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39 Essex Chambers Opens Dubai Office and Welcomes Stephen Burke and Madelaine Power

5th May 2026

39 Essex Chambers is delighted to announce the opening of its new Dubai office at the beginning of May, underlining its commitment to the Gulf region and the continued growth of its barristers’ global practice.

The new Dubai office will be led by Stephen Burke who joins 39 Essex Chambers from his position as Co-Head of Construction, Middle East, at Addleshaw Goddard in Dubai. Nicholas Higgs will also be based in Dubai. Nicholas was a qualified civil engineer before joining 39 Essex Chambers in 2018 and has acted in significant construction and infrastructure disputes across the Gulf region.

Existing and future clients will also be supported by Madelaine Power who is joining 39 Essex Chambers from Pinsent Masons and specialises in international arbitration and construction in the Gulf. Madelaine has a decade of experience of working in Dubai, Oman and London.

39 Essex Chambers offers advocacy, legal expertise and arbitrators across a broad range of areas including construction, infrastructure, AI/crypto, sport, energy, commercial, nuclear, public and private international law (including investment disputes). The Dubai office will also support clients with representation and advice in international arbitration, the DIFC, ADGM and QFC courts.

Lindsay Scott, CEO of 39 Essex Chambers commented:

“We are thrilled to be one of the first barristers’ chambers in England and Wales to have an office in Dubai. It was the logical next step for us in response to the disputes in which we are currently engaged and given the global and regional nature of the disputes our clients are facing. We are committed to the region and to its role as a key venue for the resolution of complex and high value disputes. The new Dubai office is a further marker for 39 Essex Chambers’ strong track record and our ambition for what comes next.”

With the launch of this most recent office, the first one in the Gulf region, 39 Essex Chambers reinforces its position as a leading global barristers’ chambers, with over 200 practitioners , delivering specialist advocacy and exceptional results to clients in some of the most substantial disputes from its offices in London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and, now, Dubai.