Practice for experts in giving live evidence

Chambers & Partners rank Colin as one of only four ‘Star Individual’ arbitrators at the London Bar.

Colin has been and continues to be appointed in arbitral disputes under a variety of different rules, including LCIA, DIFC, ICC, ARIAS, UNCITRAL as well as numerous ad hoc references.

During his distinguished career as counsel, from which he retired at the end of 2022, Colin has been involved in a significant number of high-profile matters affecting the London and international insurance markets, including major natural disasters and other catastrophic losses and successfully representing the FCA in the Covid-19 Business Interruption Insurance Test Case in the High Court and Supreme Court.

Colin was voted the Chambers UK 'Insurance Silk of the Year' in 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2017 and was frequently shortlisted in other years. He was voted the Chambers UK 'Professional Negligence Silk of the Year' in 2014 and was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year at The Lawyer Awards in 2021. Furthermore, several of Colin’s cases have been listed by The Lawyer as Top Cases of the Year.

Paul Stanley has been a barrister at Essex Court Chambers since 1993, and became a QC in 2010. His practice covers a broad range of commercial law, other than shipping. In insurance law he has particular experience in handling liability insurance cases, especially high level pharmaceutical and products liability claims, but he has a wide experience of insurance and reinsurance including many arbitrations raising a full range of issues concerning the validity and application of insurance and reinsurance contracts. More generally, his experience of commercial litigation and arbitration is broad, covering many contractual and commercial disputes, including banking and financial services and all aspects of arbitration. He is an advanced advocacy trainer, who has trained in England and internationally.

Andrew Hochhauser was called to the Bar by Middle Temple on 1st July 1977 and took silk in 1997. He is a Harmsworth Scholar and was elected a Bencher in 2000. For the last 5 years has chaired the Middle Temple Scholarship and Prizes Committee. He also jointly runs the civil course of the New Practitioners Programme. He is a Civil Recorder, appointed in 2004, and a Fellow of the Chartered institute of Arbitrators.

He has been a member of Essex Court Chambers since 1991. Andrew has a broad-based practice with substantial court and advisory work in commercial matters including City employment disputes, media and entertainment law, partnership disputes, professional negligence, takeovers, mergers and share sale disputes. Andrew has successfully represented clients in many high profile cases, and additionally the international nature of some of his cases has resulted in him appearing as counsel before the courts in the Eastern Caribbean.

Ray specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration in the UK and
internationally, including banking, finance and regulation, and is the author of
several works in the field.  Ray was called to the Bar in 1982 and became a QC in
2002. As well as acting as advocate in international arbitration, Ray sits as an
arbitrator, and has had many years involvement in training barristers and students
in advocacy at Gray’s Inn, London.

Robert-Jan Temmink is a barrister, arbitrator and mediator specialising in commercial law. He is described in the legal directories as "a multi-talented litigator with a flair for international arbitrations" and is known for "getting to the point quickly, presenting information clearly and powerfully". Solicitors describe him in the legal directories as a "fierce advocate" with a "commanding court presence". He was called to the bar in 1996 and practices from Quadrant Chambers in London in the fields of aviation, construction, shipping, energy and insolvency. Many of his cases have an international element and he practises in the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts as well as being called to the bar in Northern Ireland and as a Foreign Legal Consultant in the State of New York. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Arbitrators and has appeared as Counsel or Arbitrator in a wide variety of arbitral proceedings under different institutions' rules. He has been teaching advocacy for the Middle Temple for 12 years and now trains advocacy teachers for the Inn.

Since joining Keating Chambers in 1985, Paul Darling has established a formidable reputation as an advocate in all types and levels of tribunals all over the world. He specialises in complex cases which feature multiple parties, large teams, and high volumes of material, and is often brought in by clients at short notice, late in proceedings. An ability to work with colleagues from any jurisdiction, and to grasp detail, strategy, and tactics quickly has allowed Paul to develop a practice which has taken him to all corners of the globe, appearing in a wide variety of construction, energy, and commercial matters.

Paul has represented diverse clients in tribunals such as the Commercial Court, the Technology and Construction Court, and the Court of Appeal in London, the High Court and the Supreme Court in Dublin, the High Court in Northern Ireland and Arbitration Tribunals globally. Since the early 1990s he has conducted many arbitrations in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Middle East. He has acted in ICC, LCIA HKIAC, SIAC and DIAC Arbitrations. Paul has developed particular expertise in complex, multi-handed cases requiring extensive cross-examination, often of several expert witnesses. He also sits as an arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator, and is consistently ranked by the legal directories, including being awarded Silk Of The Year in 2006.

Richard was called to the self-employed Bar in 1996. For many years his practice involved him being in court every day of the week: on criminal and civil matters. Fifteen years ago – some time after his practice had for become purely commercial and his appearances in court and international arbitrations became longer and less frequent – he looked for a means of keeping his own advocacy match-fit. He found that opportunity training young barristers through his Inn of Court, the Middle Temple in London. He enjoyed the training because it forced him to think hard about his own advocacy and to keep improving it.

Richard found he learned most when invited to train lawyers from other jurisdictions. So in 2012 years ago he began the process of setting up the International Advocacy Academy (IAA) with Derek Wood QC to take the experience of English barristers to lawyers around the world for them to adapt to their particular circumstances and the international arbitration space in general.

Richard’s practice has for many years been general commercial litigation and arbitration, with an emphasis on directors’ duties, offshore trusts and international trade. It includes employment, insolvency and professional negligence. He has acted in international arbitrations under the DIFC-LCIA, LCIA, RSA and UNCITRAL Rules.

In 2023 Richard became an employed barrister with the leading Italian law firm, BonelliErede, in order to build its international arbitration and litigation practices at its London office. He maintains his membership of 3 Hare Court Chambers.

Member of “Rook” Working Group on “Advocacy and the Vulnerable” training. Trainer of Lead Facilitators and Inner Temple lead on this compulsory training project. At the forefront of training in this field. Introduced Vulnerable Witness training to the Keble Advocacy Course – first advocacy training in this field. Organiser of the ICCA “Vulnerable Client” Conference. Member of the “Advocate’s Gateway” Management Committee.

Chris Melton QC was called to the Bar in 1982 and took silk in 2001. He has a broad common law practice but specialises in medical law. He sits as a Recorder and is a qualified mediator. He was instructed as independent Counsel to the Shipman Inquiry. He represented the successful appellants in the Ordtech Arms to Iraq appeal. He has appeared four times before the UK Supreme Court, each time successfully.

He is a fluent French speaker.

He is on the board of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, is head of advocacy training for the Northern Circuit and is regarded as an extremely approachable trainer.

He has taught advocacy in Sierra Leone, Cyprus, Florida, London and at Keble College Oxford.

Stanley Burnton was called to the Bar in 1965. From 1976 he practised as a commercial lawyer at One Essex Court. He took silk in 1982. He acted both as advocate and arbitrator in international arbitrations. Sir Stanley was appointed to the High Court Bench (Queen’s Bench Division) in July 2000. In April 2008 he was promoted to the Court of Appeal.

He retired as a Judge of the Court of Appeal on 25 October 2012, when he reached the age of 70, and has returned to One Essex Court to sit as an arbitrator. He has sat as chairman and arbitrator in a number of substantial ICC and LCIA arbitrations.

Benet Brandreth QC is a specialist Intellectual Property barrister who has appeared in tribunals ranging from the UK IPO to the UK Court of Appeal and the Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
He was the winner of the Richard DuCann Memorial Prize for Excellence in Advocacy in 2000 and was a member of the Attorney-General’s A Panel of Counsel prior to taking Silk. He has been an advocacy trainer for the Middle Temple for many years. Benet has a long interest in the power of language: He won the World Student Public Speaking Competitions in 1996 and 2000. He has been the rhetoric coach to the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2005 and is an award-winning performer. He has given rhetoric workshops to audiences as diverse as the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has also published two novels that take William Shakespeare as their hero.

Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, London
Alexander dos Santos was called to the Bar in 1999 and has built up a broad common law practice covering business and regulatory crime, extradition, public and regulatory law, professional discipline and commercial law.
Alexander is a highly experienced advocacy trainer, in the UK and abroad. He trains all levels of advocates in the UK, and has taught in Dublin, Odessa, Kiev and Somaliland. He has been graded as a Tutor Trainer for Lincoln’s Inn, where he leads and course directs advocacy training for the Inn. He sits on various committees of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy and is one of the course directors for the annual Keble College Advocacy Course.

Derek Wood has been a member of the set now known as Falcon Chambers since 1965. He has practised in all areas of property litigation since that date and appeared in many leading cases. He was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1978 and has sat as a Recorder and Deputy High Court Judge. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Chartered Arbitrator. He is a Bencher of the Middle Temple and was Treasurer in 2006. He has served as chairman or member of various Government advisory committees on property, planning, transport and rating and has been awarded the CBE for services to property law. He was Principal of St Hugh’s College Oxford from 1991 to 2002 and is an Honorary Fellow of St Hugh’s College and University College Oxford. Between 2008 and 2011 he carried out reviews on behalf of the Bar Standards Board on the Bar Vocational Course, pupillage and Continuing Professional Development, is the Director of Advocacy in the Middle Temple and chairs the Research and Development Committee of the Advocacy Training Council.

Called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 2002, James’s particular speciality is civil fraud in the context of private law chancery and commercial litigation. James is the author of the entries in Westlaw’s Insight encyclopaedia on the tort of deceit and fraudulent misrepresentation, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt. James spent three years at the start of his career practising criminal law before changing to focus on civil work, and so has considerable experience of testing allegedly dishonest evidence in court.

James also undertakes work in the broader field of chancery and commercial litigation, including contentious probate, real property, landlord and tenant, art and luxury assets and commercial contract.

James is an advocacy trainer for the Middle Temple and a registered pupil supervisor, and has been involved in producing and setting the standard for questions in the civil litigation component of the Bar Professional Training Course.

Recommended by the Legal 500 in 2012 and Chambers UK 2013 as a Leading Silk in two practice areas he is an experienced advocate with particular expertise in insurance law (including professional and clinical negligence), catastrophic personal injury cases, industrial disease, police actions, costs litigation, and related areas of practice. He has been instructed in a number of high profile cases for both Claimants and Defendants. He has regularly acted in claims concerning both UK and foreign jurisdictions, has acted both for and against foreign nationals injured in the UK, and has represented UK parties over disputes occurring offshore concerning breach of duty and contract.
He is an Advanced Advocacy Trainer and is also accredited to teach other Trainers. Simon has taught advocacy on various courses both domestically and internationally including in the USA (Texas and Florida) and Australia.

Adrian Whitfield QC, after reading Litterae Humaniores at Oxford ,was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1964, and took silk in 1983 . Starting in general common law practice, he gradually came to specialise in all aspects of medical law .Over the years he has variously served as Recorder, Deputy High Court Judge and Chairman of the National Health Service Tribunal. He was Treasurer of Middle Temple in 2005. He has for many years been a member of Middle Temple Education Committee, and was Director of Middle Temple Advocacy for a period of three years. He has recently retired from practice ,but maintains his interest in the training of advocacy.

Stephen Lloyd has taught advocacy in the UK and other common law jurisdictions for over 30 years. He is the current Director of Middle Temple Advocacy which runs advocacy training courses for students, pupils and young practitioners. He was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1971 and practised at the Chancery Bar until his retirement in March 2021. He sat part time as a Chancery Master for some 20 years and was an accredited mediator.

His work covers commercial matters including contract disputes of all types, partnership and company issues and disputes arising out of allegations of fraud and negligence.

Stephen Lloyd has long experience in teaching advocacy to the young bar and solicitors both in the U.K. and abroad (South Africa, Bahamas, Mauritius) and is an experienced trainer of those wishing to teach advocacy; he has been a member of the faculty of Middle Temple Advocacy since its inception and is currently a member of the Training and Accreditation Committee of the Advocacy Training Council.

Bernard specialises in Criminal Defence work (in the widest sense) and Inquest work. His criminal work involves the range of serious offences, in particular homicide, serious sexual or violent offending, serious organised or complex crime, regulatory offences and crimes which occur in the prison environment. He also undertakes sports arbitration and disciplinary work.

Bernard is a highly accomplished and respected advocacy teacher. He is the Director of Studies for Middle Temple’s Advocacy School as well as the Co-Chair of the Training & Accreditation Committee of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy. He has taught both nationally and internationally on advocacy, case preparation and ethics.

Bernard is passionate about equality before the law and also equality of opportunity for those who wish to join the profession. He has undertaken a great deal of work on social mobility and is the current Chair of the Education Committee of the Middle Temple, responsible for education policy and provision for one of the four Inns of Court.