Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Law Commission for a five-year term beginning on 1 January 2023 (until 31 December 2027). The mandate of the Commission is the codification and progressive development of international law. The election took place, by secret ballot, at the 32nd meeting of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, […]

Members of Essex Court Chambers are delighted to announce that the ten sets of Chambers participating in the Mentoring Scheme for underrepresented groups have, between them, offered places on the scheme to nearly 200 applicants from groups that are underrepresented at the Bar. The  scheme will make a real contribution to increasing opportunity and diversity at […]

Members of Chambers are delighted to announce that Paul C K Wee has joined Essex Court Chambers from today, Wednesday 10 November 2021. Paul specialises in commercial litigation, international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration. The directories describe him as “a real star”, “a standout senior junior” and “one of the best at the Bar”(Legal 500 […]

In a judgment handed down yesterday, the Commercial Court granted permission to two Malaysian entities to challenge an LCIA arbitration award in connection with the well-known 1MDB scandal. The background to the case is the multi-billion-dollar fraud that was perpetuated on 1MDB, a Malaysian state-owned investment fund, and which has led to allegations against, among […]

Members of Chambers are pleased to announce that Ben Juratowitch QC has joined Essex Court Chambers from today, Monday 1 November 2021. Ben was a partner in the international arbitration group at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and head of the firm’s Public International Law practice. Ben took silk in 2017 and is also a member […]

Today, Wednesday 27 October 2021, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in Kabab-Ji SAL (Lebanon) (Appellant) v Kout Food Group (Kuwait) (Respondent) [2021] UKSC 48. The Supreme Court rejected Kabab-Ji’s appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision to refuse recognition and enforcement of an ICC Award made in Paris (being the seat of the […]

The latest Judgment in SFO v Litigation Capital & 46 Others (In re Gerald Martin Smith) was handed down by Mr Justice Foxton on 21 October 2021, following substantial written submissions and a two day remote hearing, which determined how the costs of litigating complex and competing equitable proprietary claims should be apportioned (the “Costs […]

Members of chambers have been highly ranked in the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2022, which was released on Thursday 21 October 2022. Members of chambers have been ranked in 22 practice areas and the set has been ranked in 12 practice areas, including Band 1 rankings in Commercial Dispute Resolution, Fraud, International Arbitration […]

It was with great sadness that the members of Essex Court Chambers learnt of the death of Professor J Martin Hunter on Saturday 9 October 2021. Martin joined Essex Court Chambers from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 1994 where he practiced as an arbitrator and advocate for many years. Martin had joined Freshfields as an articled […]

On 29 September 2021, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in Jalla & Another v Shell International Trading and Shipping Company & Another [2021] EWCA Civ 1389, an appeal concerning the requirement that there be “the same interest in a claim” in order for a representative action to be validly brought. In December 2017, […]

Essex Court Chambers are pleased to announce that our mini pupillage applications for the 2022 programme are now open. The deadline for all applications is 14:00 Friday 3 December 2021. More details and how to apply can be found here.

On Wednesday 29 September the editors of Arnould: Law of Marine Insurance and Average, Jonathan Gilman QC, Mark Templeman QC, Claire Blanchard QC, Philippa Hopkins QC, Neil Hart and David Walsh, hosted the Inaugural Arnould Lecture. The virtual lecture, delivered by the Honourable Mr Justice Jacobs, marked the release of the 20th edition of Arnould: […]