Alan specialises in competition, procurement, public/administrative and EU law. The legal directories rank him as a leading junior in competition, EU and telecoms law. Alan has particular experience in dealing with complex regulatory disputes involving combinations of public and EU law and economic issues. He has acted both for and against all the main UK competition and sectoral regulators and the European Commission in cases concerning competition law infringements, regulatory investigations and consumer protection. He is also playing a leading role in the development of the UK’s competition law private damages regime under the changes introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. He recently led the defence team in the Gibson v Pride Mobility case, resisting the first ever application in the UK for a collective proceedings order to permit an ‘opt-out’ class action for recovering consumer losses alleged to have arisen from a competition law infringement. Alan is also regularly instructed in procurement law proceedings (both for claimants and for contracting authorities/utilities). His experience includes claims arising under the Utilities Contracts, Defence Contracts, and Concessions, Regulations. He has a particular interest in State aid law, and is the author of the State aid chapter of Bellamy & Child European Union Law of Competition and the ‘compatibility of aid’ chapter in European Union Law of State Aid. Alan also has extensive experience in Administrative Court proceedings involving EU law issues, including compatibility with EU directives, equal treatment, proportionality and notification under the Technical Standards Directive. He is regularly instructed to appear on behalf of the UK Government in proceedings in the EU Court of Justice.
Monckton Chambers
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Alfred has established a strong junior practice since joining Chambers in 2019, predominantly in public procurement, competition, and general commercial law. He is regularly instructed by a range of government, corporate and private clients on significant pieces of litigation, with appearances in one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases” of the year in almost every year that he has been in practice so far. Alfred enjoys working as part of team, often acting as a junior alongside more senior members of Chambers, but is also happy to receive instructions as sole counsel.
Alison is a competition and public law specialist. She is a highly experienced practitioner, having qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and been called to the bar in 2011. She represents clients across all areas of competition law, including in appeals and private disputes, follow-on damages claims, mergers, antitrust, procedural infringements, director disqualifications and sectoral regulation. She regularly advises regulators and government, including the CMA, FCA and BEIS, so has insight into both sides of the enforcement landscape. Alison also practises in consumer law, information law (writing regularly in the Freedom of Information Journal) and human rights law. She has a busy advocacy practice across a variety of courts and tribunals. She is co-author (with Alistair Lindsay) of The EU Merger Regulation: Substantive Issues (Sweet & Maxwell, 5th edition, 2017), a leading textbook on merger control issues, described in a recent review as “an indispensable authority”.
Andrew practises principally in the areas of VAT, duties and indirect taxation, and in related private and public law. He also has wide experience in general civil/ chancery litigation, EU law, competition law, utilities regulation, professional negligence and public law. He has been Junior Counsel to the Crown (A Panel) since March 2010. Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 currently rate him as a leading junior in VAT/indirect taxation. During his years in practice, he has also been recommended as a leading junior by Legal 500 in professional negligence and competition law.
Anneli Howard is top-ranked by the directories in six different disciplines: Competition, EU law, Consumer law/Product Liability, Public Administrative law, Aviation and Telecommunications. In 2018 Anneli won The Legal 500 award for EU/Competition Junior of the Year and was one of the Lawyer’s “Hot 100” in 2016. From 2005 to 2021, Anneli was a member of the AG Panels for Public Administrative law and WTO/International Trade. A former Référendaire at the European Court of Justice, she has expert insight of the interaction between EU, ECHR, international trade and domestic law across a range of sectors, including telecoms, pharmaceuticals, health and social care, aviation, rail transport, energy, utilities and other regulated industries. She has a busy practice specialising in competition and consumer enforcement and damages litigation, including group, representative and class actions. She is also a recognised Thought Leader on Brexit and International Trade issues. Since 2012 she has been appointed as Standing Counsel for the Civil Aviation Authority, advising on competition law and economic regulation. She performs a similar “policy-proofing” role for other Government Departments as a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel for Public/Administrative Law and its Public International Law Panel. She acts in high profile judicial review proceedings in commercial regulatory sectors. Anneli is “a client’s dream counsel – a real class act.” She is recognised for her legal acumen: clients note her “strong intellect, “very good technical knowledge” and “methodical and alert competition assistance”. They have credited her as a “brilliantly strategic thinker” and an “accomplished courtroom performer” who is “amazingly clear“. More than just a lawyer, Anneli is a hands-on team player who pulls more than her weight in achieving her clients’ objectives. She is “responsive, hardworking and practical” and “listens to what you want to achieve and goes about it in an incredibly time-responsive manner”. Significant clients include BT Openreach, Inmarsat, HTC, CAA, CMA, FCA, Bank of England, Treasury, Ofgem, ORR, DFT, BEIS, DEXEU, Cabinet Office, DCMS, DHSC, MHRA, Hausfeld, Mishcon, Macfarlanes, Jones Day, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters and Freshfields.
Anneliese is a leading junior in competition and public procurement. She advises and represents clients in chambers’ key practice areas, in particular Competition and Procurement law. She has been instructed as a junior in a number of high profile cases and has appeared in a wide range of courts, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. She has personal advocacy experience in a wide range of courts and tribunals.
Antonia joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2021 and is developing a busy practice spanning all of Chambers’ principal areas of expertise. Recent highlights include being instructed as junior counsel: for Ryder, a claimant in the Trucks cartel litigation; for a number of retailers in claims against Visa and Mastercard in the Interchange Fees litigation; for Siemens in its challenge to the HS2 rolling-stock procurement; and for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, defending Kellogg’s challenge to the Government’s regulations restricting the promotion of less healthy food and drink products. She has been instructed and appeared as sole counsel in the County Court in relation to commercial matters. Antonia is co-author of the Competition Law chapter of Tech London Advocates/the Law Society’s ‘Blockchain Legal & Regulatory Guidance’ (Second Edition).
Azeem is a leading junior with a well-established practice across Chambers’ core areas, offering expertise in Judicial Review, Public Procurement, Competition, Information Law, and general commercial work. He is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown, advising and representing the UK government in his areas of practice. Azeem is recommended in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a leading practitioner across four practice areas: Administrative/Public Law, Public Procurement, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, and Community Care. He was previously Counsel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA” – between January 2016 and 2020). Azeem appears regularly in the High Court and Upper Tribunal. He has undertaken cases in the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights. In addition to acting as a trial and appellate lawyer, a significant part of Azeem’s practice is advisory. He is often instructed in his own right, or to lead as a “senior junior”, but he is equally happy to, and often works, as a member of a large team of counsel and solicitors.
Ben is an experienced junior specialising in Competition, Public and EU Law. He is Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority and a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel. He is a contributor to the leading EU Competition Law text, Bellamy & Child European Union Law of Competition, and is direct access qualified. Ben appears regularly in the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the EU Court of Justice. He is a clear and persuasive advocate, and is equally effective working on his own or as part of a team in larger cases. Ben is highly valued by clients and instructing solicitors for his attention to detail, judgement, and ability to identify the key issues at the heart of any dispute. Ben appears regularly in the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the EU Court of Justice. He is a clear and persuasive advocate, and is equally effective working on his own or as part of a team in larger cases. Ben is highly valued by clients and instructing solicitors for his attention to detail, judgement, and ability to identify the key issues at the heart of any dispute.
Ben is an experienced litigator of heavy and complex disputes in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in England and also in the EU Court of Justice and arbitrations. He is also experienced in guiding clients through competition and other regulatory investigations. He also has an extensive advisory practice. He has a broad client base, acting for both private clients and public authorities. Particular areas of expertise include competition, consumer, procurement, subsidies/state aid and international trade. According to clients Ben is “a go-to junior for competition matters’’ and “brings clarity to very complex issues”. He is “noted for his strong advocacy skills”, “intricate knowledge of competition law institutions” and the fact that he is “user friendly” and “will work extremely hard to get the right result”. Work has included the following sectors: pharmaceuticals, water, energy, postal services, communications, satellite licensing, gaming and lotteries, organisation of sporting events, rules of professional associations, e-commerce. Ben is a former Legal Secretary at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal. Ben has acted on numerous occasions as a consultant on competition law to the UN Conference on Trade and Development and worked on competition law in a number of different jurisdictions. Ben was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2018.
Brendan is a leading junior with a wealth of experience in Commercial, Public law and Regulatory disputes. He offers expertise across Chambers’ core areas and he is in equal demand amongst public and private clients in Judicial Review, EU, Competition, Procurement, and Tax litigation. In addition, he regularly acts in Financial Services, Insurance, Sport and Professional Negligence disputes. His intellectual rigour, hard work and commercial common sense has resulted in a thriving advisory practice. Brendan is personable and persuasive and is regularly instructed in his own right as both a trial advocate and an appellate advocate. In addition, he has been an integral team member in several high-value commercial disputes. Brendan was appointed to the Attorney-General’s A Panel in July 2017. In March 2019 Hart published Brendan’s new book ‘Data Profiling and Insurance Law’ which considers the legal implications of Insurers’ use of personal data in underwriting and claims decisions and which won the prestigious British Insurance Law Association book prize for 2020. He is co-author of Professional Indemnity Insurance, the second edition of which was published in February 2016 by Oxford University Press and the chapter on UK Merger Control (with Ben Rayment) in Weinberg and Blank on Takeovers and Mergers. In addition, Brendan has published several articles on Insurance and Competition law. Brendan is an affiliate lecturer in Competition Law at Cambridge University and teaches Article 102 on the LLM course.
Specialised experience and knowledge European courts and procedures EU fundamental freedoms law EEA fundamental freedoms law Economic human rights law Contract law Corporate law Unfair competition law Antitrust law IP law Public procurement law Banking law Brexit Switzerland – EU relations
Lord (Christopher) Bellamy was a member of Monckton Chambers from 1970 to 1992, specialising in European, competition and regulatory law, and became a QC in 1986. In 1992 he was appointed as a judge to (what is now) the General Court of the European Union where he served for seven years. At the end of 1999 he returned to the UK to set up (what is now) the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), of which he was President until 2007. The CAT determines appeals in competition and certain regulatory matters, and hears actions for damages for competition law infringements. In 2007 Lord Bellamy QC retired from the CAT and became a senior consultant with Linklaters LLP, and Chairman of the Linklaters Global Competition Practice in 2011. He stepped down from Linklaters at the end of October 2020, and rejoined Monckton Chambers. Lord Bellamy QC focussed on appointments as a mediator or arbitrator in disputes including but not limited to competition and regulatory matters, arising anywhere in the world. On 7 June 2022 he was appointed as an Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice in the House of Lords. While a Minister, Lord Bellamy QC will not be accepting any work through Monckton Chambers.
Christopher Vajda QC had a wide-ranging practice. He acted on numerous occasions for the UK Government, Government Departments and public bodies such as the Bank of England, the BBC and various sectorial regulators. He also acted for a large number of companies in fields such as aviation and transport, competition and state aid, energy, IT and telecommunications and tax. He appeared frequently before the CJEU, and all English courts, including the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. He was appointed to chair an arbitration panel in the Middle East involving a telecommunications dispute. Since his return to Chambers he has been asked to chair a conciliation panel set up to resolve a dispute involving one of the EU Institutions.
Ciar is a sought-after junior tenant whose practice spans all areas of Chambers’ work, including competition, information, EU, sports, tax, and administrative and public law. Ciar is regularly instructed both as junior and sole counsel and has appeared in a range of tribunals, including the Competition Appeal Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Clíodhna joined Monckton as a tenant in October 2021. She is developing a busy practice in Chambers’ core areas, including administrative and public law, competition law, and procurement and State aid.
Conor’s practice encompasses public law, civil claims and international law. He is regularly instructed in complex disputes, both public and commercial, across chambers’ core areas of work. He has particular expertise in the areas of competition law, data protection and in claims involving issues of public or private international law or civil liberties. He has substantial experience of multi-jurisdictional commercial and competition disputes, often being instructed in matters raising issues of jurisdiction, applicable law or international enforcement. He also has expertise in international trade law and sanctions. He has been instructed in cases before both domestic and international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice. He was appointed independent expert to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Hearing on Sanctions.
Daisy is an experienced junior practising in competition, procurement and regulatory law. She also has significant experience of wider public law matters, including information law and data protection. As a highly-regarded junior, Daisy acts with leading silks in complex and high-profile litigation. She also advises and appears in her own right, including for parties subject to regulatory investigations and, in procurement, for interested parties on matters of process and confidentiality. Daisy acts for commercial clients, government and public bodies.
Daniel Beard is widely regarded as one of the Bar’s leading specialists in competition, EU, regulatory and public law. He has appeared in courts from Haverfordwest to the Falkland Islands. He regularly appears in High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in the UK as well as in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. In EU law matters, Daniel has appeared in a large number of cases in the Court of Justice and General Court in Luxembourg. He acts in arbitrations and his work has developed in various international jurisdictions including in the Middle East, Singapore and Hong Kong. Prior to taking silk, Daniel was a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel and standing Counsel to the Office of Fair Trading.
David has practiced at Monckton Chambers as a tenant since 2015, following completion of pupillage. He acts in a number of Chamber’s main specializations: competition and commercial regulation, EU, commercial law, public law and human rights. He has acted at all levels of the judicial system including the High Court, Competition Appeals Tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in the Article 50 case. Prior to coming to the bar, David read Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, obtaining the highest First in the University. David also scored the highest marks on the Graduate Diploma in Law (shared) and the Bar Professional Training Course at City Law School.
Drew specialises in commercial dispute resolution and is admitted to practise in Russia, the UK (England and the Territory of the Virgin Islands), the United States (California) and Ireland. His practice is focused on three key areas: International Commercial Arbitration and Litigation. Drew is regularly instructed to act as counsel or arbitrator in commercial disputes, and in particular those involving application of the laws of Russia and other associate or member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (‘CIS States’) or which otherwise have a close connection to those countries. He has experience in arbitrations conducted under HKIAC, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ICAC (Russia) rules. Russian and CIS law expert. Drew has over 20 years of specialist experience acting or advising in matters applying the laws of Russia and other CIS States. He regularly acts as an expert advisor or witness in legal proceedings on matters of Russia law and the laws of other CIS States, including most recently in respect of the laws of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine. Drew is fully fluent in both English and Russian and is equally comfortable working in either language. Human Rights / Public International Law. Drew has specialist experience in international human rights protection mechanisms, with a focus on matters originating from Russia and other CIS States. He has been instructed in or advised on dozens of cases before the European Court on Human Rights, and has experience in the successful application of its procedural rules, including obtaining confidentiality and priority orders, as well as interim relief.
Eric is a specialist in human rights, information law, public law and EU law. He is direct access qualified. He has advised and acted for a wide range of human rights organisations including the ACLU, the AIRE Centre, ARTICLE 19, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Index on Censorship, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, JUSTICE (the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists), the Kurdish Human Rights Project, the Legal Resources Centre, Liberty, the Media Legal Defence Initiative, and Privacy International. He has carried out human rights work in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, Rwanda, Taiwan and Turkey.
Ewan has a wide-ranging and well-established practice spanning all of Chambers’ main areas of activity, including public procurement, competition, VAT and excise law, EU law and EU relations law, regulatory law (especially telecommunications and utilities), information rights, claims management regulation and public law generally. He also practises in general commercial law and sports law. He has one of the most extensive procurement law practices at the junior Bar for which he has received widespread recognition as a highly effective and user-friendly advocate, acting for both claimants and defendants (and appearing both led and unled). Ewan has appeared in many of the leading cases of the past few years including the first claim seeking a declaration of ineffectiveness, the first claim under the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016, and numerous claims involving automatic suspensions and other injunctive relief. He has particular experience of dealing with the protection of confidential information and disclosure (including applications for specific disclosure) in the context of procurement disputes. He is currently instructed on a large number of claims involving urgent procurements undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, brought both as commercial claims and by way of judicial review, in relation to the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and well as other services. As a competition law practitioner, he has appeared in several high profile cases, including in relation to anticompetitive conduct, abuse of a dominant position and in challenges to competition regulatory decisions. He was instructed on the first fast track claim to be brought before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. He has a particularly extensive knowledge of the law of state aid and subsidy and its practical application. Ewan has recently acted for the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to the SSE code modifications appeal. In relation VAT, he has appeared in the leading case on hot takeaway food (and several consequential appeals) and has recently dealt with cases involving abuse of rights and various exemptions, including those relating to sport and health. He also has an active excise law practice. Ewan’s focus on public procurement, competition and VAT are combined with a wider experience of EU law generally, including in particular the free movement Treaty provisions. More recently, he has been involved in dealing in various contexts with the implications of the UK’s departure from the EU and with EU relations law, including in relation to the workings of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ewan’s commercial law activities bring together many other elements of his practice, including competition and procurement law. He has a particular focus on contractual disputes (in particular arising out of long-term arrangements), contractual variations, injunctive relief and protection of confidentiality. As a public law practitioner, Ewan’s cases include challenges to a determination of ordinary residence under the National Assistance Act 1948, an assessment of liability to care home fees under the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 and an appeal of a decision of the Pensions Ombudsman as well as acting for the interested party in a judicial review of the Government’s disposal of the Green Investment Bank. He also represented HMRC in a successful defence to a judicial review against the operation of the UK-Swiss tax co-operation treaty. Most recently, he has been involved in defending a number of claims arising out of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including in relation to the vaccination programme, restrictions on public behaviour and provision of information concerning shielding. Ewan also has a very active freedom of information practice, including cases which have a commercial aspect, in which he has acted for the Information Commissioner, public authorities and other parties. He has represented the Claims Management Regulator (and more recently the Financial Conduct Authority) in appeals under the Compensation Act 2006. Ewan has a growing education law practice. He has a particular interest in admissions appeals, examination appeals, provision for special educational needs (including SEND appeals) and contractual disputes relating to educational provision. Ewan has appeared in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber), the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber), First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights), First-tier Tribunal (Claims Management Regulation) ), First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and before a large number of regulatory bodies including the Football Association Appeal Board, the Football Disciplinary Commission of the Football League, the Disciplinary Committee of the Six Nations Internationals and the Disciplinary Committee of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Ewan undertakes a wide range of advisory work in all areas of practice. He particularly relishes the challenge of finding solutions which do not involve recourse to litigation or mitigate its consequences. He has worked for a number of regulatory authorities and has a sound technical and practical understanding of economic and financial analysis (he holds an MBA from Cranfield University). Ewan was called to the Irish Bar in 2019. Ewan is a CEDR accredited mediator.
Fiona is consistently ranked as a leading junior by the legal directories and has extensive experience across Chambers’ core practice areas with a particular focus on Competition, Commercial, Public Procurement, Telecommunications and Sports law. Fiona has appeared across a variety of courts and tribunals, ranging from ad hoc anti-doping tribunals to the Court of Appeal. She frequently appears as an advocate in her own right but also works very well as a highly valued junior in larger cases. She can accept instructions directly from clients, being direct access qualified. Fiona is a member of the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel (B Panel) and was appointed in October 2018 as Standing Counsel to the Civil Aviation Authority in respect of procurement law.
Barrister, International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation. Francis has a broad commercial and international arbitration practice, with a particular emphasis on international arbitration, shipping, and commodities disputes. He is regularly sought after for advice on particularly complex cases and has a thriving advocacy practice both in the English High Court and overseas. He is also increasingly asked to act as an expert witness. Francis is co-author, with Professor Charles Debattista, of the practitioner text Debattista on Bills of Lading in Commodities Trade and the lead author of the website Strickland’s Shipping Guide. Francis acts in a wide range of commercial disputes, both as sole and led counsel, in High Court litigation, ad hoc and institutional arbitrations. He is familiar with all major international arbitration rules including the: LCIA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, the Swiss Arbitration Rules, and LMAA rules. Francis is also a registered practitioner in the DIFC Courts in Dubai and the ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi, where he appears regularly including, most recently, in a US$160,000,000 anti-suit injunction in the ADGM Court of First Instance. Prior to joining Monckton Chambers Francis practised for three years as an associate in the world-leading international arbitration practice at WilmerHale, where he worked on a range of high value, complex commercial arbitrations alongside some of the world’s top international arbitration practitioners, including Franz Schwarz and Gary Born. Notable cases in the last few years include: In June 2022 Francis acted as sole counsel, successfully representing his client in a US$15million commodities arbitration, subject to the DIFC-LCIA Rules in Dubai. The win resulted in Francis’ client being repaid an advance of AED6,150,000 and defending an US$11,000,000 counterclaim. The case concerned a sale contract for the sale and purchase of 20,000 MT of gasoil and 20,000 MT of gasoline. Legal issues included: (a) whether a “guarantee cheque” is a see-to-it guarantee or a demand bond (or akin to either); (b) complicated factual questions concerning formation of contract and the “battle of the forms”/ “last shot” doctrine; (c) breach of agency agreement; (d) fraudulent misstatements on bills of lading; (e) anticipatory breach and renunciation of contract. Jan 2021 – June 2022. Instructing Solicitors: HFW Dubai and Armour Consultants. Francis advised a Dubai-based “confirming bank” whether it was obliged to pay out under three standby letters of credit, totalling US$9.3million. The underlying contracts were between Irish companies and sanctioned Russian entities (in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) relating to lease agreements for three Airbus aircraft. The case concerned whether US export controls made the performance of those lease agreements illegal and, if so, whether the English Courts should apply the provisions of US law to standby letters of credit governed by English law. In other words, did US export provisions constitute mandatory foreign law, for the purposes of Article 9 (Rome I), and/or was it illegal in the place of performance to perform the SBLCs (Ralli Bros/Foster v Driscoll). Value. US$9.3million. Instructing Solicitors: Clyde & Co. June 2022. Advising on whether it was lawful for a buyer to terminate a US$10million GAFTA sale contract for the sale and purchase of grain that had been loaded onto a vessel in Odessa, in circumstances where the vessel could not be fumigated and nor bills of lading issued, due to the ongoing conflict with Russia. Instructing Solicitors: True North. May 2022. In March 2022, Francis was led by Elizabeth Blackburn QC in the defence of a US$160,000,000 anti-suit injunction in the ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi. The case involved complex conflict of laws issues, including the inter-relationship between ADGM law, Abu Dhabi law, and UAE judicial law. Instructing Solicitors. HFW Dubai. Sole counsel in a charter-party hire dispute relating to whether laytime continued to run during a period when the Archangelsk harbour master had ordered all vessels from their berths to avoid impending ice flows on the river Dvina. May 2021 – present. Instructing Solicitors: Armour Consultants. Kelleher v Woodbrook Group Holdings Limited CFI-038-2021. In September 2021, Francis successfully represented the claimant in the DIFC Court of First Instance in Dubai. The claimant recovered his 95% shareholding in the wealth management company he had sold to Woodbrook Group Holdings Limited the latter of whom had failed to pay due consideration under the contract. The case involved questions concerning rescission for fraudulent, alternatively negligent misrepresentation, termination, and damages. Value: US$4.5million. Instructing Solicitors: James Berry & Associates. Black Sea Commodities v Lemarc [2021] EWHC 287 (Comm). In March 2021, Francis represented the respondent in a challenge to two arbitration awards in a commodities dispute under the GAFTA arbitration rules. The claimant sought to challenge the awards under s.67 of the Arbitration Act 1996 on the basis that the tribunal had no jurisdiction. The case raised complex question of: (a) contract formation; (b) variation of terms; (c) incorporation of arbitration clauses. Instructing Solicitors: Clyde & Co LLP. In 2021, Francis was instructed as sole counsel for the respondent in a multi-million-dollar oil & gas LCIA international arbitration, concerning the sale and purchase of an oil block in Pakistan. The case involved the inter-relationship between provisions in historic pre-existing arbitration legislation in Pakistan (the Arbitration Act 1940) and a new statute in Pakistan bringing the New York Convention into force ((The Arbitration Agreements and Foreign Arbitral Awards) Act, 2011). This analysis had a direct impact on whether the claimant had already submitted to the jurisdiction of the Pakistani Courts before bringing its LCIA references. The case also involved complex jurisdictional questions in England regarding the seat of the arbitration and the governing law of the arbitration agreements, in light of the recent Supreme Court authority Enka v Chubb. Jan – June 2021. Instructing Solicitors: Reynolds Porter Chamberlain. In spring-summer 2021, Francis acted as sole counsel for the claimant in a multi-million dollar joint venture wind farm ad hoc international arbitration, between Danish and Irish companies. The case concerned whether an employee of the respondent could be bound to work solely for the JV during his employment or whether any contractual provision to that effect constituted a restraint of trade. It also concerned complex questions relating to whether in fact the contract purported to bind the respondent to ensure that the employee did work for the JV. The case was notable for having an incredibly tight timeframe in which the arbitration had be completed (3 months). March-July 2021. Instructing Solicitors: Norton Rose Fulbright. Francis acted on a charterparty dispute concerning a vessel in the northern Russian port of Archangelsk. While loading, the vessel was ordered from her berth as a safety precaution to avoid being damaged by annual ice flows passing through the river Dvina. The case concerned whether that suspended laytime on the grounds that the days in question did not constitute “weather working days”. November 2021. Armour Consultants. In November 2021 Francis acted as sole counsel in a charterparty dispute concerning Additional War Risks Premium for ordering the vessel into the Persian Gulf. The dispute concerned whether owners were under a duty to obtain market rates before passing the cost to charterers and, if so, whether there was an available market rate. The dispute relied on expert evidence from experienced AWRP brokers in the London insurance market. In September 2021, Francis was led by Vasanti Selvaratnam QC in a salvage dispute concerning an oil tanker which lost power and drifted onto a UNESCO world heritage site coral reef, before grounding and leaking oil. The dispute concerned the correct sums owed to salvors. Instructing Solicitors: HFW Singapore. In 2020, Francis acted on behalf of a joint venture partner (and their wholly-owned company) against other joint venturers and related companies for: (1) fraudulent breach of common intention constructive trusts; (2) fraudulent breach of a Quistclose trust; and (3) proprietary estoppel. The case involves questions of limitation, including the statutory exemptions for fraudulent breach of trust under s.21 of the Limitation Act 1980. Value: c.£2.5million. (2020). Treefrog v (1) John Gillespie (2) Giorgio Vallesi. Francis acted as sole counsel in DIFC Court litigation concerning a failed joint venture, governed by English law. The case involved questions of the validity of loan deeds, constructive, resulting and Quistclose trusts, and unjust enrichment. Value: AED1,010,000. Instructing Solicitors: James Berry & Associates
Frank has spent almost twenty years representing taxpayers’ interests in tax disputes. Having spent nearly ten years in PricewaterhouseCoopers working in tax consultancy and litigation Frank has a broad experience of all areas of VAT, Customs Duty and direct tax issues. He joined Chambers in 2010 as a result of his specific interest in the European law aspects of indirect taxes. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2010 and the Irish Bar in 2000. Frank brings his practical experience and client-focused approach to multifarious indirect tax issues. The majority of his time is now spent advising multi-national clients across all areas including banking, telecoms, entertainment, sport, not-for-profit, transport, financial services and property. He is involved in litigation on both sides of the Irish Sea and is regularly un-led in cases where the sums in dispute are in excess of £10million. He has written and lectured extensively on VAT and is a member of both the Confederation Fiscale Europeenne and the European Commission’s VAT Expert Group.
George’s practice covers a wide range of public law, regulatory and tax issues, with particular strengths in competition and State aid, pharmaceuticals, VAT and customs/trade remedies, and agriculture. George has recently won a number of major cases in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, European Court of Justice and General Court and regularly leads in the senior English courts as well as in specialist tribunals such as the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, and the Tax and General Regulatory Chambers of the First-tier Tribunal. Until he took silk in 2015, George had for many years been a member of the Attorney General’s Panels, including the A panel from 2009, in which capacity he advised and represented the UK Government on a wide range of major EU and public law cases, including many cases in the European Court of Justice and higher English courts. Recent and current cases in which George has been acting include: successfully defending HMRC against a State aid claim related to the bankers’ bonus tax (Credit Suisse); acting for the European Commission in the Lundbeck and Servier “pay for delay” pharmaceutical cases in the European Court of Justice and General Court; acting for the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products and Regulatory Agency in a number of High Court and Court of Appeal cases on marketing authorisations, including the Avastin litigation now in the Court of Appeal as well as an important ECJ case on the interpretation of the Medicines Directive (here); acting for an importer challenging the imposition of anti-dumping duty and countervailing measures on the ground that the EU regulation fixing the origin of the product is invalid; acting for HMRC in the Supreme Court on what will be a leading case on gaming duty; acting for a number of companies and trade associations in the course of CMA investigations; acting for the campaigning organisation Avaaz on the Fox/Sky merger and in particular representing it in a judicial review of OFCOM’s decision on fitness of Fox News as a potential owner of Sky; defending DEFRA in a substantial Francovich claim arising out of the common agricultural policy; acting for a former bankrupt in a claim that EU free movement rules require his Irish pension fund to be afforded the same protection as that accorded to funds registered in the UK; acting for the legal campaigner Jolyon Maugham in a challenge to the legality of the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement on the basis that it contravenes a statutory provision prohibiting the Government from entering into arrangements under which Northern Ireland becomes a separate customs territory from Great Britain; and successfully acting in the Court of Appeal for those suffering narcolepsy caused by flu vaccine in a test case concerning their ability of to claim payments under the Vaccine Damages Act (here). George is Joint Chair of the Joint Working Party of UK Bars and Law Societies on Competition Law and Joint Convenor of the UK State Aid Law Association. He was also from 2017-2019 General Rapporteur of the Ligue Internationale du Droit de la Concurrence. George has written widely on Brexit-related legal issues, ranging from articles in the European State Aid Law Quarterly to pieces in the Guardian and Prospect magazine and contributing to BBC Radio 4 documentaries. He is a founder member of the UK Trade Forum. George has given oral and written evidence to the House of Lords EU Committee on State aid post-Brexit, to the House of Commons International Trade Select Committee on trade remedies after Brexit, to the House of Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee on State aid issues in relation to the NI heating incentive scheme, and to the House of Commons Brexit Select Committee on level playing field commitments. He advised a number of MPs on issues relating to the “Common Market 2.0” proposal for a “soft” Brexit. He also comments on Brexit developments and other legal matters on Twitter (@GeorgePeretzQC). George was called to the Irish Bar in 2018 and is a member of the Law Library of Ireland. In that capacity, he is not only able to represent clients in the Irish Courts but also will be able to continue representing clients in the EU Courts, and to give advice covered by EU legal professional privilege, whatever the outcome of the Brexit process.
Gerry is ranked by the legal directories as a Leading Silk in: Administrative & Public law; Competition law; Data Protection; Environmental law; European law; and Telecoms. His practice covers a broad range of public, commercial, and regulatory law, acting for both claimants and defendants. His clients include businesses, government, regulators, unions, campaigning groups and individuals. As well as regular appearances in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, Gerry has acted in more than fifty cases before the European Union Court of Justice, in several cases before the European Court of Human Rights, and in many statutory appeals before specialist tribunals including the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the Information Rights Tribunal and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. Before being appointed as Queen’s Counsel, Gerry was a member of the Attorney General’s “A” Panel of Counsel, undertaking complex civil and EU work for the UK government. He continues to advise and act for public bodies and regulated businesses across a broad range of administrative and regulatory work. He has particular expertise in: administrative and constitutional law; competition law and state aid; consumer rights; data protection and privacy; environmental regulation; EU law; human rights; market regulation; telecommunications; and transport / aviation.
Greg is a heavy-weight commercial practitioner who litigates and advises on complex and high value disputes both in England & Wales and internationally. Above all, he is highly competitive and takes satisfaction from the results he obtains for his clients. His practice covers a wide range of commercial disputes often involving company and property issues. Greg has a particularly wide experience in business sale and shareholder disputes. In addition, he has a particular interest in and ability to deal with lengthy and complex technology, hardware, telecoms and engineering disputes including those with a heavy scientific focus. He is an accomplished trial advocate, with a first-rate mind, who provides practical, direct and robust advice and representation. In addition to his work in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Greg is also instructed on high value arbitrations. Greg undertakes work both as leader and senior junior, usually appearing against established QCs. Greg’s instructions come from international, national and regional firms of solicitors and from in house counsel. His clients range from the European Union through multi-nationals, PLCs, SMEs and large family businesses. He has a very good understanding of the imperatives of business, the commerciality of settlement and the tactics needed to achieve settlement. He is widely regarded as being an astute tactician, taking the long view of how a case should proceed so that the client is positioned throughout in the strongest settlement and, ultimately, trial position available.
Harry joined Chambers as a tenant in 2018 following successful completion of pupillage. He has a busy and diverse practice spanning all areas of Chambers’ work, including competition, commercial, EU, VAT, procurement, administrative and public law. Harry is regularly instructed both as junior and sole counsel and has appeared in a range of courts and tribunals, including the County Court, High-Court, Court of Appeal, Information Tribunal, SEN Tribunal and VAT Tribunal.
Hugh joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2023, following the successful completion of pupillage. He is developing a busy practice spanning Chambers’ core areas. Current case highlights include: Acting for First MTR in the ‘UK Trains – Boundary Fares’ class action before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Acting for a former Afghan interpreter for the British armed forces in relation to his application to relocate to the UK following the fall of Kabul. Acting for the CMA on an ongoing Competition Act 1998 investigation. Acting for the ICO in various matters pertaining to alleged breaches under FOIA. Hugh studied law at Cambridge, obtaining a first-class Senior Status BA in Law and a first-class LLM in International Law, for which he was awarded the Clive Parry Prize for top ranked student in the International Law designation of the LLM. He completed the Bar Course as a Major Scholar of Inner Temple, receiving a mark of Distinction. Hugh also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Diploma in Languages from the University of Melbourne, both with first-class honours. Prior to coming to the Bar, Hugh was a Research Assistant at the University of Cambridge. He also spent seven years working with various legal NGOs in the UK and abroad, alongside his studies.
Ian Rogers QC is a leading silk who has built up an impressive body of work spanning a broad range of practice areas. He has represented private and public parties on 14 occasions in the Supreme Court and Privy Council. He has appeared numerous times in the EU Court of Justice (“CJEU”) and EFTA Court and was the final advocate to appear for the UK in the CJEU before the Brexit implementation period ended in December 2020. Much of his work is of a commercial character, ranging from his particular specialism in “commercial human rights” cases to the full range of general commercial litigation. There are few areas of law to which he has not turned his hand during the course of a career spanning over 25 years, earning his “reputation as a seasoned advocate in both European and domestic courts”. As a result, one of Ian’s strengths is his capacity to bring a new perspective in cutting edge cases operating at the intersections of areas of law, and also in developing areas of law. He is therefore particularly well-equipped to assist companies, public bodies and individuals with the challenges they face in the post-Brexit legal landscape of “EU Relations Law” and UK international trade law generally. Given the breadth of his body of domestic and international work at every level of court and tribunal, Ian has wide-ranging experience across a huge number of industry sectors, including: pharmaceuticals, health and social care, tobacco and alcohol, rail, road and passenger ferry transport, road user charging, telecommunications and broadcasting, food safety, agriculture and animal welfare, climate change and environmental protection, banking and financial services, labelling and packaging, intellectual property, media, sports, public health, education, insurance, professional discipline and regulation, advertising, retail and e-commerce, cross-border controls, international trade, corporate service providers, employment agencies/businesses and outsourcing. He has extensive offshore experience through multiple cases in the Isle of Man (where he has appeared as an advocate in doleance proceedings and in the Staff of Government Division), the Channel Islands and Caribbean jurisdictions. His client list is as broad as his experience. In public law, this includes the UK Prime Minister, the First Minister for Wales, the Italian Prime Minister, the Isle of Man Government, the UK (in overseas proceedings), the Advocate General for Scotland, tribunals, the staff of the European Investment Bank and some 800 judges. In commercial and private client work, some of the world’s largest oil and pharmaceutical companies, law firms, Premiership football and rugby clubs and the private owners of some of Europe’s largest steel and supermarket groups rank among Ian’s clients. At the other end of the spectrum, Ian acted pro bono in the Privy Council for a person on death row, whose conviction was quashed when vital new evidence proved he had been wrongly identified. Prior to taking silk, Ian served on the Attorney-General’s A Panel of Treasury Counsel. He is one of eight silks appointed to the Welsh Government’s Panel of QCs, having served on its Public Law A Panel until taking silk. Ian was honoured by Gray’s Inn in 2020 by his election as a Bencher.
Ian Wise QC is ranked as a leading silk in Administrative and Public Law, Local Government Law, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Local Government, Community Care and Education Law. He regularly appears in the appellate courts including the Supreme Court where he has appeared in a range of important cases involving complex legal and public policy issues. Among Ian’s recent cases in the Supreme Court are Mathieson v Secretary of State [2015] UKSC 47, a leading case on discrimination and disability, and R(JS) v Secretary of State [2015] UKSC 16, the ‘benefit cap’ case. He also appeared in the Supreme Court in the leading case on consultation, R(Moseley) v Haringey LBC [2014] UKSC and in Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v James [2014] AC 591 in which the Supreme Court set out the correct approach to the making of decisions about whether to give life-sustaining treatment in the case of persons lacking the capacity to make such decisions for themselves. Ian was counsel to the Healthwatch England ‘Special Inquiry into safe discharge from hospitals, care homes and secure settings’ which reported in 2015. Ian has over a hundred reported cases to his name and has particular expertise in public finance, health and regulatory matters. He has also taken over 30 cases to the European Court of Human Rights and has lectured widely on many aspects of public law. He has frequently been instructed to act for leading national charities including the Children’s Society, the National Autistic Society and Age UK and has advised numerous public bodies. He is authorised to take instructions by direct access.
Imogen is a public law specialist. She is regularly instructed in the most high-profile judicial reviews and in cases of national significance. Imogen’s wide-ranging public law practice includes the following areas: Commercial judicial review Human rights and civil liberties Education law Community care Local government Age disputes Regulatory law Imogen’s public law practice encompasses a number of Monckton’s specialist areas including procurement, EU law/EU relations law, telecommunications and commercial and utilities regulation. Imogen was appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel when 3 years into tenancy. She entered the legal directories in her fourth year of tenancy. Now 6 years’ call, Imogen has 13 reported cases, 4 of which are categorised by Westlaw UK as ‘significant’ judgments. She has appeared in the Court of Appeal four times and in 2022 appeared for the first time in the Supreme Court for the successful Secretary of State in R (VIP) v SSHD, a national security case. Imogen was shortlisted for an award in the Women in Law Awards 2020 in the category “Rising star – barrister/advocate of the year”.
Jack practises in Competition Law; Public Procurement Law; Administrative & Public Law; EU Law; and UK- EU Relations Law. He is a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel. In addition to England and Wales, Jack is called to the Bars of Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is a graduate from the University of Oxford (Hertford College) with a Distinction in the BCL Masters in Law (ranked 2nd in the year). Before that, he graduated from the University of Cambridge (St Catharine’s College) with a First Class Degree in Law. Jack was the recipient of Gray’s Inn’s top scholarships for Bar School and Pupillage.
James is a competition law specialist with strong experience in EU law. James is an experienced practitioner, originally qualifying as a New York attorney in 2000. A former référendaire at the General Court of the EU, he was a member of the European Commission’s Legal Service for 5 years. He has also worked as a solicitor at a leading London law firm.
Varied practice, at the intersection of commercial and public law. Experience across the spectrum of employment disputes, with an emphasis on whistleblowing and discrimination (including equal pay: the high-value Tesco litigation). Advises and acts for both public bodies (from local authorities to regulators such as the FCA and NHSI) and challengers in regulatory and procurement matters. Expertise in data protection including defending complex multi-party data breach claims (the Transform Hospital litigation).
Jenn joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022. She has a busy practice spanning Chambers’ core areas of expertise, including competition law, public law and human rights, data protection and information law and sports law. Current case highlights include: Acting in a number of competition collective proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, including for South Western Railway in the ‘boundary fares’ class action and for the WWL defendants in the RoRo Shipping Cartel class action. Acting for a former Afghan interpreter who worked alongside the British armed forces in relation to his application to relocate to the UK following the fall of Kabul. Acting for an asylum-seeker from Iranian Kurdistan in an age dispute case, and successfully securing interim relief in the Admin Court in circumstances where he had (on his claimed age) already turned 18 years old. Acting for the ICO in relation to a £12.7 million fine imposed on TikTok for a number of breaches of data protection law, including failing to use children’s personal data lawfully. Acting for Bolt in both a statutory appeal and judicial review proceedings against HMRC concerning the VAT treatment of ride-hailing services. Acting for Heathrow in its appeal against the Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to modify the price control terms of Heathrow’s economic licence. Jenn was the recipient of Lincoln’s Inn’s top scholarships for both the GDL and the Bar Course. She achieved a Distinction in the GDL and, in her year on the Bar Course, was ranked 1st in Criminal Litigation and 2nd in Civil Litigation. Before that, Jenn graduated from Yale University with a BA in Classics (with Distinction) and from the University of Oxford with an MPhil in Ancient Greek and Roman History (with Distinction). She wrote her MPhil thesis on inter-state surrender during the Roman Republic, which bears similarity to extradition in current international law. Prior to coming to the Bar, Jenn was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley for two years, where she worked on a variety of international mergers and acquisitions. She was born in New York and raised in Hong Kong and Canada.
Jeremy has had considerable experience in litigating and advising on European and international human rights law since coming to the Bar under the exceptional route for academics of experience and distinction. He had previously taught human rights, public international law and public law at the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Mauritius and Stockholm. Jeremy has appeared before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in both individual and inter-State proceedings. Most recently, he has acted in the admissibility proceedings in Slovenia v. Croatia (concerning the novel point of whether a State can use the European Convention system to protect the rights of a bank that has been already held not to be entitled to bring proceedings on its own behalf) and the Proceedings under Article 46 § 4 of the Convention in the Case of ilgar Mammadov v. Azerbaijan. In addition to litigation, Jeremy advises on the compatibility with European and international human rights standards of legislative proposals being considered in a wide range of countries. In particular, he has advised on the adoption of criminal and criminal procedure codes and legislation concerned with discrimination, freedom of assembly and of association, hate speech, property restitution and prosecution services. Jeremy is a visiting professor at Central European University and chairs the Expert Council on NGO Law of the Council of Europe’s Conference on International Non-Governmental Organisations.
Jon is the top-ranked UK Queen’s Counsel in The Legal 500’s European and Competition category. He is also ranked as a leading counsel in the fields of Telecommunications and Administrative and Public law. He sits part-time as a deputy high court judge. His range and skillset are formidable. He is at home in stringent cross-examination in a trial setting, in advancing legal arguments before appellate courts including the UK Supreme Court, and in appearing in the European Courts. He is qualified at the Bar of Ireland as well as the Bar of England and Wales, and is a member of the New York Bar.
Jonathan has a diverse practice with particular focus upon public procurement, public and administrative law, consumer law and commercial law. He has appeared in a variety of courts and tribunals, including the Court of Appeal. He is equally comfortable as sole counsel or working in a team. Jonathan has a busy procurement practice, representing both claimants and contracting authorities in substantial procurement challenges in a wide variety of sectors. He has substantial experience across a broad spectrum of public law work. He is on the Attorney General’s “A” Panel of counsel. He is instructed in a number of judicial review claims, many of which have an underlying regulatory thread. He has advised various government departments on a variety of issues in respect of number of administrative schemes and legislative proposals. He acts in a variety of statutory appeals and deals with claims under the Human Rights Act 1998. Jonathan has substantial consumer law experience, having acted for the Competition and Markets Authority in a number of enforcement actions as well has having advised consumers on a variety of issues. Jonathan’s commercial practice primarily covers contractual disputes in a variety of different industry sectors.
Josh’s practice covers all aspects of competition law and regulation, including communications, energy, financial services and data. He is experienced in dealing with the most complex disputes, typically involving heavy economic and technical evidence and/or raising novel legal issues. He appears regularly before UK and EU Courts and regulators; and has also advised on competition and regulatory matters arising in many other jurisdictions. His clients range from major multinationals to small firms, as well as national governments and regulatory authorities from around the world.
Julian Gregory is a competition and regulatory law specialist who is consistently ranked by the directories as a leading senior junior in his field. He is praised by clients for being “extremely good at grasping highly technical and complex legal issues”, communicating them with “great clarity of thought and expression” and identifying “hidden strategic opportunities”. He is a “robust advocate and clear drafter” who appears before regulators, the CAT, the High Court and appellate courts. Julian is instructed by a wide range of bodies, from global multinationals to small local businesses and government bodies. He works with clients to understand their objectives and how their organizations operate, and is credited with having “great commercial awareness”. The directories say “he is very approachable and combines a down-to-earth attitude with strong intellectual ability”. Julian frequently operates as part of a large team and can help solicitors to manage major, long-running cases. He enjoys working closely with economists: clients say he has a “superb understanding of economics” and he has post-graduate training in econometrics, often used in merger analysis and damages models. He looks to express technical arguments as simply as possible so that they can be understood easily by non-expert judges. He has particular experience of opt-out collective proceedings (he is currently involved in the Roberts (sewerage spills) and Pollack (ad tech) claims), damages actions, applications for injunctions and challenges to regulatory decisions on judicial review grounds, including in merger inquiries and market investigations. He has an intimate understanding of the major UK regulators, having been seconded to the OFT, CC and ORR in the early years of his practice and has worked extensively in the field of telecoms and regulated utilities, and in the retail, finance, healthcare, sports and media sectors.
Julianne is a popular junior barrister whose busy practice covers many of Chambers’ core areas of work. She is particularly active in Public Law and Human Rights, Competition and Regulatory, Data Protection and Freedom of Information, as well as a number of areas of European law. Julianne’s practice involves a mixture of led work, in which she has significant experience of complex and high profile litigation, as well as a substantial amount of work in her own right as sole barrister and advocate. Julianne acts before a range of Courts and Tribunals for clients including multinational corporations, governmental and public bodies and private individuals.
Kassie Smith QC is one of the Bar’s leading specialists in competition, EU and regulatory litigation. Kassie regularly appears in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, in the UK, as well as in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. She has also developed an international practice, working in jurisdictions from the Channel Islands to the BVI to Hong Kong, as well as in various high-value, international arbitrations. She has appeared in over 30 cases before the European Court of Justice. Before taking silk in 2013, she was a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel.
Khatija has a vibrant practice with a particular focus on public law, competition, procurement, and information law. As well as working as part of a team, Khatija is regularly instructed and appears as an advocate in her own right. She has appeared as sole counsel in the High Court (on substantive judicial reviews, interim relief hearings, permission hearings, and urgent out-of-hours applications), the Immigration and Asylum (First-Tier) Tribunal, the Information Tribunal, the SENDist Tribunal, the Technology and Construction Court, and the County Court. As of January 2020, Khatija was co-opted to the Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA) Committee.
Kristina has a broad commercial and commercial chancery practice with a focus on civil fraud, company law, insolvency disputes, and competition damages claims. Much of her work has an international element. She has been called to the Bar in the BVI and is registered with the DIFC Courts. Recent highlights include an appearance in the Court of Appeal in a €480 million damages claim, a five-week arbitration in Stockholm in a damages claim raising issues of FRAND, and a group action against a life assurance company involving over 400 claimants based in more than 40 jurisdictions. Kristina assisted Steven Gee KC with the 7th edition of Gee on Commercial Injunctions and is a contributor to Companies – Commentary, Articles (Volume 9(1) of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents).
Laura is a highly experienced specialist in Competition law and Information law. Laura is the co-Editor of the leading EU Competition law text, Bellamy & Child European Union Law of Competition (8th Ed.) Laura is security cleared and can handle sensitive cases. She is also direct access qualified, and can accept instructions directly from clients.
Ligia specialises in European law, with a particular focus on competition law, public procurement, telecommunications law and utilities regulation. She has been involved in a number of high profile, high value cases in these areas. She regularly advises private and public sector clients on complex legal and strategic issues across these fields.
Luke Kelly has been practising at the Bar in South Africa since 2011. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2022. Luke has experience and expertise in the fields of competition law, administrative and public law, and general commercial law. In South Africa, Luke has appeared in the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, Competition Appeal Court, Competition Tribunal, and various High Courts. In Namibia, he has appeared in the Supreme Court and the High Court. Luke has served as a member of the Cape Bar Council. He has delivered ad-hoc lectures on competition law at the University of Cape Town. He is the lead author and editor of Principles of Competition Law in South Africa (Oxford University Press) and is a co-author and editor of Class Action Litigation in South Africa (Juta).
Mark Brealey QC specialises in EU and Competition Law. He regularly appears before the Courts of England and Wales, before the Competition Appeal Tribunal and before the Court of Justice of the European Communities. He also appears at oral hearings before the competition and regulatory authorities. Appeared in first two Competition Act cases to reach Supreme Court: BCL Old v BASF [2012] UKSC 45; Deutsche Bahn v Morgan Crucible[2014] UKSC 24. Other cases: Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd v MasterCard Incorporated and Ors [2016) CAT 11 in the CAT (interchange fees); Enron Coal Services [2011] EWCA Civ 2 in the Court of Appeal (follow on claim for damages); Case C-457/10P AstraZeneca v Commissionjudgment 6.12.12 in the European Court of Justice (regulatory abuse of dominant position); Case T-251/12 Freight Forwarding v Commission in the General Court (price fixing cartel); Imperial Tobacco v OFT [2011] CAT 41 in the CAT (vertical price restraints); Hays v OFT [2011] CAT 29 in the CAT (recruitment consultant cartel; reduction of penalty); Kier v OFT [2011] CAT 33in the CAT (construction cartel: reduction of penalty). Mark Brealey was The Times Lawyer of the Week – 25 June 2020. He is editor of “Competition litigation: UK Practice and Procedure” second edition 2019.
Melanie Hall has been an acknowledged leader in the field of VAT for decades, having appeared in many of the iconic cases which have built the foundations of the tax such as Abbey National, Kretztechnik, EC v Ireland, The Wellcome Foundation, Midland Bank, Weald Leasing, EDS, Church Schools Foundation, Redrow, Dr Beynon, ICAEW, Mobilx and Sub-One to name a few. Melanie is instructed by both HMRC and the private sector in high profile and complex cases. This not only deepens her understanding and experience of the tax but ensures that any legal opinion she expresses will be respected by the other side. There are very few areas of VAT upon which she has not advised. In addition to VAT, Melanie continues to take a lead role in shaping the response to sector-wide challenges concerning landfill tax and the aggregates levy which have been litigated in the domestic and Europeans courts during the past decade.
Meredith is a leading silk for competition and economic regulatory matters. As an advocate, Meredith appears in damages actions, claims for injunctions and challenges to regulatory decisions. He has considerable experience of cases which raise further issues such as conflict of laws and interaction with intellectual property law. In addition to involvement in cases across all main industry sectors he has particular experience in the technology, media and telecommunications (“TMT”) sphere. He also sits as an arbitrator in international commercial disputes. Meredith has acted for: (in TMT) Google, Apple, Samsung, Sky, BT, EE, Vodafone, Three, TalkTalk, Philips, Verizon, Alcatel-Lucent, Premier League, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and (IP specialists) Sisvel and IPCom; (in power and water) National Grid, EdF, ScottishPower, Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water), Scottish Water; (in transport) Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Korean Air Lines, P&O, Stena, DFDS and Tubelines; (in manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals) DAF Trucks, Dow Chemical, TEVA and Vertex Pharmaceuticals; (in financial services) a leading international investment bank and comparethemarket; (in retail) Dixons Carphone Warehouse, Asda, Argos, Morrisons; (in hotels) Intercontinental Hotels.
Michael is a leading silk in commercial, competition and EU law at the Irish Bar and is a member of Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple. He practices from 4 Arran Square, Arran Quay, Dublin 7. Holding Masters degrees in economics and law respectively from University College Dublin and an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania, Michael started his career as an associate with Shearman & Sterling in New York in the early 1980s before commencing practice at the Irish Bar. In 1996 Michael was appointed by the Irish Government as Chairman of the Competition and Mergers Review Group the majority of whose recommendations were subsequently implemented into Irish law in the Competition Act 2002. Michael appears regularly before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Ireland and frequently appears before the Court of Justice of the EU. He also has an extensive practice in commercial arbitration (domestic and international) both as counsel and as arbitrator. He has had appointments as arbitrator from the ICC Court of Arbitration, the London Court of International Arbitration and is one of Ireland’s representatives on the ICC Commission on Arbitration. He is also a member of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Panel of Arbitrators and is a former President of Arbitration Ireland. Michael is Chairman of the Irish Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (Irish Sports Council), former President of Irish Rule of Law International and a former Chairman of the Bar Council of Ireland for two years. He was elected an ordinary Bencher of Middle Temple in 2022 and a Bencher of the Honorable Society of King’s Inns in 2007 of which he is also a Council member. The following year he was elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in the United States of which he is now also a director. Michael has been a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Maynooth University on Legal Aspects of Competition and Regulation in Maynooth’s Master of Economic Science Programme. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Law at UCD Sutherland Law School. In the much more interesting parts of his life he is a board member of the Irish Film Institute, a former Council member of the Dublin Theatre Festival and a member of the Wexford Opera Development Council.
Michael Bowsher QC has a busy practice in public procurement, competition and commercial law, particularly in disputes concerning major public and public-private projects. He is particularly known for his unique practice in regulated procurement in the United Kingdom, Ireland, elsewhere in Europe and beyond. Michael Bowsher QC has appeared as counsel in many of the major procurement cases over more than a decade. He is also heavily involved in providing advice on procurement law and practice in non-contentious situations. He has recently become increasingly involved in matters involving application and interpretation of investment treaties and trade agreements as well as a range of matters involving Outer Space law. Michael remains very active in competition law matters, having acted in a number of recent matters involving essential facilities, competition in payment systems and now acting as leading counsel in a number of collective proceedings brought in the CAT. Michael is active in a range of dispute resolution arrangements. He has often been appointed as arbitrator, mediator and expert by CEDR, LCIA, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Technology and Construction Solicitor Association. Most of his appointments involve disputes concerning investments or long term contracts involving the public sector or utilities. He has recently been involved in a number procedures involving disputes in the operation of the NHS. Michael is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London where he teaches EU Public Procurement on the LLM degree course and is Director of the Distance Learning Diploma and Masters in Public Procurement law. Each of these courses includes substantial components concerning procurement by international organisations beyond the EU. Michael will become Leader of the European Circuit in Autumn 2022.
Michael’s diverse practice covers public law (including community care), competition law (EU and UK), public procurement, freedom of information, sports law and general commercial litigation. He has appeared in over 30 reported cases at all levels up to the Supreme Court. He has substantial experience as sole counsel, but is equally happy working as part of a counsel team. Michael acts for both claimants and defendants, with clients ranging from major international businesses and central government departments to charities and individuals in receipt of legal aid. He is Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority, and a member of both the Attorney-General’s “B-Panel” and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s panel of approved counsel. He is direct access qualified and accepts pro bono instructions in suitable cases.
Natalie joined Monckton as a tenant in October 2023, following successful completion of her pupillage. She is developing a busy practice across chambers’ core areas of expertise, including competition law, public law and human rights, and sports law. She acts both led and unled, and has appeared as sole counsel in the County Court on various commercial matters. Natalie graduated from the University of Oxford with a First in Ancient and Modern History, and achieved a Distinction in the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, before completing the Graduate Diploma in Law and Bar Course at City, University of London (both with Distinction). She was the recipient of Gray’s Inn’s top scholarship for the GDL and the Arden Scholarship, one of the Inn’s most prestigious merit-based scholarships. Prior to qualifying as a barrister, Natalie worked part-time as a public law caseworker at Duncan Lewis Solicitors and as a casework intern at the AIRE Centre, assisting with asylum and trafficking claims, EUSS applications and ECHR-related issues. She also acted as a research assistant to Professor Cathryn Costello (Hertie School; University of Oxford) and Paul Dillane (LSE). Before joining Monckton, Natalie worked as a legal assistant in Arnold & Porter’s antitrust department.
Nikolaus is a leading junior practising in the fields of competition, public and regulatory, human rights, data protection, and international law. He acts regularly in high-profile litigation, and has particular expertise in mergers, complex public law cases, group litigation, and in claims involving issues of national security, armed conflict and international relations.
Professor Panos Koutrakos is a leading authority on EU law, who has written and advised in a wide range of issues, including trade and internal market law and, in particular, in those areas where EU law meets international law. He is a dual-qualified barrister (England & Wales, and Athens, Greece) and Professor of EU Law and Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law at City, University of London (since 2013; previous posts include Chair in EU law at the University of Bristol (2006-2013) and Durham University (2004-2006), as well as visiting posts at the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney, New South Wales, Iowa, Antwerp, and Michigan). His authority in EU Law is illustrated by numerous publications (including, amongst others, EU International Relations Law 2nd edition (2015) which is a leading text in the field) and his position as the joint editor of European Law Review, a pre-eminent journal in the field. He has given evidence to the European Parliament and the House of Commons. He speaks regularly at international conferences on EU and international law.
Paul is a highly sought-after litigation and appellate Silk, relishing the cut and thrust of commercial litigation, whether in Court or in arbitration. He also sits as an arbitrator in commercial and sports matters. His reputation extends, in particular, to the fields of administrative/public, broadcasting, general commercial, competition, energy, entertainment, European, pharmaceuticals and sports law – and that reputation is reflected in his busy, high-profile practice. For instance, in 2020 Paul led the successful appeal before CAS by Manchester City FC against the decision by UEFA to ban the Club from the Champions League and succeeded for the Claimant in the Supreme Court in what has been described as the largest ever UK damages action – the Merricks v. Mastercard collective proceedings claim brought on behalf of most UK adults. He also currently (2021) leads the defence for Daimler in two other collective actions (UKTC and the RHA), and in multiple Truck cartel damages actions, and for LSER in a further stand-alone collective action (Gutmann). In 2018, Paul led the defence in an expedited commercial and competition action about the launch of a controversial on-line property portal, OnTheMarket, and led the judicial review challenge by Intercontinental Exchange against the CMA in relation to ICE’s merger with Trayport (2017). He was also Leader in the substantial follow-on cartel damages action (Air Cargo, 2016), was Leader for the successful Respondent in the cutting-edge judicial review about merger jurisdiction of the CMA (Eurotunnel – Supreme Court)(2015), and carried Arriva to success in their abuse of dominance trial against Luton Airport concerning airport bus services (2014). In the world of commercial arbitration, Paul has acted as advocate in recent commercial arbitrations concerning satellite services and international gas supply and pricing and as arbitrator in disputes concerning boxing, tennis and football. Paul is established as the leading Silk in the world of Formula 1. He has been Leader for Mercedes GP in two recent, successful International Court of Appeal arbitration cases that have helped to cement their dominance at the top of Formula 1 (‘Pirelli Tyre-gate’ & ‘Ricciardo fuel-flow’) and regularly acts for other teams, managers, drivers and sponsors and regulatory and commercial bodies in the sport. Paul’s practice includes representing many football clubs – as well as agents, players, directors, regulatory bodies and other commercial entities connected with the sport. Recent and regular clients have included Manchester City FC, Manchester City Womens FC, Leeds United FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC, Hull FC, Leicester City FC, Watford FC, West Bromwich Albion, QPR, Fulham FC, Derby FC, Luton FC, Plymouth Argyle FC, Middlesborough FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Aston Villa FC, Crystal Palace FC and Newcastle United FC . Paul is very experienced in all manner of other sports and sports commercial disputes, in all disciplinary and regulatory fora, including CAS. For example, Paul represents Saracens RFC and has acted regularly for the RFU. Paul regularly represents overseas clients, in particular from the US, the Middle East, APAC and the EU/EEA, with many of the disputes in which he is involved having a multijurisdictional angle and multi-forum litigation. Paul remains qualified as an EU lawyer post-Brexit, having been called to the Bar in Ireland in 2018.
Peter has a breadth and depth of experience and expertise in the field of VAT unsurpassed at the junior bar. He is regularly instructed by accountants and solicitors to advise clients in many sectors, and is entrusted by HMRC with advice and litigation in complex high value cases. Peter has helped private clients successfully address a wide range of VAT issues, from Assessments to Zero-rating. Peter has recently acted for clients in the charities, education, e-commerce, insurance and financial services sectors, amongst others. Peter has litigated over 90 important VAT cases (reported in Simon’s Tax Cases). He also has many successful appearances in the specialist tax tribunals and experience in the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Justice. In 2017 Peter was part of the HMRC counsel team which won the Littlewoods multi-billion pound compound interest litigation in the Supreme Court, the only counsel to represent HMRC in every court throughout that litigation. He acted in the first VAT Group litigation in both the High Court and Court of Appeal. Peter brings skills originally acquired across a broad range of civil litigation and honed in the tax field, including valuable insights gained from representing both private clients and HMRC. His tax practice includes tax judicial reviews, human rights based claims, excise duty and other indirect taxes and direct tax.
Philip is an EU law specialist with a particular focus on Competition Law and Telecommunications. He also has experience in Public Procurement, Commercial Litigation and Indirect Tax. He is a recommended junior for Competition/European Law and Telecommunications Law in Chambers and Partners, which has described him as “an absolutely fantastic junior who is extremely bright and knowledgeable about telecoms” “a considered advocate and people really listen to him,” and as having “a great work ethic and is very hands-on.” Philip appears regularly in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and in the First Tier and Upper Tier Tribunals. He also advises on regulatory proceedings before Ofcom, the OFT, the Competition Commission and the European Commission. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University and a contributing author to recent and current editions of Bellamy and Child’s European Law of Competition (7th edition, OUP 2013 and 8th edition, OUP 2018). He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University and a contributing author to recent and current editions of Bellamy and Child’s European Law of Competition (7th edition, OUP 2013 and 8th edition, OUP 2018).
Philip Moser QC, joint Head of Chambers, is ranked as a Leading Silk in EU Law, Competition Law, Procurement Law and Indirect Tax by Legal 500 and Chambers UK. He has appeared in every division of the High Court and at every level of the UK and EU Courts. His practice deals with all aspects of domestic and international trade law, including the intersection of domestic and EU law, now encompassing the implications of Brexit. Philip regularly handles cases in the UK appellate courts and at the CJEU. He also acts as a Mediator and is listed as an LCIA Arbitrator. A former supervisor in EC Law at Robinson College, Cambridge, Philip was editor of the European Advocate 2000-2019 and publishes on issues of EU law.
Piers transferred to the Bar in 2000, after over 20 years’ experience as a solicitor, in the City, at the European Commission Human Rights and as Director of the British Institute of International & Comparative Law. He has a detailed knowledge of all aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights, together with other European treaty based law, and their operation in domestic, EU and international law. He has dealt in particular with cases concerning the application of the ECHR to commercial, investigatory and tax matters and the interaction of international and domestic proceedings, often in several jurisdictions at once and particularly involving urgency and interim relief. This unusual transnational practice has involved cases concerning 36 European countries apart from the UK (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine) plus Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, the Turcs and Caicos and extensively in the USA. Key features of these cases have been: protection of property and confidentiality, particularly in commercial and tax matters, data protection, especially with INTERPOL, jurisdictional disputes, both as to forum and enforcement, and the prevention of unwarranted evidence gathering and extradition. Piers is the UK delegate to the Permanent Delegation of the CCBE to the European Court of Human Rights and chairs the Delegation.
Raymond specialises in VAT and Direct Tax, as well as the pensions aspects of Employment Law. He appears regularly before the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) and the Employment Tribunal, both in London and in Tribunals sitting everywhere between Truro and Edinburgh. He has also appeared in cases in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as being instructed in 60 cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, of which 43 related to VAT, 16 related to direct tax and one customs duty case. Raymond has also done a further direct tax case before the EFTA Court in Luxembourg. Raymond is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Junior Counsel for the Crown, which means that he is regularly instructed by HMRC, the Treasury Solicitor and other Government Departments. However, he also acts for Appellants, whether they be private individuals, small firms or multinational companies. Raymond’s particular skills lie in the detailed preparation of cases with complicated facts and the clear presentation of technical legal arguments in pleadings and written submissions, as well as orally in Court. He enjoys meeting new clients in conference and is happy for solicitors and accountants to call him and discuss any questions or points which they have.
Rob is a highly experienced barrister and advocate practicing in competition law, procurement law, public law and other regulatory litigation. He acts for the range of commercial and public sector clients. Since 2015, Rob has been Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority. Rob’s work is principally divided between the High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and he appears frequently in the appellate courts. Rob has appeared in many of the leading cases in competition and public procurement law. Before joining Monckton Chambers, Rob worked as an in-house advocate at a large City law firm. His experience has given him a particular insight into the needs of both solicitor and lay clients at all stages of the litigation process, and as a result, Rob places particular importance on being user friendly and accessible.
Robert Palmer QC is widely recognised as a leader in the fields of public law, regulatory law, EU law and competition law. Robert has particular expertise in commercial and regulatory judicial review proceedings in the Administrative Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal. He has appeared on multiple occasions in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and on more than 20 occasions in the Court of Justice of the European Union. Robert’s wide experience includes work in the telecommunications, energy, financial services, pharmaceutical and aviation sectors. He has considerable experience in public law fields as diverse as areas of environmental law, immigration and asylum law, and human rights law. Prior to taking silk, Robert was a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel. In 2021, Robert was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge, sitting in the Queen’s Bench Division. Robert was also previously appointed as a Recorder in 2018.
Ronit is a leading barrister at the London Bar and former Solicitor-Advocate, whose practice spans all aspects of Competition, Regulatory / Utilities and Trade law, as well as Sports law. Ronit is at the forefront of heavy weight competition litigation. She is currently leading a number of high profile Collective Actions in the CAT including multi-billion claims against Apple and Google for their App Store charges and a £600 million claim against BT relating to landlines. She is currently appearing in 3 of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2020 – Allianz, Evans and O’Higgins Forex Claims – where she acts for MUFG. She has particular expertise in cases at the intersection of competition and IP law. Throughout her career she has featured in seminal competition cases such as the Pay for Delay litigation (Paroxetine and Lundbeck), Trucks, Interchange Fees and Air Cargo. In March 2019, Ronit was selected for the W@’s inaugural “40 in their 40s” list of Notable Women Competition Professionals in Europe. She has also has featured in the Lawyer’s Hot 100. Before taking silk, Ronit was consistently ranked by the directories as a leading junior for Competition Law and Media, Entertainment and Sport.
Stefan is a competition and regulatory specialist. He has extensive experience in damages actions (including collective proceedings) and in all areas of economic regulation, including in the telecoms, energy and financial services sectors. He also regularly advices on data protection, information law and the interception of communications.
Steven Gee QC is a commercial litigator with nearly forty years’ experience. His practice covers a broad range of commercial litigation and arbitration including agency agreements, distribution agreements, commercial contracts, joint ventures, partnership, sale of goods, insurance, reinsurance, misrepresentation and civil fraud, shipping, shipbuilding, company law, and banking. He has appeared as counsel in courts in Antigua, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, The British Virgin Islands, Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal, Hong Kong, and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland. Steven also has extensive arbitration experience which includes disputes involving: shareholders and reflective loss; joint ventures; ship building and chartering; interim remedies; agencies; distribution; commercial contracts; sale of goods; share sales; real property (specifically land and leases); banking and finance; private equities; securities; insurance and reinsurance; civil fraud and misrepresentations; fraudulent transfers of assets and tracing and partnerships. He also has experience of judicial supervision of arbitration in the commercial courts and enforcement of arbitration awards. Steven sits as a commercial arbitrator and has acted in numerous commercial arbitrations – including International Chamber of Commerce arbitrations – in the UK, Bermuda, New York, Paris and Geneva. He has also appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and Antigua. He is a member of the New York Bar and is admitted to practise in the State and Federal Courts in New York and is a member of the Antigua Bar.
Tim Ward KC, joint Head of Chambers, is widely recognised as a leading litigator and advocate in the fields of competition, telecommunications, public law, EU law and sport. Legal directories list him as a leading individual in legal directories in each of those fields. Tim has particular expertise in commercial and regulatory matters, acting in disputes across the full range of regulated industries, including energy, water, telecoms, aviation, financial services, gambling and sport. He has expertise in cases with a technical or economic dimension. His EU litigation practice covers a wide range of matters including procurement, sanctions, tax, free movement, conflicts of laws, single market, external relations and the environment. His practice is increasingly international. He has appeared in more than 50 cases before the European Courts (including the EFTA Court) and has over 30 reported cases in the field of public law, including before the Supreme Court. Tim sits as an adjudicator on the judicial panels of both the Rugby Football Union and the Football Association. He is a member of the Sports Resolutions Panel of arbitrators and mediators. He is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn and Master of Finance. Tim has been called to the Bar of Ireland.
Valentina is a leading barrister in EU relations, procurement and tax law, including VAT, excise and customs duties. The directories have consistently recommended Valentina as an outstanding practitioner. Valentina has extensive experience of leading heavyweight, complex and high-profile litigation. Her recent cases include appearing before the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the EU in a challenge to the validity of EU tax legislation and representing the claimant in a challenge to the Government’s procurement of a £1 billion contract for a supercomputer, one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2022. Valentina was previously a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel and has wide-ranging public law and judicial review expertise.
Will has a busy practice in competition, consumer, data protection and privacy, environmental, EU relations, human rights, information, procurement, public and regulatory law. He acts for both claimants and defendants, including major businesses, NGOs, regulators, central government departments and legally aided individuals. Recent highlights include: novel human rights challenges (Richards v Environment Agency; Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People v DWP), complex commercial and regulatory public law proceedings (Fourth National Lottery Licence litigation; RIIO-2 price control appeals; VIP v Home Secretary), unled freedom of information appeals (Sheppard v Information Commissioner & Cabinet Office; Airwars v MoD), data protection claims and enforcement action (ICO’s investigation into the Department for Education; X v Transcription Agency and Master James), advising on areas of digital regulation (including the Online Safety Bill, the Digital Markets Unit legislation and the security of the UK’s telecoms networks), and high-profile competition law disputes (Epic Games v Google; Gutmann v Apple; Sportradar v Football DataCo and BetGenius).
William has a strong practice covering a wide spectrum of high value commercial disputes and civil fraud matters. He has been consistently recommended in Chambers and Partners (both in the UK and Global editions) as a leading commercial practitioner in his field. As well as undertaking high value work in the Court of Appeal and the High Court of England and Wales, he has developed a substantial international and cross-border practice, undertaking work in many other jurisdictions, such as the Isle of Man, Jersey, Italy, Gibraltar, Spain, Germany and the USA. He has also successfully acted in a range of arbitrations and adjudications.