Directories

ONE ESSEX COURT IN THE LEGAL 500

One Essex Court fields barristers of ‘a consistently exceptional quality', and for some, it is ‘the best commercial set in the country'. Chambers’ esteemed civil fraud, banking and finance, and energy practices continue to go from strength to strength, and it is also very well respected for arbitration. International disputes provide a solid flow of instructions, and chambers benefits from an office in Maxwell Chambers, Singapore. For some, it houses ‘the best-run clerks’ room in London', comprising ‘very helpful, accessible and switched-on' individuals, who are ‘always able to recommend (and free up) someone appropriate'. Senior clerk Darren Burrows and deputy senior clerk Jackie Ginty are often singled out. Joanna Nixon and Lorraine Williams clerk the arbitrators. ‘No clerking team works harder to provide great service.'

Commercial Litigation

One Essex Court is a great source of ‘commercially astute, technically excellent, responsive and dependable' barristers. Highlight cases involving numerous members included Pinchuk v Bogolyubov and Kolomoisky, and McKillen v Misland and others. Clients also appreciate the set’s ‘excellent friendly service'. ‘In relation to the day-to-day running of cases, it quickly becomes apparent that the barristers are very well supported by a resourceful and innovative group of clerks'.

Energy

Primarily associated with the big-ticket commercial cases, One Essex Court is ‘the top set for energy' with an ‘outstanding calibre of barristers'. Containing ‘one of the deepest energy benches, and strong alternatives when particular individuals are unavailable', it houses some of the most renowned counsel in the sector. Members have recently acted on high-profile matters such as Yukos Capital v OJSC Rosneft Oil Company and Centrica plc v Medway Power.

Banking and Finance

One Essex Court ‘stands out for banking litigation' and is ‘a good source of very technically able, hardworking and responsive counsel', who are ‘definitely willing to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in'. Members were recently involved in several critical cases, including Barclays Bank v Graiseley Properties Limited & Ors, and UniCredit v Barclays.

Company and Partnership

One Essex Court is noted for its ‘renowned strength in depth at the junior QC level' for company law. Despite the fact that the set is better known for general commercial disputes, Anthony de Garr Robinson QC and Neil Kitchener QC are both well regarded for Chancery work.

EU and Competition

For some, One Essex Court is ‘a market leader in EU issues'. A number of members are acting for MasterCard in the High Court claims by various leading retailers relating to fees on card transactions.

Fraud: Civil

‘Top commercial set' One Essex Court contains barristers of ‘the highest quality', and, for many, it is ‘the first port of call for civil fraud'. Members were victorious in VTB Capital v Nutritek International Corp, and are acting in Victor Pinchuk v Bogolyubov and Kolomoisky, which involves the alleged misappropriation of $1bn of iron-ore assets.

Insurance and Reinsurance

In 2013, One Essex Court’s Craig Orr QC was active in a number of solicitors’ negligence disputes, and represented Hannover Insurance in a series of claims arising from mortgage frauds. Jeffery Onions QC acted for European Mutual in an indemnity claim under reinsurance policies issued by EMANI to Hinton.

Intellectual Property

One Essex Court is ‘the set to beat on trade mark and other soft IP issues'. Chambers acted in cases including Starbucks (HK) v British Sky Broadcasting Group and Nestlé v Cadbury.

International arbitration: arbitrators

One Essex Court is ‘undoubtedly one of the leading sets'. With 16 arbitrators, many of them full time, it has ‘great bench strength' and offers a range for clients to choose from, including former judges and acting silks and juniors.

International arbitration: counsel

One Essex Court is ‘a one-stop shop for quality counsel'. The barristers are ‘excellent to work with and have significant strength in depth in financial related arbitrations'. Members ‘cover all areas‘, and have recently been involved in several major disputes in the energy, pharmaceutical, shipbuilding and transport infrastructure sectors.

Media and entertainment

In 2013, members of One Essex Court acted for Microsoft in a High Court trade mark infringement action relating to the launch and provision of internet search engine services under and by reference to the mark “Bing”, and represented News International in its capacity as a core participant in the Leveson Inquiry.

Professional negligence

One Essex Court has a ‘strong track record in professional negligence work' with numerous members having particularly ‘high levels of experience'.