Twenty Essex has been at the forefront of public international law for over 70 years.
Current members have built on the legacy of such luminaries as Lord Arnold McNair, Sir Francis Vallat, Sir Hersch Lauterpacht, Sir Arthur Watts, Sir Elihu Lauterpacht and Professor David Caron. Amongst current members are two former principal Legal Advisers of the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Sir Michael Wood KC (1999–2006) and Sir Daniel Bethlehem KC (2006–2011); a Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice (The Hon. Charles N Brower); and numerous senior arbitrators and conciliators appointed in inter-State, investor-State and other public international law proceedings.
Members have outstanding reputations and experience advising and representing States, governments, corporations, individuals and NGOs across the full spectrum of public international law. They appear regularly before a wide range of international forums, including the International Court of Justice, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Iran-US Claims Tribunal, European Court of Human Rights, investor-State tribunals, ICSID annulment panels, and WTO panels and Appellate Body. They are equally at home in domestic court proceedings. A number also act as expert witnesses on questions of public international law.
Twenty Essex also provides expert practical advice on all aspects of procedure and case management, including selection of judges, arbitrators and experts, procedural rules, interlocutory matters, interim relief, and the organisation of hearings. Members work alongside lay and professional clients at every stage of the case, drafting pleadings, rules of procedure and other documents.