The Legal 500

Chambers of Steven Gee QC

4 FIELD COURT, GRAY'S INN, LONDON, WC1R 5EF, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7440 6900
Fax:
Fax 020 7242 0197
DX:
483 LONDON CHANCERY LANE WC2
Web:
www.stonechambers.com
Email:

A specialist commercial and shipping set, specialising in international commercial litigation and arbitration, established under the direction of leading Silk Steven Gee QC. Stone Chambers provides advocacy, advisory, arbitral and mediation services, representing clients in a wide range of courts and tribunals in England and Wales, European and international jurisdictions. They act as arbitrators, mediators and expert witnesses.

The set: Combining a dynamic, friendly and innovative approach with a comprehensive and client-focused service, Stone Chambers’ barristers provide leading expertise in matters ranging from urgent applications for relief, freezing and search orders, and other interim relief, through to trial and beyond.

Much of Stone Chambers’ work is international and several barristers hold practising certificates in some US states, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and a number of jurisdictions in the West Indies. Languages spoken include: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and Mandarin. Barristers write or contribute to numerous publications, including Gee on Commercial Injunctions, The Maritime Law of Salvage, Law of the European Union, Halsbury’s Laws The Rotterdam Rules: A Practical Annotation,Bills of Lading in Export Trade, Bankers’ Law, PLC, Journal of International Banking and Financial Law and Lloyd’s List.

Types of work undertaken: Stone Chambers offers expertise in the following key areas:

Commercial: all aspects of international trade and commerce, contractual disputes, joint venture disputes; jurisdiction and conflict of laws, employment, professional negligence, construction and engineering, both on land and offshore.

Shipping: charterparty and bill of lading disputes; contracts of affreightment and containerisation contracts (including connecting carrier and slot chartering agreements); ship sale purchase; shipbuilding contracts; superyachts; offshore and shipping activities, including oil and gas, environmental, fisheries and conservation matters; Admiralty work, including arrests, collisions, salvage and general average.

Arbitration: arbitration law and practice, including ICC, GAFTA, LMAA, LCIA, LOF, UNCITRAL and CIETAC.

Injunctive relief: urgent interim relief, including freezing and search orders and anti-suit injunctions.

Commodities and sale of goods: international and domestic contracts, as well as related transactions (letters of credit, bills of exchange, insurance, FFAs, guarantees and performance bonds).

Insurance and reinsurance: all aspects of marine and non-marine insurance and reinsurance law.

Road, rail and air transport: carriage of goods and passengers, including terms of carriage, arrangements with freight forwarders/other transport intermediaries, regulatory/competition issues, environmental matters and safety.

Banking and finance: freezing orders, asset tracing, leases, loans, securitisation, bills of exchange, promissory notes, documentary credits, insolvency, mortgage enforcement and consumer credit.

Competition: advisory work and advocacy in all aspects of domestic and EU competition law – prohibited behaviour, market share, abuse of dominant position, damages claims in the context of the competition rules.

Civil fraud: injunctive relief (in particular freezing and search orders) in the context of civil fraud disputes; deceit actions, claims for knowing receipt and dishonest assistance; proprietary claims and equitable relief.

Employment: all aspects of employment law including unfair dismissal, discrimination, breaches of contract and TUPE.

Costs: specialist costs litigation, including conditional fee agreements and liability of professional funders.

Above material supplied by Stone Chambers (Chambers of Steven Gee 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
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  • 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:
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: