The Legal 500

Within Administrative and public law (including local government), Monckton Chambers (Chambers of Paul Lasok QC) is a third tier firm,

Monckton Chambers is a ‘natural choice’ for EU and competition law and public procurement issues, and the clerks are ‘friendly and easy to deal with’. Christopher Vajda QC is recommended for his regulatory expertise and experience before the CAT, High Court and Court of Appeal. Michael Bowsher QC is a ‘leader in procurement law’ and has ‘strong commercial acumen’. Kassie Smith is also recommended.

Within Civil liberties and human rights (including public inquiry law and actions against the police),

Also recommended are: 25 Bedford Row, which represents defendants accused of national security breaches and life-sentenced prisoners; 5 Essex Court, for its work defending actions against the police and cases engaging human rights; the ‘highly diplomatic’ Barbara Hewson at Hardwicke, who ‘conducts her work in an effortless manner’; Ian Rogers, Piers Gardner, and new silk Tim Ward QC at Monckton Chambers; ‘consummate advocate’ Richard Lissack QC at Outer Temple Chambers, for public inquiry work; and the ‘absolutely first-rate’ Nicholas Moss at Temple Garden Chambers, for his work on the Baha Mousa public inquiry.

Within Construction,

Also recommended are: the ‘good-humoured and courteous’ Michael Black QC of XXIV Old Buildings; Michael Bowsher QC of Monckton Chambers (‘excellent with clients and very much at ease in the courtroom’); 3 Hare Court’s William Godwin, who has ‘good attention to detail’; Stuart Kennedy at 3PB, who is ‘extremely pleasant to work with and puts himself out for clients’; and, at Hardwicke, Nigel Jones QC, who ‘goes the extra mile’, and the ‘approachable’ David Pliener.

Within Consumer and product liability, tier 5

Monckton Chambers’ strengths are in advising on and litigating retail sector cases. Gerry Facenna and Anneli Howard are recommended.

Within EU and competition, Monckton Chambers (Chambers of Paul Lasok QC) is a first tier firm,

Monckton Chambers has an ‘excellent’ reputation in EU & competition matters and its ‘deep reliability’ is praised by clients, which include government departments, local authorities, NGOs, and EU institutions. In addition to the wide number of able silks and juniors, the set receives praise for its ‘high-quality’ clerks, who ‘always provide support and assistance’ and whose accessibility ‘really impresses clients’. ‘Fantastic’ silk Jon Turner QC is ‘impressive and hardworking’, and appeared in Humber Oil Terminals Trustees Limited (joint venture Totel and Conocophilips) v Associated British Ports. Michael Bowsher QC appeared in United Utilities Electricity Service Ltd v Electricity Northwest Ltd and is ‘very accessible, with a wide knowledge base and is very adaptable to different niche areas in what can be a specialised field’. The ‘engaging’ Paul Lasok QC gives advice in a ‘client-friendly and good-humoured’ way, and acted in ISG Pearce Ltd v The Office of Fair Trading. Further recommended silks include John Swift QC, who is ‘practical and friendly, with excellent capabilities’, Christopher Vajda QC, Paul Harris QC, Nicholas Paines QC, and longstanding expert at the Bar Sir Jeremy Lever QC. There are a large number of ‘outstanding’ juniors at the set, with notable names being Meredith Pickford, who has ‘excellent knowledge, and is good on his feet, genuinely nice and easy to work with’; Ben Rayment, whom clients ‘only have good things to say about’ and who acted in Emerald Supplies Ltd and Anor v British Airways; and Josh Holmes, who ‘always makes himself available and provides excellent advice that the client finds incredibly useful’ and has a ‘unique combination of economic, legal and regulatory experience’. Ian Rogers ‘gets to the heart of an issue quickly’ and ‘provides clear and concise’ advice; antitrust barrister Alistair Lindsay gives ‘well-reasoned, balanced’ advice in an ‘unflustered’ way; and George Peretz and ‘strong intellect’ Anneli Howard are also recommended.

Within Education Education – Leading Juniors

Within Environment, Monckton Chambers (Chambers of Paul Lasok QC) is a third tier firm,

Monckton Chambers’ Kassie Smith and Gerry Facenna are ‘exceptionally bright, approachable and willing to go the extra mile to find a solution’. Robert Palmer is ‘excellent’.

Within Immigration (including business immigration) Immigration – Leading Juniors

Within Media, entertainment and sport, Monckton Chambers (Chambers of Paul Lasok QC) is a third tier firm,

‘The quality of service is second to none’ at Monckton Chambers, which is recognised for its expertise in sports law and related commercial/EU law aspects. New silk Paul Harris QC is ‘extremely bright, yet down-to-earth’ and reaps strong praise for his ‘considerable experience in sports law cases and familiarity with the Premier League and Football Association rules and regulations’. Ronit Kreisberger ‘fights very hard and is a great person to work with’; and Elisa Holmes has a ‘terrier-like desire to ensure that justice is done’. Fiona Banks is ‘a star of the future’ and ‘definitely one to watch’.

Within Planning Planning – Leading Juniors

Within Tax: corporate and VAT, Monckton Chambers (Chambers of Paul Lasok QC) is a second tier firm,

Monckton Chambers has excellent VAT capabilities, with several silks among the leaders in the area, and the clerks are ‘exceptionally good, great at reverting, available and helpful’. The renowned Paul Lasok QC has an ‘extremely powerful intellect coupled with unrivalled knowledge of the VAT system’, and the ‘excellent’ Melanie Hall QC is ‘very thorough and always well prepared’, and appeared in Calltel, Mobilx & Blue Sphere. Further recommended silks include Christopher Vajda QC (who is ‘extremely responsive, gives very sound advice’, and ‘commands the respect of judges and other barristers); and the ‘highly rated’ Paul Harris QC, who appeared in ERF v HMRC. Recommended juniors include the ‘proactive’ Valentina Sloane, who is ‘professional in advocacy, preparation and strategy’, the ‘polished’ Mario Angiolini, Peter Mantle and Andrew Macnab.

Within Treasury Panel Lists Specialist Standing Counsel – Civil matters