The prestigious title of Queens Counsel (QC) denotes a sustained level of excellence in advocacy and English law.

Appointments are made personally once a year by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the advice of the Lord Chancellor.

Of the 108 QCs appointed this year, only four are solicitor advocates.

Among those four are arbitration specialists at the Firm: EMEA Disputes Partner Aloke Ray, who is Co-Head of our London International Arbitration practice, and Partner Dipen Sabharwal, who is Regional Section Head of the EMEA Disputes 2 Section.

The appointment of Aloke and Dipen is particularly special for the Firm, because they are our first ‘home-grown’ lawyers to achieve the accolade.

Aloke says: “While the Firm has had other QCs, they were appointed before joining, whereas Dipen and I have come up through the ranks and been appointed as a result of our work here.

“We have both been lucky to have worked with some great lawyers and to have benefitted from the many advocacy opportunities that the Firm’s arbitration practice provides.”

Dipen agrees: “It does make it special, especially because I’ve known Aloke since the day I started at the New York office in 2003; we’ve worked together so it feels nice to share the accolade with him.”

Careers in focus

While Aloke has been at the Firm slightly longer than Dipen, having joined in 1999, Dipen is a White & Case ‘lifer’.

He says: “What attracted me to White & Case was the international cross-border work because I always wanted to be an international lawyer, rather than specialize in a particular local market.

“What’s kept me here is the fact I’m doing exactly what I always wanted to do – advocacy with an international angle – and the Firm has delivered on everything it promised and more.”

Dipen grew up and qualified in India at the National Law School of India in Bangalore.

He completed Masters Degrees in England and the United States and joined our New York office straight from law school.

“I really enjoyed my time in New York, but I have spent most of my White & Case career in London, which is home now,” Dipen says.

“As well as getting to work in New York and London, the nature of the Firm means I’m working with clients from all around the world, whether in Brazil, Turkey, Ghana, or India.

“My cases have taken me to some exotic places – from the Amazonian rainforest to the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

“A fun career highlight was sharing a 27-hour bus ride from Stockholm to Brussels with an arbitral tribunal and opposing counsel because European airspace was shut by an ash cloud. It’s (literally) been quite a ride.”

Aloke studied at Oxford and started his career as a trainee at Clifford Chance before switching to White & Case’s London office in 1999.

He explains: “The idea of joining what, back then, was a much smaller office, with a disputes team of only four lawyers, was attractive.

“I was excited by the international nature of the work and by the prospect of playing a bigger role on the cases we handled.

“Within weeks of arriving here as a newly-qualified lawyer, I was taking witness statements in Austria and meeting with clients in Saudi Arabia, so I knew very quickly that I’d made the right choice.

“In fact, one of my biggest career highlights came in those early years, on my first arbitration.

“I had been working closely with partner Ray Hamilton (now retired) on a construction dispute when he called me at home to say that he wanted me to handle most of the cross-examination, as he thought I knew the facts better than him.

“That gave me a huge buzz knowing he had such confidence in me. And, despite a few sleepless nights, the experience of spending a fortnight arguing my first case against a QC was both challenging and fun.”

Aloke moved to the Firm’s New York office in 2002 to broaden his horizons.

He explains: “I wish I could say the reason for the move was to be part of our thriving arbitration team there, or for career progression, but the real motivation was to live and work in New York.

“As a student, I spent my holidays working in London, so the Firm’s network has allowed me to make up for lost travel time.”

Aloke returned to London in 2007 before heading to the Singapore office in 2009 to lead our arbitration practice in Asia. He re-joined the London office in 2016.

He says: “I really enjoyed working in Singapore. The office, region and legal market are so different, but it’s also been refreshing to see how much the London office has changed since I joined the Firm – from under 40 lawyers in 1999 to the bustling, successful office it is now.”

Other career highlights for Aloke include working on a US$1.4 billion oil and gas dispute on which he first got involved as an associate in 2004 and eventually ran as lead partner until its conclusion in 2015, building lasting friendships along the way.

More recently, he has just finished work on a high-stakes US$500m fraud case in which he successfully defended a leading financial institution and where, interestingly, he was once more against a QC.

Reflecting on his time at the Firm, Aloke notes: “When I started out I had three passions – football, travel and advocacy. For two of the three, I couldn’t have picked a better place!”

The journey to becoming QCs

For Aloke, his recent appointment as QC is the latest highlight in a career that has already surpassed expectations.

He says: “When I was growing up I was interested in becoming a lawyer, but never imagined I would be a QC.

“When I was growing up I was interested in becoming a lawyer, but never imagined I would be a QC.”

“In the UK, the QC title typically was reserved for barristers who could meet the required standards through their advocacy in court. Fortunately, the appointment process has evolved over time to recognize that more solicitors do their own advocacy, particularly in international arbitration, and I have benefitted from that.”

The role of QC was something Dipen hadn’t previously considered either.  He says: “The first time I thought about applying was when an opposing QC came up to me at the end of an arbitration hearing and encouraged me to apply, saying he’d give me a reference if I did.

“I actually had to Google to find out what the selection process involved!”

The application process for becoming a QC is extremely rigorous, starting with the completion of a 60-page application form.

Applicants have to identify several judicial, peer and client assessors to support their application before it is considered by a panel of top lawyers, civil servants and industry experts.

Candidates also have to attend an interview before a select few are appointed QC.

Aloke says: “It’s easily the longest application form I’ve seen, but hearing I’d been successful made it all worthwhile.

“It’s a real honor to be appointed QC, not just because it’s tied to having done a good job on complex cases but because it requires positive feedback from highly-regarded colleagues and peers within the profession.”

Dipen adds: “Being a QC doesn’t dramatically change our practice but it serves as a badge of excellence, which can be valuable to clients when they’re selecting counsel.

“From the Firm’s point of
view, it’s a testament to the
high quality of our arbitration
practice and English
law expertise.”

“From the Firm’s point of view, it’s a testament to the high quality of our arbitration practice and English law expertise.”

Aloke and Dipen were appointed QCs by the Lord Chancellor at a ceremony in Westminster Hall on 11 March.

Dipen says:“It was a pretty surreal experience and the clothes you wear make you look like an extra in a Jane Austen movie, but it was an unforgettable day and a privilege to be part of.”

Aloke adds: “I think my family was more excited about the ceremony than me, not least because I looked like a cross between Dick Turpin and Austin Powers in the outfit, but it’s a day I’ll look back on with a lot of pride.”