On 8 May 2025 the Court of Appeal (King LJ, Asplin LJ and Males LJ) handed down judgment in Vatistas (appellant) v Betta Oceanway and Tomini (Respondents) [2025] EWCA 595. The Court of Appeal allowed an appeal from an order rejecting Mr Vatistas’s application to be joined as a defendant in the proceedings brought by […]
News & publications
Hugh Mercer KC and Sam Wordsworth KC are on a shortlist of 3 candidates for election as the next UK judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to succeed Tim Eicke KC. Deok Joo Rhee KC of 39 Essex Chambers is the third UK nominated candidate. The ECtHR is established under the European […]
In January 2025, Mr Justice Henshaw handed down judgment dismissing a $325m fraud claim which had been commenced 10 years ago. In February 2025, the freezing injunctions that had been made against the Defendants in 2015 were discharged and the Court directed that the Claimants’ cross-undertakings in damages be enforced and there be an inquiry […]
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has announced new members to the SIAC Court of Arbitration. Lucas Bastin KC was one of eleven new Court Members appointed for the 2025 to 2027 term. The SIAC was established in 1991 as an independent, not-for-profit organisation. The SIAC has a proven track record in providing neutral arbitration services […]
Benedict Tompkins has written an article published in the February 2025 issue of the Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, which considers the Loan Market Association’s standard sovereign immunity clause in light of recent case law and practice on enforcement against sovereign States. The article focuses on both judgment debts and award debts, and […]
The Supreme Court decision in UniCredit Bank GmbH v. RusChemAlliance LLC has been named the “Most Important Decision” of the last year at the Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Awards, held during Paris Arbitration Week 2025. The decision of the Supreme Court was published last September, following an expedited hearing and decision on such appeal six […]
Essex Court Chambers is delighted to announce that Joe Smouha KC and Prof. Dan Sarooshi KC have been shortlisted for ‘Barrister of the Year‘ at The Lawyer Awards 2025, which will take place on 17 June 2025 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel. The Lawyer Awards have been the ultimate stage for legal mastery […]
Mr Justice Rajah handed down judgment on 7 April 2025 in Okuashvili v Ivanishvili & Ors [2025] EWHC 829 (Ch) upholding jurisdiction challenges brought by Mr Ivanishvili and a number of other defendants, and giving summary judgment in favour of others. The Judge found that (i) various claims sought to be brought in two sets of proceedings […]
On 9 April 2025, the Supreme Court handed down judgment in The MSC Flaminia case. The dispute arose from a casualty on board the MSC Flaminia on 14 July 2012 while the ship was in mid-Atlantic en route from Charleston, South Carolina, to Antwerp. An explosion occurred in the no. 4 cargo hold which led to […]
Multiple members of Essex Court Chambers feature in the Pro Bono Recognition list for 2025. The list highlights lawyers who completed 25 hours or more legal pro bono work over the past year. Members included in the list are Hugh Mercer KC, Charles Ciumei KC, Amy Sander, Naomi Hart, Benedict Tompkins, Luke Tattersall, Freddie Onslow, Daniel […]
Lucas Bastin KC, Professor Chester Brown SC and Naomi Hart have been ranked in “Jus Connect’s Data-Backed Arbitration Rankings – Power List 2025”. In its fourth edition, this esteemed initiative is reshaping the way excellence is recognised in arbitration by highlighting the sector’s most active and influential law firms, practitioners, and arbitrators. View the Top […]
Members and staff at Essex Court Chambers are celebrating the appointment of five new silks today. Tariq Baloch, Jane Russell, Ciaran Keller, David Walsh and Anton Dudnikov will all be sworn in as King’s Counsel before the Lord Chancellor at a ceremony taking place at Westminster Hall. Senior Clerk, Joe Ferrigno, commented “I am thrilled […]
