Commercial litigation

Twenty Essex

As a ‘phenomenal set with clever barristers, stellar work, and an excellent work ethic’, Twenty Essex is highly esteemed for its expertise in shipping, trade, and public international law. Demonstrating the chambers’ prowess in shipping law, David Lewis KC is acting for the claimant in UK P&I Club v Venezuela in a dispute involving a cruise ship that allegedly trespassed into Venezuelan waters by accident, which subsequently collided with a Venezuelan naval patrol vessel and sank. Members of the set are also involved in the Abraaj proceedings following the collapse of the UAE-based private equity group; Stephen Atherton KC, with Sarah Tresman, is defending various GHF entities, while Andrew Ayres KC is defending Abraaj General Partner VII and Neoma Private Equity Fund IV. Josephine Davies KC was appointed silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Arron Zitver is a pleasure to deal with.'
'Rob Wheeler is an excellent clerk who is very attentive in detail.'
'Good commercial approach and efficient, especially Chris Theobald.'
'The clerks' room is a well-oiled machine. Chris Theobald in particular is commercial and efficient.'
'A strong set for commodities with strength in depth.'
'Twenty Essex is a very good set and has a very good reputation.'
'Twenty Essex is a fantastic set; all of the barristers are reliably excellent.'
'Twenty Essex is a phenomenal set with clever barristers, stellar work and an excellent work ethic.'

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.

'Philip is a superb leading advocate who is at the top of the profession. He has an excellent courtroom manner which commands the respect and attention of the judges, at all levels.'

Paul Lowenstein KC

Twenty Essex

'A superb silk at the top of his game in complex commercial disputes, particularly those involving a cross-border element. Excellent strategist, articulate and confident with his advice.'

Charles Kimmins KC

Twenty Essex

‘Charles grasps a case quickly and thoroughly and is able to explain even the most complex of cases clearly. He approaches every matter with humour, which allows him to communicate very well with the lay client.'

Andrew Ayres KC

Twenty Essex

‘Andrew is a smooth advocate who presents arguments very clearly and effectively in court. A great team player and easy to deal with.'

David Lewis KC

Twenty Essex

'Brilliant strategist - he is able to find solutions where others see nothing. He is great with clients and the judges are always engaged by his focussed and persuasive submissions.'

‘Andrew is superb - incredibly pragmatic and able to cut to the chase on complex issues. His advocacy style is confident, energetic, and grabs the bench'ss attention.'

Philip Riches KC

Twenty Essex

'Philip is a very accomplished leader. His legal and analytical skills are superb.'

Lawrence Akka KC

Twenty Essex

‘Lawrence is one of the very best. He is approachable and personable in manner, and his advice is always crisp and incisive.'

Michael Ashcroft KC

Twenty Essex

‘Michael is a truly exceptional lawyer. He is capable of analysing the most complex of disputes in a way that means they are presented clearly and succinctly before a judge, and his oral and written advocacy is most impressive.'

Tony Beswetherick KC

Twenty Essex

'Tony is super bright and thoughtful but also commercial and understands and is mindful of the wider context of the case in which he is acting. He is accessible and user-friendly.'

Blair Leahy KC

Twenty Essex

'Superb and forceful advocacy, excellent advisory and strategic analysis, very user-friendly, and available.'

Sudhanshu Swaroop KC

Twenty Essex

'Very good understanding of the dynamics of the law of contract. Thorough, organised, responsive, pleasant to deal with, and calm and collegiate in approach.'

2023 Silks

Luke Pearce KC

Twenty Essex

'Luke is an excellent junior silk. He is supremely intelligent with a great sense of judgement. He is at home with the most complex of disputes and is a future leader of the field.'

2024 Silks

Josephine Davies KC

Twenty Essex

‘Josephine is able rapidly to distil the key issues from the documents and to formulate the legal arguments to support the client's case. She is a tenacious fighter when she needs to be - a great person to have in your corner when dealing with difficult opponents.'

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.

‘Belinda is such a brilliant person to have on your team - hard-working, fun to work with, and always knows the case and the documents inside out. She's incredibly effective and a brilliant advocate.'

Sam Goodman

Twenty Essex

‘Heavyweight counsel who is ahead of his time.’

Sarah Tresman

Twenty Essex

‘Sarah is extremely technically able and very detail-oriented. Her advocacy is exceptional – she is nothing short of brilliant.’

Andrew Dinsmore

Twenty Essex

'Andrew is clear in his advice and responsive. His advocacy is first-class: clear and addresses the points to hand.'

Malcolm Jarvis

Twenty Essex

'Malcolm is extremely attentive and has a very keen eye for detail.'

Andrew Feld

Twenty Essex

'A very commercial, thorough, and well-prepared advocate who is very bright and technically sound.'

Richard Greenberg

Twenty Essex

'Richard demonstrates incredible commitment and unwavering professionalism, as well as outstanding technical ability. A pleasure to work with.'

Mark Tushingham

Twenty Essex

'Mark is extremely pro-active, user-friendly, diligent and hard-working. He is great with clients, very commercial and a pleasure to work with.'

Angharad Parry

Twenty Essex

‘Parry is an excellent junior and a good team player. A pleasure to work with. Very knowledgeable and hard-working.’

Rupert Hamilton

Twenty Essex

‘Rupert is a clear thinker who is not simply swayed by others. He is across the detail of a matter and has a calm and collected style on calls and in court.’

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.