Shipping & Commodities

Luke Parsons KC is an esteemed silk who is well respected for his broad shipping and commodities practice covering issues such as shipbuilding, ship sale and charter party disputes. He is highly active in the Court of Appeal, the Commercial Court and the High Court, and is equally adept at arbitrations.

"Luke is a brilliant tactician and a highly accomplished advocate. His cross-examination is cool, calm and extremely effective."

"He has a calming presence on any file and has a key grasp of the complex cases."

"Luke has an excellent reputation in the space."

Nevil Phillips is an outstanding junior with an excellent and longstanding reputation who frequently appears unled against KCs. He has marked experience covering wet and dry shipping disputes, and he has authored a leading text on the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

"Nevil is responsive, intellectually strong and has great judgement. He is one of the top names in shipping cases."

"Nevil has a mastery of the law, works very hard and is an absolute pleasure to work with."

"Nevil is very calm, very clever and provides good advice on strategy."

Simon Rainey KC is a highly acclaimed silk active across the shipping and commodities spaces. His exceptional practice covers diverse matters including shipbuilding, piracy and explosion, dangerous cargo and charter party disputes. He is further noted for his excellence in superyacht disputes.

"Simon is exceptionally knowledgeable, undertakes the most complex work and regularly appears in the highest courts."

"Simon is renowned and with good reason. He is the person you take difficult questions to."

"Simon is one of the best silks in shipping."

Benjamin Coffer is a standout shipping and commodities junior. He has expertise in charter party, shipbuilding and ship finance disputes as well as in both hard and soft commodities including oil, coal, steel, sugar and grain.

"Ben is extremely highly thought of. He is hard-working, knowledgeable and instructed in some of the largest shipping cases."

"He is results-oriented, efficient and delightful to work with."

"Benjamin provides sound commercial advice on complex matters in pressured circumstances. His knowledge of the subject matter is first-rate."

Caroline Pounds is a sought-after junior regularly engaged on a broad range of high-profile wet and dry shipping disputes and commodities cases. She is highly commended for her ability in the High Court and in arbitration, frequently appearing on a sole basis. Her instructions arise from around the world.

"Caroline is an absolutely brilliant senior junior and an incisive cross-examiner."

"She is very competent and very nice to deal with."

"Caroline is a very good barrister."

John Russell KC is a tough advocate whose shipping practice includes charter parties, shipbuilding and piracy claims. He has particular acumen in both cargo claims and yacht-related disputes. He is as at ease appearing in arbitrations as he is in courtroom trials. He has marked experience in cases concerning force majeure clauses.

"John is an excellent technical lawyer and a go-to on technical shipping cases."

"He has an exceptional ability to make even the most complex and technical points digestible."

"John is a strong advocate who provides good commercial written advice."

Lionel Persey KC is an excellent silk, deputy High Court judge and Lloyd's arbitrator. He has a first-rate practice covering shipping matters including charter parties, bills of lading, salvage and collisions. He also has significant expertise in energy and insurance-related matters.

"Lionel is extremely experienced with admiralty matters and this comes across in his advice and overall handling of the matter."

"Lionel is respected and knows his stuff."

Robert Thomas KC is a switched-on barrister whose varied practice includes shipping and commodities matters and advice on anti-suit injunctions. He is recognised for his ability in both arbitrations and litigation.

"Robert is an excellent technical lawyer with a good commercial sense. He is good on his feet and very user-friendly."

"He is a great barrister."

"Robert is a very good barrister."

Ruth Hosking is commended for her practice covering bills of lading, charter parties and commodities disputes as well as anti-suit injunctions. She appears in the Commercial Court and the Admiralty Court as well as in arbitrations. She is regularly instructed directly.

"She shows great qualities and is extremely dedicated."

"Ruth is very prepared to roll her sleeves up to help ensure that the end client is getting the best possible service."

Simon Croall KC is a distinguished barrister with a superb practice that takes in shipping, commodities and international trade matters. He has a fantastic track record in the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Commercial Court, as well as in arbitrations. He is experienced in handling disputes regarding charter parties and matters pertaining to ship detention and shipbuilding.

"Simon is extremely good, very calm, very clever and offers good advice on strategy."

"He is really user-friendly and extremely calm."

"Simon is very strong and knows his stuff."

Ben Gardner is a well-regarded junior with a broad practice covering commodities and shipping matters as well as insurance and conflict of laws. He regularly receives direct in-house instructions from industry clients to appear in courtroom trials and confidential arbitrations.

"Ben is extremely commercially aware, has an excellent knowledge of the subject matter and provides sound advice under pressured circumstances."

"He is excellent on his feet, very quick to grasp commercial and legal issues and a pleasure to work with."

"Ben has excellent knowledge of business practice combined with solid legal knowledge."

Chirag Karia KC is a barrister with a significant shipping and commodities practice who undertakes work in a variety of areas including cargo claims, collisions and marine insurance disputes. Many of his instructions cross multiple jurisdictions. He has notable experience in cases concerning anti-suit injunctions.

"Chirag is very user-friendly and clear with his advice."

"Chirag is well organised, drafts precisely and provides clear advice."

"His key strength is explaining complicated concepts with ease and simplicity for clients."

Gemma Morgan has a broad practice covering wet and dry shipping work as well as matters concerning commodities and international carriage of goods. Morgan has a prominent arbitration practice, regularly undertaking shipbuilding and technical disputes. She is especially adept at conducting arbitrations under LMAA terms. She is further noted for her yachts work.

"Gemma is extremely good. She's very thorough, maintains focus on the key points of the case and is very clear."

"Her cross-examination is excellent and she has a very persuasive, logical style of submission."

"Gemma is very user-friendly and responsive."

Nigel Cooper KC is a well-known silk engaged in both wet and dry shipping work as well as insurance and international trade matters. He frequently advises on shipbuilding and yacht-related disputes. He represents clients both as an advocate in court cases and arbitrations and as an arbitrator. He accepts instructions from law firms, corporations, insurance companies and the UK government.

"Nigel is a pleasure to work with and learn from."

"Nigel is very good."

"Nigel is a robust advocate with particular expertise in yachting disputes."

Nigel Jacobs KC is an esteemed practitioner who frequently tackles collision, salvage and marine insurance matters as well as dry shipping work. He is regularly called on to handle complex international cases across a range of jurisdictions.

"Nigel is a great barrister in the space."

"He is level-headed and provides good advice."

"Nigel has a great sense of humour and stands up for his clients."

Paul Henton is an experienced junior with capability in a range of Commercial Court and arbitration actions. His practice encompasses both wet and dry shipping cases, many of which are the subject of considerable press interest.

"Paul is a very able, very smart junior."

"Paul is incredibly helpful, always available, bright, detailed and straightforward."

"Paul is a very good junior."

Poonam Melwani KC is a well-regarded silk who approaches shipping and commodities cases within the context of a far-reaching commercial practice. She is regularly instructed in charter party, bill of lading and general contract disputes. Her practice also includes disputes regarding alleged fraud.

"Poonam always goes above and beyond. I really like her and she's really good in difficult cases."

"Poonam is a shipping specialist who is very involved in the space."

"A dream to watch in cross-examination and incredibly user-friendly and approachable for clients."

Tom Bird is an impressive junior with a burgeoning dry shipping practice. He regularly acts in charter party, bill of lading and shipbuilding disputes. He represents ship owners and cargo interests in significant arbitrations and court actions. He also has notable expertise in commodities cases.

"Tom has the perfect mix of legal acumen and commercial awareness."

"Tom combines flair and intelligence with being a genuine pleasure to deal with."

"Tom is very strong, responsive and provides really interesting ideas and advice."

Andrew Carruth impresses with his wet and dry shipping practice. He has the skills to act on high-profile shipping cases and is frequently instructed as sole counsel on matters.

"Andrew is very clever, good at drafting and easy to work with."

"Andrew is absolutely excellent. A great person to work with and I really rate him."

"Andrew provides very strong written advocacy and is able to get to the nub of issues."

Andrew Leung is a notable junior, regularly instructed in complex and high-value proceedings before the Commercial Court, Admiralty Court and Court of Appeal. He is regularly instructed in wet and dry shipping disputes as well as significant commodities claims.

"He is very calm, thorough and strong."

"Andrew is a very fair opponent that produces good written work."

"Andrew is a very good junior."

Chris Smith KC is an accomplished silk with a wide-ranging practice encompassing dry shipping, commodities, transport and insurance disputes. He is a familiar figure in court and arbitration proceedings.

"Chris is very approachable and easy to work with."

"Chris is a brilliant lawyer, extremely commercially aware and a pleasure to work with."

"He is a really excellent advocate and very strong in arguing the case."

David Goldstone KC is an excellent barrister with marked ability in shipping law. His practice covers wet and dry work such as salvage, unsafe ports and charter party disputes. He frequently appears in arbitrations and maintains a multi-jurisdictional practice.

"I rate David very highly, he really knows his stuff."

Henry Ellis is highly regarded for his work across both dry and wet shipping matters as well as commodities disputes. He appears in both courtroom trials and arbitrations, and is particularly recognised for his experience of dispute resolution in Asia. He is further recognised for his capabilities in international trade work.

"Henry is a good technical shipping lawyer who is very easy to work with and user-friendly."

"He is very responsive and commercially minded and grasps the facts of a case with ease."

"The knowledge he has of shipping law is incredibly thorough."

James Turner KC is a highly recommended barrister regularly instructed in shipbuilding, salvage and marine casualties. He also covers charter parties and trade finance matters including bills of exchange and letters of credit. He is a familiar presence in the Commercial and Admiralty Courts. He also appears regularly in arbitration proceedings.

"James is very strong and does excellent work in the space."

"James' ability to perform under pressure is astonishing and he makes complex points in a simple and persuasive way."

"His service is excellent as he always gives very accurate advice and works very hard."

James Shirley accepts shipping instructions within a broad-ranging commercial practice. He has experience in charter party disputes, demurrage and unsafe port claims. He handles both litigation and arbitrations.

Mark Stiggelbout is a well-regarded shipping and commodities practitioner with additional faculty in insurance, energy and insolvency disputes. He regularly acts in court and arbitration proceedings and has experience obtaining urgent injunctive relief.

"Mark's drafting is impeccable and he is a very safe pair of hands."

"His work product is of a very good quality and he is pleasant to work with."

"Mark is very thorough and impressive."

Michael Davey KC is well regarded for his ability in wet and dry shipping disputes including charter parties, bills of lading, salvage and collisions. He also covers related insurance and conflict of law matters. He has significant knowledge of fisheries disputes.

"Michael is clear and well drafted in his advice."

"He is knowledgeable and easy to work with."

"He is very calm, technical and has your back in cases."

Michael Nolan KC manages an extensive shipping practice covering litigation, arbitration and advice. He deals with charter party, bill of lading and shipbuilding contract disputes. He has particular knowledge of the sea-fishing industry as well as harbour law.

"Michael is impressive and a pleasure to work with."

"Michael is very experienced and knows exactly how to present things in court."

"Michael is amazing to work with."

Natalie Moore is an accomplished junior with capability to act in international trade and in wet and dry shipping matters in the Commercial Court and in arbitration. She has handled cases relating to piracy as well as bill of lading and charter party disputes. She is increasingly instructed in her own right as sole counsel. She has a strong knowledge of anti-suit injunctions.

"Natalie's advice is always spot on and she is able to provide commercial guidance."

"Natalie is knowledgeable, confident and a hard worker."

"She is responsive and a pleasure to work with."

Nichola Warrender KC is an experienced barrister with significant expertise in wet and dry shipping, international trade and commodity matters. She also handles shipbuilding cases and other commercial disputes.

"Nichola is highly intelligent, clear in her advice and always understands the needs of the case and the client."

"She is excellent, pleasant and very clever."

Peter Stevenson focuses on high-value commodities and shipping disputes. His practice covers wet and dry shipping work as well as marine insurance and shipbuilding. He is well known for his ability to take on a range of disputes involving affreightment, dangerous cargo, collisions and unsafe port claims.

"Peter is very user-friendly and good to work with."

"He's very approachable, very user-friendly and incredibly smart."

"Peter is a rising star in the space."

Stewart Buckingham KC demonstrates considerable expertise across a wide practice area, taking on work in energy commodities, shipbuilding, and wet and dry shipping law. He has notable experience of both highly technical arbitrations and litigation in the Commercial Court. He has acted in numerous cases concerning piracy, collision and salvage.

"Stewart combines a very personable delivery to clients with considerable ability as an advocate."

"He is incredibly user-friendly and entirely reliable."

"He is very intelligent, approachable and commercial in his advice."

Thomas Macey-Dare KC is a highly commended practitioner specialising in wet and dry shipping, international trade and insurance disputes. He has particular strength in emergency applications as well as technical issues related to navigation and seamanship. He is a frequent presence both on the courtroom circuit and in trade arbitrations.

"Thomas is diligent, accessible and very good at understanding difficult technical matters."

"Thomas is an excellent lawyer who is commercial, calm and unflappable."

"He has a fantastic ability to digest huge amounts of detail and his advocacy style brings people with him."

Yash Kulkarni KC is a skilful barrister with an active shipping and commodities practice, who works to resolve disputes through litigation and arbitration. He has marked experience in freezing, search and asset preservation orders, as well as anti-suit injunctions.

"Yash is extremely brilliant and personable in equal measure."

"He is extremely user-friendly, a pleasure to work with and wonderfully efficient."

"Yash is excellent and provides outstanding support."

John Kimbell KC has a flourishing commercial practice encompassing wet and dry shipping work. He routinely acts in LMAA arbitrations and in the Commercial and Admiralty Courts. He enjoys a substantial following among clients in Germany, where he is a qualified lawyer. He also sits as a GMAA arbitrator.

"John combines an in-depth knowledge of the practice area with a commercially minded approach."

"His input has been invaluable and I would not hesitate to instruct him."

"John is very good for written advice and very able as an advocate."

John Passmore KC is a highly able silk with a broad practice covering wet and dry shipping as well as commodities disputes. He also takes on ship sale and purchase, shipbuilding and offshore construction matters. He is also frequently sought out to provide advice on marine insurance issues.

"John is considered and brings a level of calmness to even the most difficult and tense matters."

"John is responsive, detail-oriented and pragmatic."

"He explains difficult issues clearly in a commercial setting."

Koye Akoni is a noteworthy junior who boasts an international commercial practice encompassing both wet and dry shipping matters.

"Koye has a remarkable ability to grasp the essence of a case and formulate strategy and argument."

"Koye is very sensible and calm."

"He is calm, considered and assured."

Max Davidson offers expertise across wet and dry shipping disputes. He has particular experience handling complex LMAA arbitrations. He is further noted for his competencies in commodities cases.

"Max is professional, approachable and considers the commercial impact of the client's position in any given matter."

"He is extremely smart, incredibly easy to work with and always available to discuss strategy and procedure."

"Max Davidson is very good and is remarkable in coming back quickly with his advice."

Saira Paruk is a respected junior with a broad knowledge of the shipping industry. Her practice spans bills of lading and charter party disputes as well as cargo damage claims.

"Saira is hard-working and likeable with a strong eye for detail."

"Saira is clear on the law, excellent in advocacy and adjusts her style to meet the opposition well."

"Saira is insightful, knowledgeable, persuasive, excellent on her feet and an absolute pleasure to deal with."

Stephanie Barrett has notable experience across a range of shipping matters. She demonstrates strong ability in shipbuilding and cargo claims as well as charter party disputes including demurrage and unsafe port issues. She acts as an advocate in arbitration as well as in court.

Tom Nixon is capable of working across all facets of shipping and commodities. He possesses the acumen to work as a sole counsel and is comfortable acting on high-value cases.

"Tom is an excellent lawyer, he picks up on detail and his drafting is near flawless."

"Tom is an absolute pleasure to work with and very user-friendly."

"He turns around a finished product with superb quality."

Jamie Hamblen has a notable and wide-ranging commercial practice with experience as both a sole and junior counsel. His work encompasses a broad range of shipping, shipbuilding and commodities matters. He has experience acting in arbitrations.

"Jamie is an excellent technical lawyer, very responsive and excellent on his feet."

"He is very thorough, tremendously detailed, and works collaboratively."

"Jamie writes well and is well organised."

Paul Toms KC is a highly regarded barrister with marked capability in shipping and commodities actions in the High Court and London Mercantile Court and in arbitration. He acts in piracy and charter party disputes, among other areas, and has a burgeoning appellate practice.

"Paul is very good, very collaborative and his written work is very strong."

"Paul is a skilful advocate who is always on top of the detail and effective at presenting complex arguments clearly and persuasively."

"His work is invariably of an extremely high quality."