Nevil Phillips is among the most highly-regarded advocates at the Commercial Bar, and was shortlisted for Shipping Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023. He has consistently been listed for many years as a first-ranked Leading Junior in Shipping, Commodities, and Trade & Customs by The Legal 500, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers UK, Chambers Global, Who’s Who Legal, and Best Lawyers where he has been variously cited as:
"He is silk level in both his advocacy and academic ability."
(Chambers UK, 2020)
"Nevil Phillips is an outstanding senior junior. He has an excellent grasp of the law, is quick to see the commercial angle in any matter and is absolutely first class with clients. In court he commands respect from opponents and judges alike."
(Chambers UK, 2020)
“A top silk without the badge – a terrier and the ideal add-on to any winning team.” (Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2019)
“Very hands-on. A complete team player. ... Engaging and user-friendly. ... Fabulously clever. He can be relied on to get to grips with difficult issues.” (Chambers UK, 2019)
“...Has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law, combined with an extremely high standard of advocacy and commercial understanding...” (Legal 500, 2019)
He has featured as successful counsel in a number of recent high-profile reported commercial and shipping cases. These include Deep Sea Maritime Ltd v Monjasa A/S (The Alhani) [2018] EWHC 1495 (Comm) (re the application of Article III, rule 6 of the Hague Rules to misdelivery claims); Re Three Arbitrations (P v Q, Q v R, R v S) [2018] EWHC 1399 (Comm) (re the effect of contractual time-bars in charterparty chains, and the jurisdiction to extend time under s. 12 of the Arbitration Act 1996); and The Aconcagua Bay [2018] EWHC 654 (Comm) (re the scope of “always accessible” under a voyage charter).
Nevil’s practice envelops all aspects of commercial and shipping advisory and advocacy work, encompassing the broadest spectrum of commercial, international trade, commodities, shipping, maritime, shipbuilding, ship sale, energy, insurance, finance, and jurisdictional disputes and associated areas and remedies. He appears regularly in commercial arbitration (both domestic and international, with experience before a wide variety of arbitral institutions, bodies and trade associations, including LMAA, GMAA, LCIA, ICC and associated bodies), the Commercial Court, and the appellate courts.
A significant proportion of Nevil’s practice involves high-value (unreported) International Arbitration work, especially in the Energy and Shipbuilding fields. Recent examples include a dispute regarding disclosure of commission rights between a business and finance development agent in the Middle East and the US commercial entity seeking finance and venture capital investment with regard to eventual IPO; as leading counsel in a USD 20 million dispute regarding the construction of a very high profile Offshore Support/Emergency Towing Vessel; as leading counsel in USD35 million multi-vessel shipbuilding dispute; as counsel for a shipyard in a USD35 million shipbuilding dispute involving issues of unlawful conduct; as counsel for the buyer in a complex USD 25 million technical dispute concerning shipment and supply of fuel and source material for an Imperial Smelting Plant; and as counsel in a multi-million Euro joint venture dispute between international ferry operators.
Much of Nevil’s practice involves him leading a team, very often against Silks. He is especially well-regarded for his skills as a subtle cross-examiner, especially of experts.
Nevil also has substantial experience as an arbitrator, and has also given expert evidence on English law to courts in other jurisdictions. He has also written and/or contributed to a number of leading text books in his fields, including his own authoritative work: “The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 – An Annotated Guide”. Nevil is also a member of the Editorial Board of Lloyd’s Law Reports.
Nevil is a popular and regular choice as a presenter/speaker at legal and corporate functions, seminars and lectures.