London set Twenty Essex has added two experienced commercial juniors to bolsters its shipping and trade, insurance and international arbitration practices.
The incoming duo are Clementine Makower and Stephen Du, with Makower returning to the commercial Bar after 18 months at Oslo-based Nordisk Defence Club and Du arriving from 7 King’s Bench Walk. Du practises across commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular focus on insurance and shipping, while Makower has experience in international arbitration, shipping, shipbuilding, international trade, energy and infrastructure matters.
Du’s insurance experience includes business interruption claims, marine insurance and commodities cases, complementing his shipping work. He is also knowledgeable in insurance and reinsurance disputes, including coverage disputes, from professional indemnity to retail insurance claims.
In addition to appearing as an advocate in the English courts following his 2012 call, he frequently appears before arbitral tribunals and mediations in England, Hong Kong and Singapore, and accepts appointments as an arbitrator. He is regularly instructed by Asian law firms on significant shipping cases, leveraging his fluency in Mandarin.
Among recent cases, Du is instructed in the ongoing Greensill trade credit insurance dispute and acted in the Court of Appeal for a major oil trader in Sahara v Sonara.
Makower, who was called in 2020, previously practised in London with 4 Pump Court acting for clients based in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. She will join the set in January, following her relocation from Oslo to the UK.
Makower said: “I have learnt a huge amount during my time at Nordisk Defence Club – I am excited about returning to the self-employed Bar and continuing to develop my practice in London.”
The set’s joint head of chambers, Philip Edey KC and Charles Kimmins KC, welcomed both juniors to Twenty Essex, saying: “The blend of expertise in shipping, insurance and international arbitration that they will bring to chambers, within their own distinctive commercial practices, reinforces several of chambers’ key strengths and reflects the kind of overlapping skills and knowledge demanded by the modern global disputes market.”
Du said he was “delighted” to be joining his new set, praising “its stable of talented practitioners, its tremendous reputation across so many areas of commercial law and its international presence”.
His former set recently announced the return of two highly experienced judges, Sir Julian Flaux and Sir Clive Freedman, who will practise as arbitrators. It also welcomed dual-qualified Indian advocate and academic Aradhya Sethia as a tenant in September, alongside former Arnold & Porter senior associate Alice Osman, who joined the set having previously also practised in New Zealand as a barrister sole.
7KBW’s senior clerk, Greg Leyden, said: “Lateral moves take place for a variety of reasons. We hope and expect that Stephen will have every success in the future, and we wish him well.”
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
