gar
Solicitor-advocates take silk
The international journal of
commercial and treaty arbitration
NEWS
Richard Woolley
14 January 2015
l-r from top: Wendy Miles, Thomas Sprange, Simon Nesbitt, Audley Sheppard and Peter Turner
The list of new Queen’s Counsel in England and Wales includes five solicitoradvocates, all of whom focus on international arbitration, plus barristers specialising
in the area.
Peter Turner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Audley Sheppard of Clifford
Chance, Simon Nesbitt of Hogan Lovells, Wendy Miles of Boies Schiller & Flexner
and Thomas Sprange of King & Spalding all make the 93-strong list published
today.
They are named in the order they appear in the list, which reflects seniority. A 2001
admission as solicitor-advocate, Sprange, at 42, is the youngest QC appointed this
year.
All are based in London except Turner, who is a partner at Freshfields in Paris (he
handed leadership of the practice in that city to Noah Rubins last year). Sheppard
and Miles both head their firms’ global international arbitration groups – Sheppard
alongside Jason Fry in Paris – while Sprange has led King & Spalding’s London
group since it was formed three years ago.
From 2013 to 2014, Nesbitt co-led the Hogan Lovells’ international arbitration
practice with Miami-based Daniel Gonzalez. He relinquished that role and his
partnership at the firm late last year – accepting a consultancy position instead.
The remaining 88 silks made in this year’s round are all barristers, including
international arbitration specialists Zachary Douglas and Ricky Diwan, who
practise from Matrix Chambers and Essex Court Chambers respectively.
This article was first published in the Global Arbitration Review online news, 14 January 2015
www.globalarbitrationreview.com
gar
The international journal of
commercial and treaty arbitration
NEWS
Of the seven silks featured in this report, two are from New Zealand (Miles and
Sheppard) and two from Australia (Sprange and Douglas). They join a clutch of
Australasian international arbitration specialists who have already taken silk in
England, including New Zealander David AR Williams QC and Australian Karyl
Nairn QC of the London office of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
Miles joins three other female solicitor-advocate QCs who specialise in international
arbitration. Judith Gill QC of Allen & Overy was the first to take silk in 2009, followed
by Nairn and Paula Hodges QC of Herbert Smith Freehills.
Across the board, female appointees increased by 39 per cent this year. According
to the independent selection committee, the number of female applicants remains
“stubbornly low”.
“It is a real honour to be appointed Queen’s Counsel and to have had the opportunity
to work with such great clients, lawyers, firms, judges and arbitrators and institutions
over the years,” says Miles, who left Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr last
September after 15 years with the firm. “So many people have provided so much
encouragement and support along the way.”
“I’m delighted that the international arbitration community is so well represented in
this year’s round,” Nesbitt tells GAR.
“For me, it’s particularly exciting as I’ve made a conscious move away from law
firm partnership, towards focusing on my passion for advocacy in international
arbitration, as well as accepting more appointments as arbitrator.”
Nesbitt declined to confirm reports that he will now move to the bar.
Of the barristers appointed, Diwan was called to the bar in 1998 having previously
practised at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York.
Douglas also did not start out as a barrister, having been a solicitor-advocate at
Freshfields until 2005. He is also a renowned academic: in 2011 he joined the
faculty of Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
after four year’s at Cambridge University.
The appointments are made by the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor,
Chris Grayling and the 10-strong selection committee. A ceremony will be held in
London on 16 February.
Last year, 100 new silks were appointed in England and Wales, with that list too
featuring five solicitor-advocates specialising in international arbitration. They were
Matthew Gearing of Allen & Overy, Nic Fletcher of Berwin Leighton Paisner,
Paula Hodges and Matthew Weiniger of Herbert Smith Freehills and Constantine
Partasides of Freshfields.
Fletcher has since moved to the bar, practising from 4 New Square, while Partasides
left Freshfields to found Three Crowns.
This article was first published in the Global Arbitration Review online news, 14 January 2015
www.globalarbitrationreview.com