Essex Court Chambers is a noteworthy set in the human rights space, with the team of ‘excellent human rights and public law practitioners’ often instructed in high-profile cases with crossover public international law issues. Dan Sarooshi KC is ‘very knowledgeable and has good judgement’. In a prominent case highlight, Hugh Mercer KC and Naomi Hart acted for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission as intervener on behalf of the applicants in Dillon and Ors v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, a challenge concerning the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. The case involved issues of the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, the Windsor Framework and the Good Friday Agreement.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Kevin Grubb is friendly and responsive.'
  • 'The clerks have been incredibly helpful.'
  • 'Great clerking.'
  • 'Essex Court Chambers has incredible strength and depth.'
  • 'The set has a very good reputation with many very able counsel.'

Silks

Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Hugh Mercer KC
3
Hugh Mercer KC
Essex Court Chambers
'Hugh combines an excellent mind with a superb grasp of the facts.'
Dan Sarooshi KC
3
Dan Sarooshi KC
Essex Court Chambers
'A powerful advocate who is undeterred by difficult arguments; a real force in the field.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Naomi Hart
4
Naomi Hart
Essex Court Chambers
'Naomi is a star in the field of human rights law.'