Thomas Sebastian has been appointed to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Standing Counsel panel. The CMA needs to be able to call upon a panel of highly specialist counsel who can give priority to the CMA’s cases, represent the CMA in court and help provide bespoke training to CMA staff. Further information can be read […]
News & publications
On 28 February 2025, Mr Justice Bryan handed down judgment in The Republic of Kazakhstan v. World Wide Minerals and Paul Carroll QC [2025] EWHC 452 (Comm) upholding a s.68 challenge by the Republic of Kazakhstan to an investor-state arbitral award, on the basis that (in remitted proceedings directed specifically at determining issues of causation […]
On 26th of February 2025, the Government announced its response to the recommendations of the Chairman of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its panel’s Phase 2 report. The Government has accepted all of the Inquiry’s recommendations and has simultaneously published a green paper on construction products. In her Foreword, the Deputy Prime Minister thanked Sir […]
On 21st of February 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in Bath Racecourse Company Limited v Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE. The decision, which was identified by The Lawyer as one of their top 10 appeals for 2025, provides important guidance to the insurance market and those policyholders with outstanding business interruption insurance claims […]
In a judgment handed down on 19 February 2025, the Supreme Court (Lord Hodge, Lord Hamblen, Lord Stephens, Lady Rose and Lord Richards) dismissed an appeal in El-Husseiny & another v. Invest Bank PSC [2025] UKSC 4 concerning the scope of section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986. Section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 […]
Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v Switzerland Authors: Hugh Mercer KC, John-Patrick Asimakis Click to Download PDF By its decision last year in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v Switzerland, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has expanded the potential frontiers of climate change litigation in the human rights context. In short, a complaint was […]
On 12 February 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment ([2025] EWCA Civ 108) in the long-running enforcement proceedings brought by the former shareholders of Yukos (“the Claimants”) against the Russian Federation in respect of three 2014 arbitral awards worth more than US$50 billion plus interest. The Hague Court of Appeal and the Dutch […]
72 Members of Essex Court Chambers have received rankings in the 2025 edition of the Chambers Global Guide following its release. Members have been ranked in 6 jurisdictions including the Asia-Pacific, Belize, Middle East-wide, Singapore, UK, and Europe, and are ranked across 9 practice areas including International Arbitration, Public International Law, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Commercial […]
In a judgment handed down on 30 January 2025 in Geminis Investors Limited v (1) Goods Technology Starting Internal Limited and (2) G-Force Int’l Co Ltd, the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean (sitting in the Virgin Islands) rejected a consolidated appeal against decisions of the BVI Commercial Court to reject an application to set […]
Shell plc v Vereniging Milieudefensie Author: Francis Cardell-Oliver Click to Download PDF The decision On 12 November 2024, the Hague Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in Shell plc v Vereniging Milieudefensie, reversing an order of the Hague District Court requiring Shell plc (and through it, the broader Shell group) to reduce its greenhouse […]
The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2025 has been published and features Essex Court’s, Joe Smouha KC. Joe is credited for his acting as lead counsel for the Republic of Mozambique in the “Tuna Bond” litigation. In 2025, Joe is in the Commercial Court from March on the year-long PIFSS trial, representing the Man Group. He has […]
On 16 January 2025, an ICSID tribunal dismissed a group claim against Romania brought by 44 European and Asian solar investors under the Energy Charter Treaty (Fin. Doc S.r.l and others v Romania ICSID Case No Arb/20/35). In its final award the Tribunal dismissed all the claim on the merits, finding that Romania’s changes to […]
