Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Energy & Natural Resources - UK
What the Team is Known For
Brick Court Chambers is renowned as simply "one of the absolute strongest sets out of London" with a strong bench of experienced silks and juniors collectively offering an impressive level of expertise in the energy sector. Members are particularly respected for their prowess in commercial cases, in addition to competition, public law and insurance disputes. Clients include multinational oil and gas companies, energy regulators and financial services giants. A notable recent instruction for the set is Octopus v Bulb, a dispute involving a claim for rectification and a cross claim, which both total £250 million.
Strengths
Paul Dennison, senior clerk, and Phillip Wilkes, senior practice manager, provide an exemplary service.
The clerks are always very responsive and do an excellent job at managing multiple diaries on the larger matters I have worked on with them.
Brick Court Chambers' clerks are highly professional and responsive; you can always have a grown-up conversation with them.
Notable practitioners
Edward Ho is widely regarded as an impressive performer in international arbitration and commercial disputes, with considerable expertise in the energy sector. He has a strong track record of handling high-value disputes arising from mining operations, particularly in Africa and Central Asia.
Ed is just fantastic, he's incredibly smart, very well prepared and operates at the level of a KC.
Edward is top-notch. He is really willing to get into the weeds with technical details but is still able to keep the bigger picture in mind.
Edward is great to deal with, clients like him and he shows good judgement.
Helen Davies KC has a strong focus on the energy sector and is very highly reputed for her advocacy skills. Her practice takes in various issues ranging from resource exploitation to utility supply, and she does a lot of work relating to the oil and gas industry. Her broad experience covers disputes involving oil and gas fields in the North Sea, Azerbaijan and Africa.
Helen Davies stands out for her impeccable judgement; she is a real advocate who reads the courtroom quickly.
Mark Howard KC cuts a commanding figure at the Commercial Bar and has an excellent reputation in the energy sector. His energy work generally consists of extremely high-value commercial disputes, and he is noted for his formidable cross-examination in court.
Mark is one of the leaders at the Commercial Bar, he is a ferocious advocate but at the same time he is willing to listen to other members of the team.
Mark is a leading figure who brings gravitas to his matters, whilst also being strategic.
Mark is a brilliant adviser who sees commercial angles that nobody else does.
Ben Woolgar handles a wide range of energy-related disputes including joint venture matters, contractual issues and also corporate and finance-related mandates in the energy field. He is particularly noted for his work in the offshore oil technology field.
Ben is someone who is highly rated and clearly a silk in the making.
What marks Ben out is his judgement - he makes the right call on legal decisions but also knows what to say in front of the judge.
Daniel Jowell KC is a well-regarded silk who is known for his commercial, competition and energy work. He has a healthy practice that focuses on cases concerned with domestic energy and utility supply markets. Jowell frequently advises clients with regard to regulatory judicial reviews and in arbitrations in the LCIA.
Daniel is technically excellent, commercially aware and very popular with clients.
Daniel is a thoroughly good barrister, he can get the ear of a tribunal and is an easy guy to listen to.
Daniel is a very calm and collected advocate. He is amazing and I rate him very highly.
Joanne Box is a highly rated junior on commercial litigation and arbitrations. She has an impressive track record in the oil and gas sector and can act on the full range of disputes, from upstream to downstream.
Joanne is excellent on her feet and adept at reading a tribunal, flexing her style as appropriate.
Joanne is able, competent and someone you can trust.
Vernon Flynn KC is a respected silk with a broad commercial practice who represents clients in a vast array of energy-related disputes, principally those relating to electricity and oil and gas. His practice frequently sees him advising clients in cross-jurisdictional cases, both at trial and on appeal, and he is also regularly involved in arbitrations at UNCITRAL and the LCIA.
Vernon is someone I regard as being on the client's speed dial - he's easy to work with, energetic and uber-responsive.
Vernon is one of the heavyweights of the Commercial Bar. He's a joy to work with, brilliant with clients and has a great manner with judges too.
Vernon has a deeply client-focused approach, he is highly user-friendly and understands our commercial objectives.
Fionn Pilbrow KC is a familiar presence at the Energy Bar. He regularly handles high-value disputes concerning joint venture terms, mining licences and product quality, among other issues. He is particularly noted for his expertise in matters involving detailed technical evidence. Pilbrow has considerable experience acting in high-value fraud cases for energy industry clients. His experience covers arbitrations in the ICC, UNCITRAL and the LCIA, as well as cases before the Commercial Court, the Technology and Construction Court and the Administrative Court.
Fionn is a superb advocate, a real class act.
Fionn is an exceptional advocate and can expertly narrow very complex issues for the lay client.
Fionn is exceptional - he's always commercial but also tenacious in court. He has a deep understanding of energy industry issues.
Michael Bools KC is a respected silk with experience of oil and gas exploration disputes, acting both for and against government bodies of various nations. He is also adept in cases pertaining to renewables. Bools is frequently instructed by major oil companies in Commercial Court proceedings.
Michael is just so unbelievably helpful and easy to deal with; he's supportive and also easy to integrate into a team.
Richard Eschwege KC attracts significant praise from solicitors and barristers alike. He handles a substantial caseload of disputes in the oil and gas industry and has multi-jurisdictional expertise. He is noted for his capacity to handle disputes concerning oil and gas production in Africa.
Richard is an awe-inspiring advocate. He is meticulous, focused and has an uncanny gift for seeing each case's centre of gravity early on.
Richard is an incredibly hard worker, he is also very comfortable on his feet and a terrific trial advocate.
Richard has huge capacity for cutting through the necessary work.
Stephen Midwinter KC is particularly adept at handling cases related to the oil and gas industries. He regularly appears in arbitrations and has experience in the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Stephen is a real superstar. He can say in three paragraphs what others take 20 pages to.
Stephen has encyclopaedic knowledge, fabulous drafting and quick turnaround.
Chintan Chandrachud is a rising star in the energy sector, advising clients in a wide range of areas that include mining disputes as well as oil and gas matters. He has experience being instructed in international arbitrations, notably appearing in ICC arbitration proceedings for his clients.
It is a joy to watch Chintan work because he has a good analytical approach to legal problems and he's also a real gift in supporting silks.
Chintan's attention to detail is second to none and he has a brilliant legal mind. He is calm, well spoken and always spot-on.
Chintan has highly persuasive oral advocacy and punches above his weight.