‘Super-authoritative, but also charming and pleasant to deal with, his advocacy is compelling.’
One Essex Court
One Essex Court is ‘one of the super-sets with many barristers at many levels providing a great service’. Clients remark on its ’good strength in depth, with an excellent choice of strong academic lawyers, energy specialists and brilliant advocates’. Regarded as the most prominent set for matters concerning oil and gas, coal, nuclear and electricity including hydropower, as well as renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biofuel and geothermal, the set is adept in pricing, regulatory and construction matters. Standout silk John McCaughran KC was recently instructed by Shell in relation to a dispute arising out of a gas sale agreement with British Gas. Sa’ad Hossain KC, who frequently appears in high-value High Court applications, trials and appeals concerning the energy sector, acted for Scottish Power Retail Holdings as defendant in a contractual claim material to the future development of power stations on a site owned by Drax. Notable juniors include Michael Watkins, who was recently instructed by BP, Shell and Esso in relation to a claim arising out of an agreement to provide security for decommissioning liabilities associated with the largest oil field in the North Sea.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The best clerked chambers in the UK.'
- 'Professional and responsive.'
- 'Excellent. Jackie Ginty is a star.'
- 'One Essex Court have an excellent senior clerking team in Darren Burrows and Rob Smith. Both are excellent.'
- 'The clerking is good. Indeed, one of the strongest clerking teams around. They are user-friendly with strong service standards. They are great to deal with and you feel like they are part of the team.'
- 'One Essex Court is an excellent set. I routinely use a number of KCs, including senior and mid-level juniors. They have real strength in depth at all levels.'
- 'One of the super-sets. Many barristers at many levels providing a great service.'
- 'Very strong in relation to energy and oil & gas industry disputes expertise.'
- 'Good strength in depth, excellent choice of strong academic lawyers, energy specialists and brilliant advocates.'
- 'One Essex Court is very highly recommended for energy disputes due to its breadth of experience across different areas.'
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.
‘One of the biggest hitters for big-ticket energy litigation, his name has often been on the biggest energy cases over the last decade.’
![Laurence Rabinowitz](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/9327_1171084.jpg)
‘A heavyweight commercial silk for big-ticket energy litigation, Laurence is clear in his advice and has an extremely strong following among clients.’
![Daniel Toledano](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/07/DANIEL_TOLEDANO_3-Headshot-NEW.jpg)
‘Daniel is superb, always on top of the detail, and provides well considered advice. He is a very polished operator.’
‘Alain is a superb advocate, both on his feet and on paper. He is articulate and highly intelligent but very accessible, and judges find him compelling and persuasive.’
‘Jeffrey has the ability to command and process enormous an amount of factual information and distil from that clear and focused advice.’
‘Charles' standout strengths are his attention to detail and piercing yet unfailingly respectful cross-examination.’
‘Sa’ad is an assured advocate, as calm as cat on his feet, and able to present technical points with a lot of lucidity and authority.’
![Thomas Sharpe](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/9327_1171036.jpg)
‘A towering intellect with fabulous client-handling skills, he is a calm and determined advocate with the ability to connect to a judge and not be diverted from the argument.’
![Laurence Emmett](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/03/LAURENCE_EMMETT_QC_-NEW-HEADSHOT1.jpg)
‘Laurence is a very strong and super-smart black-letter lawyer, who provides sound advocacy.’
![Orlando Gledhill](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/10/ORLANDO_GLEDHILL_2022.jpg)
‘Orlando shows a lightening quick intellect, a refusal to settle for anything other than excellent, and is always approachable.’
‘Conall is one of the best: bright, very user-friendly and a superb advocate.'
2024 Silks
‘An extremely clever junior, who is good on his feet, very practical, and astute without being too pushy.’
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.
‘Nehali is extremely clever, intensely practical and responsive, and phenomenally hardworking.’
‘A junior in command of the details. He has a pragmatic approach to strategy.’
‘A brilliant mind with an unmatched work ethic, Emma is also modest. Undoubtedly one of the top juniors in this area.’
![Niranjan Venkatesan](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2022/09/NV.jpg)
‘Niranjan is an extremely bright barrister who comes up with innovative solutions to legal problems, and is very hardworking and responsive.’
‘Michael is a tenacious litigator who has fabulous industry knowledge. He is one to watch.’
![Daniel Hubbard](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/07/Daniel_Hubbard-NEW-head-shot.jpg)
‘Daniel is always very flexible and accommodating, and on his feet he is very assured.’
‘Douglas is extremely diligent and bright, and he is able to turn things around really quickly.’
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.
‘Nehali is extremely clever, intensely practical and responsive, and phenomenally hardworking.’
‘A junior in command of the details. He has a pragmatic approach to strategy.’
‘A brilliant mind with an unmatched work ethic, Emma is also modest. Undoubtedly one of the top juniors in this area.’
![Niranjan Venkatesan](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2022/09/NV.jpg)
‘Niranjan is an extremely bright barrister who comes up with innovative solutions to legal problems, and is very hardworking and responsive.’
‘Michael is a tenacious litigator who has fabulous industry knowledge. He is one to watch.’
![Daniel Hubbard](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/07/Daniel_Hubbard-NEW-head-shot.jpg)
‘Daniel is always very flexible and accommodating, and on his feet he is very assured.’
‘Douglas is extremely diligent and bright, and he is able to turn things around really quickly.’