The Legal 500

20 Essex Street

Chambers of Iain Milligan QC

LONDON, WC2R 3AL, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7842 1200
Fax:
Fax 020 7842 1270
DX:
0009 LONDON CHANCERY LANE WC2
Web:
www.20essexst.com
Email:
Singapore, London

This long-established, progressive set of chambers is one of the leading sets in commercial law. Members advise on all aspects of international trade, commerce and finance with specialist expertise in banking, shipping, insurance, public international law, and European Community law. Chambers is situated in purpose-built accommodation in Essex Street, which provides conference and arbitration facilities for clients, and is based close to the law courts.

The set: Although much of chambers’ work is in the commercial court, the practice and clientele are international. Chambers aims to combine an outstanding standard of work with a friendly and approachable attitude to clients, lay and professional. In 2006 Chambers was awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its outstanding contribution to international trade. In 2010 Chambers opened an annex at Maxwell Chambers, Singapore.

Types of work undertaken: Commercial: members of chambers advise on a range of commercial matters, including the following: Admiralty; agency; arbitration; aviation; bailment; banking and financial services; carriage by land, sea and air; commodities and futures, company law and partnership; competition; conflicts of law; construction; disciplinary proceedings; entertainment law; insurance and reinsurance; international sales and commodity trading; IT; oil and gas; professional negligence; sale of goods; shipping; sports law; and all types of domestic and international commercial agreements.

European Union: a number of members are specialists in European Community law and are regularly engaged to provide advice and representation to Community institutions, member states and other litigants on such issues as agriculture, the free movement of goods, those relating to individuals, services and capital, competition and state aids.

International: members of chambers engaged in this field appear before the International Court of Justice and other international tribunals.

Some members specialise in public international law, dealing with such matters as boundaries, interpretation of treaties, state immunity, international investment and human rights. Those practising in these areas appear as advocates in the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, Dispute Settlement Panels of the World Trade Organisation, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, and comparable tribunals.

Members also practise in private international law, including the Brussels Regulation on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments and the Rome Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations. Some have experience of conducting litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on the Brussels Regulation.

Senior members and arbitrator members accept appointments through chambers to conduct inquiries and act as arbitrators and mediators. Members will accept instructions to appear in courts abroad, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and other jurisdictions subject to admission rules, whilst some members have been called to the local bars of Australia, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar and South Africa.

A number of members are authors and editors of leading publications and journals, full details of which are available on chambers’ website at www.20essexst.com.

Foreign languages spoken: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Hindi, Greek and Mandarin.

Above material supplied by 20 Essex Street (Chambers of Iain Milligan QC).

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • HOUSING

    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
    - 11KBW
  • COUNCIL TAX

    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
    - 11KBW
  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
    - 11KBW
  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
    - 11KBW
  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
    - 11KBW
  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
    - 11KBW
  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
    - 11KBW
  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
    - 11KBW
  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
    - 11KBW
  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: