Construction and energy set Keating Chambers scooped the top chambers award, sponsored by Bench Walk Advisors, at The Lawyer Awards 2020 last week.
Keating is predominantly a construction law set with its members involved in several significant cases, including phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Enquiry. Construction is the bedrock of Keating’s practice but it is the set’s growing presence in international arbitration that stood out for judges.
The set showed moral leadership in a time when it is being demanded. Keating pledged £20,000 to help fund a criminal bar pupillage. It recognised the financial struggles at the criminal Bar, caused in part by the pandemic.
The service will help fund a pupillage which would have been withdrawn otherwise. The judges thought this was an admirable and imaginative move from the commercial set, in a time where there is a crisis to access to justice.
Keating has focussed on growing its arbitration practice the past year. The set welcomed three arbitrators in the last year – Sean Wilken QC and Rachael O’Hagan from 39 Essex and John McMillan from Wilmer Hale’s international arbitration team – a direct response to growing client demand in the field.
Underpinning all of this is sustained investment in the professional machine, including a key account programme with law firm clients.
Since launching its five–year plan in 2015, Keating has brought in Declan Redmond – one of the most recognisable managerial figures at the Inns of Court – to manage its growth alongside business development director Holly Gavaghan and Rob Cowup as deputy senior clerk. In the five years to 2018/19 revenues have risen by 40 per cent, with two key jurisdictions generating twice as much in 2019/20 as they did in 2018/19.
A massive congratulations to the team at Keating Chambers on being awarded The Lawyer’s Chambers of the Year.
A message from our sponsor, Bench Walk Advisors
Since its global launch in late 2017, Bench Walk has deployed over $250m across more than 100 commercial cases. Bench Walk is led by Stuart Grant, a 30-year veteran litigator with over $30bn in settlements and judgments to his credit, and Adrian Chopin, an experienced investment banker and commercial lawyer with outstanding financial and structuring expertise. Together they have built a track record of delivering innovative legal and financial solutions.
Bench Walk’s innovative analysis combines the perspectives of litigator and deal maker to come up with creative solutions to legal finance. Bench Walk operates on a streamlined basis where clients interact with a single point of contact who reports directly to a decision maker so that funding decisions are made promptly.
Bench Walk not only offers the full range of traditional products including single case funding, portfolio funding and law firm portfolios but also prides itself on its track record of designing and executing innovative deal structures that meet clients’ needs. Bench Walk has delivered a number of market-leading transactions including funding some of the world’s largest class actions; providing non-recourse financing to start up legal businesses and developing a broad range of portfolio and other solutions in multiple jurisdictions.
