Colleen Cumbers

International Arbitration

During pupillage seats with Richard Sage and Patrick Maxwell, Colleen gained exposure to work in the field of international arbitration. Work included:

• Preparing the Letter of Response in relation to an application for the provision of insurance coverage evidence in an arbitration – valued at more than $25 million – under the Arbitration Act 1996 and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 202 (during pupillage).
• Preparing the skeleton argument for a DIAC arbitration involving sums of more than 50 million Qatari Riyal. Issues included the operation of set-off under the UAE Civil Code. Colleen’s skeleton was used in the arbitration (during pupillage).

Colleen is currently a Pegasus Scholar and is undertaking a three-month placement in Dubai, where she is dividing her time between the international litigation/arbitration department of a leading commercial law firm and the DIFC Courts.

Colleen also gained exposure to international litigation and arbitration during her LLM, as part of which she selected International Trade Law as a specialist subject, with studies that included jurisdiction as well as the ICC and the LCIA rules. Colleen was awarded a high Distinction grade.

Colleen has written an instructive article on the topic of enforcing foreign arbitration awards in the courts of England and Wales for Chambers’ Commercial Law Blog. You can read her article here.

Colleen is also a member of the Young International Arbitration Group.

Selected Cases

Awards

• Inns of Court Pegasus Scholarship
• Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award
• Inner Temple Major Scholarship
• Inner Temple Exhibition Scholarship
• Dean’s Award for Best Academic Performance in MA Law (Conversion)
• Various Finals Collections Prizes from Oriel College, University of Oxford
• Winner of Multiple Moots / Mock Trials incl. the Aqeel H. Noorali Moot Cup

News

• Members of Crown Office Chambers recognised for their Pro Bono work
• Crown Office Chambers welcomes two new tenants

Articles

• Supreme Court Removes Bar On Lost Years Damages For Young Children: CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5

Blogs

• How Can a Party Enforce a Foreign Arbitration Award in the Courts of England and Wales?

Events

• Crown Office Chambers at The National Pupillage Fair 2024

Qualifications

• BA French and German (First Class), University of Oxford
• MA Law (Conversion) (Distinction), University of Law
• LLM Master of Laws (Distinction), University of Law

Memberships

• Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
• Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
• The Society of Construction Law (SCL)
• Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)
• London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association (LCLCBA)
• Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG)
• Personal Injury Bar Association (PIBA)