Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Public International Law: The English Bar - Global Market Leaders
What the Team is Known For
Essex Court Chambers is a pre-eminent public international law set with "cutting edge PIL barristers who mix genuine academic credentials with practical experience as counsel and advocates." The team remains at the forefront of the most cutting-edge international disputes. The set's academically accomplished barristers field significant expertise in state-versus-state disputes and BIT arbitration. They frequently appear before the ICJ and all of the other major international courts and tribunals, as well as the UK and European courts. Members are highly adept at handling the full spectrum of PIL issues, often advising governments, international organisations and corporations on land and sea territorial disputes, international trade and investments, and state immunity. They are also able to advise on related human rights and international criminal law issues. Recent highlights include involvement in an ICSID claim brought against Norway focused on access to Snow crab fisheries in shared international waters.
Joe Ferrigno is a senior clerk.
Strengths
The clerks at Essex Court have been nothing short of fabulous. They are responsive, flexible and always happy to assist.
Essex Court Chambers clerks are extremely responsive and proactive.
Notable practitioners
Amy Sander garners praise from clients for her handling of politically sensitive cases and the project management skills she applies to them. She advises governments and multinationals, and is an expert in BITs and territorial disputes. She has appeared before the ICJ and has advised the UK, Kenya, Bolivia, Russia and South-East Asian countries on PIL matters.
Amy is a very good and experienced international lawyer. She is a very good team member.
Amy is fantastic with the clients and has the strengths across a range of the international law issues. She is an excellent advocate before the international courts.
Amy is a brilliant barrister. She brings a real star intellect and advocacy.
Samuel Wordsworth KC is widely recognised as one of the leading authorities in public international law. He handles a broad spectrum of cases, proving an expert in both bilateral investment treaties and inter-state disputes. He is highly regarded by sources for his advocacy skills and has acted in multiple high-profile ICJ cases.
Sam is truly exceptional particularly in the treaty arbitration and the state-state disputes.
Samuel is so knowledgeable and calm under the most stressful circumstances.
Sam would be my first choice for any team working before an international court. Strong in all areas, including getting into factual details and presenting a clear and a straightforward picture.
Vaughan Lowe KC is a leader in the PIL field who is renowned for his fierce intellect. He regularly appears in front of international tribunals and possesses expertise in boundary disputes and investment treaty work. He has taught at leading universities in the UK and USA, including Cambridge and Duke. He also takes appointments as arbitrator and was appointed to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators in 2017.
Vaughan is really is a star individual.
Vaughan is a true leader in the field of public international law, and an excellent advocate, orally and in writing.
Alison Macdonald KC has extensive experience operating across criminal, commercial and international law, acting as both adviser and advocate. She regularly represents states in ICSID arbitrations, and has considerable experience in the Law of the Sea and international criminal law.
Alison's extensive experience is a great asset to her clients. She is receptive to ideas and brings a commercial and tactical awareness to the defense of her clients.
She is impressive.
Alison exudes a quiet confidence.
Ben Juratowitch KC practised for many years as a leading international law solicitor before being called to the Bar. He has acted in a number of the highest disputes between sovereign states. Market sources praise his skills as an advocate before international courts and arbitrator tribunals. He is the first choice of barrister for several states and multinational corporations.
Ben is a complete package. He is fiercely bright, an extremely effective advocate and has a great touch with the clients too.
Ben's advocacy skills are unparalleled. He has the rare ability to distil a case to its essence and to deal with the issues in an amazingly simple way.
Ben is an excellent lawyer and a strategist.
Ben provides clear, strategic, and commercially aware advice that is always tailored to the specific needs of his clients.
Dapo Akande is widely considered a thought leader in the field of PIL. He has appeared before the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, among other global forums. He is the Chichele Professor of public international law at the University of Oxford and an elected member of the United Nations International Law Commission.
Dapo is excellent at explaining complex topics in simple terms. He is always on top of the legal developments and is able to deal with a number of the different personalities.
Dapo is absolutely fantastic.
Dapo is a great person to work with. He has a very good advocacy manner.
Dapo brings an excellent grasp of the law, very professional case management, and excellent advocacy skills. He is an excellent mentor too.
Malcolm Shaw KC has a strong academic background and is well respected for the brilliant advice he gives to governments and international organisations. He acts in an interesting spread of cases in the English courts and before international tribunals. He has also appeared before the ECtHR and the ECJ. He advises on a variety of matters including territorial disputes, the Law of the Sea, state succession and state immunity.
Malcolm's expertise ensures that every legal aspect is addressed with precision, while his strategic approach keeps us confident in the direction of the case.
Sean Aughey is a highly rated barrister who regularly handles state-on-state disputes, investor-state arbitration and domestic litigation involving PIL aspects. He has further experience acting in human rights-related cases.
Sean is so impressive as somebody capable of getting on top of the difficult issues of the law and finding a way of cutting through them but also mastering the difficult issues of facts.
Sean is a clear and analytical thinker.
Sean has a masterful grasp of PIL and a judgement beyond his years.
Sean's drafting is superb. He distils complex things into a narrative. He is fantastic on his feet, a brilliant cross-examiner, and knows each document inside out.
Sean is very eloquent and incisive with his advocacy.
Dan Sarooshi KC is a skilled advocate who has the academic knowledge and practical experience to make him a very popular choice in the PIL sphere. He has an excellent record of representing governments, international organisations and FTSE 100 companies in these matters. He is also a professor of public international law at Oxford University.
Dan is a very knowledgeable, wise and industrious lawyer who performs to a very high standard, both in court and out.
Daniel is very knowledgeable and hard working.
Dan absorbs so much so quickly, delivering things eloquently.
Jessica Wells has a strong level of experience in PIL, both as an adviser and as an advocate. She also has a strong commercial disputes practice and is an expert on conflict of law issues. She has been instructed by the UK and a range of other governments in work dealing with state immunity, the arms trade, investment treaties and maritime boundary disputes.
Jessica has a great judgment and is able to think through difficult issues.
Jessica is hardworking, sound and knowledgeable in the field of the public international law.
Lucas Bastin KC is a seasoned barrister with regard to PIL matters, particularly investment treaty work and commercial arbitrations under ICSID, SCC, LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules. His wider PIL work sees him handling cases involving state immunity and inter-state sanctions.
Lucas is at the top of his game.
Lucas is very convincing in front of the judges.
Naomi Hart has established a strong PIL practice. She regularly advises and acts for states and corporate entities on matters relating to maritime boundaries, investor-state disputes and human rights.
Naomi is really on top of the issues.
Naomi is a superstar in the making. She is super bright, very user-friendly and a great team player.
Naomi has a robust commercial approach to things. She is impressive in the advisory work.
Thomas Sebastian is highly regarded for his investment treaty and WTO work. He has acted in treaty disputes involving Cuba, Colombia, Thailand, India and South Africa, and has also advised the UK government on Brexit-related international law issues.
He is a straight shooter. He is very direct, honest and thorough.
Graham Dunning KC is a barrister with strength across a range of PIL matters. He handles BIT claims and state immunity disputes as well as arbitration award enforcement cases. He has additional expertise covering UN and EU sanctions.
Graham is a really good and a safe pair of hands.
Hugh Mercer KC brings wide scope of expertise to the public international law intersection with European and human rights law. He is qualified barrister in England, Northern Ireland and Belgium.
Hugh has a powerful intellect, he is a very serious and gifted barrister.
Hugh has a great handle of complexity on understanding the EU perspective and handle of the litigation forum.
Hugh has a great reputation for doing international work.
Hugh is immensely knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with.
Matthieu Gregoire is a PIL specialist barrister with recognised expertise in BIT cases, in which he has represented both investors and defendant states. He is experienced in arbitrations before the PCA, the ICC and other bodies.
Matthieu's sharp intellect has been impressive.
Matthieu has a strong commercial acumen and is excellent on his feet.
Paul Key KC is a respected barrister who has considerable experience acting in bilateral investment treaty arbitrations, and in related injunction and enforcement actions before the High Court in London. He has represented energy and natural resources companies and has also defended states in these cases.
Paul is an incredibly clever barrister. He knows everything inside out and is outstanding on his feet.
Peter Webster is a very experienced public international law practitioner with an extensive knowledge of diplomatic and state immunity matters, as well as complex investment arbitrations. He regularly appears in domestic courts, arbitral tribunals and state-to-state claims.
Peter is brilliant. He has a fantastic mind.
Peter has a fantastic mind and a really good sense of judgment.
Mubarak Waseem is commended as an up-and-coming PIL expert. He acts for state and state-controlled entities in investor-state disputes and matters of state immunity.
Mubarak's work is strategically sound.
Mubarak is hard-working, provides clear advice and good client service. He is a go-to in this area of the law.
Tariq Baloch KC is sought after for his expertise in investor-state arbitrations. He acts for sovereign states across the world, including those in North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the USA. He is well versed in ICC and ICSID rules. He earns plaudits for his advocacy skills.
Tariq does great work.