Lauded as ‘an excellent set for construction disputes, particularly for Middle East Work’, 4 Pump Court is well-equipped to handle technically complex arbitrations and arbitration related disputes across construction, engineering, energy and shipbuilding. In addition to their strength in the Middle East, members of the set, including Lynne McCafferty KC, James Leabeater KC and Sean O’Sullivan KC, often receive instructions from clients across China, Singapore and Hong Kong, handling disputes across the region. Sean Brannigan KC is highly regarded for his expertise in high profile construction related arbitrations.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Stewart Gibbs leads a slick team. Richard Sumarno is recommended.'
  • 'Clerks are all fantastic - responsive and extremely helpful. Will Jackman, in particular, has been a great support able to source the right counsel for some difficult jobs!'
  • 'James Tanner is very helpful and user friendly.'
  • 'Carl Wall and Liam Williams stand out.'
  • 'An excellent set for construction disputes, particularly for Middle East work.'
  • '4 Pump Court has a real depth of talent in Construction law and has the added benefit that it is not solely a construction set. All of the barristers have a practice that includes other areas of law which gives a more rounded and astute approach to issues.'
  • 'It is one of the leading sets in international construction and energy arbitration and a go-to for quality barristers from junior to silk.'
  • 'A go to set for maritime and energy.'

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.
Sean Brannigan KC
1
Sean Brannigan KC
4 Pump Court
'He is a fantastic advocate, great with clients and a keen legal mind for international arbitration with a wealth of experience in the Middle East. Very user friendly and very reliable.'
Nigel Tozzi KC
1
Nigel Tozzi KC
4 Pump Court
'Very experienced barrister who gives well delivered and incisive advice and can immediately gain the trust and confidence of clients.'
Sean O’Sullivan KC
2
Sean O’Sullivan KC
4 Pump Court
'Accessible, responsive, knows the subject matter well.'
Simon Davenport KC
4
Simon Davenport KC
4 Pump Court
'Simon is commercially astute and has a thorough understanding of how business-processes work. He also has a very pleasant and relaxed manner of speaking with the clients. On advocacy skills, he has a very pleasant and courteous manner of speaking before the judge.'
James Leabeater KC
4
James Leabeater KC
4 Pump Court
'James is extremely user friendly and very easy to get along with. He is a very able advocate and a very effective cross-examiner.'
Claire Packman KC
4
Claire Packman KC
4 Pump Court
‘Claire has the ability to get up to speed on detailed technical matters quickly and is user friendly.’
Benjamin Pilling KC
4
Benjamin Pilling KC
4 Pump Court
‘Ben is a simply superb advocate. He is clear and focused in his submissions and cross-examination, and highly effective. He reads the tribunal extremely well and has the right tone and approach with witnesses he cross examines. Ben is also a highly competent drafter, both of pleadings and submissions. He is also very easy to work with.’
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.
Sanjay Patel KC
1
Sanjay Patel KC
4 Pump Court
'Sanjay is extremely sharp and personable. He is very, very hardworking and is a supreme junior. His silk appointment this year was very well deserved and entirely expected - he is excellent with clients, his advocacy is brilliant, and he has an extremely analytical mind.'

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.
Andrew Stevens
2
Andrew Stevens
4 Pump Court
'Andrew is incredibly sharp, always a few steps ahead of the competition and extremely well prepared. He leaves no stone unturned in preparation which is essential in fraud cases.'
Rani Noakes
3
Rani Noakes
4 Pump Court
 'Rani is very astute. She quickly grasps the issues in complex cases and is highly analytical. At the same time, she is able to clearly communicate her advice and has commercial considerations in mind.'