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Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

Contact

Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

Belinda McRae

Belinda McRae

Call: 2014

Languages: French (proficient)

Belinda has developed a busy and wide-ranging practice, focusing on public international law, civil fraud and complex contract disputes, jurisdiction challenges (including relating to Brexit), and all aspects of international arbitration (including enforcement and challenges to awards in London-seated arbitrations).

Since she joined Chambers in 2015, she has appeared in the Supreme Court (five times), the Court of Appeal (including as sole counsel), the High Court (Commercial Court, Chancery Division, Administrative Court and Family Division), and before arbitral tribunals under a variety of rules (UNCITRAL, ICSID, LCIA, ICC, and LMAA). She also sits as arbitrator, having been appointed as sole or wing arbitrator on 7 separate occasions. She has also been appointed to the Attorney General’s Civil and Public International Law Panels.

Belinda has appeared in several high-profile cases, the subject matter of which attest to the diversity of her practice. These include acting on behalf of a group of lenders in linked Commercial Court anti-suit and arbitration proceedings (Africa Finance v Aiteo [2022] EWHC 768 (Comm)); on behalf of the Foreign Secretary in the Venezuela Gold case before the Supreme Court (Guaidó Board v Maduro Board [2022] 2 WLR 167); on behalf of Ukraine in the Ukraine v Russia application before the European Court of Human Rights arising out of the Russian invasion; on behalf of a defendant in the large-scale fraud claim in Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait v Al Rajaan before the Commercial Court (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2020); on behalf of the United States in inter-State cases before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal and the International Court of Justice; and in a rare shipping case before the Supreme Court (The Global Santosh [2016] 1 WLR 1853).

Belinda is described as ‘absolutely exceptional’, a ‘fabulous oral advocate’ and a ‘go-to junior’ by the legal directories, in which she is ranked across the fields of commercial litigation, public international law and international arbitration. In 2022, she was the winner of ‘International Arbitration Junior of the Year’ at The Legal 500 Bar awards. She was also included as one of The Legal 500 Top 10 barristers under 8 years’ call in commercial litigation for two years.

Before joining Chambers, Belinda was an Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. She brings a modern, practical and team-oriented approach to her work as a result. Belinda has also worked in international courts and tribunals in Cambodia, Tanzania and Australia, including as an associate to the Hon. Justice Dyson Heydon AC, at Australia’s highest court. She is a graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Queensland.

A selection of Belinda’s most recent reported/ public cases is set out below. More comprehensive information is available on request.

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Arbitration

Civil fraud

Commercial litigation

Private international law

Public international law

Public law and human rights

Shipping

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Her magic way of putting together really complex arguments and making it seem so obvious, together with her excellence at cross-examination, makes her unbelievable.

Chambers UK Bar 2024

She is an analytical powerhouse, writes extremely quickly and is a pleasure to work with.

Chambers UK Bar 2024

Highly personable and intelligent. Great judgement – a silk in the making. She is an excellent lawyer. She is quick on her feet, very clear in her advocacy, and is very skilled as a cross-examiner.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2024

A fantastic can-do attitude, always ready to roll her sleeves up. Belinda has a formidable intellect which she combines with excellent litigation skills and instincts – a real star.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2024

She has gone from strength to strength and is involved in high-profile international arbitration cases.

Chambers UK Bar 2023

She is a fantastic advocate. She can deal with extremely complex topics and narrow them down in an understandable manner for the tribunal.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023

Combines a stellar academic knowledge of public international law with formidable strategic and practical deployment.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023

Solicitors can’t think of anyone they would rather instruct on a commercial claim

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023

she out-performs advocates with generations more experience

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023

One of the best communicators in the business. An intellectual powerhouse with a straight forward communication style.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

A go-to junior in the public international law arena. Her work is of extremely high quality.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

A quite brilliant knowledge of, and application of, international law. Also very easy to deal with and always on hand to help.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

She has gone from strength to strength and is involved in high-profile international arbitration cases.

Chambers UK Bar 2022

Belinda McRae is 'absolutely exceptional in commercial arbitration' and 'will certainly be a huge name in the years to come' according to impressed sources who add that 'she masters new and complex legal issues like no other'.

Who's Who Legal 2021

A brilliant communicator both as an advocate and an advisor - makes difficult points clear.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2021

A fabulous oral advocate: her presentations are always well thought out, eloquent, detailed and compelling. She is clear and effective when standing in front of a tribunal.

Chambers UK Bar 2021

A rapier-sharp junior.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2021

She has a superb grasp of substantive principles in arbitration law and in public international law.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2021

Her instinct for procedure is second to none, and her work rate and drafting is exceptional.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020 (‘Commercial litigation – Top ten under eight years’ call’)

A rising star of the international arbitration Bar.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020

Very client friendly but hard as tempered steel with the other side.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2018 (‘Commercial litigation – Top ten under eight years’ call’)

Future Leader

Who’s Who Legal 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (Arbitration)

Effusive sources call Belinda McRae 'one of the best of her generation' in the arbitration space, describing her as 'one to watch'. She is a 'very smart' barrister whose 'good commercial and public international law experience' have been recognised by a wide range of UK and international sources.

Who’s Who Legal 2018

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