Twenty Essex appoints Stewarts' arbitration head Philippa Charles as full-time arbitrator

Twenty Essex appoints Stewarts' arbitration head Philippa Charles as full-time arbitrator

London chambers Twenty Essex has announced the appointment of Philippa Charles as a full-time arbitrator. She will take up her new role in February.

Charles had a decade-long stint with the US-based Stewarts Law Offices as head of arbitration.

She has built a reputation for leading teams in various forms of dispute resolution such as arbitration, court proceedings, and mediation. She is now transitioning to a new role as an arbitrator, which will allow her to expand her practice by avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

In a post on LinkedIn, Charles acknowledged the support of her peers and colleagues in the field of arbitration and expressed her gratitude for the encouragement and support provided by her friends, specifically mentioning their patience and support.

The move to the new role as an arbitrator is a well-thought-out and informed decision, which is an investment in her career. Charles has been actively involved in supporting and promoting the participation of women in arbitration, both in the UK and internationally, including in her home country of Ireland. She is also a supporter of Arbitration Ireland.

Philip Edey KC and Charles Kimmins KC, co-heads of Twenty Essex, while praising Charles' "stellar career" said: adding: "Philippa's addition to our arbitrator stable enhances the set's leading status in international arbitration as we continue to develop as a modern, thriving set for both arbitrators and arbitration counsel."

Charles reciprocated this by terming Twenty Essex as a firm with an outstanding reputation in the field of international arbitration and beyond.

"After ten very happy years at Stewarts, it is both a delight and an honour to be able to join friends and colleagues in chambers and to focus exclusively on my practice as arbitrator," Charles said.

Charles, who served at Mayer Brown before joining Stewarts, paid tribute to her former firm in her LinkedIn post. "From the day I joined 10 years ago, Stewarts has lived up to its tag of being a law firm like no other. I have loved it; and will miss all my colleagues and especially my team, though I am quite sure they will continue to thrive without me!"

Jemma Tagg, the CEO of Twenty Essex, has stated that Charles' arrival as an arbitrator will complement the recent additions of Nigel Rawding KC, who joined the organisation from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in May 2021, and Sarah Grimmer, who joined the Singapore arm of the set after stepping down as secretary general of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

"Philippa has been sitting as an arbitrator more frequently over the last few years, so this move is a logical next step for her. I want to thank Philippa for helping to build the arbitration team over the past ten years," Stuart Dench, Stewarts' managing partner, said.

Partners Daniel Wilmot and Alejandro Garcia, two vital members of that team and both experienced arbitration lawyers in their own right will serve as interim co-heads of the department at Stewarts on Charles's departure.