Specialist in commercial aspects of consumer-facing finance and financial services (including consumer credit, mortgages and banking) and consumer protection law (including unfair contract terms, unfair commercial practices, advertising, package holidays and timeshare). Also food law, food labelling, cosmetics and medicines.
Reported cases include:
Popely v Scott (2001) 165 JP 742 - reliance on legal advice as due diligence;
Director General of Fair Trading v First National Bank plc [2002] 1 AC 481 – analysis of Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations;
Wilson v First County Trust Ltd (No 2) [2002] QB 74 (CA), [2004] 1 AC 816 (HL) - whether irredeemable unenforceability under Consumer Credit Act compatible with Human Rights Act;
Uren v First National Home Finance Ltd [2005] EWHC 2529 (Ch) (Times 17th November 2005) - no free-standing claim of “unjust enrichment”;
Goshawk Dedicated (No 2) Ltd v Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland [2006] 2 AER 610 - wording of prescribed notices of cancellation rights under Consumer Credit Act;
Office of Fair Trading v Lloyds TSB Bank Ltd [2005] 1 AER 843 (QBD Comm), [2006] 2 AER 821 (CA), [2008] 1 AC 318 (HL) - lender's liability under s.75 Consumer Credit Act for credit card transactions financing foreign transactions;
Conister Trust Ltd v John Hardman & Co [2009] CCLR 4 and Sutherland Professional Funding Ltd v Bakewells [2014] CTLC 1- solicitor's liability for client's litigation funding agreement that was unenforceable under the Consumer Credit Act;
Meah v GE Money Home Finance Ltd [2013] 1 P&CR DG 18 - mortgagee's liability in respect of valuation of repossessed property;
RTA (Business Consultants) Ltd v Bracewell [2015] Bus LR 800 - sole trader selling his business not a “consumer”, but sale agent’s contract void for illegality because of non-compliance with money laundering regulations;
Warwickshire CC v Halfords Autocentres Ltd [2019] 1 W.L.R. 3597 - Trading Standards Officer’s test purchase can establish unfair commercial practice in relation to supplies to consumers..
Called 1979.
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association; Food Law Group. Affiliate member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute
Charterhouse, Worcester College, Oxford.