Commercial Dispute Resolution
UK Bar Guide 2025 : London (Bar)
Band 1
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
(020) 7583 2000Chambers Review
A set with profound commercial expertise that counts a number of the most well-known litigation barristers in the market within its ranks. Solicitors select One Essex Court for the choicest disputes. Members have been involved in some of the most highly publicised cases of recent times, including: Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Dr Steven Wright, a defamation claim against various bitcoin developers; The Federal Republic of Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments, a dispute concerning the validity and enforcement of an arbitration award; andQatar v Airbus, a USD2 billion contractual dispute. One commentator reports: “One Essex Court boasts some of the very best barristers at the Commercial Bar, who provide top-quality service and advice you can trust.” Another source remarks: “One Essex Court has an unrivalled depth of commercially experienced counsel.”
Darren Burrows is the Senior Clerk.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Deputy Senior Clerk Rob Smith and team leader's assistant Jack Miller are very responsive, knowledgeable and easy to deal with."
"The clerking team consistently provides exceptional service, responding to inquiries promptly and efficiently."
"Clerk team leader Adam Wheeler is unbelievable. He's just the gold standard in clerking; he's always available, proactive and really well-informed."
"The clerks are extremely responsive, and deal promptly with everything from simple matters of liaising regarding availability to providing fee estimates and expected timelines."
"The One Essex clerks go above and beyond to assist us. Senior Clerk Darren Burrows and First Deputy Senior Clerk Jackie Ginty are just very high-quality clerks and thoroughly nice people."
"Deputy Senior Clerk Rob Smith and team leader's assistant Jack Miller are very responsive, knowledgeable and easy to deal with."
"The clerking team consistently provides exceptional service, responding to inquiries promptly and efficiently."
"Clerk team leader Adam Wheeler is unbelievable. He's just the gold standard in clerking; he's always available, proactive and really well-informed."
"The clerks are extremely responsive, and deal promptly with everything from simple matters of liaising regarding availability to providing fee estimates and expected timelines."
"The One Essex clerks go above and beyond to assist us. Senior Clerk Darren Burrows and First Deputy Senior Clerk Jackie Ginty are just very high-quality clerks and thoroughly nice people."
Notable Practitioners
"His reputation is for absolute brilliance."
"Anthony operates at a different level with the judge; the way he puts points across is just astounding."
"Laurie is a titan of the law."
"Laurie is the doyen of the Commercial Bar. He is an absolute delight to work with and he wears his extraordinary talent lightly."
"He is one of the absolute heavyweights of the Commercial Bar."
"Laurie is an absolutely wonderful cross-examiner. He's very logical, thoughtful and direct in his approach."
"In terms of advocacy, you couldn't find someone who is more silky smooth; she's just so calm and utterly charming."
"Sonia is just so in tune with everything that is happening in the courtroom – the way the arguments are unfolding, the next move the opposition is going to make and the mood of the Bench."
"Alain is wonderful, very enthusiastic and brilliantly smart."
"His submissions are often head and shoulders above his counterparts, in terms of both substance and delivery. He is someone clients absolutely want in their corner."
"Daniel is brilliant at drafting and amazing with clients."
"He is a man of great intellect with an air of humility. Clients trust him completely and he always provides great strategic advice."
"Daniel is a very clever and experienced KC, who can cut through any issue. He is a go-to guy for difficult problems."
"Daniel is extremely popular with clients and very well respected at the Bar. Very approachable and hands-on, he does high-calibre work."
"Dan Toledano is an exceptional performer i he reads the room well and has great credibility with the judge."
"He is an absolutely fantastic advocate, in terms of both courtroom advocacy and also the ability to clearly and crisply explain anything to the client."
"David is the most comfortable advocate in the court I've ever seen – the courtroom is his lounge. His mind is razor-sharp and he is super-eloquent."
"He's someone that every court listens to when he is addressing the issues in a case."
"David is very adept at striking up a rapport with the Bench and using the right words at the right moment. He also brings a bigger picture and view of the case, given his experience."
"He is genuinely astonishing."
"Emma is perfection among juniors. She writes beautifully, has brilliant judgement, and is a very good advocate orally."
"Emma is a star in the making. She has an understated style and really cuts through the weeds to get through to the important issues."
"She is ferociously clever and has a very lovely, personable manner. She's always cool and calm under pressure."
"Kenneth is wonderful; his tactical nous is top notch."
"He is a very persuasive and compelling advocate, who is good at getting the judge on side."
"Kenneth has a real gravitas about him in court. He is a very good cross-examiner and knows what points are going to work."
"She is incredibly client-friendly, but also great at technical pleadings. A whole range of clients seek her out."
"Nehali is incredible. She is very clever, very down to earth and also very responsive and very straightforward."
"Neil is an extremely capable KC, with particularly outstanding advocacy skills."
"He has a wonderful style in court; he's both charming and funny, but also has a great deal of gravitas."
"His strategic advice is excellent. He's highly commercial in his approach and always prepared to go the extra mile for his clients."
"Neil is just one of the very best. He focuses on what matters, legally and tactically, and he is equally at home debating refined legal points with the court or dispensing robust cross-examination."
"Neil is a very powerful advocate. He is commanding and certainly able to make very forceful submissions about complex matters with a certain level of authority."
"Responsive, all over the detail, and someone who's around when you need him. He grasps all of the issues in a case and is utterly brilliant."
"Niranjan is everyone's go-to junior barrister. A man with a brilliant mind, he's a certain future leader of the Commercial Bar."
"Incredibly clever, diligent and a clear thinker, he gets in all of the big cases and is often in the Supreme Court."
"Niranjan is absolutely brilliant. He is very calm under pressure and he has an incredibly sharp and insightful mind."
"Niranjan has such a beautiful mind. He is very clever and has that ability to distil extremely complex matters into simple concepts."
"Alex's legal analysis and commercial awareness are both second to none, making him a highly impressive and trusted adviser."
"He's into the details, providing excellent advice and overall great client service. He has a deep knowledge of energy disputes, and is someone I'll be sure to instruct time and again."
"Very few people at the Bar rival Tony for thoroughness. He will investigate everything, consider all the angles and find the best route to victory."
"He's brilliant with clients and excellent in court."
"Camilla is a superb cross-examiner, whose written and oral advocacy is exceptional."
"Hands-on, approachable and brilliant on her feet."
"She is one of the most impressive advocates on her feet."
"Camilla is a go-to for tricky cases. Brave, clever and not afraid of a fight, she is excellent with clients and brilliant on her feet."
"Conall produces excellent pieces of written advocacy."
"Extremely approachable and user-friendly, he offers commercial advice that clients can use. Excellent on his feet, he is just all-round brilliant."
"He is incredibly calm and thoughtful, and his advocacy is very measured."
"Conall is very detail-orientated and he has very good judgement. He can make a difficult argument seem simple."
"David is calm, considered and easy to deal with."
"He is extremely experienced and very clever."
"David's speed of analysis is very impressive; he gets things and turns them around quickly. He is also a very good drafter."
"David is extremely experienced and he is fantastic in his cross-examination style."
"David is an experienced KC, who is both unflappable and pragmatic."
"Nathaniel is an excellent senior junior, fast developing a reputation as a go-to barrister in his own right."
"He's phenomenally bright and writes beautifully."
"Richard is an awesome team player, who is very collaborative and very responsive."
"Very strong technically, extremely diligent and great to work with."
"Sa'ad is an excellent technician, who is good for complex matters."
"His oral advocacy is a work of art. It's great watching him take witnesses apart through incredible tour de force advocacy."
"He understands the law perfectly and also the market in which he is being asked to advise."
"Sa'ad is excellent with clients across the board. He gives advice that is concise, commercial and well received."
"Sam loves the detail and is able to master documents and issues with ease."
"Slick and polished, he's the complete package. Not only does he deliver, but he does so in style, displaying a strategic vision that goes well beyond his years."
"Sam is an exceptional advocate."
"Sam is particularly strong on M&A disputes, company law issues and matters with an injunctive element."
"He can sniff out what your opponent's strategy is and provide a really good tactical response as to how a case should be driven forward."
"Sandy is calm and collected on his feet, and has a very reassuring manner."
"Sandy is very approachable, responsive and sensible. He explains complex things in a simple way, and is both hard-working and a real team player."
"Sandy is an outstanding senior junior barrister, who has particularly strong drafting skills."
"Stephen is a celebrity silk who gets to the nitty gritty without any time wasting. He provides commercial and strategic advice with ease and charisma."
"Stephen sees straight to the heart of the key issues very quickly and is not distracted by all of the surround sound. He also has a great understanding of the commercial pressures and contexts."
"Stephen's level of service and his interpersonal skills are outstanding."
"Stephen is very good with clients and he's commercial."
"Andrew works phenomenally diligently and efficiently."
"Sure-footed, responsive and very commercial."
"Andy has it all. He is well on the way to silk and will be one of the very best."
"Anna is intellectually brilliant, very sharp and able to spot points no one else has picked up on. She is meticulous and forensic in her analysis."
"Anna is a superstar in the making. She is ferociously analytical and very determined to drive the case to the right outcome."
"Anna is hugely impressive and a joy to work with; she's hugely bright and considered, and also a superb advocate."
"Anna is excellent on her feet. She reads the judge very well and is a highly skilled cross-examiner."
"Benjamin is extremely user-friendly, commercial and excellent with clients."
"Benjamin is absolutely prompt in his response to enquiries, and his advice is balanced and simple to understand."
"Charlie is a real people-friendly silk. He is easy to work with and distils complicated issues into an easy-to-understand format."
"Charles has a formidable, photographic memory. He can remember every single page in a bundle and he's extremely strong intellectually."
"A barrister who works incredibly quickly, he is very good at drafting on the fly and coming up with solutions under pressure."
"The consummate collaborator and extremely strong intellectually, he engages fully and creatively with all aspects of the case."
"Henry is super-responsive and a joy to work with; he really makes himself part of the team. He liaises with all levels of the group and is very communicative. His drafting is also excellent."
"He is able to cut through to the key issues."
"He understands the underlying commercial arrangements in a case and takes the time to understand how things work in reality. This means that you end up with the right advice."
"Simon is very smart, very quick to spot the issues, very into the details and also all over the strategy. He is good with complex and novel law."
"Simon is phenomenally bright, although he carries it lightly. He deals with very complicated issues and weaves in complex legal arguments, delivering them in a completely understandable way."
"He is incredible in technically complex cases."
"Her technical, black letter knowledge of the law is great. She also has excellent commercial judgement."
"Incredibly hands-on, responsive and great at written work."
"Abra is wonderful to work with. She manages to juggle multiple workstreams, she understands the concerns of solicitors and clients, and she provides effective and insightful advice."
"Abra is a terrific junior. She is very commercial and very proactive. Her judgement is excellent."
"Abra is frighteningly intelligent and her written work is excellent. She is a go-to for complex legal arguments."
"Adam is highly intellectual and is able to tackle a legal issue and find a way through."
"Adam is a brilliant junior. He is really helpful, he writes very well and he is really responsive."
"Adam is an absolute brainbox and a very user-friendly barrister."
"She is very pragmatic, and great at assisting with strategy as well as technical points of law."
"Douglas is a very deep thinker and a real team player."
"Douglas is affable, user-friendly, great to work with and someone who digests and absorbs information very quickly."
"Impressive, personable, and a man who is known for the clarity of his drafting. He is good on his feet and very pleasant to work with."
"James combines a great legal brain with an ability to lay out complex arguments clearly and practically, both to clients and to the court."
"Jamie is personally a delight. He rolls his sleeves up and is both incredibly bright and commercial."
"Hot on the detail, very commercial and highly practical, he is great with judges and clients alike."
"He really wows the clients and takes everything to a different level when it comes to attention to detail and analysis."
"Jeff always impresses on his feet and is similarly strong when advising clients on key strategic issues."
"Joyce has an excellent eye for detail and is very clear in picking up on particular points."
"Joyce demonstrates phenomenal attention to detail."
"Joyce has strong research skills and works easily with the solicitor team."
"He is a really exceptional individual and his depth of analysis is really strong."
"Max is ten out of ten. He works tirelessly and leaves no stone unturned. His written work is exemplary and his judgement and strategic analysis are impressive."
"A go-to commercial junior, he is extraordinarily hard-working, very commercial and user-friendly. He can digest an enormous amount of information in a short time."
"He is incredibly smart, but also very commercial and extremely industrious."
"Michael is very pragmatic and very good on strategy – he gets the commercial aspects. You have real confidence that he understands the industry and the dynamics behind the contracting arrangements."
"Michael Fealy is exceptionally bright, very calm and solutions-orientated. He is always available and his advocacy is impressive."
"Orlando is very user-friendly and always up for getting into the thick of things. He provides clear and robust advice and is a calming presence in fast-paced litigation."
"He is very adept at dealing with complicated issues and strong when in court."
"Orlando is an incisive cross-examiner. He has a good client manner in that he is clear, easy to understand and a pleasure to deal with."
"He is a very strong draftsman, he's extremely bright and he has a good feel for strategy."
"He is all over the detail and is a good part of the team."
"Owain is smart as a whip and brilliant on his feet too."
"He is a great barrister and a superb cross-examiner."
"Rhodri is an absolute pleasure to work with and a fantastic advocate."
"Richard is great for damages cases."
"Phenomenally bright and a joy to work with."
"Sophie is a very clever and very dedicated junior; she's very much into the documents and invaluable in preparations for trial."
"Her oral advocacy is really good. She is extremely clear and logical in her submissions and she reads the court well."
"A wiz with the evidence, she gets her head around complex facts and knows how to test and tell a story."
"Tamara is good on the drafting side and also very strategic. Moreover, she is extremely user- and client-friendly."
"Tamara is excellent, organised and really well prepared."
"Tamara is a pleasure to work with and a strong team player."
"Tim is an excellent junior. He is really good at what he does, very responsive and quick thinking."
"James can be relied upon to provide pitch-perfect advice in any situation. He's an incredibly gifted advocate and a great team player."
"James' standout is that, even though he is a silk, he is extremely hand-on and detailed in the preparation of the case."
"Michael really nails down the legal points to work out the best arguments."
"Michael cultivates enduring client relationships through exceptional service. He prioritises clear communication, and exceeds expectations at every turn."
"Michael is very smart, detailed and all over the case."
"Ollie is an excellent junior barrister with a bright future ahead. He provides thoughtful advice and gets to the heart of the issues the lay client cares about."
"Oscar understands what the clients’ goals are and works hard to achieve them."
"Oscar conveys complex things clearly to clients and is a very nice advocate to deal with. He has particular strength in cases involving numbers and complex spreadsheets."
"She is really excellent on the detail."
"Fantastically gifted and really well rounded, she's really good at expressing herself and is able to process complicated data and boil it down to clear messages."
"Meticulous and very good at document-heavy cases, he's a silk of choice for complex fraud and general commercial litigation matters."
"Richard is a superb and really seasoned courtroom performer."
"An excellent technical lawyer, who is very user-friendly and a great advocate."
"He is a fabulous arbitration and litigation specialist."
"A man with an incredibly strategic mind, his advice is extremely clear and sensible. He always has an eye on the end game."
"He is extremely bright and brilliant on his feet."
"He really works well as part of a team, pulling all of the strings together effectively. He is very strategic in his thinking, but also easy to work with."
"Simon demonstrates fantastic command of the issues."
"Simon is charming and a pleasure to work with. He is commercial in his thinking and a great team player."
"His drafting is really good and his attention to detail and thoughtfulness are plain for all to see."
"Simon is very bright and can be relied on to roll his sleeves up and do the job well."
"Incredibly efficient and a lawyer with outstanding analytical abilities, he is an excellent advocate, who renders complicated issues into easily comprehensible points."
"His written advocacy is excellent and he is always absolutely right about what he thinks the court will do."
"Steven is commercial and exceptionally smart, but also very available and incredibly responsive."
"He is particularly strong in M&A disputes and cases involving private equity clients."
"Technically excellent, very commercially minded and a stand-out due to his superior client service."
"Alexander is geat to work with and exceptionally bright."
"He is very calm and analytical in his approach."
"Hannah provides excellent client service and is very sharp; she grasps complex issues quickly and is excellent on her feet."
"Hannah is an excellent litigator and she is very strong on commercial awareness."
"Hannah is a real pleasure to deal with and works seamlessly with the solicitor team. She is so persuasive and fluent on her feet, and just devastating in cross-examination."
"James' legal knowledge is perhaps unparalleled for someone of his level. He is able to grasp deeply complicated subjects and find a commercially viable path through an issue."
"He is really responsive and easy to work with."
"James is brilliant to work with and a true details man."
"Laurence is clearly incredibly sharp."
"Laurence is a very good team player and very thorough. He also treats everyone in a courteous way."
"Laurence's key strengths are his attention to detail and his ability to really get into technical issues and immerse himself in them."
"Michael is very cool under pressure. He demonstrates strong knowledge of the law and is clear and authoritative in his advice."
"Michael is a real numbers advocate, so looking at quantum is his thing."
"Excellent when it comes to delivery of client advice and sophistication of work."
"She gives well-formed written opinions, and is very enthusiastic in her advice."
"Alyssa is a great junior who is hard-working, easy to communicate with and sensible in her advice. Her drafting is excellent."
"Really impressive, she's super intelligent and fantastically supportive and hard-working."
"Alyssa is an incredible performer; she is on top of the detail and always knows the answer."
"Andrew has a very intuitive way of looking at complex cases and he is very comfortable in offshore jurisdictions."
"Andrew knows the building blocks of the law and can construct arguments from its moving parts."
"Very smart, he gets to the key points very quickly and sets things out in a clear way. He comes up with insightful analysis that you hadn't considered before."
"Daniel is an asset to any team. He is a joy to work with and a team player who combines depth of knowledge with his skills as a talented wordsmith to the huge benefit of his clients."
"He's experienced beyond his call and an excellent option as sole counsel."
"Daniel has an easygoing style. He identifies points that are important to us and he makes sure we communicate what's important to the client in terms of commercial interests."
"Jade is an excellent junior. She is hard-working, very bright and hugely insightful. One to watch, she's already developed a robust advocacy style."
"Joshua is diligent and increasingly savvy on questions of strategy."
"Joshua has had a lot of big commercial trials and can just turn his hand to anything. He's wise beyond his years and has great judgement."
"Josh is a pleasure to work with. He is on top of all the details and his drafting is always excellent."
"He is incredibly hard-working and enthusiastic."
"Very clever and incredibly diligent. His work shows clarity and insight beyond his year of call."
"Robert is an extremely capable junior, who is up to speed on complicated facts and law. He quickly inspires a lot of confidence through the advice he gives."
"Veena is a very strong junior who is good on the detail and can see the wider strategic picture."
"Hard-working, diligent and precise, she fits into a team really well."
"The striking thing for me is his pragmatism. He is commercially minded and focused on achieving the end goal. He never gets too bogged down in the law."
"He is going to be an absolute superstar silk."
"Nicholas is fantastic – completely rock solid and reliable. He's the fulcrum of any team you put him in."