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Commodities

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Essex Court Chambers

Leading Silks

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Michael Ashcroft KC – Twenty Essex ‘With strong analytical skills and very clear written communications, he has a manner and calm authority that persuades judges and tribunals to listen to him.’
Michael Collett KC – Twenty Essex ‘Very hard-working, and exceptionally polite and calm, he has an impressive ability to communicate his knowledge to solicitors, clients, courts and tribunals.’
Timothy Hill KC – Twenty Essex ‘A tenacious and an excellent advocate, and one of the very best for commodities disputes. He has first-rate knowledge and shows incredible attention to detail in his hearing preparation.’
Simon Rainey KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Simon is a brain. His approach is one of practical and commercial experience applying the law at every step. He is excellent to work and that is an unrivalled trait for a barrister so senior.’
Richard Southern KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk 'He has very good judgment, a pleasant courtroom demeanour, and is on top of the details.’
Timothy Young KC – Twenty Essex ‘Frighteningly clever, very inventive, and a good cross-examiner.’
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Simon Croall KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘He understands the client very well and his advice is always helpful. He works hard to provide his feedback efficiently.’
Peter MacDonald Eggers KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘A real market-leader. Peter is a first-class silk with a huge intellect.’
Siobán Healy KC  – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Very thorough with high-level legal analysis, she is always balanced and focuses on the relevant questions.’
Chirag Karia KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Chirag’s written work is clear and thorough and he is good to work with.’
Stephen Kenny KC   – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Stephen is super to work with. He gets to the heart of an issue and is highly commercial.’
Charles Kimmins KC – Twenty Essex ‘He is exceptionally user-friendly, particularly when breaking down complicated points of law for the lay client. He is also excellent in court.’
David Lewis KC – Twenty Essex ‘Simply outstanding and a pleasure to deal with, his greatest strength is his ability to reach clear, concise, commercial conclusions on complex and high-value problems in prompt fashion.’
Duncan Matthews KC  –Twenty Essex ‘He has a firm, clear grasp of the law and a conscientious approach to getting on top of the facts.’
Sean O’Sullivan KC – 4 Pump Court
John Russell KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Excellent on paper and on his feet, he is insightful and succinct, and he has a gift for getting the judge on his side from the outset.’
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David Allen KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘David is an excellent silk who brings real insight. He is accessible, straight-talking, and pragmatic, and when you instruct him, you know you have him 100%.’
Nicholas Craig KC – 3 Verulam Buildings 'Nick is smart, responsive and commercially minded, and his advocacy is focused and persuasive.'
Philip Edey KC – Twenty Essex ‘Philip is an absolute dream to work with: fantastic at client handling, a wonderful leader and a class act on his feet.’
Jawdat Khurshid KC  – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Jawdat shows clarity of thought, a personable and collaborative approach, confidence, and a firmness of view.’
Yash Kulkarni KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Calm and measured on his feet and a shrewd tactician, he is much liked and respected by courts and tribunals and gets them on his side quickly.’
Sara Masters KC – Twenty Essex ‘Sara is very measured, calm, sensible and very efficient, and she manages proceedings with ease.’
Michael Nolan KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Michael is strong on the law, providing sharp and incisive legal advice in a user-friendly manner. He is always alive to the commercial background to a dispute.’
Luke Parsons KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘He is extremely clever and able very quickly get to the heart of legally and factually complex cases. He has a real gift for expressing complicated points in a concise fashion.’
Alistair Schaff KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘He shows clear and precise legal analysis and presentation, and has in-depth knowledge of the law.’
Vasanti Selvaratnam KC – The 36 Group ‘Her legal acumen is undeniable, she is meticulous in her preparation, and her courtroom presence is confident and effective.’
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Guy Blackwood KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Guy is knowledgeable and able to express submissions and conduct cross-examination in a succinct and focused manner. He has an engaging manner and is a pleasure to listen to.’
Henry Byam-Cook KC – Twenty Essex ‘Calm, insightful, and responsive, Henry has a very natural style of advocacy.’
Nigel Eaton KC – Essex Court Chambers
Philippa Hopkins KC – Essex Court Chambers ‘Fiercely intelligent and an excellent advocate, orally and in writing, Philippa is a real asset to the team.’
Adam Kramer KC – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Adam is an outstanding silk and an excellent cross-examiner who has a really impressive intellect and is all over the detail of case.’
Simon Milnes KC –Twenty Essex ‘An exceptional advocate who combines legal expertise with a practical, results-driven approach. His ability to simplify and clearly communicate intricate legal issues really stands out.’
Luke Pearce KC  – Twenty Essex ‘Luke is a first-rate junior silk whose legal analysis is always insightful and spot on. He is an ideal choice for tricky disputes where mastery of the detail is imperative.’
Fionn Pilbrow KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Fionn is a smooth and persuasive advocate who holds the confidence of the tribunal.’
Nathan Pillow KC – Essex Court Chambers ‘Nathan can take anything and make it better, and his ability to read judges is second to none.’
Philip Riches KC – Twenty Essex ‘Philip is always calm and presents advice and options in a measured and clear way, and deals with technically complex issues in a clear and concise manner.’
Chris Smith KC - Quadrant Chambers ‘He listens, is responsive, and provides helpful insights. He is also incredibly sharp and excellent on his feet, both in submission and cross-examination.’

2024 Silks

Oliver Caplin KC – Twenty Essex ‘Oli’s great advantages are his ability to give clear, commercial advice, his willingness to make himself available at short notice, and his mindfulness of the strategy for a whole dispute.’
Josephine Davies KC –Twenty Essex ‘Josephine is incredibly hardworking and thinks strategically and carefully. She provides practical and succinct advice and never stops turning a problem over in her mind.’
Paul Toms KC – Quadrant Chambers ‘Paul is an outstanding advocate, precise and incisive. He brings a great deal of clarity and strategic thinking to every case.’

2025 Silks

Angharad Parry KC –Twenty Essex ‘Intelligent, responsive and approachable, her written work is extremely good - clear, concise and persuasive, even under time pressure.’
David Walsh KC – Essex Court Chambers   ‘An outstanding new silk with excellent written skills and an incredible ability to get to the heart of complex matters.’

Leading Juniors

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Ravi Aswani  –The 36 Group ‘Extremely calm and confident, and outstandingly thorough, he suits any advocacy case where grasp of detail and clear delivery are required.’
Daniel Bovensiepen – Twenty Essex ‘His attention to detail is second  to none, his written submissions are top-class, and he leaves no stone unturned to find the most compelling points to assist the clients.’
Benjamin Coffer – Quadrant Chambers ‘He is the best. He is always responsive, helpful and realistic, his advice is clear, and his advocacy is very persuasive.’
Charles Debattista –The 36 Group ‘‘Calm, measured, and authoritative before tribunals and in court, Charles is a highly persuasive oral advocate who earns the confidence of judges and arbitrators alike.’
Sandra Healy – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Sandra is a fantastic team member who has a real gift for drafting submissions and correspondence. As an advocate she is excellent and very effective on her feet.’
Richard Sarll – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘He has an eye for detail and knows the procedure and law inside out.’
Jessica Sutherland – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Jess has a very sharp legal mind. She brilliantly grasps of all of the details of a case, assimilates complex technical information quickly and uses it to produce excellent legal arguments.’
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Alex Carless – Twenty Essex ‘Alex is one of the top juniors for shipping and commodities work. He is more than capable of running matters as sole counsel with his excellent knowledge and first-rate written work.’
Andrew Dinsmore –Twenty Essex ‘Tough, tenacious, and thorough, Andrew brings a forthright and no-nonsense approach to his cases, and he has a real ability to cut through unnecessarily complex and tedious arguments.’
Andrew Feld – Twenty Essex ‘A future star, a fabulous advocate and a numbers man too. He gets to grips with a complex quantum issue with ease and shows impressive command of detail.’
Ben Gardner –Quadrant Chambers ‘Extremely clever, responsive and hardworking, his written work is clear, concise and persuasive. Someone you want on your side for tricky cases.’
Colleen Hanley –Twenty Essex ‘Colleen exhibits approachability, responsiveness, and confidence in her advocacy.’
Francis Hornyold-Strickland  – Monckton Chambers ‘His advocacy is clear and effective, and he is very pragmatic and able to flex the legal strategy to meet the client’s objectives.’ 
Malcolm Jarvis –Twenty Essex ‘Malcolm is very thorough and well organised. He is very much a team player and through his preparation, politeness and intelligence engages well with the court.’
Mark Jones –The 36 Group ‘Mark is open to consider various options, always having the overall aim in mind.’
Susannah Jones –Twenty Essex ‘Smart, thorough and committed, she knows her cases inside-out.’
Marcus Mander – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘He provides accurate answers in a speedy pattern, and satisfaction above expectation.’
Peter Stevenson –Quadrant Chambers ‘KC quality as a junior. He is happy to roll his sleeves up and get involved and is not afraid to voice his opinion.’
James Watthey – 4 Pump Court
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Koye Akoni –Quadrant Chambers ‘His biggest strengths are his gravitas, presence, and tactical nous. His advocacy is formidable – in a room full of silks, he held his own.’
Sushma Ananda – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Sushma’s attention to deal is fantastic and she is a joy to work with. She is a great asset to have on your team.’
Clara Benn – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Clara ticks every box: client-friendly, exceptionally diligent, super-clever, and she has excellent judgement.’
Tom Bird –Quadrant Chambers ‘He is very bright and works hard. Someone to watch out for.’
Thomas Corby – Twenty Essex ‘A formidable opponent – very clever and unflappable in court – he has an excellent work ethic and is extremely bright but commercial, too.’
Max Davidson – Quadrant Chambers ‘He is simply excellent on the law and strategy, and is very hardworking and calm.’
Henry Ellis – Quadrant Chambers ‘Henry is unquestionably a lead counsel of his age and experience.  He an excellent advocate and extremely clever at analysis of the adversarial position before trial.’
Joshua Folkard – Twenty Essex ‘Josh has a keen eye for detail and is very commercial. He is also very responsive and a pleasant person to deal with.’
Richard Greenberg – Twenty Essex ‘A star of the future with very impressive written work and excellent advocacy skills. He has a calm and collected manner in high pressure situations.’
Michal Hain – Twenty Essex ‘Michal is extremely bright. He is an excellent junior whose drafting and attention to detail are superb.’
Jamie Hamblen – Quadrant Chambers
Tim Jenns – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Tim is a capable and intelligent barrister and has the benefit of a solicitor’s experience. He is a pleasure to work with.’
Andrew Leung – Quadrant Chambers ‘A clear advocate, thorough and obviously hardworking. His advocacy is tenacious and effective.’
Saira Paruk – Quadrant Chambers ‘Saira is calm and thoughtful in her approach.  She remains unflustered and clear in her answers.’
Andrew Pearson – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Good humoured to work with and highly organised, he has strong advocacy skills and swiftly distils complex arguments.’
John Robb – Essex Court Chambers ‘John has an encyclopaedic knowledge of contract law and is good in conference, good in mediation, and good with clients and in court.’
James Shirley – Quadrant Chambers ‘Top of the pile in commodities and shipping.’
Sean Snook –Twenty Essex ‘Very user-friendly and creative in terms of finding solutions in trying circumstances. Sean is plain-speaking and to the point.’
Andrew Stevens - Quadrant Chambers  ‘Andrew provides excellent written advocacy and really gets to grips with commercial and legal risks of the case.’

Rising Stars

Andrew Ng – The 36 Group ‘Very responsive and helpful on technical matters.’
Jakob Reckhenrich – Quadrant Chambers ‘Jakob is a truly excellent junior barrister, who is an asset to any team. He is technically excellent, and adept at spotting the key issues.’
Joseph Rich - 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Highly attentive to detail and able to review voluminous material quickly and effectively, he demonstrates strong analytical skills.’

Commodities in London Bar

Twenty Essex


Twenty Essex has a deep bench focused on commodities, shipping and international trade. Among its members are some of the most respected silks and juniors in the commodities space, including those who have established key points of law that govern market practice. In Omni v Samancor, a $7m SIAC arbitration concerning the sale of manganese, standout silk Michael Ashcroft KC achieved a favourable settlement in a matter that involved complex issues regarding applicability of sanctions clause following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Michael Collett KC defended a GAFTA appeal in Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV, which arose from the non-performance of two contracts for the purchase of pulses. New to the top tier of silks is Timothy Hill KC, who is ‘one of the very best’. Turning to the set's juniors, Alex Carless is assisting Glencore in seeking €110m in payment for cargoes of diesel.

Referenzen

‚Clerks Arron Zither and Robert Wheeler are both excellent. The clerk’s room generally is very amenable to discussing rates and availability.‘

‚Arron Zitver is very approachable and helpful.‘

‚Twenty Essex is my go-to set due to their large number of high-calibre commodities specialists.‘

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7 King's Bench Walk


7 King’s Bench Walk is highly rated for its work in shipping, commodities, insurance and international arbitration. One recent case, In Quadra Commodities v XL Insurance, involved members on both sides. The case concerned the loss of cargoes of grain from warehouses in Ukraine as a result of what has become known as the Agroinvest Fraud, and Jawdat Khurshid KC and Anna Gotts acted for Quadra opposite Peter MacDonald Eggers KC and Sandra Healy. Richard Southern KC is a leading silk in this area, and he is currently involved in a case concerning the alleged cross-contamination of gasoil and gasoline while in transit. Also noteworthy the work of MacDonald Eggers KC for Royal Sun Alliance in ABN AMRO v Royal & Sun Alliance, a claim under cargo open cover in respect of Transaction Premium for cocoa products held in store.

Referenzen

‚Very satisfied with clerks‘ efficient service. Eddie Johns offers his best knowledge on who is the best choice for a particular matter.‘

‚Greg Leyden is a real joy to work with.‘

‚Excellent choice for shipping and commodity disputes.‘

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Quadrant Chambers


Quadrant Chambers is ‘certainly the lead set in international trade and shipping in a highly competitive market’, according to one client, and the related area of commodities is a growing source of work for many members. Simon Rainey KC was involved in Fimbank v KCH Shipping The Giant Ace, which saw him represent bulk ship wwners in a Commercial Court appeal concerning a claim for misdelivery of cargo that raises questions about the correct construction and effect of the Hague and Hague-Visby Rules time limit. Also prominent in this space is Chirag Karia KC, who successfully acted for the Claimant GAFTA appellant, along with leading junior Ben Gardner, in Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV. This is the first case to rule on the proper construction and effect of the GAFTA Default Clause and the quantification of losses for non-acceptance of goods under that clause.

Referenzen

‚Simon Slattery runs a great clerks room and is someone who is great to deal with and always helpful.‘

‚The clerks are fantastic! Friendly, fast to respond and commercial.‘

‚Quadrant is the go-to shipping set with a depth of knowledge throughout the different levels of barristers.‘

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Essex Court Chambers


Essex Court Chambers's Nathan Pillow KC is currently leading a three-person team acting for Trafigura Pte Limited in one of the largest commodities fraud cases in the English Commercial Court, concerning allegations of $600m of nickel going missing following the collapse of a long-term trade financing arrangement. Philippa Hopkins KC also handles including LCIA and LMAA disputes concerning commodities, and trade arbitrations under FOSFA and GAFTA rules. New silk David Walsh KC has a broad-ranging commodities practice that encompasses international trade, carriage of goods, financing, insurance, and commodities futures. In Trafigura Pte Ltd v Sudanese Petroleum Corporation, he is acting as sole counsel for Trafigura in a $22m claim against Sudanese governmental agencies in respect of sums due from swaps of crude and gasoil.

Referenzen

‚Strong clerking.‘

‚A very strong Chambers in this area.‘





The 36 Group


The 36 Group‘s Vasanti Selvaratnam KC, whose recent work includes a multimillion-dollar contract of affreightment arbitration concerning shipments of bauxite, is ‘an exceptionally able leader’. Outstanding junior Charles Debattista frequently handles disputes that arise when commodity sales contracts are not perfectly back-to-back with carriage contracts and letters of credit, or when there are discrepancies in the description of goods across different contracts. He acted for buyers of scrap metal in Stournaras Stylianos Monoprosopi EPE v Maersk A/S, which raises novel issues concerning the description of goods on bills of lading. Another standout junior is Ravi Aswani, whose expertise in commodities arbitrations sees him frequently involved in cases concerning issues of title, quality of goods, and contractual maters. Clients remark that the clerking team is ‘very helpful’, and that ‘provides a highly professional and efficient service’.

Referenzen

‚The clerks‘ room at The 36 Group provides a highly professional and efficient service. They are consistently responsive, helpful, and adept at managing diaries and facilitating instructions. Sam Medlock is always helpful, exceptionally proactive and a pleasure to deal with.‘

‚The clerks provide outstanding support. Sam Medlock is outstanding.‘

‚A go-to chambers for commodities and shipping matters.‘

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