Helen Davies KC KC > Brick Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Well-known for expertise in handling competition claims, Brick Court Chambers‘ members acted in various recent high-profile proceedings, including the trucks litigation, Merricks v Mastercard, Kent v Apple, and Alex Neill Class Representative Ltd v Sony. Marie Demetriou KC is instructed by NYK in McLaren v MOL, NYK and others, proceedings under section 47B of the Competition Act 1998, discussing the question of whether defendants can communicate with class members and the nature of the Tribunal’s role at the certification stage.  Helen Davies KC remains instructed by Daimler in emissions litigation, whereas Tony Singla KC is defending Serco in group shareholder litigation brought under section 90 FSMA based on allegedly misleading information published to investors. Jennifer MacLeod appears unled for the CMA in an intervention into the first collective proceedings trial in the Competition Appeal Tribunal regarding a class of millions of consumers alleging overcharging for telephone services.

Noted for being ‘one of the top chambers with a hugely impressive array of silks and juniors,’ Brick Court Chambers continues to receive instructions for its members in significant and high-profile cases including Various Claimants v Glencore Plc in which Helen Davies KC led Tony Singla KC and Kyle Lawson in acting for a FSTE 100 Plc in defence of a S.90/90A FSMA claim brought by a number of large investor groups against the Plc, its CEO and CFO. Tim Lord KC is routinely sought out by both investors and banks for cases involving litigation in banking and finance, and Mark Howard KC is experienced in commercial and city litigation both in trial and appellate advocacy. Charlotte Tan has been instructed in banking disputes involving civil fraud, including The Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse & Ors, which raised allegations of bribery and corruption. Richard Blakeley KC and Fred Hobson KC were made silks in 2024.

Brick Court Chambers is ‘a go-to set‘ with ‘huge depth of talent in its barristers at all levels‘, and garners praise for its ‘depth of experience in the energy sector‘. Helen Davies KC continues to advise Prysmian on an application for CPO on behalf of all purchasers of electricity in the UK, in relation to cartel claims concerning the supply of high-voltage underground and submarine power cables. Mark Howard KC has an excellent reputation for handling a broad spectrum of contentious energy and natural resources work. Among the juniors, Edward Ho has a strong track record in handling investment arbitration cases in the energy and mining sectors, and Tom Pascoe is sought after for his experience in advising on high-profile, high-value arbitration cases.

Brick Court Chambers is ‘the go-to set for competition litigators, with both strength and depth across all levels’. Competition heavyweights Helen Davies KC and Daniel Jowell KC appear on opposite sides of the cable maker cartel case Spottiswoode v Nexans, with the major consumer collective action seeking over £300m in damages for UK electricity purchasers. In R (Volkswagen) v CMA, Marie Demetriou KC successfully acted for the regulator in a landmark case concerning the extraterritorial scope of its investigatory powers under the Competition Act 1998. Sarah Abram KC acted on behalf of BMW on the same matter and persuaded the CAT that the CMA lacked the power to require disclosure outside of the UK, before the regulator’s appeal was allowed by the Court of Appeal; prompting the manufacturer to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Victoria Wakefield KC is set to represent the defendant in Cabo Concepts Limited v MGA Entertainment, with the standalone abuse of dominance claim set for trial in late 2024.