Barristers at Twenty Essex have long established credentials in representing law firms and clients operating in, or investing into, CIS and Russia in international arbitration and English Commercial Court disputes. Instructions span jurisdiction, enforcement, injunctive relief and the conduct of international arbitration and commercial court trials and appeals before the Court of Appeal and The Supreme Court.
Members act in many of the market’s most high profile, high value and commercially sensitive arbitration and court actions.
Selected credentials
- BTA Bank v Ablyazov – counsel in one of the largest fraud cases ever heard by the English Courts, arising out of a multi-billion-dollar action by a Kazakh bank against its former owner and chairman.
- Kazakhstan Kagazy v Zhunus and others (2017) – defence of worldwide freezing injunctions, non-molestation orders and security for costs applications in the English Commercial Court in an alleged £100 million corporate fraud believed to have taken place in Kazakhstan.
- Euro-Asian Oil SA v 1) Dan Igniska 2) Abilo (UK) Limited 3) Real Oil Development Inc and 4) Credit Suisse AG [2018] EWCA Civ 1720 – successful appeal the English Court of Appeal who upheld a judgment of over US$15 million.
- Currently instructed on Commercial Court proceedings related to Russian hedge fund investments.
- Currently Instructed in a fraud / asset tracing claim against the former directors of a failed Russian bank.
- Instructed in S68 Arbitration Act challenge to an arbitration award relating to Latvian Bank investment dispute.
- Krederi Ltd v Ukraine (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/17) – acted for property development company against Ukraine in investor-state dispute involving a project in Kiev.
- Instructed in a claim under the Netherlands-Ukraine BIT.
- Instructed by leading Russian lawyers to advise oligarch on aspects of international law in Russian arbitration proceedings.
- Instructed to research and settle pleadings in three investment treaty arbitrations under the Energy Charter Treaty under the UNCITRAL Rules 1976 brought by the Yukos group companies against Russia.
- Acting against Russian bank in a confidential LCIA arbitration concerning a shareholder dispute in a construction joint venture for property development in Russia.