3 Verulam Buildings is ‘first-class’ and has become ’the go-to set for international arbitration in London’ for many. With strong recruits in recent years, most notably Zachary Douglas KC and Can Yeginsu, the set ‘has an excellent reputation for arbitration arising from its strength-in-depth of top practitioners’ at all levels of seniority. In synergy with its public international law expertise, chambers built a significant portfolio of the most high-profile and politically sensitive commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across a range of sectors and arbitral rules. Recent highlights include a highly politically sensitive investment treaty arbitration brought by Qatar Pharma in which Christopher Harris KC, leading Mark Wassouf , acted for the government of Saudi Arabia. Douglas KC acted for the claimant in LLC Lugzor v Russian Federation, a dispute relating to the expropriation of Ukrainian investments in Crimea upon Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014. Georges Chalfoun, led by Harris KC, is acting for Nova Group Investments B.V. v Romania, an ICSID claim arising out of the expropriation of Romanian insurer Astra Asigurări.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Stuart Pullum is one of the best clerks I have encountered: polite, honest and straight forward, incredibly knowledgeable about the market and the advocates in his stable. He has no hesitation in telling you pros/cons to get the right person, and even learns a but about the case.'
- 'Excellent and dynamic leadership with Stuart Pullum, Steven Penson, and Lucy Burrows.'
- 'Very user-friendly, switched-on; committed to excellent service provision.'
- 'Stuart Pullum and Steve Penson really understand the international arbitration market and there is no complacency at 3VB. I will usually go to them first for a matter and then deal with individual barrister’s clerks.'
- '3VB is a pre-eminent arbitration set. There is huge strength in depth.'
- '3VB distinguishes itself by having juniors who can step up without a KC in commercial arbitrations. 3VB is showing great thought leadership with its annual London lecture. And the set has a growing following in North America, especially from firms in New York and Washington.'
- '3VB is very strong across the board but what stands out is the arbitration offering and the strength of the junior bench'
- '3VB is now the top Chambers for international arbitration in London.'
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.
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Ali is an excellent user-friendly lawyer who is a pleasure to work with, accessible and has a commanding presence in court; he demonstrates strong commitment to the wider legal team, and is an effective and persuasive advocate who has an uncanny ability to read his tribunal. Ali’s strength is in his very smooth and measured delivery, and he never fails to impress with his ability to spot the points that will matter most to the tribunal, and to deal effectively with them.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Christopher is the standout leader in investment treaty arbitration. He is fearless and his advocacy style is extraordinarily compelling. He is one of the best cross-examiners at the Bar and has very strong judgement.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Jonathan is one of the leading advocates of his generation. He is extremely convincing on his feet and demands attention of tribunals. His ability to think on his feet is second-to-none, as is his advocacy style and temperament.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Very smooth and controlled, a pleasure to listen to in hearings and a reassuring presence with clients.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Nick is a forceful advocate. He is commercial, user-friendly and has a strong command of the law. His oral advocacy is extremely effective.’
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.
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Tariq is super-smart, super approachable, straight-forward and is one of the few barristers with a strategic and tactical brain as well as book-smarts. He writes beautifully: crisp and to the point, and is a master absorbing what is key to the client and their case and relaying it to the court or tribunal and his advocacy is superb: logical, smooth, easy to follow and persuasive. One of the best advocates around.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Can clearly stands out with exceptionally clear, sharp and eloquent pleadings, best in his class by some distance and already operating at KC level. Can is one of the most gifted oral advocates at the London Bar – authoritative, incisive, and phenomenally effective with witnesses. He is a natural leader who sets a terrific example.’
3 Verulam Buildings
'Mark is sharp, commercial and a gifted advocate. Nothing is too difficult for him. He is rapidly becoming recognised more widely as a future superstar for international arbitration, cannot be recommended highly enough.'
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Georges’ acumen in international arbitration is hugely impressive, and he is a joy to work with.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘He is incredibly hardworking and knowledgeable. His paperwork is brilliant and his advocacy superb.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Cameron is a very strong junior, particularly in preparing written submissions and contributing to team strategy.’
3 Verulam Buildings
'Yash is an excellent advocate. He gets into the case strategy and details from the beginning of the case and steers it all the way through to conclusion. He anticipates issues and reads the tribunal well. He is also really good to work with - highly collaborative and a pleasant personality.'
3 Verulam Buildings
‘He is the best barrister. Besides having a brilliant legal mind, he is commercially oriented and quite analytical with his analyses. His work is outstanding.’
Leading Juniors
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.
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Tariq is super-smart, super approachable, straight-forward and is one of the few barristers with a strategic and tactical brain as well as book-smarts. He writes beautifully: crisp and to the point, and is a master absorbing what is key to the client and their case and relaying it to the court or tribunal and his advocacy is superb: logical, smooth, easy to follow and persuasive. One of the best advocates around.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Can clearly stands out with exceptionally clear, sharp and eloquent pleadings, best in his class by some distance and already operating at KC level. Can is one of the most gifted oral advocates at the London Bar – authoritative, incisive, and phenomenally effective with witnesses. He is a natural leader who sets a terrific example.’
3 Verulam Buildings
'Mark is sharp, commercial and a gifted advocate. Nothing is too difficult for him. He is rapidly becoming recognised more widely as a future superstar for international arbitration, cannot be recommended highly enough.'
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Georges’ acumen in international arbitration is hugely impressive, and he is a joy to work with.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘He is incredibly hardworking and knowledgeable. His paperwork is brilliant and his advocacy superb.’
3 Verulam Buildings
‘Cameron is a very strong junior, particularly in preparing written submissions and contributing to team strategy.’
3 Verulam Buildings
'Yash is an excellent advocate. He gets into the case strategy and details from the beginning of the case and steers it all the way through to conclusion. He anticipates issues and reads the tribunal well. He is also really good to work with - highly collaborative and a pleasant personality.'
3 Verulam Buildings
‘He is the best barrister. Besides having a brilliant legal mind, he is commercially oriented and quite analytical with his analyses. His work is outstanding.’