3 Verulam Buildings is increasingly regarded as ‘the pre-eminent set for international arbitration in London’, with members advocating across the energy, banking and finance, construction and hospitality sectors, among others, in complex and high-profile arbitration proceedings and arbitration-related court cases. Instructions are frequently received in high-profile investment treaty disputes before ICSID, recent examples include Christopher Harris KC leading Georges Chalfoun in Nova Group Investments B.V. v Romania, acting in a politically sensitive dispute regarding the expropriation of the insurance company.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Stuart Pullum and Stephen Penson are a fantastic senior clerking team; they lead from the front.'
- 'The clerks are great - I have dealt with Stuart Pullum in particular, who is excellent. I have also dealt with Rob Croke, who I found easy to deal with and efficient.'
- 'Mostly we are communicating with Richard Ansell. He is very kind and responsive. He replies all the mails and provides assistance as necessary.'
- '3VB's clerks are excellent. I have mostly worked with Harry Freeman. Harry is proactive, helpful and committed to providing excellent service. He is responsive, has strong communication skills and is resourceful.'
- '3VB are regarded as the pre-eminent set for international arbitration in London. It has some really important figures in the arbitration world.'
- 'Their set are intelligent, commercial, ambitious and strong in their practice areas. Supported by fantastic juniors.'
- 'First rank set for top arbitration work in London, MENA and Asia. Unrivalled Asian experience at the London Bar.'
- '3VB demonstrates an outstanding level of professionalism, knowledge and dedication in the cases I have dealt with them.'
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.
Ewan McQuater KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Hugely experienced, towering presence in international arbitration.'
Christopher Harris KC
3 Verulam Buildings ‘A formidable cross-examiner and an impressive advocate. Commands the respect of the tribunal. Diligent and hard-working, with a good eye for detail. Good judgement for the points that would resonate with the tribunal.’
Jonathan Nash KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'A very smooth advocate, highly persuasive and has a good rapport with judges.'
Tom Montagu-Smith KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Tom is devastatingly good at dismantling the other side's expert witness. He has a brilliant way of bringing together disparate threads and ensuring that the key points land.'
Nicholas Craig KC
3 Verulam Buildings 'Nick is a tremendously effective advocate. His individual strengths are many and he impresses by his ability to hone in on the core issues that will drive the resolution of the dispute. His calm and commercial approach to dealing with clients is also greatly appreciated.'
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.
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.
Georges Chalfoun
3 Verulam Buildings 'Georges has a great eye for detail and is incredibly hardworking and diligent, leaving no stone unturned. He is a powerful written advocate and has an instinct for the points that will resonate with the tribunal. Someone you definitely want on your side.'
Can Yeginsu
3 Verulam Buildings 'Can is a captivating legal advocate. His legal expertise is underpinned by combination of profound academic knowledge across various subject matters, superb advocacy, and a devoted work ethic. Can also is able to deftly synthesize complex legal issues into pragmatic recommendations.'
Mark Wassouf
3 Verulam Buildings 'Mark is really exceptional when it comes to arbitration. He gives measured, wise advice which is solutions oriented. He drafts very well and really shines when conducting cross-examination.'
Yash Bheeroo
3 Verulam Buildings 'He's calm, erudite, intelligent, a pleasure to work with and a team player and a great leader. Highly recommended.'
Kate Holderness
3 Verulam Buildings 'Good cross-examiner and provides good support for her leader. Very knowledgeable in insurance law.'
Cameron Miles
3 Verulam Buildings 'Cameron is very highly quality and brings huge enthusiasm to all his work.'
Damien Walker
3 Verulam Buildings 'Damien is robust, clever, sensible, and a real force to be reckoned with in difficult cases. He is really good and getting into the detail of complicated facts, and has a knack of digging out the small nuggets of gold that might otherwise be lost.'
3
Matthew Watson
3 Verulam Buildings 'Matthew is a very clear thinker, he is able to work through complex matters and convey the key issues and points in a concise and readily understandable manner. Matthew is very sharp, and you can be confident that nothing will get by him.'
Miriam Schmelzer
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Miriam is an undoubted emerging star of the arbitration world. She is incredibly hard-working, incisive and a pleasure to work with.’
Rebecca Zaman
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Rebecca is a good addition to the team and deals with her parts of cross-examination extremely well.’
Dominic Kennelly
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Dom is highly intelligent, possesses sound judgement and thinks quickly on his feet. He punches above his years of call and can be trusted with important, high stakes matters. Dom is a pleasure to work with and a strong team player. His written and oral advocacy are of the highest standard and he has strong client care skills.’
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.
Judy Fu
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Judy is a very good lawyer who can operate in a high-octane environment and provides excellent support to her leaders.’
Ravi Jackson
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Excellent technical ability. His drafting is precise, clear and comprehensive. He is extremely measured, but forceful.’
Ian McDonald
3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is very much cooperative, responsive and diligent. He reads and checks every document carefully, catches essential details which may have an effect on the case. He is very good in drafting.’
Chinmayi Sharma
3 Verulam Buildings ‘Chinmayi is absolutely first rate, and a standout arbitration practitioner. She is a superb junior who gets across the details of a case and forensically drills down into the issues. She is intelligent, thorough and hardworking. Chinmayi is the crucial member of any team she works on. She is very detailed, very considered and gives clear and commercial advice.’