Paul Lowenstein KC
Twenty Essex ‘An excellent communicator who is calm, authoritative, and very effective. He excels in explaining complex elements of fraud to judges under severe time pressure.’
Recognised for being ‘great for fraud and asset tracing’, members of Twenty Essex regularly handle civil fraud and asset tracing cases, leveraging its deep expertise in commercial litigation, shipping and trade matters, and public international law. Duncan Matthews KC, Philip Riches KC and Twenty Essex defended Privinvest in Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse and others, a high-profile litigation involving allegations of fraud bribery, and corruption connected to a series of loans provided to the East African country. In Steenbok Newco 10 SARL and another v Formal Holdings Limited and others, Andrew Ayres KC and Andrew Dinsmore represent the claimants in an international conspiracy case, alleging the dishonest appropriation of €100m through circular and layered payments in the BVI. Philip Edey KC is leading Maria Kennedy in representing the Bank of Baroda against the NMC Group in legal proceedings where the UAE-based healthcare provider alleges that the bank was complicit in or failed to prevent the fraudulent activities that led to the group’s collapse into administration. Josephine Davies KC took silk in March 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'It is a pleasure to work with the clerks at Twenty Essex. Christopher Theobald is always accessible, very responsive and wonderful to work with.'
- 'Christopher Theobald runs a great clerks room. They are commercial and efficient.'
- 'Robert Wheeler is always a pleasure to deal with. Sensible, proactive and a great attitude.'
- 'The clerks, particularly Alicia Tester, are very prompt and helpful.'
- 'The set has no shortage of brilliant silks and very able juniors.'
- 'Twenty Essex has great bench strength, and has grown its fraud and insolvency offering over the past few years.'
- 'Twenty Essex boasts a roster of barristers who are not only knowledgeable but also accessible, ensuring that clients always have the required support.'
- 'Great for fraud and asset tracing.'
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 Edey KC
Twenty Essex 'He has an excellent courtroom manner which commands the respect and attention of judges at all levels. He is also detailed and rigorous in his analysis.'
Duncan Matthews KC
Twenty Essex ‘A leader in the field. He is a commanding presence in the courtroom and a master strategist.’
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Andrew Ayres KC
Twenty Essex 'His advocacy style is superb. He is forthright and direct. Clients love him.'
Blair Leahy KC
Twenty Essex 'Blair is a formidable advocate, extremely thorough, commercially astute, technically excellent and fiercely intelligent. She always gets the judge on side.'
2023 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.
2024 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.
Josephine Davies KC
Twenty Essex '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.
Richard Greenberg
Twenty Essex 'Richard is a stellar junior who knows fraud litigation inside out. He is a formidable advocate who is unafraid of taking on silks.'
Sarah Tresman
Twenty Essex ‘Sarah is a very clever barrister with a keen eye for details that could easily be missed by others. A persuasive and thorough advocate who is committed to her cases.'
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.
