Ellen Tims

Professional practice

Ellen is developing a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice in line with Chambers’ profile. Ellen has appeared as junior counsel in the High Court and sole counsel in the county court. She accepts instructions as junior or sole counsel and across all of Chambers’ practice areas.

Ellen’s current and recent instructions include:

Acting for a number of Panamanian companies and foundations in Chancery Court proceedings concerning assets worth in excess of US$1bn (led by Graham Dunning KC and Matthieu Grégoire): Bourlakova v Bourlakov & ors;
An application for injunctive relief to protect arbitral confidentiality (led by Richard Millett KC): A Corporation v (1) Firm B (2) Mr W [2025] EWHC 1092 (Comm);
A number of high-value arbitrations, either ad hoc or under institutional rules, spanning a range of fields such as insurance (led by David Scorey KC) and competition law (led by Tom Sebastian);
A claim for urgent anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief in connection with proceedings afoot in Russia (led by Louise Hutton KC): Barclays Bank plc v PJSC Sovcombank & Anor [2024] EWHC 1338 (Comm); and
Post Office’s external solicitors in relation to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (assisting Jonathan Hough KC, Juliet Wells and Grace Ferrier).

Ellen graduated with a first-class degree in Law with German Law from St John’s College, Oxford in 2018, where she was a Casberd scholar. As part of her degree, she studied German law at the University of Konstanz, and Ellen has a working proficiency of the language. Ellen then received the South Square Scholarship to study the BCL, in which she achieved a distinction and ranked joint first in the year in Principles of Civil Procedure.

Before coming to the Bar, Ellen gained experience both as judicial assistant to the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (The Right Honourable The Lord Burnett of Maldon) in the Court of Appeal and as research assistant at Brick Court Chambers.

As a judicial assistant, Ellen worked on some of the most prominent public and criminal law appeals at the time, including Miller (No 2) [2019] EWHC 2381 (QB) (determining the lawfulness of the Prime Minister’s advice to prorogue Parliament in 2019), TT v YY [2020] EWCA Civ 559 (concerning the right of a trans man to be registered as ‘parent’ or ‘father’ on his son’s birth certificate) and R v Barton & Booth [2020] EWCA Crim 575 (confirming the test for dishonesty under English law). Ellen also assisted the Lord Chief Justice with Gerard Adams’ appeal against conviction, which was heard in the Supreme Court (R v Adams [2020] UKSC 19).

As a research assistant, Ellen principally acquired experience in public and competition matters. Most notably, Ellen worked on a $50 million investor-treaty arbitration under the Netherlands-Panama BIT (assisting Emilie Gonin and Ali Al-Karim): Buse v Republic of Panama (ICSID). Ellen also assisted with public law matters, including the high-profile challenge to the Home Secretary’s policy of removing asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda (AAA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department), competition matters and a number of sanctions matters.

Career

2023: Tenant at Essex Court Chambers
2022-2023: Pupil at Essex Court Chambers
2022: Called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn)
2021-2022: Research assistant at Brick Court Chambers
2019-2020: Judicial assistant to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (The Right Honourable The Lord Burnett of Maldon) in the Court of Appeal

Education

2020-2021: BPTC, City University of London (Outstanding)
2018-2019: BCL, University of Oxford (Distinction)
2016-2017: Erasmus in German Law, University of Konstanz
2014-2018: BA Jurisprudence (English Law with Law Studies in Europe – German Law), University of Oxford (Distinction)

Awards

2020: Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
2019: Clifford Chance Prize for best performance in Principles of Civil Procedure, BCL
2018: South Square Scholarship, BCL
2018: Casberd Scholarship, St John’s College Oxford
2016: Sweet and Maxwell Prize for best performance in Law Moderations, St John’s College Oxford

Administrative and Public Law

Ellen has a particular interest and experience in administrative and public law matters. She is on the Attorney General’s Junior Junior panel.

As a research assistant at Brick Court Chambers, Ellen worked on a number of administrative and public law matters including:

The high-profile challenge to the Home Secretary’s policy of removing asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda: AAA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department.
A judicial review concerning the administration of an energy company.

Ellen worked on a broad range of administrative and public law appeals as the judicial assistant to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Most significantly, Ellen assisted on the landmark constitutional case of Miller (No 2) [2019] EWHC 2381 (QB). Further, Ellen assisted on Gerard Adams’ appeal against conviction in the Supreme Court, which turned on a public law issue – namely whether an interim custody order made by the Minister of State, and not considered personally by the Secretary of State, was invalid: R v Adams [2020] UKSC 19.

Ellen assisted with the chapter on European Union Law as part of the latest edition of Supperstone, Goudie & Walker on Judicial Review.

Arbitration & related court applications

Ellen has been instructed in a number of high-value arbitrations, either ad hoc or under institutional rules. Currently, Ellen is instructed in a competition-related arbitration and an insurance arbitration.

Ellen has experience of court applications related to arbitration. Recently, Ellen appeared in the Commercial Court, led by Richard Millett KC, on an application for injunctive relief to protect arbitral confidentiality: A Corporation v (1) Firm B (2) Mr W [2025] EWHC 1092 (Comm).

Banking & financial services

Ellen’s has been instructed to obtain urgent anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief in the banking and financial services context (led by Louise Hutton KC): Barclays Bank plc v PJSC Sovcombank & Anor [2024] EWHC 1338 (Comm). At a short secondment at Farrer & Co, Ellen assisted on a number of cases involving banking and financial services.

Civil fraud & asset recovery

Ellen is currently acting (led by Graham Dunning KC and Matthieu Grégoire) for a number of Panamanian companies and foundations in Chancery Court proceedings concerning assets worth in excess of US$1bn: Bourlakova v Bourlakov & ors. These proceedings have involved heavy and ordinary applications and case-management hearings.

Commercial dispute resolution

Recently, Ellen undertook a short secondment at Farrer & Co, during which she worked on a number of commercial disputes, such as:

Advising on the construction of investment management and dealing terms and conditions;
Advising on the effectiveness of service abroad pursuant to a bilateral treaty; and
Advising on possible claims in the cryptocurrency context and any limitation issues in connection therewith.

Ellen also has experience assisting on interim and ancillary matters within commercial disputes, such as: applications for delivery up of the client file under s. 68 of the Solicitors Act 1974; obtaining relief under the Norwich Pharmacal and/or Bankers Trust jurisdictions; freezing orders; anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief; and the admissibility of hearsay evidence.

Competition

Ellen has a particular interest in competition matters, having studied the subject on the BCL at the University of Oxford. As research assistant at Brick Court Chambers, Ellen assisted with a number of competition matters. Most notably, she worked on a high value landmark collective action in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Ellen is currently instructed in an arbitration raising issues of competition law (led by Tom Sebastian).

Conflict of laws & private international law

Ellen has a particular interest in conflict of laws issues, having studied the subject on the BCL at the University of Oxford.

Ellen has recently been instructed in a claim for urgent anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief in connection with proceedings afoot in Russia (led by Louise Hutton KC): Barclays Bank plc v PJSC Sovcombank & Anor [2024] EWHC 1338 (Comm).

Employment

Ellen volunteered for the Free Representation Unit before coming to the Bar. She represented a client in an unfair dismissal hearing in the London (South) Employment Tribunal, appearing against an employer represented by a barrister many years her senior.

Human rights & civil liberties

Ellen has a particular interest in cases involving human rights and civil liberties issues. She is on the Attorney General’s Junior Junior panel.

Ellen has assisted the International Lawyers Project with a number of pro bono matters. One of those concerned the preparation of an amicus curiae brief in connection with a hearing before the High Court of Garissa, Constitutional and Human Rights Division in the Republic of Kenya.

As research assistant at Brick Court Chambers, Ellen assisted the team acting for the lead group of Claimants (which includes Detention Action, Care4Calais and the Public and Commercial Services Union) in their high-profile challenge to the Home Secretary’s policy of removing asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda: AAA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department.

As judicial assistant to the Lord Chief Justice, Ellen worked on a number of significant appeals in the field of human rights and civil liberties, including:

TT v YY [2020] EWCA Civ 559, an appeal concerning whether a transgender man was entitled to be registered as the ‘father’ or ‘parent’ of his son, to whom he gave birth; and
The Queen (on the application of Muriel Maguire) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde [2020] EWCA Civ 738, an appeal concerning whether the death of a disabled woman who was deprived of her liberty engaged the state’s obligation to protect life under article 2 of the ECHR, therefore requiring an inquest jury to make findings regarding the circumstances by which the death occurred.

Insurance & reinsurance

Ellen is currently instructed (led by David Scorey KC) in an insurance arbitration concerning a New York law D&O liability policy.

Ellen has been instructed in a number of Covid-19 BI insurance claims concerning denial of access clauses on behalf of hospitality businesses (led by Jeffrey Gruder KC). In connection with one of these claims, Ellen appeared unled in a case-management conference in the Commercial Court.

Investment treaty disputes

As research assistant at Brick Court Chambers, Ellen worked on a $50 million investor-treaty arbitration under the Netherlands-Panama BIT: Buse v Republic of Panama (ICSID) (assisting Emilie Gonin and Ali Al-Karim).

Sanctions

Recently, Ellen was instructed in a claim for anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief in connection with proceedings afoot in Russia (led by Louise Hutton KC), which dealt with issues of UK sanctions on Russian designated persons: Barclays Bank plc v PJSC Sovcombank & Anor [2024] EWHC 1338 (Comm).

During her pupillage, Ellen assisted James Sheehan KC with High Court proceedings concerning the impact of UK, EU and US sanctions on payment obligations under multiple standby letters of credit: Celestial Aviation Services Ltd v UniCredit Bank AG (London Branch) [2023] EWHC 663 (Comm).

As research assistant at Brick Court Chambers, Ellen also assisted on a number of sanctions matters.

Sport, media, art and entertainment

During her pupillage, Ellen assisted a Member of Chambers with advice in respect of the scope of the regulatory powers of a sports governing body. She also drafted a statement of case in connection with a dispute as to the legal and beneficial ownership of the guitar of a famous musician.

Shipping & admiralty

Ellen has been instructed in a number of shipping-related matters, including A Corporation v (1) Firm B (2) Mr W [2025] EWHC 1092 (Comm) (led by Richard Millett KC). Ellen has also recently settled particulars of claim in a marine insurance matter and advised on security arrangements in connection with a ship mortgage.

Barrister at Essex Court Chambers

Professional practice