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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

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

Professor Philippa Webb

Professor Philippa Webb

Call: 2006 (New York); 2016 (England and Wales); 2023 (Belize)

Languages: French (proficient); Japanese (proficient); Italian (conversational); Dutch (conversational)

Philippa’s practice covers all aspects of public international law. She acts for states and private entities in domestic and international courts on a wide range of issues. These include state and diplomatic immunities, territorial and maritime boundaries, treaty obligations, law of the sea, state responsibility, human rights, humanitarian law, law of international organisations and international criminal law.

She has been described as “the foremost expert on state immunity” and is counsel in ground-breaking cases in international and English courts. Philippa advises on all aspects of immunity, including immunity from enforcement, diplomatic status, and related concepts such as act of state. She is appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law B Panel of Counsel.

Philippa is a specialist in relation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). She served as the Legal Officer and Special Assistant to Judge Rosalyn Higgins GBE KC during her presidency and  in this capacity was involved in 15 inter-state cases. Philippa has since  appeared as counsel and advocate  in 7 ICJ cases. Philippa has also worked as a legal adviser at the ICC.

She is Professor of Public International Law at King’s College London and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution. She has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the University of Notre Dame and Université Paris Nanterre. She is on the Committee of Legal Experts for the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law.

Philippa was shortlisted for 2022 “Barrister of the Year” by The Lawyer. She has been ranked as a top junior in Public International Law,  a ‘Future Leader’ in arbitration and a ‘UK Bar: Rising Star’.

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Public international law

Human rights

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Philippa is one of the great academic heavyweights. She is extremely knowledgeable, which shows through in her advocacy.

Chambers UK Bar 2024

Philippa is a superb barrister, with excellent analytical skills and unsurpassed knowledge in certain areas (most obviously sovereign immunity). She is a pleasure to work with and is a safe pair of hands who consistently displays excellent judgement and produces the highest quality work.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2024

Philippa is extremely learned. Her knowledge of international law is very impressive; she is very strong analytically and writes very clearly.

Chambers UK Bar 2024

Philippa is very passionate and committed to the cause; she truly represents the client wholeheartedly.

Chambers UK Bar 2024

She has a premonition for which issues will matter and what you need to focus on when building a case. Her style remains unnervingly calm in stressful situations.

Chambers UK Bar 2023

She's absolutely brilliant.

Chambers UK Bar 2023

She is a leading expert on the law on immunities and already presents silk-level legal advisory work.

Chambers UK Bar 2023

She is a rare practitioner who can distil knowledge into advice swiftly - she has an amazing practice.

Chambers UK Bar 2023

Philippa is an intellectual force to be reckoned with. She has masses of wealth of knowledge of public international law just simply stored in her head. Even though her academic credentials are impeccable, she is still practical and makes her advice and drafting accessible.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2023

An incredible academic mind.

Chambers UK Bar 2022

An excellent advocate - very thoughtful, very acute analytical skills.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

She's a joy to work with and the foremost expert on state immunity.

Chambers UK Bar 2022

The go-to expert on state immunity issues - well known for her expertise in ICJ practice, she is equally at home handling inter-state arbitration proceedings.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2021

An excellent junior, she made a very good impression before the ICJ.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020

The leading expert on state immunity. Bright, cheerful and tireless.

Chambers UK Bar 2020

She has been incredible at distilling complex international issues into simple terms for clients.

Chambers UK Bar 2019

Really plugged into the international law arena, I wouldn’t hesitate to use her.

The Legal 500 UK Bar 2019

Future Leader

2018 'UK Bar: Rising Star' Who's Who Legal

She is fantastic – her expertise and knowledge is invaluable. Her specialism is state immunity and she is just brilliant in terms of her speed and knowledge.

Chambers UK Bar 2018

Philippa Webb has built 'a highly respected academic reputation' and stands out among peers in the arbitration space as 'the top of her generation for sure'.

Who's Who Legal 2019

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