Aviation And Travel

Leading Silks

Gavin Kealey KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘First-class in aviation, insurance and reinsurance.’

John Kimbell KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Exceptional client handling skills, first-class intellect, and understanding of multi-jurisdictional disputes. Highly able High Court advocate, no surprise given he sits as a Deputy High Court Judge.’

Michael McLaren KC – Fountain Court Chambers

Akhil Shah KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'Commands total respect for his encyclopedic knowledge and experience of every aspect of the aviation and aerospace industries. His oral delivery is perfectly measured and firm, completely unflappable; he has the perfect response to every difficult question.'

Philip Shepherd KC – Chambers of Philip Shepherd KC 'Philip is the king of aviation. There is nothing that he does not know or cannot deal with in this sphere. He listens to other ideas and different points of view.'

Bankim Thanki KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'A true supersilk, whose focused analysis and deft advocacy persuades the judge towards a seemingly inevitable conclusion.'

Nicholas Craig KC – 3 Verulam Buildings 'Excellent in all respects. Apart from his outstanding legal analysis, he is also very astute when it comes to tactics and is very commercially aware. He is definitely a go-to silk for aviation matters.'

Edward Cumming KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Commercially minded, extremely responsive, and sensitive to client needs.'

James Cutress KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'James is absolutely top notch. He is phenomenally bright with an amazing ability to get to grips with very complex legal points and present his advice in a clear, commercial and logical way.'

Rosalind Phelps KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'Absolutely outstanding in all respects. Apart from her phenomenal legal ability, she is extremely hard-working and thorough, really getting into the detail of a case at the outset and leaving no stone unturned.'

Michael Rawlinson KC – 12 King’s Bench Walk

John Steel KC - 39 Essex Chambers

Steven Thompson KC – XXIV Old Buildings 'Steven is excellent.'

Guy Blackwood KC - Quadrant Chambers 'Guy is incredibly intelligent and a fantastic strategist with an ability to cut straight to the issues. He is also very personable and client-friendly.'

Katherine Deal KC – 3 Hare Court ‘She is a fountain of knowledge. Katherine's advice, oral and written, is direct and to the point. Opponents know what to expect when facing her across a negotiating table or in court.'

Marie Demetriou KC – Brick Court Chambers 'Marie is the go-to barrister for any aviation case involving public, EU, or competition law issues. There is nobody else in the market who can compare to her breadth of experience.'

Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers

Brian Kennelly KC – Blackstone Chambers

Alexander Milner KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Alex is exceptionally bright. He has extensive experience in aviation disputes. He is extremely efficient in his advice, and has a fantastic ability to distil very complex issues down to something concise.’

Sarah Prager KC – Deka Chambers 'Sarah is a phenomenal advocate who can identify core issues in a case. Judges love her. She is also very fearless and has encyclopedic knowledge and good instincts.'

Matthew Reeve KC – Quadrant Chambers 'Matthew never stops thinking about the case, and combines impressive knowledge and experience of both the aviation and insurance sectors to come up with many arguments that others have not thought of. His advocacy style is persuasive.'

John Taylor KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'John has serious expertise in aviation. He is a clear and compelling advocate, and puts his arguments calmly, succinctly, but strongly to the court.'

Robert-Jan Temmink KC – Quadrant Chambers 'Rob is a super smooth operator who delivers very prompt, clear, and commercially sensible advice. Very astute, tactically and commercially.'

Richard Wald KC – 39 Essex Chambers

Andrew Wales KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk

2024 Silks

James Duffy KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'James is an excellent advocate and a very pleasant opponent. He's especially good at simplifying concepts and fact patterns into attractive chunks for judges.'

Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers

Leading Juniors

Tom Bird – Quadrant Chambers ‘Very bright, reliable, and always goes the extra mile for his clients. Tom has a breadth and depth of knowledge far above his years of call. His technical knowledge is also excellent.’

Katherine Howells – Old Square Chambers 'Katherine is very thorough, very good with clients, and excellent at drafting legal documents. She is clearly very competent.'

David Murray – Fountain Court Chambers

Giles Robertson – Fountain Court Chambers

Bajul Shah – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Bajul is the complete barrister. An extensive knowledge of the aviation industry and technical aspects of all cases. His advocacy is first-rate. He is fearless and never reluctant to tell others where they are going wrong.'

Koye Akoni – Quadrant Chambers ‘Koye is a future star.’

Max Archer – XXIV Old Buildings ‘Max is simply phenomenal. He has a vast knowledge and experience well beyond his years of call. He is approachable, an absolute delight to work with, and a fiercely persuasive advocate.’

Tom Coates – Blackstone Chambers

Erin Hitchens – XXIV Old Buildings 'Erin is one of the best aviation juniors out there. The quiet assassin.'

Heather Murphy – XXIV Old Buildings 'Heather is a joy to work with: fantastically collaborative, a brilliant advocate and extremely knowledgeable.'

Nicolas Damnjanovic – Fountain Court Chambers 'Nicolas is very hard-working, intelligent, and a great support to his leaders.'

Joseph England – Quadrant Chambers 'Very user-friendly, reliable specialist counsel in aviation law - very collegiate and good written work. Hard working, persuasive, and intelligent.'

Emma Hilliard – 7 King's Bench Walk

Philippa Jackson – 39 Essex Chambers

Elizabeth Lindesay – 7 King's Bench Walk - 'Elizabeth is a first-class counsel in aviation as well as insurance and reinsurance.'

Harry Wright – 7 King's Bench Walk 'Harry is excellent. He is bright, articulate, and charming. He delivers concise and practical advice which is commercially sensible and in a client-friendly format.'

Frederick Alliott – 7 King's Bench Walk

Malcolm Birdling – Brick Court Chambers 'Malcolm has an encyclopedic knowledge of public law concepts and cases and has a very persuasive written style.'

Cleon Catsambis – 3 Verulam Buildings 'Personable, with great attention to detail; very good and a fierce advocate who fights.'

Niamh Cleary – Fountain Court Chambers 'She is extremely diligent and hardworking. Her advocacy is clear and confident.'

Tom Stewart Coats – XXIV Old Buildings 'Tom is a formidable advocate - he delivers time and time again.'

James Goudkamp – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'James has an extraordinary attention to detail. He is very articulate and able to explain complicated matters in layman's terms.'

Paul Henton – Quadrant Chambers

Deborah Horowitz – Fountain Court Chambers

Emma Hughes – 3 Verulam Buildings 'Very promising junior with extraordinary ability to absorb information, sound analysis, and common sense approach, easy to work with and very responsive.'

Christopher Langley – Fountain Court Chambers

Christopher Loxton – 3 Hare Court

Mark Stiggelbout - Quadrant Chambers

Craig Williams – Quadrant Chambers 'His commercial awareness of the aviation insurance market sets him apart.'

Rising Stars

Bethanie Chambers – XXIV Old Buildings 'She is very detail-focussed, excellent with clients, and operates at a level beyond her year of call.'

Aviation and travel in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

Fountain Court Chambers

Fountain Court Chambers offers ‘access to skilled practitioners’ who expertly manage aviation and aviation insurance disputes, including high-stakes aircraft repossession and security enforcement claims. Michael McLaren KC has broad commercial experience with a strong focus on aviation, including acting in a high-value dispute involving the destruction of an aircraft leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Bankim Thanki KC is regularly instructed on critical aviation matters, including advising war risks reinsurers on claims brought by operators of aircraft stranded in Russia. Akhil Shah KC, recognised for his proficiency in aviation finance, regulatory issues, and travel disruption, continues to represent Tokio Marine Kiln in total loss claims by aircraft lessors arising from the Russian invasion. Rosalind Phelps KC is sought after by regulatory authorities on travel-related issues and advises on matters including unpaid rent under aviation lease agreements, pre-delivery payments in aircraft purchase contracts, and claims for delayed delivery. Giles Robertson has a diverse commercial practice encompassing a range of aviation disputes, from flight delay compensation claims involving low-cost carriers to incidents involving stolen aircraft.

Les références

‘An aviation and travel set of chambers with real strength across all levels. Its members are involved in the leading aviation cases.’

‘A well-respected aviation set with quality counsel at all levels.’

‘Always helpful; a quality set.’

Principaux dossiers

Quadrant Chambers

A set with a ‘wide variety of talent’, Quadrant Chambers provides ‘accessible and practical’ advice across all full range of matters, with parallels visible with the set's reputation on water visible in the air. John Kimbell KC offers cross-border advocacy and arbitration support in disputes involving aircraft sales, leasing and security issues, as well as fatal accidents. Amid a wave of litigation stemming from aircraft stranded and confiscated in Russia, Guy Blackwood KC is defending AIG and others in multi-billion-dollar proceedings brought by AerCap and others. Robert-Jan Temmink KC represents Merx Aviation Servicing Ltd in a $600 million claim against insurers over aircraft losses, while Matthew Reeve KC, supported by Joseph England, acts for Genesis Leasing in two high-value insurance claims arising from similar events. Tom Bird, well-versed in regulatory and product liability issues, continues to advise in the defence of Leonardo in the litigation over the 2018 helicopter crash which claimed the lives of, among others, Leicester City FC chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Koye Akoni has a commercial practice covering aviation leasing and finance matters, most recently acting in a $4m dispute over an aircraft lease novation agreement.

Les références

‘Good all-round commercial chambers.’

‘Very responsive, friendly, and will go the extra mile.’

‘A great set.’

Principaux dossiers

Tier 2 sets

7 King's Bench Walk

An ‘excellent set’, 7 King’s Bench Walk‘ is recognised for its strength in complex aviation insurance disputes. Head of chambers Gavin Kealey KC is a leading figure in commercial litigation, appellate advocacy, and international arbitration. In one of the set's many teams in the blockbuster Russian aircraft trial, he continues to represent AIG in a landmark series of cases brought by aircraft owners and lessors against insurers, involving nearly 150 aircraft leased to Russian operators. Andrew Wales KC, drawing on his extensive expertise in aviation disputes, serves as co-lead counsel for AIG and also advises on broader insurance and sanctions matters. Harry Wright plays a key role in the Swiss Re strand of the litigation and is also engaged in two ongoing satellite disputes. Emma Hilliard regularly supports silks in reinsurance matters in both court and arbitration, while also handling aircraft leasing, maintenance, and carriage issues.

Les références

‘7KBW is an excellent pre-eminent chambers in aviation insurance.’

‘The barristers are excellent, quick, and responsive.’

‘7KBW is probably the best commercial law set at the Bar with a brilliant quota of senior silks and clerks.’

Principaux dossiers

XXIV Old Buildings

XXIV Old Buildings has been praised as a ‘go-to’ and ‘reliable and accessible’ set for aviation disputes. A key part of his practice, Edward Cumming KC advises on aircraft lease obligations, maintenance reserves, and aviation regulatory issues, including recent work for Saudi Arabian Airlines. Aviation disputes are also central to Steven Thompson KC‘s practice – he is currently advising VietJet on the leasing of an Airbus plane under a Japanese operating lease with call option (JOLCO) structure. Bajul Shah continues to be in demand on high-profile matters, including representing reinsurers in claims brought by aircraft lessors with exposure to Russian airlines, and is appearing as counsel to the claimants in a claim brought against manufacturer Leonardo arising from the Leicester City FC helicopter crash. Erin Hitchens‘ recent work includes acting for Equatorial Congo Airlines in a claim challenging the validity of a fleet transfer while the airline was in insolvency proceedings. The set expanded in 2024 with the arrival of Max Archer from 12 King’s Bench Walk, who brings deep experience in travel disputes involving the interpretation of EC Regulation 261 and large aviation loss events. Tom Stewart Coats advises on issues relating to maintenance reserves, deposits, and rent under aircraft lease agreements.

Les références

‘Responsive and knowledgeable about their members’ individual strengths.’

‘A niche aviation set; XXIV Old Buildings is a small but class act.’

‘One of the best aviation-focused chambers, especially for juniors.’

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