Twenty Essex has welcomed two experienced junior barristers, Clementine Makower and Stephen Du, further bolstering its practice at the intersection of shipping, trade, insurance and international arbitration. Both bring extensive international experience across Europe and Asia, enhancing the set’s reach in complex cross-border disputes.
Du (2012 call) joins immediately and practises in commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular focus on insurance and shipping. He appears regularly before the English courts and arbitral tribunals in England, Hong Kong and Singapore, and also accepts appointments as an arbitrator. His recent work includes acting in the ongoing Greensill insurance dispute and representing a major oil trader in Sahara v Sonara before the Court of Appeal. Du said he was ‘delighted to be joining Twenty Essex’, praising its ‘tremendous reputation’ and international presence.
Makower (2020 call) will formally join in the new year following her relocation from Oslo after 18 months at Nordisk Defence Club. She brings significant experience in international arbitration, shipping, shipbuilding, trade, energy and infrastructure, and was ranked a Rising Star in shipping by Legal 500 in 2023. With a practice spanning Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, she said she was ‘very excited to be joining Twenty Essex’ and looked forward to working with the ‘excellent barristers and wider team’.
Co-heads of chambers Philip Edey KC and Charles Kimmins KC said they were ‘thrilled to welcome Stephen and Clementine’, noting that their combined expertise ‘reinforces several of chambers’ key strengths’ and reflects the ‘overlapping skills and knowledge demanded by the modern global disputes market’.
