London set 39 Essex Chambers is opening an annexe in Dubai as it seeks to grow its presence in the Gulf region, while also acting as a vote of confidence for the UAE as a global disputes hub in challenging times.
The office will be led by former Addleshaw Goddard’s co-head of construction Stephen Burke, who joins the set along with former Pinsent Masons’ employed barrister Madelaine Power, as well as existing 39 Essex Chambers’ member Nicholas Higgs.
Burke, who will be based in Dubai, leaves Addleshaw Goddard after six years. He was previously a partner at Baker Botts for a similar period, making partner in 2016. Prior to that, he had short stints at Norton Rose Fulbright, Dentons and Linklaters, where he trained and qualified. He joins the Bar having practised as a solicitor and been resident in the UAE since 2013.
Higgs will also be based in Dubai, having been a qualified civil engineer at Arup before joining 39 Essex Chambers in 2018. He has acted in significant construction and infrastructure disputes across the Gulf region.
He will relocate to the UAE long-term, starting early June, but will also help Burke set up the new office this month. A familiar figure at Dubai Arbitration Week, Higgs is well respected among junior and senior figures at the construction Bar, and will be an important link between the set’s London construction practice, as will London director of clerking Lewis Walker and his commercial and construction team.
Power, meanwhile, specialises in international arbitration and construction in the Gulf. That experience included stints at AMJ Oman, before moving to Dubai with Eversheds Sutherland and later Squire Patton Boggs before moving to Pinsent Masons, which she leaves just shy of five years.
She also retained a door tenancy at 7 Bedford Row, where she practised from 2011 to 2016, until her move to 39 Essex Chambers.
The set is no stranger to international expansion; it has a long-term presence in Singapore – now managed by Rachel Foxton – and in Kuala Lumpur, making Dubai a natural addition. The Dubai office will also provide clients with representation and advice in international arbitration and in the courts of the DIFC, ADGM and QFC, and will compete with Outer Temple Chambers’ Dubai annexe.
The move comes at a time when disputes are expected to increase following the outbreak of hostilities in the region, which has impacted lawyers working in the Gulf states.
While 39 Essex has lost senior talent such as Stuart Catchpole KC in 2022, Karim Ghaly KC, who moved to Atkin Chambers in 2025, and David Brynmor Thomas KC, who moved to arbitrator-only boutique Newman’s Row, it welcomed construction junior barrister Seb Oram to the set in March from 3 Paper Buildings.
Oram’s move, along with the arrival of sports barrister Spencer West, caps a period in which the set welcomed three new silks, Christopher Staker KC, Rose Grogan KC and Dr David Sawtell KC in March, and expanded its wider ranks.
Lindsay Scott, CEO of 39 Essex Chambers, said: “We are thrilled to be one of the first barristers’ chambers in England and Wales to have an office in Dubai. It was the logical next step for us in response to the disputes we are currently engaged in, and given the global and regional nature of the disputes our clients are facing.
“We are committed to the region and to its role as a key venue for resolving complex and high-value disputes. The new Dubai office is a further marker for 39 Essex Chambers’ strong track record and our ambition for what comes next.”
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