England - London Bar
3

Construction

39 Essex Chambers

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39 Essex Chambers is ‘an impressive set’, tackling a broad range of construction issues, particularly focusing on professional negligence and insurance matters. Kate Grange KC continues to advise on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on all construction matters, leading a group of juniors who are examining the design and construction of the tower and whether it complied with relevant statutory provisions. Additionally, Marion Smith KC is acting for Day Architectural Limited in ongoing TCC proceedings regarding cladding and design issues. In the real estate arena, Vivek Kapoor is acting as sole council in a claim before the TCC regarding construction of a luxury residential project. On the international side, David Hopkins is led by Adam Robb KC in a complex multi-jurisdictional case, representing TSK Electronica y Electricidad, a Spanish contractor, in an injunction application regarding a payment under a performance bond.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The clerks are 39 Essex Chambers are exceptionally client focused, Harvey Scott in particular is a pleasure to work with and will always respond to queries very efficiently.' 
  • 'Clerks are always professional and reactive.'
  • 'The clerks room is one of the best around.' 
  • '39 Essex Chambers has great strength in depth in the construction law field.' 
  • 'Good set. Strong in construction, including new sustainability areas.' 
  • '39 Essex have an extensive range of knowledgeable, experiences advocates and arbitrators, who are all first-class.' 
  • 'Chambers offers good strength in depth across the construction team.' 
  • '39 Essex is an impressive set with an array of first-class counsel, particularly in insurance and construction claims.' 

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.
Marion Smith KC
2
Marion Smith KC
39 Essex Chambers
‘Marion is able to understand complicated scenarios and communicate with clients in clear and understandable terms. She provides clear, client-focused advice which also takes account of commercial, reputational and political sensitivities and issues.' 
Adam Robb KC
2
Adam Robb KC
39 Essex Chambers
'Adam is excellent. He can get across complex factual and legal issues very quickly. His drafting is strong. Adam is very responsive and reliable. He is someone you want on your team.'
Karim Ghaly KC
3
Karim Ghaly KC
39 Essex Chambers
‘Karim simplifies the most complex issues with ease and his ability to master large amounts of details with ease is unparalleled. He bring a calm presence to the proceedings, never loses sight of what really matters and what will resonate with the tribunal. His advocacy skills are incredible.' 
Adrian Hughes KC
3
Adrian Hughes KC
39 Essex Chambers
'Adrian is the stand-out barrister of his generation. His strategic instincts are excellent and his advocacy is masterful. He also has superb client care and inspires confidence.'
Kate Grange KC
5
Kate Grange KC
39 Essex Chambers
'Kate has a skillful mastery of a wide range of complex technical issues across multiple expert disciplines and her excellent command of a plethora of technical detail. Kate handles the oral examination of a great number and variety of factual and expert witnesses with enormous skill and subtlety.' 

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.
Melissa Shipley
3
Melissa Shipley
39 Essex Chambers
‘Melissa is an excellent junior, who is comfortable leading cases or working with KCs. Melissa’s detailed understanding of the technical and factual issues quickly earn her the respect and confidence of clients.' 
Rebecca Drake
3
Rebecca Drake
39 Essex Chambers
‘Rebecca’s written advocacy is impressive. The quality of her drafting is excellent, as is the speed with which she produces it.’ 
Jess Connors
4
Jess Connors
39 Essex Chambers
'She is extremely thorough and very quick to get on top of complex technical detail.'
Patrick Hennessey
4
Patrick Hennessey
39 Essex Chambers
'Patrick's strengths are his speed at picking up the key issues, his advocacy skills which are well beyond his level of seniority, down to earth nature and accessibility and responsiveness.'
David Sawtell
4
David Sawtell
39 Essex Chambers
‘David has a forensic knowledge of construction law and is incredibly bright. He combines this with a commercially minded approach to advice. The combination, plus his knowledge of leasehold matters, is invaluable.'
David Hopkins
4
David Hopkins
39 Essex Chambers
'David is excellent at approaching issues from first principles, getting to the nub of the  issue. David also gets on well with clients, helping them take confidence in his advice. David's written advocacy is very sharp. He has a precise yet persuasive style.' 
Vivek Kapoor
4
Vivek Kapoor
39 Essex Chambers
‘Vivek offers judicial insight into a range of construction disputes, drawing upon his experience as a practising arbitrator. He consistently demonstrates a confident and robust demeanour in court which is welcomed by the courts and clients alike. He pleads astutely and efficiently to deliver excellent outcomes for his clients.’ 

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