Essex Court Chambers
For commercial litigation and international arbitration, Essex Court Chambers is ‘at the top of most people’s list: packed with talent’, and it has a strong standing in high-value energy disputes. The set is ’a go-to on any complex dispute given the calibre of barristers, who are reliable, responsive and always liked by clients’. It has solidified its reputation as a full-service set in recent years, having added to its core strengths in arbitration and public international law, with energy and natural resources becoming a prominent part of many members’ practice. Graham Dunning KC was successful as lead counsel representing the Kurdistan Regional Government Minister of Oil and Natural Resources, in respect of a claim for more than $1.5bn relating to change of control of two blocks under PSCs in Northern Iraq. In Cairn Energy PLC v The Republic of India, Anton Dudnikov is acting for a British company seeking to enforce a $1.7bn arbitral award against India.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Essex Court is at the top of most people's list: packed with talent.’
‘Essex Court is a go-to on any complex dispute given the calibre of barristers. They are reliable and responsive and always liked by clients, while providing excellent advice.’
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.
Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘An excellent commercial lawyer and a careful and thorough arbitrator, David is hardworking, diligent and unfussy.’
3Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘Extraordinarily sharp and effective, Graham can always be depended on to have a mastery of the factual and legal issues.’
3Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘Philippa is very impressive in cross-examination and is often the power behind the scenes in the running of big cases.’
4Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘Ian demonstrates great preparation and attention to detail, and delivers powerful and persuasive submissions. Great with witnesses, he is a top-class team player.’
2022 Silks
Essex Court Chambers
‘He shows good judgement and strategy, is great on his feet, and particularly good on cross-examination.’
2023 Silks
Essex Court Chambers
‘Calm and unflustered, Siddharth is very willing to help out on any aspect of a case.’
Essex Court Chambers
‘His depth of knowledge is mighty impressive, as is the cool judgment which he brings when deploying that expertise.’
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.
1
2Essex Court Chambers
‘Paul provides insightful, reliable advice and earns the trust of clients quickly. He is pragmatic, dedicated and a real team player.’
4Essex Court Chambers
‘Stuart is user-friendly, extremely responsive, and his written advocacy is clear and well thought-out. He is always on top of the facts and law.’
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.
12Essex Court Chambers
‘Paul provides insightful, reliable advice and earns the trust of clients quickly. He is pragmatic, dedicated and a real team player.’
4Essex Court Chambers
‘Stuart is user-friendly, extremely responsive, and his written advocacy is clear and well thought-out. He is always on top of the facts and law.’