19/01/2024

Congratulations: two new silks appointed at Twenty Essex

Congratulations to Josephine Davies and Oliver Caplin for their successful applications to be appointed as King’s Counsel (KC) in 2024.

Josephine Davies has extensive litigation and arbitration experience. She combines this with a wide-ranging legal expertise and a strong technical background informed by postgraduate study in chemistry, competition and intellectual property law. Her cases often involve intertwined overseas claims and urgent injunctions as well as heavy trials with cross-examination of expert witnesses.

Josephine has a leading practice in novel and developing areas of law, particularly with a technology and private international law focus. Recent matters include crypto litigation (e.g. Fetch.ai Ltd and LMN v Bitflyer), FRAND cases (e.g. Nokia v Oppo and Lenovo v Ericsson) and software cases (e.g. SAS v WPL). This is in addition to the strength and depth of her work in more established commercial fields such as shipping (including multiple LMAA arbitrations) and pharmaceuticals (often in international arbitrations).

Josephine was called to the bar in 2006.

Oliver Caplin is an experienced advocate in trials and applications in both the Commercial Court and arbitration. He has conducted significant advocacy in the Court of Appeal (twice) and the Supreme Court in recent years, including in The Polar [2024] UKSC 2, a leading war risks insurance and shipping case.

Oliver has a broad commercial practice in international trade, energy, marine and non-marine insurance, and dry shipping disputes. He acted for Greggs Plc in its landmark business interruption case against Zurich arising out of the Covid-19 epidemic, and continues to regularly advise on Covid-19 related insurance claims. He is also the co-author of Miller’s Marine War Risks (4th ed, Informa), and has advised extensively on insurance issues arising from current global instability.

Many of Oliver’s cases include jurisdictional or conflicts of law questions, and he has an established expertise in anti-suit injunctive relief.

Before coming to the Bar, Oliver trained and practised as a medical doctor, and maintains a particular interest in commercial litigation falling within the life sciences and technology industries.

Oliver was called to the bar in 2012.

The awards for the 2023 cohort are expected to be made on 18 March, in a ceremony presided over by the Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk.

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