Essex Court Chambers
With ‘a deep roster of highly-skilled barristers’, Essex Court Chambers ‘boasts remarkable strength-in-depth, allowing it to handle a wide range of complex cases with expertise and confidence’. The set’s members consistently appear in the largest fraud cases before the Commercial and Chancery Courts, and at appellate level, both at home and abroad. In Suppipat v Narongdeg & Ors, reportedly the largest Commercial Court case of 2022, Anna Dilnot KC acted for Khunying Boonyachinda, Golden Music and Cornwallis in defence of contempt proceedings, against a backdrop of an alleged conspiracy to defraud the claimants of over a billion dollars of shares in a Thai wind farm company. In a $800m claim arising out of the alleged bribery of the former Kuwaiti social security fund head, David Davies KC is defending a former senior partner of Swiss private bank, Banque Mirabaud. In March 2023, Ruth Den Besten KC, who recently successfully defended Balda Foundation and Nysco Management Corporation, against a $1.2bn fraudulent misrepresentation and conspiracy claim concerning a mining venture in Guinea, took silk. Turning to the set’s juniors, Owen Lloyd and Katherine Ratcliffe also maintain active civil fraud practices.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Essex Court Chambers excels in litigation and advocacy.'
- 'Joe Ferrigno is a class act.'
- 'Jac Sexton and David Banks are helpful and a pleasure to deal with.'
- 'Demi Woolger and Tom Gannon are commended for their exceptional professionalism and dedication to their roles. They excel in their respective fields, demonstrating outstanding organisational skills, prompt responsiveness, and an unwavering commitment to providing top-notch client service.'
- 'Demi Woolger and Tom Gannon's proactive approach, attention to detail, and ability to manage administrative tasks effectively contribute significantly to the smooth running of cases.'
- 'With a deep roster of highly-skilled barristers, the chambers boasts remarkable strength in depth, allowing it to handle a wide range of complex cases with expertise and confidence.'
- 'Clients benefit from the availability of counsel, ensuring prompt and personalised attention throughout the legal journey.'
- 'The barristers from Essex Court Chambers do an excellent job in civil fraud matters.'
- 'The barristers at this set are very quick to respond and manage expectations on timings very well.'
- 'The set has market-leading members for civil fraud 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.
1Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘A master strategist who regularly wins cases through his rigorous cross-examination and incisive legal analysis.‘
2
3
4
4
42022 Silks
Hall of fameEssex Court Chambers
‘Tim is incredibly pragmatic, hardworking, and commercial in his outlook. He manages to digest a huge amount of information and distil it down to the most important points.’
2023 Silks
2024 Silks
Essex Court Chambers
‘An exceptional barrister whose advocacy skills are truly commendable. His ability to present complex legal arguments in a clear and persuasive manner is remarkable.’
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.
1Essex Court Chambers
‘Tom is an exceptionally gifted lawyer, who works extremely hard. He is a measured, careful and persuasive advocate.’
4Essex Court Chambers
‘Stuart is excellent. User-friendly and extremely responsive, and his written advocacy is clear and well thought-out. His oral advocacy is also very impressive.’
4
Essex Court Chambers
‘John is extremely bright and hardworking. His analysis is always thorough and thought through yet commercial, and his knowledge of civil fraud and tracing is impressive.‘
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.
1Essex Court Chambers
‘Tom is an exceptionally gifted lawyer, who works extremely hard. He is a measured, careful and persuasive advocate.’
4Essex Court Chambers
‘Stuart is excellent. User-friendly and extremely responsive, and his written advocacy is clear and well thought-out. His oral advocacy is also very impressive.’
4Essex Court Chambers
‘John is extremely bright and hardworking. His analysis is always thorough and thought through yet commercial, and his knowledge of civil fraud and tracing is impressive.‘