Testimonials

Legal 500 (2010)

Shipping & Commodities: - Stone Chambers - leading set

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
John Reeder QC - leading silk
Elizabeth Blackburn QC - leading silk
Vasanti Selvaratnam QC - leading silk
Mark Jones - leading junior barrister
Ravi Aswani - leading junior barrister
Tom Whitehead - leading junior barrister

At Stone Chambers, John Reeder QC and Elizabeth Blackburn QC are strongly ‘recommended for wet shipping matters'. Steven Gee QC, who has the gift of ‘making everything seem easy', is superb for dry shipping. On the junior side, Ravi Aswani is ‘quick, extremely effective, and highly competent in arbitration claims', while Tom Whitehead is singled out as ‘a star in the making'. Vasanti Selvaratnam QC's shipping work centres on multimillion-pound disputes, and recently included acting in APL Panama, which resulted in the largest Lloyd's Open Form award seen in the market to date. The downturn in the shipping market has resulted in a number of instructions for Mark Jones, who is noted for his expertise in shipbuilding and ship purchasing disputes.

Commercial Litigation:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Commodities:

Dominic Happé - leading junior barrister

"...is 'very good on the details'."

Employment Law:

Rachel Toney - leading junior barrister

Fraud: Civil:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
Philip Riches - leading junior barrister

Health Safety & Environment:

Andrew Moran QC - leading silk

Insurance & Reinsurance:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

International Arbitration:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Philip Riches - leading junior barrister

 

Chambers & Partners (2010)

Shipping & Commodities: - Stone Chambers - leading set

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
Elizabeth Blackburn QC - leading silk
Vasanti Selvaratnam QC - leading silk
Timothy Hill QC - new silk
Rachel Toney - leading junior barrister

Stone Chambers is an excellent all-round shipping set that impresses with its wet work capabilities and strong marine insurance caseload. It is smaller than its competitors but many believe that this is a positive attribute as a "more personal and flexible service than most" can be offered. Silks on offer here include Elizabeth Blackburn QC, "an exceedingly experienced and accomplished admiralty practitioner," who is "a fantastic and very pleasant silk to work with." Blackburn once again demonstrated her "genuine knowledge of the operation and handling of ships" when undertaking the ‘A Turtle' case, concerning the loss of a semi-submersible drilling platform in the South Atlantic. Steven Gee QC is another extremely well-known name here. Shipping and commodities disputes form a significant proportion of his broad commercial litigation practice and he proves "a stern test as an opponent." Vasanti Selvaratnam QC has a similarly wide-ranging commercial litigation practice. On the shipping front, she is especially famed for her track record on complex salvage cases. Joining her in silk this year is the "eminently respected" Timothy Hill QC. He is "a technically excellent silk performer who can hold his own against the leading players at the Bar." In the junior ranks Rachel Toney has a practice covering all manner of shipping and maritime cases, and also undertakes international trade and insurance matters. The past year has seen her acting in some highly notable superyacht cases.

Commercial Dispute Resolution:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Steven Gee QC is the commercial disputes leader at Stone Chambers. He is "a first-class intellect" with vast experience of fraud, insurance, banking and insolvency.

Fraud: Civil:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Head of Stone Chambers, Steven Gee QC has a wealth of knowledge of commercial injunctions. "A man who knows his own mind and isn't afraid to put noses out of joint in the pursuance of his case," he recently appeared in a matter which examined the availability of the court's powers on sequestration in the event of a contempt of court.

International Arbitration: General Commercial & Insurance: London:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

At Stone Chambers, Steven Gee QC is acknowledged for his commercial injunction knowledge; his recent experience has included a number of shipping and insurance matters.

Legal 500 (2009)

In the Legal 500's 'London Bar Overview', Stone Chambers is described as a Leading Set.

Shipping: -Stone Chambers - leading set

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
John Reeder QC - leading silk
Elizabeth Blackburn QC - leading silk
Vasanti Selvaratnam QC  - leading silk
Timothy Hill QC  - new silk
Rachel Toney - leading junior barrister
Mark Jones - leading junior barrister
Ravi Aswani - leading junior barrister
Tom Whitehead - leading junior barrister

The editors go on to comment:

Stone Chambers ‘offers excellent value‘ to clients and solicitors alike. The ‘immensely clever‘ John Reeder QC has advised on collisions, pollution incidents, salvage cases, and ship construction disputes, and has an outstanding track record in public inquiries into shipping casualties. Steven Gee QC appeared in the leading Voutakos case, and Elizabeth Blackburn QC is a ‘very good wet admiralty lawyer who understands how ships are handled‘, and is especially recommended for pollution and jurisdictional matters. Vasanti Selvaratnam QC is well-regarded for high-level shipping and international trade disputes, and acted on The Front Ace case, one of the few references to the Admiralty Registrar that has gone to the Court of Appeal on points of principle in recent years. Mark Jones was instructed in several high-value shipbuilding and ship purchase disputes, and Rachel Toney ‘is very bright, and delivers no-nonsense advice‘. Ravi Aswani, and Tom Whitehead, are ‘bright, approachable, and hands-on‘.

Commercial Arbitration:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
Philip Riches - leading junior barrister

Commercial Litigation:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Commodities:

Dominic Happé - leading junior barrister

"...he is 'good when you've got a tough case'."

Employment Law:

Rachel Toney - leading junior barrister

Environmental Law:

Andrew Moran QC - leading silk

Fraud: Civil:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

Insurance & Reinsurance:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

 

Chambers and Partners (2009)

Shipping & Commodities: - Stone Chambers - leading set

Steven Gee QC - leading silk
Elizabeth Blackburn QC - leading silk
Vasanti Selvaratnam QC - leading silk
Timothy Hill - leading junior barrister
Rachel Toney - leading junior barrister

Commercial shipping and commodities cases account for around half of this set's practice, and it also handles a large volume of insurance and P&I club work. Steven Gee QC works on the full range of commercial litigation, a large proportion of which involves shipping and international trade cases.  He has taken several shipping cases to the House of Lords, and has much experience when it comes to international arbitration.  He recently acted on a substantial confidential dispute concerning the substitution of a cruise liner under a time charter.  Experienced in pollution, jurisdictional and limitation issues, Elizabeth Blackburn QC worked on the 'Sea Angel' case arising from the salvage of the 'Tasman Spirit'. Beloved by solicitors for 'always having the facts at her fingertips,' she is also an expert on marine cultural heritage issues, having advised the UK government on issues arising out of the Wreck Removal Convention 2007. Rachel Toney 'is very bright and delivers no-nonsense advice.' Her practice covers all aspects of shipping and maritime law, along with international trade, contracts for the sale and carriage of goods, and insurance cases. She recently acted as junior to Vasanti Selvaratnam QC, who is seen as 'a poised and highly measured advocate,' regarding the 'MV Sea Cresta'  Timothy Hill is highly experienced in the Greek shipping market and recently acted for the owners of the 'Sea Angel'''

Commercial Dispute Resolution:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

'Head of Stone Chambers, Steven Gee QC has 'a vast wealth of experience to draw upon' across a range of areas, including fraud, insurance, banking and insolvency. He has recently been instructed on a major dispute between oligarchs concerning a joint venture agreement.' 

Fraud: Civil:

Steven Gee QC - leading silk

The 'incredibly learned and intellectual' Steven Gee QC is the type of barrister who is 'likely to find a point in a case that no one else has considered.' He operates from Stone Chambers and was recently instructed in connection with a very substantial dispute between oligarchs concerning a joint venture agreement. This USD120 million fraud arbitration involved Ukrainian and Russian shareholders in a Ukrainian energy sector joint venture. He has also been significantly involved in Noga v Abacha.''