukhtar Ablyazov and others in proceedings in both the BVI and the English High Court. Simon also regularly sits as arbitrator in London, Singapore and Hong Kong; and is a member of the SIAC reserve panel of arbitrators and the HKIAC and MARC (Mauritius) arbitrator panels. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/simon-milnes/
Simon’s practice focuses on public international law and international arbitration (including both investment protection disputes and international commercial arbitration). He has particular experience as counsel and advocate in inter-State disputes, including before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and international arbitral tribunals constituted under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Simon has advised and acted in a broad range of international disputes involving: issues of State responsibility and treaty interpretation, territorial disputes, investment protection disputes (including claims before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and arbitral tribunals under the PCA and UNCITRAL Rules), issues of international human rights law, issues of sovereign immunity, disputes involving State succession, and disputes involving issues under the law of the sea (including maritime delimitation). Simon also has experience of litigation before the English courts, including cases raising issues of public international law, and matters relating to arbitration. In addition, he has substantial experience in international commercial arbitration and has acted in cases brought under a variety of procedural rules (UNCITRAL, LCIA, ICC, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, CIArb, etc, and covering a variety of subject matters, including sale of goods, advertising, logistics in respect of a major energy project, and a partnership dispute. Simon also accepts appointments to sit as an arbitrator. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/simon-olleson/
Socrates has been a tenant at Twenty Essex since October 2001. He has a commercial law practice with an emphasis on shipping, sale of goods, banking, insurance and private international law. Socrates has appeared both as sole counsel and as part of a team in the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal and in arbitrations in the UK and abroad. His practice encompasses a wide range of commercial matters, including heavy commercial cases. Socrates particularly enjoys cases involving a technical or scientific dimension. Socrates was a Tutor in Carriage of Goods by Sea and Marine Insurance at University College London between 2000 and 2006. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/socrates-papadopoulos/
Stefan Talmon is currently a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. He is also Professor of Public Law, Public International Law and European Union Law, and Director at the Institute for Public International Law at the University of Bonn, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St. Anne’s College. He frequently advises States and corporations on questions of public international law, and he has appeared as advocate, counsel and expert before the ICJ, the ECHR, international arbitral tribunals, and domestic courts in the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. He has also recently served as arbitrator in a confidential PCA arbitration concerning international terrorism.
Stephen’s practice comprises of international and domestic corporate insolvency and restructuring, company law, civil aspects of international and domestic commercial fraud, personal insolvency, banking, general offshore and international commercial litigation, and international and domestic asset tracing. He has considerable experience in commercial litigation, civil fraud and contentious insolvency proceedings in the UK, Hong Kong, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Jersey, Guernsey, Samoa and the Isle of Man. Stephen is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean (BVI). He is also called to the Bars of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man and Samoa for specific cases. Stephen has rights of audience in Brunei Darussalam for specific cases. He was named as Insolvency/Corporate Restructuring Silk of the year at the Chambers Bar Awards 2014. Stephen has also provided expert evidence on English, Bermuda, BVI and Cayman Islands law for use in foreign proceedings, including proceedings in Singapore, Hong Kong, New Hampshire and the Netherlands. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/stephen-atherton/
Sudhanshu practices arbitration, commercial and public international law. He has acted in leading and landmark cases across his areas of practice. Sudhanshu’s commercial practice encompasses shipping, international trade, energy, natural resources, banking and insurance and sanctions. He has particular experience of group and tort claims against multinational corporations, having acted in several of the important English cases. His work often involves challenges to jurisdiction, enforcement and applications for freezing orders and other urgent relief. His public international practice has included some of the leading cases of recent times, both in the English courts and in international courts and tribunals. His practice includes investment treaties, immunities, foreign act of state, law of the sea, international environmental law and human rights. His investment treaty work involves acting for states and Investors, in arbitration and in related court proceedings. Drawing on his background in public international and commercial law, Sudhanshu has developed expertise in climate change. He has been acting in two of the international test cases (see “Recent work” below), which have attracted worldwide media coverage. He has also lectured extensively on climate change law, both in relation to states and corporations. Sudhanshu has been recognised as one of The Lawyer magazine’s “Hot 100” lawyers and is described as “A superb strategist and technician, one to keep on speed-dial for important cases” (The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020). Sudhanshu accepts appointments as an arbitrator. Recent work includes: Challenge to enforcement of investment treaty arbitration award – acting in the English courts for the State, with related proceedings in several countries. Challenge to jurisdiction in relation to an investment treaty award – acting in the English courts for the State. Euro Asian SA v Credit Suisse AG and Abilo – dispute about oil trading under cif contracts, letters of indemnity and alleged fraud, acting in the Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal for Euro-Asian. Re Al M – high-profile proceedings concerning the children of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, acting in the English courts on the issues of international law, including immunity and foreign act of state. The Enrica Lexie Incident, Italy v India – landmark law of the sea dispute, acting in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Permanent Court of Arbitration for Italy. Duarte Agostinho v Portugal and others – the first case on climate change in the European Court of Human Rights (now in the Grand Chamber), acting for the United Kingdom. Torres Strait Islanders v Australia – complaint about Australia’s failure to protect the islands from rising sea levels caused by climate change, acting in the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Reyes v Al-Malki – a leading case on diplomatic immunity and human trafficking, Supreme Court R v Reeves Taylor – a leading case on the meaning of “torture” under international law, Supreme Court. Freedom and Justice Party v FCO – a leading case on immunity and customary international law, Court of Appeal. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/sudhanshu-swaroop/
Susannah’s practice focuses on commercial disputes in areas including fraud, banking, commodities, energy, insurance and shipping. She has considerable experience in substantial, multi-party, multi-jurisdictional litigation and is particularly noted for her ability to get on top of very complex legal and factual issues in very short order. Almost all of Susannah’s work has a substantial international element, concerning parties from across the world and frequently involving litigation in other fora and other countries which raise complex jurisdictional and conflict of laws issues. Susannah has acted as counsel (alone and as part of a team) in cases before the English Courts and in many arbitrations seated in London and overseas. Most recently, Susannah, led by Philip Edey QC, acted for policyholder interveners at first instance in the landmark business interruption insurance test case brought by the FCA. Susannah was sole counsel in reply on behalf of the successful RSA 4 policyholders. Susannah also accepts appointments as arbitrator, with particular experience as an ICC, LMAA and LCIA arbitrator. She is ranked in the leading directories for commercial litigation, commodities and shipping. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/susannah-jones/
Talia is developing a wide-ranging practice in all of Chambers’ main practice areas, including commercial disputes and international arbitration. From October to December 2021, Talia undertook a part-time secondment with the Financial Conduct Authority, where she provided advice to FCA staff on a range of regulatory issues related to investments, insurance and redress. Before joining Chambers, she worked at UN Women in New York, where she spent time in the Executive Director’s speechwriting team and the rule of law policy division. Talia has also worked as a paralegal at a law firm specialising in education and disability law and undertaken written and oral advocacy as a Tribunal Support Volunteer for IPSEA. Talia has an undergraduate degree in History and an MPhil in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge. She completed the GDL (placing first in her year) and the BPTC at BPP Law School. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/talia-zybutz/
Thomas is a commercial silk, with a wide commercial practice, and well known as a lead advocate in difficult cases on private international law. His commercial practice covers general commercial matters, banking, financial services, shipping, aviation, commodities, property, offshore energy, insurance and reinsurance, marine insurance, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, telecommunications, and transjurisdictional disputes. Thomas also has a leading practice in cross-over cases involving intellectual property, competition law, media and communications, commercial law and private international law. Thomas has argued cases at all levels of the higher English courts including the Supreme Court. His advocacy in one case was described recently as “of the highest possible calibre” by the Court of Appeal. He appears in commercial arbitrations before the ICC, LCIA, and other trade specific arbitral forums, including the LMAA, LME, and RSA. Arbitrations have concerned subjects including mobile telephone contracts, international construction, superyachts, shipbuilding, charterparties, commodities, patent licensing and FRAND. Thomas accepts appointments as an arbitrator in international arbitrations. He speaks fluent French and also acts as an expert witness on English law in foreign courts, including the French, Italian, Belgian and US courts. He is the author of The Anti-Suit Injunction, which is the lead work on anti-suit injunctions and related issues in the conflict of laws. It has been cited with approval and adopted by the High Court and Court of Appeal on numerous occasions, and the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, as well as in the courts of Hong Kong and Singapore. The second edition has been published in September 2019. Recently Quentin Loh J in the High Court of Singapore described it as a “very instructive” text. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/thomas-raphael/
Timothy’s principal area of practice is international trade, embracing shipping, commodities, insurance, the carriage and sale of goods, banking and related disciplines. He appears principally in the High Court and Court of Appeal and before various international arbitration tribunals, in relation to all manner of trading and financial disputes. Timothy also acts as an arbitrator, either sole or as a member of a panel. He accepts appointments under the rules of the LMAA, ICC, LCIA, SIAC and ad hoc, if required. Timothy is on the panel of arbitrators of the ICC, LCIA and SIAC. Much of his work is in arbitration and therefore, by definition, confidential unless the cases reach the courts. However, the key cases below, from several jurisdictions, give a taste of Timothy’s work. Timothy was awarded “Best Shipping Silk 2016″ by Chambers and Partners. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/timothy-young/
Timothy specialises in international commercial litigation and arbitration. He has considerable expertise in very high value and complex cases and also urgent disputes involving swift interim relief. He is well known for his ability to quickly master complicated and technical cases. Timothy has considerable experience of conducting heavy and lengthy trials and arbitrations, and of working closely with large teams of junior counsel, solicitors and experts. He is well known for his formidable skills in cross-examination and appearances in the appellant courts. Timothy works across all sectors but he has particular experience in energy and natural resources, insurance, construction and engineering, international trade, commodities, transportation, shipping and aviation. Other commercial litigation which he regularly undertakes includes: joint ventures and shareholders’ agreements, distribution agreements, commercial agents, banking and finance with particular expertise of the ISDA Master Agreement and trade credit insurance, enforcement of guarantees, civil fraud and sanctions. Recently, he has been involved in disputes concerning the construction of aircraft, ships and onshore/offshore oil and gas facilities and has a close grasp of the technical issues that arise in these disputes. He sits as a commercial arbitrator, both pursuant to bespoke terms and under the auspices of institutions such as the LCIA, ICC and others. Timothy is also a Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediator. Timothy regularly gives evidence on English law in foreign proceedings and arbitrations. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/timothy-hill/
Tom has a varied commercial practice, with a focus on international arbitration, energy, insurance/reinsurance, banking and shipping. He has extensive experience of arbitrations under a variety of rules, both as sole counsel and led. This includes acting as sole English counsel in high-value international arbitrations, including a gas-price review arbitration in Munich, an arbitration in Panama City arising under a contract for the sale of oil, and a construction arbitration in Milan. Tom also regularly appears as sole counsel, and with a leader, in the Court of Appeal and High Court. He has significant and recent experience of applications for anti-suit injunctions, worldwide freezing injunctions and applications under the Arbitration Act 1996. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/thomas-corby/
Tony has a busy practice specialising in the fields of insolvency, civil fraud, commercial litigation and company law. His work has a strong international element, and he has substantial experience of cross-border issues arising in connection with foreign insolvencies, pre-emptive relief, receiverships and other asset recovery tools. In recent years, Tony’s work has particularly focused upon complex civil fraud disputes, usually involving multiple jurisdictions. Tony took silk in 2022, having been recognised as a leading junior in his areas of specialism for a number of years. He is ranked in Tier 1 by the Legal 500 for Insolvency, Offshore, Civil Fraud and Banking and Finance, and as a “New Silk” for Company, Restructuring/Insolvency, Chancery – Commercial, Civil Fraud and Commercial Dispute Resolution by the Chambers UK Bar Guide. Prior to taking silk, Tony was identified as (one of two) “most highly regarded” junior barristers for Restructuring and Insolvency in successive editions of Who’s Who Legal and was shortlisted for Insolvency/Company Junior Barrister of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2017. Recent directory quotes describe Tony as a “real star to watch”, and a “very clear, calm and careful advocate” who “marries a lot of brainpower into practicality and focus”. Tony is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands, and has been admitted to the Bars of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands (on an ad hoc basis). He is registered to appear in the DIFC Courts and recently appeared in the Abu Dhabi Global Market Court in what is believed to have been the first application for recognition of foreign insolvency proceedings. He enjoys working as part of a larger team and has gained experience of both sides of the profession, having previously worked at a major international law firm. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/tony-beswetherick/
Wendy is a specialist in international arbitration and dispute resolution with a focus on private and public international law. With over 25 years of experience, Wendy has advised on international law matters and conducted arbitrations under all the major institutions and ad hoc. She has advised a wide range of multinationals, including corporates, sovereign States and State entities and multilateral State organisations. Wendy has assisted clients across numerous sectors, including energy, natural resources, banking, insurance, financial services, gaming, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, licensing, telecommunications and construction. She has sat as arbitrator since 2005, as sole, co-arbitrator and chair under most major arbitral institutions. Wendy has been appointed by the United Kingdom to the ICSID Panel of arbitrators and ICSID Panel of conciliators effective from 10 November 2020. In the field of climate change and finance, Wendy acts as global coordinating counsel to various major corporates in relation to climate change transition, disclosure, reporting, compliance and investment. She regularly advises investors and States in respect of climate related physical, transition and litigation risk. She works closely with a number of States in relation to climate transition regulatory structures to mobilise finance and formulate climate investment policy. She also works closely with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and has represented it at the Conferences of the Parties on climate since 2015. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/wendy-miles/
Yves is recognised as one of the top arbitrators in the world. He has served as chairman, president, sole arbitrator or co-arbitrator on numerous international and national arbitral tribunals, either ad hoc or constituted by a range of different arbitral institutions. Yves has also served as chairman or party-appointed arbitrator on numerous investor-state international tribunals. From 1992 until 2008, Yves was Chairman of Ogilvy Renault. As a trial lawyer with extensive experience in the practice of commercial, corporate and competition law, he pleaded important cases before all court jurisdictions in Canada and before domestic and international arbitral tribunals. In 2011 Yves severed his relationship with Norton Rose Fullbright (formerly Ogilvy Renault). Since 1 January 2012, he has been an independent arbitrator/mediator with chambers in Montréal, Toronto and London. From July 1988 until January 1992, he took leave from his law practice to take up an appointment as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. During this time, Yves was Canada’s Chief Delegate to the 43rd, 44th, 45th and 46th Sessions of the UN General Assembly. In September 1990, he was elected Vice-President of the 45th General Assembly. From January 1989 to December 1990, Yves served as Canada’s Representative on the Security Council of the United Nations and in 1989 he was President of the Council. From 1984 to 1989 Yves was a member of the PCA at The Hague. From 1998 to 2001 he was President of the LCIA. Yves served as Chairman of the Sanctions Committee of the World Bank from 2012 to 2015. In 2016 he was appointed Chairman of the Enforcement Committee of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of Canada in August 2013. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/yves-fortier/
Zannis is a barrister, French avocat and arbitrator. He is a specialist in international commercial and investment arbitration. Zannis has conducted proceedings for governments, multinationals, and high-net-worth individuals all around the world. He has particular expertise in disputes with a connection to CEE and CIS. Zannis has lived and worked in Paris and Bucharest as well as London. He is “Of Counsel” to law firms in Kiev and Tbilisi. He graduated in law from St John’s College, University of Cambridge. He also sits as a FIDIC Dispute Board Member. https://www.twentyessex.com/people/zannis-mavrogordato/