The Bar - London Bar

Twenty Essex

More informationMore information

Twenty Essex ‘is excellent on public international law, with a very deep bench of specialists at all levels of seniority’ and has bolstered its offering with Baiju Vasani and Rishab Gupta joining in May and November 2022, respectively, as well as several silk appointments including Sir Michael Wood KCMG KC’s appointment to honorary silk in March 2023. Members of chambers are acting at the forefront of groundbreaking matters at the highest level across the whole range of public international law. Highlights include the UK’s intervention on behalf of Ukraine in its claim against Russia before the ICJ based on allegations of genocide, in which Philippa Webb is instructed on; Kate Parlett is instructed on Australia’s intervention. In UN human rights committee proceedings Torres Strait Islanders v Australia, Monica Feria-Tinta and Sudhanshu Swaroop KC acted on behalf of a group of Torres Strait Islanders, indigenous people resident on an archipelago off the coast of mainland Queensland, who argue that Australia’s policies and laws regarding climate change are in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The clerks are professional and efficient.'
  • 'The clerks are very commercial and user friendly—always looking to help.'
  • 'This is one of the more active chambers, both in terms of holding events and in keeping regular contact with instructing solicitors. They have a particularly strong clerk team, with Anthony Carroll and Rachael Osborne being particular stand-outs.'
  • 'Excellent set for public international law.'
  • 'Quality counsel at all levels of seniority.'
  • 'Excellent talent at all levels with exceptional experience.'
  • 'A, if not the, leading international law set.'

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.

1

Daniel Bethlehem KC

Hall of fameTwenty Essex

‘Daniel is the Erling Haaland of his field - ahead of the pack and with a dazzling array of skills. He is quite simply at the top of his game and having him on your team confers an immediate advantage - Grand Master level.’

2

Guglielmo Verdirame KC

Hall of fameTwenty Essex

‘Guglielmo is one of the leading public international lawyers in the country with vast knowledge in the field which he combines with a forensic approach to cases that is both rare and highly valuable. Hugely respected by judges – he does a first class job.’

2

Michael Wood KCMG KC

Hall of fameTwenty Essex

‘Michael has a deeper knowledge of more fields of public international law than practically anyone at the English Bar. He is also tactically very astute, and knows how international courts and tribunals think and work pretty much more than anyone. He is a first-rate advocate and, despite his seniority, a great team player.’

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.

Penelope Nevill1

Penelope Nevill

Twenty Essex

‘She is undoubtedly one of the talents in the field. She is knowledgeable, diligent, and fluent, both orally and in writing, with an unusually astute facility for grasping the essential policy context of international issues.’

1

Kate Parlett

Twenty Essex

‘She is fantastic, excellent strategic and pragmatic mind. She has is a legal heavyweight, with the ability to deliver on a human and sensitive level that clients can understand and brilliant drafting skills.’

1

Philippa Webb

Twenty Essex

'Philippa is a superb barrister, with excellent analytical skills and unsurpassed knowledge in certain areas (most obviously sovereign immunity). She is a pleasure to work with and is a safe pair of hands who consistently displays excellent judgement and produces the highest quality work.’ 

2

Belinda McRae

Twenty Essex

‘A fantastic can-do attitude, always ready to roll her sleeves up. Belinda has a formidable intellect which she combines with excellent litigation skills and instincts – a real star.’ 

3

Paolo Busco

Twenty Essex

‘Paolo is an extremely bright lawyer, a resourceful advocate, and an excellent scholar. He impresses with the width of his legal knowledge, spanning the whole spectrum of public international law – including, the law of the sea, jurisdictional immunities, human rights, humanitarian law, and general dispute resolution.’

Manuel Casas3

Manuel Casas

Twenty Essex

‘Manuel’s international law expertise is first class. He has a deep understanding of the subject matter and is strong on strategy and tactics. He is also very personable and pleasant to deal with.’ 

Monica Feria-Tinta3

Monica Feria-Tinta

Twenty Essex

‘Monica is burning for her clients - she is definitely going the extra mile. She thinks outside the square to achieve the best solutions. She is a persuasive advocate.’ 

Rishab Gupta3

Rishab Gupta

Twenty Essex

 ‘Rishab is a very hard working highly intelligent lawyer with clarity of thinking and expression and his attention to detail is first-class. A consummate lawyer and clever tactician who is always prepared to roll his sleeves up and work with the team – phenomenal.’  

3

Simon Olleson

Twenty Essex

‘As a junior, Simon is peerless in the field of international law. Encyclopedic, refined and impactful, Simon brings class and quality to everything he does.’

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.

Penelope Nevill1

Penelope Nevill

Twenty Essex

‘She is undoubtedly one of the talents in the field. She is knowledgeable, diligent, and fluent, both orally and in writing, with an unusually astute facility for grasping the essential policy context of international issues.’

1

Kate Parlett

Twenty Essex

‘She is fantastic, excellent strategic and pragmatic mind. She has is a legal heavyweight, with the ability to deliver on a human and sensitive level that clients can understand and brilliant drafting skills.’

1

Philippa Webb

Twenty Essex

'Philippa is a superb barrister, with excellent analytical skills and unsurpassed knowledge in certain areas (most obviously sovereign immunity). She is a pleasure to work with and is a safe pair of hands who consistently displays excellent judgement and produces the highest quality work.’ 

2

Belinda McRae

Twenty Essex

‘A fantastic can-do attitude, always ready to roll her sleeves up. Belinda has a formidable intellect which she combines with excellent litigation skills and instincts – a real star.’ 

3

Paolo Busco

Twenty Essex

‘Paolo is an extremely bright lawyer, a resourceful advocate, and an excellent scholar. He impresses with the width of his legal knowledge, spanning the whole spectrum of public international law – including, the law of the sea, jurisdictional immunities, human rights, humanitarian law, and general dispute resolution.’

Manuel Casas3

Manuel Casas

Twenty Essex

‘Manuel’s international law expertise is first class. He has a deep understanding of the subject matter and is strong on strategy and tactics. He is also very personable and pleasant to deal with.’ 

Monica Feria-Tinta3

Monica Feria-Tinta

Twenty Essex

‘Monica is burning for her clients - she is definitely going the extra mile. She thinks outside the square to achieve the best solutions. She is a persuasive advocate.’ 

Rishab Gupta3

Rishab Gupta

Twenty Essex

 ‘Rishab is a very hard working highly intelligent lawyer with clarity of thinking and expression and his attention to detail is first-class. A consummate lawyer and clever tactician who is always prepared to roll his sleeves up and work with the team – phenomenal.’  

3

Simon Olleson

Twenty Essex

‘As a junior, Simon is peerless in the field of international law. Encyclopedic, refined and impactful, Simon brings class and quality to everything he does.’