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Shipping

1
Quadrant Chambers
2
7 King’s Bench Walk
Essex Court Chambers
Twenty Essex
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4 Pump Court
The 36 Group

Leading Silks

1
Michael Ashcroft KC –Twenty Essex  'An exceedingly astute and clever strategist.'
David Bailey KC  – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘A superb advocate.’
Steven Berry KC –Essex Court Chambers 
Elizabeth Blackburn KC –The 36 Group ‘Elizabeth has the rare talent of being user-friendly combined with the ability to absorb and process very complex information.’
Simon Croall KC –Quadrant Chambers
Christopher Hancock KC –Twenty Essex ‘Top of the game: his very commanding advocacy is well-respected by both opponents and the bench.’
Stephen Hofmeyr KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Stephen is very knowledgeable in this area. He has authority and the ear of the court.'
Nigel Jacobs KC –Quadrant Chambers
Dominic Kendrick KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Luke Parsons KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘Luke works extremely hard and during a hearing is always the best-prepared person in the room. He is a confident and persuasive advocate as well as being very commercial and pragmatic in his advice.'
Simon Rainey KC –Quadrant Chambers 'Excellent and swift grasp of facts, patterns and issues of any technicality, and amazing legal skills.'
Alistair Schaff KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Robert Thomas KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘ Very user friendly and knowledgeable in all aspects of maritime law. Great tenacity in person and great thinking on his feet.'
Timothy Young KC –Twenty Essex ‘An outstanding barrister, equally at home on his feet (where he is an eloquent advocate) or in providing cutting-edge written advice. Known for his proficiency in taking on difficult cases and ability to argue from a tight corner.'
2
David Allen KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'A commercial, pragmatic, straight-talking, heavy-weight silk.'
Graham Dunning KC –Essex Court Chambers
Jonathan Gaisman KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Timothy Hill KC –Twenty Essex ‘Timothy is very quick to understand the practical nature of the dispute. He is a fierce advocate and tenacious in his pursuit of a point.'
Richard Lord KC –Brick Court Chambers 'Thorough and detailed analysis, excellent knowledge of the law.'
Peter MacDonald Eggers KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Peter is seen as one of the leading lights in terms of insurance and reinsurance disputes. He has a good rapport with commercial judges and keeps them well engaged and enthused throughout some difficult arguments.'
Duncan Matthews KC –Twenty Essex ‘Enormous capacity to absorb things quickly. Outstanding and brilliant legal mind.’
Sean O’Sullivan KC – 4 Pump Court ‘An outstanding commercial barrister. Quick and responsive with a deep knowledge of the law and an eye for clever angles and creative arguments.'
John Russell KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘A superb advocate.'
Vasanti Selvaratnam KC –The 36 Group ‘ Her individual strengths are great clarity in her written work and brilliance in her advocacy. She is very well respected by everyone at the shipping Bar and is seen as an overall star.’
3
Nigel Cooper KC –Quadrant Chambers 
Michael Davey KC –Quadrant Chambers 'His perception from very early on in a case of what will be crucial in negotiations or ultimately at a hearing, sets him apart when it comes to complex disputes.'
Philip Edey KC –Twenty Essex
Charles Kimmins KC –Twenty Essex ‘Charles is a first-rate advocate and rapier-like in cross examination.  To back this up he has an excellent analytical insight on cases and is a  master of strategy.'
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 an very effective cross-examiner.'
David Lewis KC –Twenty Essex ‘David is incisive and has an eagle-eye commercial strategy. His cross-examination style is concise and pointed, and he can be counted on to work very quickly and effectively.'
Poonam Melwani KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘Poonam is exceptionally talented and has an ability to cut straight to the heart of a matter. She has a phenomenal ability to present a case and ensure that judges and tribunals trust her.'
Christopher Smith KC –Essex Court Chambers ‘Chris has a really genuine depth of knowledge and seems to put those on the bench at ease with his submissions. He is prepared to really get stuck into the detail and it shows in the detail and clarity of his submissions.'
Richard Southern KC  – 7 King’s Bench Walk
James Turner KC –Quadrant Chambers ' An excellent and thoughtful advocate who carefully analyses the strengths and weaknesses of his case. Definitely top drawer and it is important to have KCs of James' calibre with admiralty experience.'
Nick Vineall KC – 4 Pump Court
4
Stewart Buckingham KC –Quadrant Chambers  ‘Stewart is a really solid pair of hands.’
Henry Byam-Cook KC –Twenty Essex ‘Henry has a good situational sense of the court or arbitration room, and knows what arguments to push and when, but more importantly when not to push certain arguments. He is clear in his advocacy.’
Michael Coburn KC –Twenty Essex ‘ Michael is sharp with an impressive turnaround time in providing advice under urgent circumstances. He is able to break down complex issues into understandable points to clients whose English is not their first language.'
Michael Collett KC –Twenty Essex ‘Michael is an extremely bright and affable KC. Very responsive and meticulous in his presentation of the arguments, on paper and in writing.'
Nigel Eaton KC –Essex Court Chambers ‘Sublime: the Rolls Royce of the Bar.’
Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Philippa Hopkins KC –Essex Court Chambers ‘Tremendously intelligent, and an excellent communicator both in writing and orally. Philippa has a  great appreciation of the case law and its application, and is a well-organised and effective advocate.’
Julian Kenny KC –Twenty Essex ‘Very bright and user friendly. Works well in a team and has a very confident and clear advocacy style that is quietly authoritative.'
Stephen Kenny KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk 
John Passmore KC –Quadrant Chambers 'Quick, clever, good at drafting and excellent at explaining complicated legal issues directly to lay clients. Highly recommended for difficult cases.'
Nathan Pillow KC –Essex Court Chambers
5
Simon Birt KC –Brick Court Chambers
Guy Blackwood KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Guy is great to work with, knowledgeable, pragmatic and solutions driven.'
Jeremy Brier KC –Essex Court Chambers ‘Enthusiastic, a good communicator and responsive.’
Neil Hart KC – Essex Court Chambers 'Exceptional clarity of advice and thought. Very easy to engage with.'
Chirag Karia KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘Chirag has impeccable written advocacy - his grasp of the law is second to none. He also has an outstanding ability to apply that mastery of the law and facts in any given case when he is on his feet.'
Gavin Kealey KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Jawdat Khurshid KC  – 7 King’s Bench Walk 
John Kimbell KC –Quadrant Chambers
Yash Kulkarni KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘Easy to work with, insightful, clear thinking and persuasive.'
Thomas Macey-Dare KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Strong legal knowledge and understanding of salvage matters, good on his feet.'
Sara Masters KC –Twenty Essex
Simon Milnes KC – Twenty Essex 'Excellent and swift grasp of facts, patterns and issues of any technicality and amazing legal skills.'
Jern-Fei Ng KC – 7BR ‘A tremendous advocate. He is able to distill the most complex facts and legal arguments into an incisive argument to win you your case.'
Michael Nolan KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘It is a pleasure to work with him. Deep knowledge, friendly approach, well-written advice, excellent advocacy.'  
Thomas Raphael KC –Twenty Essex ‘Responsive and thorough.'
Philip Riches KC –Twenty Essex
Christopher Smith KC –Quadrant Chambers 
Nigel Tozzi KC –4 Pump Court
Richard Waller KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk  
Nichola Warrender KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘ Nichola doesn't miss anything.  She has a great capacity for being able to retain and recall large amounts of information and detail.'
Alexander Wright KC –4 Pump Court

2023 Silks

N G Casey KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Luke Pearce KC - Twenty Essex
Matthew Reeve KC –Quadrant Chambers

2024 Silks

Oliver Caplin KC –Twenty Essex 'Oliver is a superb advocate. He delivers the points that need to be made in a clear and measured way.'
Josephine Davies KC –Twenty Essex 'She is not afraid to give a direct view on the merits of a point, without hedging her opinion with unnecessary caveats.'
Paul Toms KC –Quadrant Chambers ‘Excellent and thoughtful advocate. His mild manner belies a tenacious approach.'

Leading Juniors

1
Ravi Aswani –The 36 Group ‘Clear, concise and prompt advice. Always ready to engage and listen to instructing solicitors’ views on a case.’
Tom Bird –Quadrant Chambers ‘Excellent all rounder. A superstar.'
Daniel Bovensiepen –Twenty Essex ‘Daniel is meticulous in his work. He leaves no stones unturned and his knowledge of the law is excellent. He is definitely at a KC standard.'
Benjamin Coffer –Quadrant Chambers ‘Ben is extremely smart, commercially minded and, importantly, gives pragmatic, realistic advice. He is a very strong advocate.'
Tom Corby – Twenty Essex ‘Super diligent and responsive.  Drafts very good submissions and gives very clear opinions.'
Paul Henton –Quadrant Chambers ‘Paul is very user-friendly and happy to assist in all aspects of a case. He is very strong technically and in writing.’
Ruth Hosking – Quadrant Chambers
Mark Jones –The 36 Group ‘A go-to admiralty junior with huge experience.'
Marcus Mander – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Marcus is very clever and responds quickly and well often on difficult legal points. He is very good working as part of a wider team and easy to get along with.’
Nevil Phillips –Quadrant Chambers ‘Nevil is an excellent advocate and able to get on the right side of the court or tribunal with uncanny ability. He is very user-friendly and very good at explaining complicated issues to clients in an appropriate and sensible way.’
Caroline Pounds –Quadrant Chambers ‘Caroline is very thorough.  She is a great strategist and very commercial in her advice.'
Charles Priday – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Excellent advice, written skills and advocacy skills. A very commercial thinker.'
Richard Sarll – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Richard is without doubt the leading barrister on general average by some distance. He has also taken on some very large and complex coverage disputes.'
Mark Stiggelbout –Quadrant Chambers 'Highly intelligent, logical and an excellent legal brain. He is a razor sharp cross-examiner.'
Rachel Toney  –The 36 Group 
David Walsh – Essex Court Chambers ‘David has an unflappable ability to digest information quickly and carefully and produce succinct and commercial advice. Great as part of a team leading other juniors as well as providing real insight and value when being led.'
2
Koye Akoni –Quadrant Chambers 'Koye is unflappable. His advice is always clear and concise. He is extremely good on his feet and can hold his own against any KC.'
Clara Benn – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘It is striking that, when everyone is focussed on what only seems like the main issue in a case, she will often produce a masterly analysis of the actual essential issue which determines the case.’
Alex Carless –Twenty Essex ‘He is extremely intelligent but retains a practical and common-sense approach and is always approachable. His advocacy, both written and oral, is top-notch.’
Charles Debattista –The 36 Group 'A highly skilled advocate with a calm demeanour in hearings, excelling at presenting complex arguments in a compelling way.'
Stephen Du – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'He is very clever, fast thinking, clear and to the point, helpful and kind. And on top of this he is modest and he is open for ideas other than his.'
Ben Gardner –Quadrant Chambers ‘Ben is very sharp, which shows in how quickly he can get to the heart of matters, but remains approachable and is always open to discussion. His written advocacy is excellent, even when produced under significant time pressure.'
Gavin Geary – 7 King’s Bench Walk 
Colleen Hanley –Twenty Essex ‘Colleen is incredibly thorough. Her pleadings nevertheless strike an excellent balance between covering whatever needs to be said fully, whilst not expanding on issues unnecessarily.'
Sandra Healy – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Intelligent, accurate advice.'
Andrew Leung –Quadrant Chambers ‘Andrew is an excellent advocate: he researches carefully, and his oral submissions are carefully considered and powerful.'
Alexander MacDonald – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Gemma Morgan –Quadrant Chambers ‘Gemma is an extremely effective advocate, combining a real mastery of technical issues with superb strategic awareness. Her advocacy is a brilliant blend of steely authority and charm, which is extremely persuasive, especially in cross-examination of expert witnesses.’
Rani Noakes –4 Pump Court
Benjamin Parker – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Very user friendly and collaborative. Clear and well-presented arguments as an advocate.'
Angharad Parry –Twenty Essex ‘Clear precise advice and she tries to think outside of the box. A joy to work with and a great team player.’
James Shirley – Quadrant Chambers 'James is very thorough and gives all matters a great deal of thought so when he gives a view on something you know that all angles have been considered. His legal knowledge and analysis are second to none and he thinks of points and lines of argument that would not occur to others.'
Peter Stevenson –Quadrant Chambers ‘Peter is extremely sharp and gets to the nub of the issue very quickly. His experience as an arbitrator also stands him in good stead when considering strategy on large litigation matters.'
Adam Turner – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘He is very clever, extremely thoughtful, and a pleasure to work with. An excellent advocate.'
James Watthey –4 Pump Court ‘James is a very capable advocate. Most of all though James is commercially sensible which is why he is so successful acting for insurers.'
3
Frederick Alliott – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Clever, approachable and easy to work with.'
Adam Board –Essex Court Chambers ‘Adam is very calm and considered, able to work well in any team and demonstrates strong legal analysis and tactical awareness.'
Andrew Carruth – Quadrant Chambers 'Andrew is an outstandingly able junior at the Shipping Bar.'
Henry Ellis –Quadrant Chambers ‘ Henry is extremely good.  He is very clear in his written work and his oral advocacy is excellent.'
Jocelin Gale – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'He is, even by the standards of a top barrister set, exceptionally bright and hard working. A definite star performer.'
James Hatt –4 Pump Court
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex ‘Malcolm is extremely attentive, and has a very keen eye for detail.'
Tim Jenns – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Tim is extremely bright and able. He has a very sharp mind and will think outside the box.'
Ed Jones –4 Pump Court ‘Ed is excellent on detail and also puts points across well to a tribunal or court.’
Sarah Martin – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Sarah is an extremely capable lawyer and very easy to work with.'
Natalie Moore –Quadrant Chambers ‘She is as sharp as they come, but what really makes her stand out is that she always goes the extra mile to ensure the matter runs as smoothly as possible. A Rolls Royce service.'
Saira Paruk –Quadrant Chambers ‘Great attention to detail, very bright, approachable and great to work with.'
John Robb –Essex Court Chambers  'John is excellent. He is extremely thorough and always willing to go the extra mile.'
Jason Robinson – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Jason is a strong advocate, he quickly identifies the relevant points, he is able to explain complex matters and law in a comprehensible way and is very commercially minded. He provides particularly strong advice on contractual disputes.'
Robert Scrivener –4 Pump Court 'Robert is fantastic. He is incredibly clever, remarkably hard working and a pleasure to work with.'
John Snider –Essex Court Chambers 
Sean Snook –Twenty Essex ‘Sean is very thorough, has a phenomenal eye for detail and an extraordinary capacity to assimilate and distil complex technical issues into digestible points. He is very strong on the law and advocates in a clear and compelling way.'
Andrew Stevens –4 Pump Court
Thomas Steward –4 Pump Court ‘Bright but commercially very savvy. As an advocate has a natural easy manner with the tribunal but with an edge when needed.'
Jessica Sutherland – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Jessica is able to get on top of the detail of a case quickly. She is commercially astute and approaches cases in a tactical and insightful way.’
Alexander Thompson –Twenty Essex
Adam Woolnough  – Essex Court Chambers
4
Ishfaq Ahmed – The 36 Group ‘ Ishfaq fights hard for his client and is always thorough and meticulous in his preparation. User friendly and responsive.’
Sushma Ananda – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Sushma is very user-friendly and capable.  She is very thorough and has a good incisive mind.’
Philip Aspin – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Philip is a very able lawyer with an enviable intellect who works incredibly hard.'
Stephanie Barrett –Quadrant Chambers
John Bignall – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Bright, calm, commercial and a pleasure to work with. Very clear written work.'
Max Davidson –Quadrant Chambers ‘Max has shown excellent advocacy skills in various hearings, his approach and advice is always pragmatic with a commercial view.’
Andrew Dinsmore –Twenty Essex
Stephen Donnelly –Essex Court Chambers ‘Technically good.'
Neil Dowers – 4 Pump Court ‘Neil is a very able junior who is excellent on the detail. He is excellent on the law and procedure and comes up with commercial practical solutions and suggestions if required.'
Patrick Dunn-Walsh – Twenty Essex ‘Patrick has excellent attention to detail, incisive legal thinking and is very timely and accommodating of late instruction. On his feet, Patrick is impressive, sharp, attentive and measures the tribunal with skill.'
Moeiz Farhan – The 36 Group ‘Moeiz has strong advocacy skills and a deep knowledge of the field.’
Andrew Feld – Twenty Essex ‘Andrew is great to have on your team; his technical knowledge in this area is excellent, and he is able to explain complex concepts in a client-friendly way.'
Richard Greenberg –Twenty Essex ‘On top of the detail, thorough and very bright.'
Emma Hilliard – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Charles Holroyd  – 7 King’s Bench Walk  ‘Pragmatic, to the point, compelling advocate, superb lawyer.’
Francis Hornyold-Strickland  – Monckton Chambers
Christopher Jay –Quadrant Chambers 'Chris is an exceptional and gifted barrister.'  
Susannah Jones –Twenty Essex  'Susannah is a really superb counsel. She leaves no stone unturned, and her drafting of pleadings, witness statements and submissions is outstanding.'
Elizabeth Lindesay – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Liz is extremely hard working and very thorough in her approach. She is reliable and writes well. A very good junior counsel.'
Karen Maxwell – Twenty Essex ‘Karen is a superb barrister with fine judgement and extremely hardworking. She is very knowledgeable on all aspects of dry maritime law and turns around paperwork very quickly.'
Ralph Morley – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Ralph is extremely intelligent, very personable and creative in his legal thinking.'
Helen Morton – Essex Court Chambers ‘Her legal acumen is truly extraordinary, demonstrating an exceptional depth of knowledge, razor-sharp analytical skills, and an unparalleled ability to dissect complex legal issues with clarity and precision.'
Bibek Mukherjee  – Essex Court Chambers  'Thorough, intelligent, responsive.'
Andrew Pearson – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Extremely easy to work with, hard-working, swift in responding, ability to take an overview and a born advocate.’
Michael Proctor – Quadrant Chambers 'Michael is an exceptionally bright and very motivated junior. He can hold his own effectively against more senior counsel.'
Kishore Sharma – 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
Gideon Shirazi –4 Pump Court 
Charlotte Tan –Brick Court Chambers 'Charlotte is massively intelligent and very tenacious.'
Craig Williams – Quadrant Chambers ‘Craig has a very sharp mind, and his drafting of pleadings and documents is top drawer.'  

Rising Stars

Matthew Chan – Twenty Essex ‘Matthew has strong legal expertise in shipping law and provides insightful and effective advice to clients. He has strong analytical skills and is able to work effectively with senior counsel to provide timely advice.'
Joseph Gourgey – Quadrant Chambers ‘Careful, diligent, with good judgement. Joseph is able to step into the breach to take over the lead in a complex multi-dispute case with no advance warning.’
Michal Hain –Twenty Essex 
Jamie Hamblen –Quadrant Chambers 'Jamie is extremely bright, user friendly and his drafting is very clear. Ability to respond very straightforwardly and convincingly to difficult, muddled pleadings served by opponents.'
Anna Hoffmann – 4 Pump Court ‘ Anna is very proactive, her drafting is very good and she gives clear and considered advice.'
Celine Honey – Quadrant Chambers ‘Clever and hard-working, she is wise beyond her years.’
Rebecca Jacobs – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'Strong presentation and verbal advocacy skills. Also very strong drafting and advisory skills. No discernible weaknesses, and very easy to work with.'
Benjamin Joseph – Quadrant Chambers ‘Ben is thorough in reviewing the factual basis and researching whatever legal aspects are relevant. His pleadings are uncluttered but nevertheless sufficiently detailed, also in terms of setting out more complex factual and legal situations.’
William Mitchell  – Quadrant Chambers ‘Will is meticulous and has excellent focus on detail, which is very important in the areas that we work in. Will is very approachable and his advices are always clearly set out and digestible (even in the case of complex matters).'
Lydia Myers – Quadrant Chambers ‘Lydia is an excellent advocate and brings confidence and quick thinking to the court room. She can give quick and to-the-point advice in simple format which is greatly appreciated.’
Andrew Ng – The 36 Group ‘Andrew's advocacy is enhanced by his kindness, organisational prowess, composure, and precision. These qualities not only make him a formidable advocate but also a respected and valued team member.'
Tom Nixon –Quadrant Chambers ‘Tom is astute and commercial. His written opinions are incredibly clear and useful.'  
Freddie Onslow – Essex Court Chambers  'Freddie's technical knowledge is a great asset in shipbuilding cases focussed on defects and complex expert areas. A really good team member and easy to work with, as well as strong on the strategy and legal analysis.'
Kajetan Wandowicz  – 4 Pump Court
Emile Yusupoff – The 36 Group ‘Emile is very diligent and has a confidence beyond his years in practice.'

Shipping in London Bar

Quadrant Chambers


Quadrant Chambers continues to be involved in market-leading cases in shipping, with the set fielding a large number of silks and juniors specialising in maritime matters. In FMG SYDNEY c/w MSC APOLLO, Nigel Jacobs KC acted for the owners of the FMG Sydney in a rare a decision by the Admiralty Court to contribute full liability to one vessel, the MSC Apollo, regarding a collision between the two ships in the approaches to Tianjin in 2020. James Shirley appeared on behalf of RTI in the Supreme Court in MUR Shipping BV v RTI Ltd, a case dealing with a force majeure clause in a contract of affreightment in light of Russian sanctions. Robert Thomas KC led Paul Henton in High Court limitation proceedings arising out of the high-profile grounding of the Ever Given which obstructed the Suez Canal in 2021, opposite a number of other Quadrant silks including Stewart Buckingham KC, John Russell, James Turner KC, and Michael Davey KC. Damaged undersea electricity cables running under the English Channel were the subject of claims in the Bremen Fighter, in which Caroline Pounds was instructed on behalf of the owners of a tug which had transported a dumb barge to the location where its anchor, dragging during a storm, resulted in the damage to the cables.

Les références

‘Daniel Westerman is first class. Always approachable, available and prepared to go the extra mile.’

‘The clerks are always responsive and helpful. Rob Frankish and Daniel Westerman stand out in particular.’

‘Mike Wright in particular stands out. He is particularly commercial, switched on and practical.’

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7 King's Bench Walk


7 King’s Bench Walk ‘offers excellence across the board’, with in-depth shipping experience and the ability to draw on strong expertise in adjacent practice areas such as insurance and commodities. Stephen Hofmeyr KC appeared in two Supreme Court cases of late: in Argentum Exploration Limited v Silver concerning if state immunity blocked a claim for the salvage of silver from a ship sunk during the Second World War in the Indian Ocean, as well as in Herculito Maritime Ltd and others & Gunvor International BV and others, which dealt with insurance issues arising out of pirate attacks. In a significant ruling, the Commercial Court decided in the Star Antares that the 2016 version of the York-Antwerp Rules apply to general average claims; Richard Sarll successfully represented the cargo insurers in this matter. Jonathan Gaisman KC was instructed in KC SMIT Salvage BV et al. v Luster Maritime SA et al., a salvage claim surrounding the infamous grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal in 2021. Marcus Mander represented Kibaz Shipping in a dispute following the termination of a ship sale contract due to sanctions being imposed on the buyers, claiming forfeiture of the deposit plus damages.

Les références

‘7KBW has a good range of shipping counsel at different levels.’

‘7KBW clerks are very user-friendly and top notch. Eddie Johns and Greg Leyden adopt a particularly solicitor-focused approach, which is appreciated. Joe Clayton and Sean Hulbert are also very responsive and commercial.’

‘Exceptionally strong. Greg Leyden is probably the best clerk in any commercial set.  The combined team of Eddie Johns and Gary Rose alongside Greg is formidable.’

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Essex Court Chambers


Essex Court Chambers fields a deep bench of both barristers and juniors regularly involved in the market’s most significant disputes. The salvage of a large amount of silver in 2017 from the SS Tilawa, a ship sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean in 1942, raised questions surrounding state immunity in Argentum Exploration Ltd v Republic of South Africa, where Christopher Smith KC acted on behalf of the Republic of South Africa, whom the Supreme Court ruled in favour of in 2024. Jeremy Brier KC appeared in Sangamo v Prosperity, one of the cases arising out of the dispute between Greek shipowner siblings Angeliki Frangou and John Frangos and dealing with contractual relationships within the family. Elsewhere, Philippa Hopkins KC has led David Walsh in the Win Win, a claim under war risks policy for an indemnity for constructive total loss resulting from the detention of a bulk carrier by Indonesian authorities.

Les références

‘Katie Myles is great to deal with. We always receive excellent service from the clerks room.’

‘The chamber is always supportive, efficient and with a kind approach. Top-class service.’

‘Excellent in terms of quality of practitioners.’

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Twenty Essex


Praised for its ‘extremely strong bench strength in the shipping space’, Twenty Essex‘s members are routinely instructed in complex shipping cases at all levels of the English court system as well as internationally. In UK P&I Club v Venezuela, the Court of Appeal in London blocked a claim by the Venezuelan regime, owing to state immunity, in a case after a collision between a navy patrol vessel and a cruise liner; David Lewis KC led Alexander Thompson for the shipowners. A number of the set’s barristers were involved in Frangou v Frangos, which dealt with a contractual dispute between members of a Greek shipping family concerning costs and losses arising out of the operation of a commercial vessel; Oliver Caplin KC led Patrick Dunn-Walsh on the defendant side, while Timothy Hill KC led Andrew Feld for the claimant. Elsewhere, the MSC Flaminia has continued to occupy courts, with Julian Kenny KC leading Michal Hain on behalf of MSC in limitation proceedings in the Court of Appeal, which upheld that charterers cannot limit an owner’s claim for its own losses.

Les références

‘The service rendered by the clerks and Arron Zitver in particular, at Twenty Essex is always of extremely high level. Arron always tries to a find proper slot for the barrister to work on instructions so that matter is dealt in the most time efficient manner.’

‘Rob Wheeler is an excellent clerk – he is very prompt, understands the needs of the client and is excellent in dealing with the Court and the other side.’

‘Excellent. Long-standing relationships with senior clerks Arron Zitver and Chris Theobald – they have all the bases covered – responsive, commercial and pragmatic.’

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4 Pump Court


4 Pump Court continues its active presence in the shipping sector, where the set frequently handles a high-profile caseload, drawing on its expertise in construction and insurance-related disputes where necessary. James Leabeater KC acted on behalf of Shell and Fluor in Shell v Greenpeace, which dealt with the boarding and occupation of a vessel carrying an FPSO unit by Greenpeace supporters in 2023; Anna Hoffmann appeared on behalf of Greenpeace in this case. A fire onboard a yacht spreading to other vessels in a Corfu marina was the subject of the The Big Kahuna, handled James Watthey. James Hatt was instructed by the defendant insurers in an admiralty limitation claim surrounding another fire-related incident, in which a yacht sank in the Torquay marina.

Les références

‘Service is excellent, Carl Wall and Paul Bloxham both responsive and practical.’

‘My main contact is James Tanner. Always willing to help, always finds a solution and goes above and beyond.’

‘The clerks are extremely responsive and offer us a first-class service. They have the best clerks of all the London shipping sets.’

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The 36 Group


Hailed as a ‘very well regarded set with in-depth ability from top to bottom’, The 36 Group fields a number of barristers specialised in shipping and handling numerous high-profile cases in the industry. Elizabeth Blackburn KC continues to be instructed in the Ever Given in a High Court salvage claim pertaining to the infamous vessel that ran aground in the Suez Canal in 2021, while the Nautical Challenge Ltd v Evergreen Marine (UK) Limited, which deals with the collision of two vessels near Dubai in 2015, is one of the matters recently handled by Mark Jones. Vasanti Selvaratnam KC‘s busy shipping practice included the first case in which the responsibility for a collision in a precautionary area had to be considered by the English Admiralty Court, M/V Wilforce cw M/V Western Moscow.

Les références

‘The clerks are very user friendly and happy to discuss all aspects of the case.’

‘Excellent service, clerks are responsive and efficient. The clerks’ room is efficient, professional, and understands client needs. Particularly impressed with Billy Brett and Reiss Nott.’

‘Very knowledgeable and helpful clerking team headed by Reiss Nott.’

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