Legal 500

What Legal 500 says about the set's legal practice in London Bar:

Banking and finance (including consumer credit)

Within Banking and finance (including consumer credit), Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm,
Essex Court Chambers has ‘an excellent reputation’ for banking and finance matters. The highly rated David Foxton QC has been involved in a number of significant banking disputes, including IMC v Barclays Bank and Deutsche Bank v Sebastian Holdings. Vernon Flynn QC is ‘a real favourite’, ‘happy to get his hands dirty and has a fantastic courtroom demeanour’. Clients and barristers praise the ‘intellectually extremely bright’ Joe Smouha QC. A recent highlight for Jeffrey Gruder QC has been advising the claimant in RZB v RBS over a claim for misrepresentation arising from a syndicated loan to Enron. Paul McGrath QC is ‘an expert courtroom bruiser with a good eye for the winning argument’. Edmund King has been very active, particularly on hedge fund related cases.

Administrative and public law (including local government)

Within Administrative and public law (including local government)

Aviation

Within Aviation.

Also recommended: Huw Davies QC at Essex Court Chambers;

Civil liberties and human rights (including public inquiry law and actions against the police)

Within Civil liberties and human rights (including public inquiry law and actions against the police)

Commercial litigation

Within Commercial litigation, Essex Court Chambers is a first tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers has ‘leaders who are undoubtedly at the top of their field’. Andrew Hochhauser QC is ‘an extremely incisive and tenacious lawyer, drilling down very quickly to the important legal issues but also bringing a very practical, common-sense edge to his advice’. David Foxton QC is ‘a star of the not very distant future’, and ‘a great advocate who is highly intelligent and a delight to work with’. Graham Dunning QC’s ‘tremendous experience engenders confidence in the legal team he is leading’. Paul McGrath QC, who recently took silk and has been representing the claimant in Boris Bereovsky v Estate of the late Mr Patarkatsishvili, is ‘an expert courtroom bruiser with a good eye for the winning argument’.David Davies, who has been involved in the massive Fiona Trust dispute, is a ‘remarkable combination of a Rolls Royce technical lawyer, soft people skills and judgment far beyond his call’.

Commodities

Within Commodities, Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers’ Steven Berry QC is ‘a brilliant, brilliant barrister – one of the top of his generation in this field’, andSimon Bryan QC is well regarded. The highly rated Claire Blanchard QC took silk in 2010. Nigel Eaton is ‘a superb, first-choice junior’, and Brian Dye is recommended for freight futures. The clerks are efficient and helpful. Bernard Eder QC became a judge.

EU and competition

Within EU and competition

Employment

Within Employment, tier 4
Essex Court Chambers’ Andrew Hochhauser QC is a ‘tenacious lawyer, who drills down, very quickly, into the important legal issues’, and Martin Griffiths QC has a ‘strong command of the law and sound judgement’. Charles Ciumei is ‘without question, one of the brightest members of the Bar’, and David Craig has ‘amazing attention to detail

Energy

Within Energy, Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm.
At Essex Court Chambers, David Mildon QC is well versed in both renewable and non-renewable energies and is particularly strong in regulatory cases. Simon Bryan QC is ‘outstanding on his feet’; and Vernon Flynn QC is ‘an excellent commercial advocate’. David Foxton QC represented Total in the Supreme Court proceedings following the Buncefield explosion. Claire Blanchard QC has built a strong reputation in the energy sector since taking silk.

Fraud: civil

Within Fraud: civil, Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm.

At Essex Court Chambers, ‘effective advocate’ Huw Davies QC is recommended, as is Vernon Flynn QC, who acted for the appellant in the Fiona Trust case at the House of Lords. Andrew Hochhauser QC is also recommended. Jern-Fei Ng has ‘a wealth of experience in civil fraud’. Nathan Pillow is ‘phenomenally hardworking and really rolls his sleeves up to get stuck into the detail’.

Immigration (including business immigration)

Within Immigration (including business immigration),

Also recommended - the ‘highly committed’ Tim Eicke QC at Essex Court Chambers, who took silk in 2011.

Information technology

Within Information technology

Insurance and reinsurance

Within Insurance and reinsurance, Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm.

‘Obviously one of the supersets and worth it for the right cases’, Essex Court Chambers has a deep reserve of talent. Philippa Hopkins has a ‘mind like a razor; she is incisive, robust and commercial’. The ‘very bright’ Houseman acted for Allianz in connection with an application for declaratory relief in Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, and ‘focuses on the real issues, handles the client well and has a good sense of humour’. David Foxton QC receives plaudits as ‘one of the greatest talents of the younger supersilks’; he is ‘phenomenally clever but wears it lightly’. 2010 saw Bernard Eder QC appointed Justice to the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division.

International arbitration

Within International arbitration, Essex Court Chambers is a first tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers has ‘some of the best talent in the country in international arbitration, so one feels secure when instructing it’. The ‘immensely articulate’ Toby Landau QC is ‘an outstanding lawyer and a brilliant advocate’, who ‘has a great feel for commercial arbitration and its international nature’. Graham Dunning QC is ‘a compelling advocate and very effective cross-examiner’, and clients also praise the ‘first-class’ Jeffrey Gruder QC. Vernon Flynn QC is ‘bright, user friendly and commercial’ and ‘prepared to roll up his sleeves and deal with some difficult issues’. The ‘formidably bright’ David Scorey is highly recommended for insurance and reinsurance arbitrations.

Media, entertainment and sport

Within Media, entertainment and sport, Essex Court Chambers is a third tier firm.

At Essex Court Chambers, Vernon Flynn QC is well respected in the field and Andrew Hochhauser QC is ‘extremely bright and very able on his feet’. Iain Quirk represents media and entertainment personalities and organisations, also handling various Formula 1 disputes. Richard Millett QC is also recommended.

Professional negligence

Within Professional negligence, tier 5

The ‘capable and hardworking’ Christopher Smith QC at Essex Court Chambers is recommended, as is David Foxton QC.

Public international law

Within Public international law, Essex Court Chambers is a first tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers ‘remains a leader in the field on all counts’, is a ‘standout set for PIL’, and is commended for its ‘exceptionally efficient clerking’. The set has an impressive roster of QCs, including Sir Frank Berman KCMG QC, the ‘excellent’ Vaughan Lowe QC and Malcolm Shaw QC, ‘one of the true experts on public international law’, who ‘in addition to being brilliant, is organised, industrious, considerate, reliable and spirited’. For investment treaty arbitrations, the ‘exceptionally bright’ Toby Landau QC is praised. Tim Eicke QC, who recently took silk, is considered an ‘outstanding practitioner in this field. His knowledge of the law is excellent, so too is his ability to use it in a practical setting’. Among the juniors, Alan Boyle is particularly well regarded for environmental-related matters; he ‘inspires confidence and can meet any challenge put with a robust and persuasive line of argument’. Sam Wordsworth is ‘excellent’, and Dan Sarooshi is a ‘first-rate international lawyer who is building up a very good practice’, particularly in WTO and international economic law.

Shipping

Within Shipping, Essex Court Chambers is a first tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers has a ‘great reputation as one of the leading admiralty and commercial sets’ with a ‘good selection of seniors and juniors’ and ‘very efficient clerks’. The set was heavily involved in the Fiona Trust litigation – one of the largest shipping cases, which involved claims of $800m for theft, fraud, bribery and corruption in shipping and ship finance – with the ‘smart, user-friendly and well-prepared’ Steven Berry QC, ‘heavy-hitter’ Graham Dunning QC and the ‘sound’ Simon Bryan QC representing key defendants Yuri Niki, Dimitry Skarga and Tagir Izmaylov, respectively. Meanwhile, Vernon Flynn QC, who has a ‘sharp, tactical mind’, acted for the defendants and Edmund King for the claimants in Gearbulk v Stocznia Gdynia. The ‘always reliable’ David Foxton QC is highly rated for dry shipping and commodities, and Jeffrey Gruder QC, who ‘does not sit on the fence and gives a straight answer’, has been busy with numerous disputes arising out of the collapse of the shipping market. The ‘bright, hardworking and very thorough’ Christopher Smith QC has a ‘razor-sharp mind’ and is an ‘excellent advocate/cross-examiner’. Gordon Pollock QC is ‘brilliant in everything he does’, and Philippa Hopkins is ‘very clever and practical’. Claire Blanchard QC, who made silk in 2010, is ‘hardworking and determined, and gets her teeth into cross-examination’.

Tax: corporate and VAT

Within Tax: corporate and VAT, Essex Court Chambers is a second tier firm.

Essex Court Chambers maintains a strong profile in tax with excellent capabilities across the board, and particular expertise on the VAT side. Leading VAT silk Roderick Cordara QC has an ‘enviable’ reputation and is ‘well liked’ by clients for his strong abilities. Several of the juniors have strong profiles, including ‘rising star’ and ‘outstanding talent’ in indirect tax David Scorey; VAT specialist Edward Brown has a ‘passion for tax’ and is ‘doggedly determined’; Edmund King’s ‘clarity of thought and insight’ impresses, and he ‘fully commits to clients’; and Jern-Fei Ng’s ‘forensically astute’ manner garners much praise.