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Essex Court Chambers

UK Bar Guide 2025

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UK Bar

Essex Court Chambers

Essex Court Chambers

Contact number

(020) 7813 8000

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About

Provided by Essex Court Chambers
UK Bar

Senior Clerk: Joe Ferrigno

Team Leaders: Ben Perry, Jack Wood, Katie Myles, Kevin Grubb, Ollie Butcher

Head of Marketing: Lucy Davies

Office Manager: Jacky Chase

Tenants: 118

THE CHAMBERS

Essex Court Chambers is a leading set of barristers’ chambers, specialising in commercial and financial litigation, arbitration, public law and public international law.

Members of Chambers are recognised specialists in all areas of commercial law and handle disputes across the full spectrum of the business and financial world, including banking and finance, civil fraud, corporate/chancery and offshore, insurance and reinsurance, energy, trade, shipping, revenue, and employment.

Chambers is not a firm, nor are its members partners or employees. Rather, Chambers is comprised of individual barristers, each of whom is a self-employed sole practitioner. Members of Chambers are commonly retained by opposing sides in the same dispute, both in litigation and arbitration, with protocols in place to safeguard confidentiality. As well as acting on opposing sides, individuals appear in front of other members acting impartially as Deputy Judges or Arbitrators.

The barristers at Essex Court Chambers advise and act in disputes both in the UK and worldwide. They have a reputation for exceptional talent, top-class advocacy and a client-oriented approach.

WORK UNDERTAKEN

Annual market research and award ceremonies confirm that members are consistently recognised as leading individuals by clients and peers in a number of key areas, but most notably: international commercial arbitration; commercial dispute resolution; civil fraud; public international law; banking and finance; employment; energy and natural resources; indirect tax; insurance; shipping and commodities; professional negligence; media, entertainment and sport; civil liberties and human rights; administrative and public law; information technology; immigration; aviation; EU and competition; offshore litigation; commercial chancery; and insolvency and corporate recovery.

The strong international nature of chambers differentiates it from other practices. It has barristers qualified to practise in non-UK jurisdictions and with a wide range of commercial language skills.

PUPILLAGE

Chambers typically offers up to four funded 12 month tenancy seeking pupillages per year. Applications should be made via the Pupillage Gateway. Applicants for pupillage are encouraged to undertake a mini-pupillage (of 1-2 days). Information about mini-pupillage, including deadlines for mini-pupillage applications and an online application form, is available at www.essexcourt.com

Members
  • Ian Hunter KC (1967) (KC-1980)
  • Richard Siberry KC (1974) (KC-1989)
  • Franklin Berman KC (1966) (KC-1992)
  • Roderick Cordara KC (1975) (KC-1994)
  • Simon Crookenden KC (1975) (KC-1996)
  • Jeffrey Gruder KC (1977) (KC-1997)
  • Andrew Hochhauser KC (1977) (KC-1997)
  • David Mildon KC (1980) (KC-2000)
  • Graham Dunning KC (1982) (KC-2001)
  • Steven Berry KC (1984) (KC-2002)
  • Malcolm Shaw KC (1988) (KC-2002)
  • Mark Templeman KC (1981) (KC-2003)
  • David Joseph KC (1984) (KC -2003)
  • Richard Millett KC (1985) (KC-2003)
  • Joe Smouha KC (1986) (KC-2003)
  • Huw Davies KC (1985) (KC-2006)
  • John Lockey KC (1987) (KC-2006)
  • Hugh Mercer KC (1985) (KC-2008)
  • Vaughan Lowe KC (1993) (KC-2008)
  • Christopher Smith KC (1989) (KC-2009)
  • Claire Blanchard KC (1992) (KC-2010)
  • Paul Stanley KC (1993) (KC-2010)
  • Daniel Oudkerk KC (1992) (KC-2010)
  • Paul McGrath KC (1994) (KC-2011)
  • James Collins KC (1995) (KC-2012)
  • Nigel Eaton KC (1991) (KC-2013)
  • Stephen Houseman KC (1995) (KC-2013)
  • Paul Key QKC (1997) (KC-2013)
  • Sam Wordsworth KC (1997) (KC-2013)
  • Charles Ciumei KC (1991) (KC-2014)
  • David Scorey KC (1997) (KC-2015)
  • Nathan Pillow KC (1997) (KC-2015)
  • David Craig KC (1997) (KC-2015)
  • Ricky Diwan KC (1998) (KC-2015)
  • Philippa Hopkins KC (1994) (KC-2018)
  • Alison Macdonald KC (2000) (KC-2017)
  • Professor Dan Sarooshi KC (2005) (KC-2018)
  • Shane Doyle KC (2001) (KC-1995) Australia
  • Louise Hutton KC (1998) (KC-2021)
  • Iain Quirk KC (2002) (KC-2021)
  • David Davies KC (2004) (KC-2021)
  • James Willan KC (2006) (KC-2021)
  • Anna Dilnot KC (2008) (KC-2021)
  • Neil Hart KC (1998) (KC-2022)
  • Edward Brown KC (2002) (KC-2022)
  • Jeremy Brier KC (2004) (KC-2022)
  • Tim Akkouh KC (2004) (KC-2022)
  • Emily Wood KC (2006) (KC-2022)
  • Lucas Bastin KC (2013) (KC-2022)
  • Ruth den Besten KC (2001) (KC-2023)
  • Siddharth Dhar KC (2005) (KC-2023)
  • Angeline Welsh KC (2015) (KC-2023)
  • David Peters KC (2005) (KC-2024)
  • James Sheehan KC (2008) (KC-2024)
  • Professor Chester Brown SC (2010) (SC-2024)
  • Philippa Watson (1988)
  • John Snider (1982)
  • Brian Dye (1991)
  • Martin Hunter (1994)
  • Martin Lau (1996)
  • Tariq Baloch (2001)
  • Jessica Wells (2004)
  • Jane Russell (2004)
  • Ciaran Keller (2004)
  • Amy Sander (2006)
  • David Walsh (2007)
  • Tom Ford (2008)
  • Anton Dudnikov (2008)
  • Catherine Jung (2010)
  • Adam Board (2010)
  • Sean Aughey (2010)
  • Andrew Legg (2010)
  • Professor Paul Davies (2010)
  • Paul C K Wee (2010)
  • John Robb (2011)
  • Claudia Renton (2011)
  • Christopher Lloyd (2011)
  • Alexander Riddiford (2011)
  • Rebecca Akushie (2012)
  • Adam Woolnough (2012)
  • Peter Webster (2012)
  • Helen Morton (2013)
  • Thomas Sebastian (2012)
  • Richard Hoyle (2013)
  • Stuart Cribb (2013)
  • Matthieu Gregoire (2013)
  • Felix Wardle (2014)
  • Sophia Hurst (2014)
  • Jackie McArthur (2015)
  • Bibek Mukherjee (2015)
  • Stephen Donnelly (2016)
  • Naomi Hart (2016)
  • Benedict Tompkins (2016)
  • Owen Lloyd (2016)
  • Luke Tattersall (2016)
  • Wei Jian Chan (2017)
  • Freddie Onslow (2017)
  • Mubarak Waseem (2017)
  • Mark Belshaw (2018)
  • Freddie Popplewell (2018)
  • Lorraine Aboagye (2018)
  • Katherine Ratcliffe (2019)
  • Akash Sonecha (2019)
  • Professor Dapo Akande (2020)
  • Daniel Fox (2021)
  • Gretta Schumacher (2021)
  • Edward Mordaunt (2021)
  • Grace Ferrier (2021)
  • Sebastian Mellab (2021)
  • Edward Batrouney (2023)
  • Oliver Goldstein (2022) (Aus: 2015)
  • Ellen Tims (2022)
  • Ben Cartwright (2022)
  • Joshua Kimblin (2023)
  • Yanni Goutzamanis (2023)
  • Ruben Robertson (2023)
  • John-Patrick Asimakis (2023)
  • Francis Cardell-Oliver (2023)
  • Camille Boileau (2024)

Ranked Offices

Provided by Essex Court Chambers

UK - Head office

Essex Court Chambers rankings

UK Bar Guide 2025
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Band
All Circuits
Cryptoassets
2 Ranked Barristers
Silks (KC)
James Collins KC
2
James Collins KC
2
Band 2
Tim Akkouh KC
2
Tim Akkouh KC
2
Band 2
Offshore
1 Set
6 Ranked Barristers
Set
Offshore
2
Offshore
2
Band 2
Silks (KC)
Paul McGrath KC
1
Paul McGrath KC
1
Band 1
Richard Millett KC
1
Richard Millett KC
1
Band 1
James Willan KC
2
James Willan KC
2
Band 2
Joe Smouha KC
2
Joe Smouha KC
2
Band 2
Stephen Houseman KC
3
Stephen Houseman KC
3
Band 3
Juniors
Ciaran Keller
2
Ciaran Keller
2
Band 2
London (Bar)
Administrative & Public Law
3 Ranked Barristers
Silks (KC)
Dan Sarooshi KC
3
Dan Sarooshi KC
3
Band 3
Edward Brown KC
4
Edward Brown KC
4
Band 4
Hugh Mercer KC
4
Hugh Mercer KC
4
Band 4
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
1 Ranked Barrister
Silks (KC)
Hugh Mercer KC
1
Hugh Mercer KC
1
Band 1
Art and Cultural Property Law
3 Ranked Barristers
Silks (KC)
Joe Smouha KC
1
Joe Smouha KC
1
Band 1
Emily Wood KC
2
Emily Wood KC
2
Band 2
Juniors
Claudia Renton
2
Claudia Renton
2
Band 2
Banking & Finance
1 Set
8 Ranked Barristers
Set
Banking & Finance
3
Banking & Finance
3
Band 3
Silks (KC)
Joe Smouha KC
1
Joe Smouha KC
1
Band 1
James Willan KC
3
James Willan KC
3
Band 3
Emily Wood KC
4
Emily Wood KC
4
Band 4
20 of 197 results