Monckton Chambers > London, England > Set Profile
Monckton Chambers Offices
Monckton Chambers
1 & 2 RAYMOND BUILDINGS, GRAY'S INN
LONDON
WC1R 5NR
England
1 & 2 RAYMOND BUILDINGS, GRAY'S INN
LONDON
WC1R 5NR
England
Monckton Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Competition Tier 1
‘Well established as a first-rate competition law set’, Monckton Chambers is renowned for its expertise concerning the gamut of competition issues, advising and representing clients in proceedings across a wide range of contexts including administrative proceedings, appeals and judicial review, and private competition law actions. Daniel Beard KC led Alison Berridge when acting for Compare the Market, successfully appealing a fine from the CMA for allegedly distorting the market for home insurance comparison services. Jon Turner KC and Meredith Pickford KC continue to act for Asda and Morrisons against Mastercard, with the case being sent back to the CAT for a 6-week witness trial on damages in January 2023. The trucks litigation continues through collective proceedings and individual claims, with Paul Harris KC leading the defence for Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz; permission has now been granted to take further elements of the cases to the Court of Appeal. Josh Holmes KC and Daisy Mackersie represented the CMA in major Competition Act appeals, defending imposed fines totalling more than £260m on pharmaceutical companies.Rising stars
David Gregory – Monckton Chambers ‘David is an absolutely brilliant junior: ferociously intelligent, technically flawless and with superb judgement, indefatigable, and a real team player.’
Alexandra Littlewood – Monckton Chambers ‘Alexandra is diligent, hard working, precise and timely.’
Leading Silks
Jon Turner KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Jon has a calm forcefulness about him and his strategic thinking is second-to-none.’
Daniel Beard KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Daniel is a one-man A-Team. No matter how insurmountable the challenge, if you can enlist his services, your chances of success are massively improved.’
Tim Ward KC –Monckton Chambers ‘A leading silk who is very focussed on obtaining the best outcome for his client, Tim attacks his cases with enthusiasm and vigour, and is highly communicative.’
Mark Brealey KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Mark is a great strategic thinker who brings leadership and insight to the most complex of cases.’
Paul Harris KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Rightly regarded as one of the very few top barristers in this area. Paul is forceful and a formidable opponent but capable of flexing his style so that he is effective in front of all tribunals; an absolute star.’
Josh Holmes KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Josh is a first-rate silk. He is everything you want from a senior counsel: fiercely intelligent, commercial in approach, fantastic in front of clients, across the detail, excellent judgement and great on his feet.’
Meredith Pickford KC – Monckton Chambers ‘He is superb in every way - he has a sharp mind and is great on the economics of a case.’
Philip Moser KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Philip reads the room very well, is very persuasive and authoritative.’
Kassie Smith KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Kassie is a leader in the competition law field with huge legal knowledge, gives extremely careful and considered advice and is a compelling advocate.’
George Peretz KC –Monckton Chambers ‘George has an exceptional level of knowledge and insight on competition and EU matters, which he combines with a very easy style.’
Michael Bowsher KC – Monckton Chambers ‘His knowledge of competition law and developments in the law are second to none. Michael is a real intellectual heavyweight.’
Gerry Facenna KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Brilliant advocate, great grasp of the detail together with real strategic nous. Gerry is one of the best.’
Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Very knowledgeable, thoughtful and intelligent. Anneli is not only thorough but absolutely committed to a case and to working constructively as a team, providing excellent advice and judgement.’
Robert Palmer KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Robert is excellent. He makes himself readily available at very short notice and is always happy for you to float ideas past him. He is genuinely collaborative and a great communicator who quickly gets to the nub of an issue and takes a strategic outlook.’
Rob Williams KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Very good at collaborative thinking with a wider lawyer and client group. Rob brings important insights from his wide case experience, including representing the CMA.’
2023 Silks
2024 Silks
Philip Woolfe KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Philip is an outstanding case leader - a strategist, a strong advocate and an engaged team player. He works extremely hard and has an excellent eye for detail, but is also confident and accomplished on his feet and is a devastating cross-examiner.’
Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Brendan is highly knowledgeable in matters relating to judicial review, public procurement and linked competition issues.’
Leading Juniors
Ben Rayment – Monckton Chambers ‘Ben is great. He is sensible, really hard working, thorough and thoughtful. He drafts clearly and his advocacy is persuasive and effective, which is evident from how judges trust him.’
James Bourke – Monckton Chambers ‘James is very intelligent and experienced beyond his year of call; perceptive at identifying issues before they come up.’
Laura Elizabeth John –Monckton Chambers ‘Laura is very impressive; calm, assured and knows the subject matter inside-out. Her strategic thinking is top tier and the clients have complete confidence in her.’
Julianne Kerr Morrison –Monckton Chambers ‘Julianne is adept at cutting through the noise to simplify complex issues into clear submissions. She is a huge asset to any large case, with an efficient, no-nonsense approach to litigation.’
Julian Gregory – Monckton Chambers ‘Julian has a brilliantly forensic approach to reviewing evidence and in using that evidence to bring his pleadings to life. He is appropriately forceful when challenging the client to get to the nub of issues and his drafting is measured and insightful.’
Daisy Mackersie – Monckton Chambers ‘Daisy is absolutely exceptional: fiercely bright, incredibly strategic, wonderfully practical and a joy to work with.’
Fiona Banks –Monckton Chambers ‘Fiona is incredibly organised and efficient. Not many junior counsel are as effective as her in terms of the speed and quality of output.’
Ligia Osepciu – Monckton Chambers ‘Ligia is whip-smart, pragmatic, strategic and brings the best of detail into pushing forward strategy levers.’
Michael Armitage – Monckton Chambers ‘He is super-bright and amongst the best analytical juniors. Michael knows abuse of dominance issues inside-out, also having excellent tactical nous and exceptional drafting.’
Alison Berridge – Monckton Chambers ‘Alison is like Superman but immune to Kryptonite – she has no known weaknesses. She is an incredibly bright and innovative thinker, who is utterly committed to helping you and the client get the result you need, which she invariably delivers in spades.’
Nikolaus Grubeck – Monckton Chambers ‘Steeped in competition law, Nik always provides clear and considered advice. He is equally able of seeing the commercial realities and risks for his clients. ’
Conor McCarthy – Monckton Chambers ‘Conor is forensic, highly knowledgeable and always helpful and approachable. He is the go-to senior junior for competition law matters.’
Stefan Kuppen – Monckton Chambers ‘Stefan has really impressive financial and market knowledge, as well as a head for detail.’
Ciar McAndrew – Monckton Chambers ‘An excellent team player and willing to get involved in all aspects of the case, Ciar has a good eye for detail and is great to work with.’
Jack Williams – Monckton Chambers ‘Very hard working and approachable, Jack adopts a sensible approach to cases. He has a calm, well-structured and unflappable style of advocacy; he is able to deal with heavyweight cases and more senior barristers without any problems at all.’
Testimonials
‘John Keegan is a pleasure to work with – incredibly responsible and always keen to help.’
‘Very professional and very responsive. David Hockney and John Keegan are great guys and very personable and reasonable.’
‘Steve Duffett is the go to clerk at Monckton Chambers. He is efficient, friendly and an all round excellent clerk.’
‘All the clerks in my experience offer a stellar service. They are very responsive and I can rely on them for a swift response and they are all very helpful.’
‘Fantastic strength-in-depth across the antitrust spectrum, as well as other areas.’
‘Leading set for competition work.’
‘Monckton are incredibly strong in competition law generally.’
‘Monckton Chambers has very strong strength and depth in competition law, which makes it the go to chambers for many.’
Work highlights
London Bar > European Union law Tier 1
Monckton Chambers is a leading set for EU law, with extensive expertise in both the silk and junior ranks. Members are well known for appearing before prominent EU institutions in complex cases. Josh Holmes KC and Jack Williams continue to act for plastic manufacturing company Symphony in its longrunning damages claim against various EU institutions, regarding losses caused by the institutions’ ban on the sale of oxo-degradable plastic products. Brendan McGurk KC is well versed in advising on cases involving chemicals and phytosanitary regulatory matters. The senior end of the team was recently bolstered by the elevation of Ben Lask KC to silk in March 2023.Leading Silks
Philip Moser KC – Monckton Chambers ‘An absolute expert on EU law. He explains hugely complex and labyrinthine law persuasively and with clarity.’
Gerry Facenna KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Gerry is very analytical in his approach.'
George Peretz KC – Monckton Chambers 'The very essence of silk: superb on his feet, and very calm and patient with the client. He is ferociously clever but staggeringly user-friendly.'
Josh Holmes KC – Monckton Chambers 'A very commercial silk who is persuasive on his feet.'
Robert Palmer KC – Monckton Chambers 'A silk of enormous charm. He has extremely detailed technical knowledge of his area.'
Kassie Smith KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Kassie is perfection. Her drafting is impeccable, her analysis is invariably spot on, and her cross-examination is devastatingly effective.’
2023 Silks
2024 Silks
Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Brendan is an excellent advocate - extremely eloquent. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of CJEU case law.'
Leading Juniors
Eric Metcalfe –Monckton Chambers ‘Eric masters his brief with ease. He is an outstanding advocate with exceptional analytical skills.'
Alan Bates – Monckton Chambers ‘Alan is across all the strategic angles. His advocacy style is calm, collected and direct.'
Testimonials
‘John Keegan is a favourite and Steven Duffett is very user friendly.’
‘Very good commercial lawyers.’
‘Excellent coverage across the sphere, and when we need something urgently they always help us out.’
‘Leading in EU law.’
‘Clerks reply swiftly to any requests.’
‘Great clerking and a strong service ethos which permeates the whole offering right to the front desk, which is a credit to them.’
‘Super! We enjoy working with them, they are very organised and have got the art of customer service down to a T!’
London Bar > Public procurement Tier 1
Monckton Chambers is home to a team of ‘highly talented practitioners' in the public procurement arena. Recent work for the group includes Philip Moser KC appearing for orthodontic company Braceurself in seeking permission to appeal against the judgment made by the High Court in Braceurself Limited v NHS England, concerning a procurement process made by the NHS for orthodontic services. The key issue of the case was that although the contracting authority was found to have committed a committed a manifest error of assessment in its scoring of Braceurself's tender and, absent the error, the claimant would have won the tender. However, the breach was not considered 'sufficiently serious' to warrant an award for damages to be made to the claimant. The claimant was granted permission to appeal the judgment to the Court of Appeal. In a separate matter, Brendan McGurk KC, unled, successfully acted for technology provider Bromcom in a challenge to the award of a contract for the supply of a Cloud Management Information System to a prominent education charity.Rising stars
Alfred Artley – Monckton Chambers ‘Alfred has excellent judgement. A helpful and conscientious junior.'
Khatija Hafesji – Monckton Chambers ‘Khatija has exceptional attention to detail and possesses an impressive ability to marshal complex facts.’
Leading Silks
Valentina Sloane KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Valentina is a complete star, combining superb intelligence with laser-like legal insight.'
Michael Bowsher KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Michael is a leading authority in the field of public procurement. His wealth of knowledge is invaluable when faced with complex legal problems.’
Philip Moser KC – Monckton Chambers 'An erudite silk.'
Rob Williams KC – Monckton Chambers 'He is excellent on his feet.'
Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Anneli is an astute silk.'
2024 Silks
Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Brendan has an incisive eye and cuts straight to the key issues in a case.'
Ewan West KC – Monckton Chambers ‘He comes up with good strategies for clients.’
Leading Juniors
Anneliese Blackwood – Monckton Chambers ‘A calm and realistic junior with an analytical approach.'
Fiona Banks – Monckton Chambers ‘Fiona is an outstanding public procurement barrister. She has mastery over the details and her advice to clients is first-rate.'
Azeem Suterwalla – Monckton Chambers ‘Azeem is an exceptional barrister.'
Jonathan Lewis – Monckton Chambers ‘A 'go-to' procurement junior. He is exceptionally committed, diligent and a real team player.’
Alan Bates – Monckton Chambers ‘Alan is very knowledgeable in the procurement area. He has a calm demeanour and methodical when providing advice.'
Ligia Osepciu – Monckton Chambers 'Ligia is responsive, with a commercial approach to her cases.'
Jen Coyne - Monckton Chambers ‘Jen’s advice is extremely thorough and helpful.’
Testimonials
‘Steven Duffett is always the first point of call to help find a barrister for a procurement issue.’
‘Gemma Goodwin is an excellent clerk. She is very responsive and always extremely helpful.’
‘David Hockney is always helpful.’
‘James Mower is particularly helpful with scheduling and fee-related queries.’
‘Monckton is very strong in public procurement law at all levels.’
‘Monckton has an excellent public procurement team with an exceptionally high standard of barristers, from the most junior to the most senior.’
‘Monckton is first rate – the “go to” chambers for public procurement.’
‘Strong group of specialists.’
London Bar > Tax: VAT and excise Tier 1
Monckton Chambers is praised as a ‘leading set for VAT’ and other indirect tax matters, and the set’s expertise in EU and public law enables its members to handle a wide range of complex cases for both taxpayers and HMRC. Melanie Hall KC has significant experience advising clients in the financial services sector. Of recent note, she was instructed by the taxpayer in E-Zec Medical Transport Services Ltd v HMRC, which concerned the refusal of HMRC to allow private ambulance operators to claim zero-rate VAT. Philip Moser KC has notable expertise in EU-related tax, VAT, and customs matters, in addition to VAT fraud. Valentina Sloane KC also has an impressive case load, and is representing Fenix International – operator of OnlyFans, a subscription content platform primarily used by sex workers – in one of the last British to reach the European Court of Justice, concerning if VAT should be charged on the full cost of content, or on the part of it which is the platform's fee.Leading Silks
Valentina Sloane KC – Monckton Chambers 'Valentina is incredibly bright and an excellent advocate in hearings. She is responsive and thinks quickly on her feet and she is incredibly well prepared and insightful.'
Philip Moser KC – Monckton Chambers 'Philip has a gravitas that commands the respect of the court room and opponents alike. He really comes into his own when you need somebody to manage appellate litigation and can make the legally unattractive really quite compelling.'
George Peretz KC – Monckton Chambers 'George is a highly analytical lawyer who appreciates problems from both a practical and systemic analysis. He is a strong advocate who reassures the Tribunal, he is a stand-out choice for all levels of litigation, and has his finger is on the pulse post-Brexit.'
2024 Silks
Brendan Mcgurk KC – Monckton Chambers 'Brendan is technically very strong indeed; his ability to turn around complex pleadings quickly is very impressive and his client management is extremely good, reassuring clients and lay clients in particular. His advocacy in relation to complex tax matters is impressive in that he has great clarity in explaining all the necessary detail.'
Leading Juniors
Peter Mantle – Monckton Chambers ‘Peter has a very wide knowledge of VAT law and he always takes an imaginative approach to finding solutions. He is always prepared to spend time discussing issues as they develop, he is always prepared to go the extra mile to resolve difficult issues, and his judgement is invariably spot on.’
Raymond Hill – Monckton Chambers 'Raymond is a very diligent advocate. He is realistic and he does not inflate the merits of his case and is therefore a fair advocate.'
Andrew Macnab - Monckton Chambers 'Andrew has a lively mind and is dogged.'
Testimonials
‘Monckton Chambers is a leading set for VAT.’
‘There is real strength in depth in Monckton Chambers and the clerks are always very helpful.’
‘There is a good deal of expertise in depth at Monckton Chambers the area of tax litigation. There is a real sense that to have Monckton barristers representing you puts you at an advantage.’
‘Chris O’Brien is excellent.’
‘Chris O’Brien is great to deal with.’
‘Excellent service from the clerking team, who are all very client focused and realistic in fee negotiations.’
‘The clerks room is fantastic. They are extremely accommodating and commercial and there is a real feeling that they are going the extra mile.’
‘The clerks are always reliable and flexible on fees.’
London Bar > Telecoms Regulation Tier 1
With a reputation for being a 'leading chambers for telecommunications law and regulation‘, Monckton Chambers' barristers are well versed in handling a broad spectrum of telecommunications matters. In Sky v Ofcom, Meredith Pickford KC is representing the claimant in an appeal to challenge Ofcom's decision that Sky's Pay TV service should be treated as an electronic communication service, which would have implications for the type of regulation that could be applied to Sky. Among the juniors, Philip Woolfe KC has an excellent track record in acting for mobile and fixed line telecommunications companies, often before the regulatory authorities. In a boost to chambers, Ben Lask KC took silk in March 2023.Leading Silks
Kassie Smith KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Kassie is unflappable, pragmatic and holds the court’s attention.’
Josh Holmes KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Josh has extraordinary gravitas and a terrific way with both clients and judges. As an advocate, he makes the most complex things seem clear and obvious.’
Robert Palmer KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Robert has a sharp mind. He is able to get to the crux of a complex issue quickly and navigate through legal and regulatory quagmires in a commercially savvy way.‘
Meredith Pickford KC – Monckton Chambers 'A very responsive silk with an excellent mind.'
Jon Turner KC – Monckton Chambers ‘A fantastic team player.'
2023 Silks
Ben Lask KC – Monckton Chambers ‘He is highly dedicated, clear, methodical and superb with detail. A top choice as counsel.‘
Testimonials
‘David Hockney and John Keegan are excellent and efficient.’
‘Good clerks from top to bottom, especially Steve Duffett.’
‘First-class set for all things regulatory.’
‘Top quality individuals across the board.’
‘The clerks are very organised and have got the art of customer service down to a T!’
London Bar > Data protection Tier 2
The practitioners at Monckton Chambers are very experienced in handling work involving the ICO; for example, Laura Elizabeth John is acting for the Information Commissioner in a case concerning whether the Canal & River Trust is covered by FOIA when conducting activities within the scope of its statutory powers. Elsewhere in chambers, Gerry Facenna KC is acting for the claimant police officers in a group litigation action brought against the Police Federation concerning a data breach, which affects over 13,000 officers. In Montague v Information Commissioner and the Department for International Trade, Eric Metcalfe acted as sole counsel for the department in a high-profile appeal concerning the disclosure of redacted minutes of US-UK trade negotiations.Rising stars
Will Perry – Monckton Chambers 'An effective advocate with a good court manner, yet is tenacious on behalf of his client.'
Leading Silks
Gerry Facenna KC – Monckton Chambers ‘He is a good tactician and a very strong litigator.'
Leading Juniors
Julianne Kerr Morrison – Monckton Chambers 'Julianne is astute, conscientious, and good with clients.'
Eric Metcalfe – Monckton Chambers ‘He has expert knowledge of data protection law.’
Testimonials
‘Steven Duffett is next level.’
‘Chris O’Brien is one of the best clerks in the circuit.’
‘Gemma Rawlinson is very responsive and has insight into the cases which is very helpful.’
‘Leading set for claimant data breach work.’
‘Excellent quality of barristers.’
‘Definitely A-list.’
‘It has strength across the board.’
‘The clerking team at Monckton Chambers is first class.’
London Bar > Administrative law and human rights Tier 3
Monckton Chambers has ‘strong public law counsel‘, and the team is well known for its solid track record in handling high-profile civil liberties and public interest challenges and judicial reviews, both in the commercial and regulatory arenas. Robert Palmer KC acted for the claimant in R (Independent Monitoring Authority) v SSHD, a judicial review challenge to the implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement’s provisions around those with pre-settled status being required to reapply for settled status. In a separate matter, Palmer successfully defended a judicial review claim brought by the Duke of Sussex regarding his security arrangements in the UK. Nikolaus Grubeck is singled out for his ‘brilliant understanding of international human rights law issues‘. The senior end of the practice was bolstered by the elevation of Ben Lask KC to silk in March 2023.Rising stars
Khatija Hafesji – Monckton Chambers 'She is exceptionally hard working, with an impressive ability to understand and marshal complex facts.'
Alexandra Littlewood – Monckton Chambers 'Alexandra is extremely efficient, communicative, and an excellent team-player; this makes working with her feel seamless. She has an impressive knowledge of law and procedure, and applies this knowledge meticulously.'
Will Perry – Monckton Chambers 'Will is operating at a level well beyond his call. Silks love working with him because he is all over the detail and razor-sharp.'
Leading Silks
Ian Wise KC –Monckton Chambers 'A silk who builds great rapport with both client and court.'
Gerry Facenna KC –Monckton Chambers 'Gerry is highly intelligent, and good at condensing complex issues into compelling points.'
Robert Palmer KC –Monckton Chambers 'Robert is outstanding - a brilliant advocate. He is respected by judges and opponents alike.'
Ian Rogers KC –Monckton Chambers 'Ian provides prompt, helpful and practical advice, and is very user-friendly.'
2023 Silks
2024 Silks
Ewan West KC– Monckton Chambers 'A good team player who is extremely responsive and great with clients.'
Brendan McGurk KC –Monckton Chambers 'An excellent advocate, extremely smooth and persuasive. His written work is also superb, with excellent drafting and clear, concise advice.'
Leading Juniors
Eric Metcalfe –Monckton Chambers 'He is very knowledgeable of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.'
Nikolaus Grubeck –Monckton Chambers 'An extremely diligent junior who is brilliant with clients.'
Julianne Kerr Morrison –Monckton Chambers 'She is a fighter in every sense of the word, hugely committed to her clients and will always go the extra mile. She has a wealth of knowledge in the national security context.'
Imogen Proud –Monckton Chambers 'Imogen’s attention to detail is a true credit to her. She impresses everyone in the courtroom, and is a fierce advocate, communicating her points clearly with ease.'
Piers Gardner –Monckton Chambers 'He is excellent on human rights law.'
Azeem Suterwalla –Monckton Chambers 'A junior with a pragmatic approach; his advice is focussed and pragmatic. He has an excellent manner with clients.'
Michael Armitage – Monckton Chambers 'A junior who provides very good, intelligible advice.'
Conor McCarthy –Monckton Chambers 'A diligent junior with good judgement.'
Testimonials
‘David Hockney is always helpful.’
‘John Keegan and Chris O’Brien are easy to work with, friendly and responsive.’
‘Gemma Goodwin is very experienced and good to work with.’
‘Great service from the clerks’ room, a special mention for Gemma Goodwin in particular.’
‘Monckton has a solid core of excellent barristers.’
‘The set has excellent barristers.’
‘Strength in depth.’
‘The chambers are very responsive, accommodating and organised.’
London Bar > Sport Tier 3
Monckton Chambers has particular strengths in matters at the intersection of sport law with EU competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading. In the football matter RB Leipzig v Leeds United FC before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Paul Harris KC and Fiona Banks acted for Leeds in a fee dispute arising from the unprecedented extension to the loan of the striker Jean-Kevin Augustin from the Bundesliga club to England that occurred in the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and which raised important questions about the impact of the pandemic upon football contracts.Leading Silks
Paul Harris KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Paul is a punchy advocate if that is what a case demands.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Court of Protection and community care
Rising stars
Khatija Hafesji – Monckton Chambers ‘Khatija is superbly detailed and focused and does not miss a thing. She is empathetic with clients and has a reassuring manner, which is particularly important in this area. She is approachable and an excellent advocate.'
Leading Juniors
Imogen Proud – Monckton Chambers 'Imogen is a supremely capable advocate. She has a detail-orientated approach, analytically breaking down the legal points and facts of the case to advise on the strengths and weaknesses of the case. She is a fierce advocate, communicating her points clearly, and can identify weaknesses in oral arguments with pinpoint accuracy.'
Azeem Suterwalla – Monckton Chambers ‘Azeem is an incredible barrister. He is knowledgeable, creative and a great advocate. He engages with the evidence in the cases, gets to know the client's story, and his passion for his work shines through.’
London Bar > Employment
Rising stars
Jen Coyne - Monckton Chambers ‘A junior who is great on her feet and very client friendly.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
Rising stars
Harry Gillow – Monckton Chambers ‘Harry is a very bright and able barrister who provides consistently first-rate support. His written work is of a very high standard, and he is an effective advocate.‘
Leading Silks
Steven Gee KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Steven knows civil fraud inside out and upside down, so look no further. A true star of the Bar, Steven is a delight to work with, highly user-friendly, and with a knack for cutting straight to the chase.’
Leading Juniors
Kristina Lukacova – Monckton Chambers ‘Very bright and hardworking. She gets to grips with the most difficult issues and is a very able advocate.’
London Bar > Local government (including rating law)
London Bar > Education
Leading Juniors
Imogen Proud – Monckton Chambers ‘Imogen knows education law in enormous detail. She is very diligent and hard-working, and her written output is always first-rate.’
London Bar > Immigration (including business immigration)
Leading Silks
Robert Palmer KC – Monckton Chambers 'Robert is outstanding and a brilliant advocate. He has first-rate advocacy skills and is respected by judges and opponents alike.'
London Bar > Aviation
Leading Silks
Anneli Howard KC - Monckton Chambers 'Strong at getting to grips with clients’ commercial and practical constraints and reflecting those in her substantive and tactical advice. Gets to heart of issues. Very good at working as a team with clients and other advisers.'
London Bar > Consumer
Leading Silks
Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers 'Anneli is incredibly responsive, thoughtful and creative. She is great on her feet: calm and confident.'
Leading Juniors
Jonathan Lewis –Monckton Chambers ‘He brings a meticulous eye to consumer cases, and is a really safe pair of hands. He is excellent in court.’
London Bar > Group litigation
Leading Silks
Daniel Beard KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Daniel is an incredible brain and the best strategist we work with. He sees angles and arguments that others don’t, and uses them to frame the case to his clients’ advantage.’
London Bar > Social housing
London Bar > Energy
Leading Silks
Gerry Facenna KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Gerry’s advocacy is natural with great presence and fluency, and he is the embodiment of a reasonable man.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
Leading Silks
Steven Gee KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Steven brings exceptional levels of experience to the table. Clever, talented and very much solution focused - a superb, whiplash-smart advocate, who is an exceedingly good technician and brilliant strategist.’
Leading Juniors
Kristina Lukacova – Monckton Chambers ‘Popular with clients due to the firm and decisive nature of her advice. She identifies the risks inherent in adopting any course of action clearly, and makes sensible, commercially pragmatic recommendations that are easy for clients to understand.’
Gregory Pipe – Monckton Chambers ‘Very much the complete general commercial litigation barrister – he is very bright and with a deep knowledge of contract law, in addition to which he is an excellent court advocate, has a really good bedside manner with clients, and will also bear in mind the client’s commercial objectives.‘
William Buck – Monckton Chambers ‘Good on explaining difficult issues to clients in everyday language - organised and efficient.’
London Bar > Professional negligence
London Bar > Commodities
Leading Juniors
Francis Hornyold-Strickland – Monckton Chambers ‘Francis is a confident, assertive and fluent advocate.’
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
Leading Juniors
Francis Hornyold-Strickland – Monckton Chambers ‘An accomplished advocate despite his junior level. Responsive and hard working with a solution oriented mindset.’
Drew Holiner –Monckton Chambers ‘Solicitors appreciate his technical knowledge, team-work and responsiveness.’
London Bar > Insolvency
Leading Juniors
William Buck – Monckton Chambers ‘William is very calm and a pleasure to work with.’
London Bar > Shipping
Leading Juniors
Francis Hornyold-Strickland – Monckton Chambers ‘Francis is personable and has a great manner in explaining complicated matters on layman’s terms.’
London Bar > Company
Leading Juniors
Gregory Pipe - Monckton Chambers 'Very bright with an excellent knowledge of the Companies Act and surrounding case law, he is a truly capable court advocate and a great strategist.'
Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial
Leading juniors
Francis Hornyold-Strickland - Monckton Chambers ‘A powerful and persuasive advocate with excellent tactical sense. Great at coping with time pressure and always responsive and reliable.’
The English Bar Offshore > The English Bar Offshore
Monckton Chambers > Set Profile
As established leaders with proven expertise at both silk and junior level in its core fields of EU and competition, VAT, regulatory matters, procurement and commercial public law, Monckton has an outstanding combination of intellectual ability and litigation experience in a host of tribunals and courts, both nationally and internationally.
Types of work undertaken: Every member has an impressive in-depth knowledge and a high degree of specialisation in EU law. That knowledge and experience spans a broader field than many other chambers and encompasses the following:
CDR: Monckton Chambers has extensive experience in all areas of commercial litigation and arbitration. The commercial team is well placed to provide advice and representation, and builds upon Chambers’ outstanding expertise in the EU, competition, and sports fields, as well as offering specialist commercial practitioners.
Competition/EU: for several years Monckton has been rated highly in EU/competition law by a number of directories. Chambers has significant experience before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, appearing in the majority of its cases since its inception, and has expertise in all regulatory matters.
Environmental: Monckton Chambers has many specialists in environmental law who regularly advise and appear before domestic courts and the community courts on environmental law issues.
Human rights and civil liberties: chambers brings to bear a range of specialist expertise in the field of human rights and civil liberties, not only in the context of traditional judicial review proceedings, but also in other areas such as competition and regulatory law, freedom of information/data protection and international human rights cases. Members of chambers regularly act for both claimants and defendants in proceedings raising human rights issues
Information and data protection: Monckton Chambers is a premier set in the field of information law, data protection and privacy rights. Members are uniquely well placed to provide assistance in relation to disputes involving EU law, and their commercial, environmental, regulatory and public law expertise means they are adept at handling disputes arising in a wide variety of contexts.
Procurement: members of Monckton provide suppliers, contracting authorities and utilities with a full range of services, from non-contentious advice during the tender process to representation in highly complex litigation and, where appropriate, mediation. Monckton has 27 practitioners specialising in procurement law, dealing with hundreds of sets of procurement instructions each year.
Public and administrative: Monckton has experience of transnational litigation in a public law context, from both a government or regulator’s viewpoint, and that of an individual, company or undertaking, specifically in: EU, ECHR, international commercial arbitration, foreign national constitutional law.
Public international law: chambers has expertise in international trade law. Post-referendum this international economic law expertise has been highly in demand. Members of chambers act in other areas of public international law including acting in bilateral investment treaty and sanctions matters.
Sports: Monckton Chambers has considerable expertise in the field of pure sports law, and vast experience in the fields of overlap between sports law and all aspects of commercial EU law, most notably competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading.
Telecommunications: Chambers has a leading-edge practice in telecommunications and electronic communications generally. Members regularly appear in the leading telecommunications cases for mobile and fixed-line telecommunications companies, broadcasters, content providers and the Office of Communications.
VAT: Moncktons has the largest team of indirect tax law specialists at the Bar, offering an unrivalled breadth of experience. Members have represented taxpayers and HMRC in the VAT and Duties Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union in dozens of cases.
See www.monckton.com for more details.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior clerk | David Hockney | ||
| Member of Chambers | WARD KC, Tim (1994) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MOSER KC, Philip (1992) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SWIFT KC, John (1965)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | BELLAMY KC, Sir Christopher (1968)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | GEE KC, Steven (1975) | ||
| Member of Chambers | COLLINS SC, Michael (1978)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | VAJDA KC, Christopher (1979)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | HALL KC, Melanie (1982) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BREALEY KC, Mark (1984) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BOWSHER KC, Michael (1985) | ||
| Member of Chambers | TURNER KC, Jon (1988) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WISE KC, Ian (1992) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HARRIS KC, Paul (1994) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BEARD KC, Daniel (1996) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SMITH KC, Kassie (1995) | ||
| Member of Chambers | ROGERS KC, Ian (1995) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PERETZ KC, George (1990) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PICKFORD KC, Meredith (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | FACENNA KC, Gerry (2001) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HOLMES KC, Josh (1997) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PALMER KC, Robert (1998) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KREISBERGER KC, Ronit (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | SLOANE KC, Valentina (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WILLIAMS KC, Rob (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HOWARD KC, Anneli (2002) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LASK KC, Ben (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BAUDENBACHER, Prof. Carl (Former President of the EFTA Court 2003-2017)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | MITCHELL SC, Frank (2010)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | MACNAB, Andrew (1986) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MANTLE, Peter (1989) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HILL, Raymond (1992) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PIPE, Gregory (1995) | ||
| Member of Chambers | RAYMENT, Ben (1996) | ||
| Member of Chambers | METCALFE, Eric (1999) | ||
| Member of Chambers | GARDNER, Piers (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | GREGORY, Julian (2000) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BUCK, William (2001) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BATES, Alan (2003) | ||
| Member of Chambers | McGURK, Brendan (2004) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WOOLFE, Philip (2004) | ||
| Member of Chambers | McBRIDE, Jeremy (2004)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | SUTERWALLA, Azeem (2004) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HOLINER, Drew (2005) | ||
| Member of Chambers | WEST, Ewan (2006) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BANKS, Fiona (2006) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BLACKWOOD, Anneliese (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | JOHN, Laura Elizabeth (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LEWIS, Jonathan (2007) | ||
| Member of Chambers | OSEPCIU, Ligia (2008) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LALL, Tarlochan (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KERR MORRISON, Julianne (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | GRUBECK, Nikolaus (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MCCARTHY, Conor (2010) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BERRIDGE, Alison (2011) | ||
| Member of Chambers | ARMITAGE, Micahel (2011) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KUPPEN, Stefan (2013) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MACKERSIE, Daisy (2013) | ||
| Member of Chambers | GREGORY, David (2014) | ||
| Member of Chambers | BOURKE, James (2014) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KOUTRAKOS, Prof. Panos (2014)* | ||
| Member of Chambers | WILLIAMS, Jack (2015) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PROUD, Imogen (2015) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LUKACOVA, Kristina (2015) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LITTLEWOOD, Alexandra (2016) | ||
| Member of Chambers | HAFESJI, Khatija (2016) | ||
| Member of Chambers | MCANDREW, Ciar (2016) | ||
| Member of Chambers | GILLOW, Harry (2017) | ||
| Member of Chambers | PERRY, Will (2018) | ||
| Member of Chambers | ARTLEY, Alfred (2018) | ||
| Member of Chambers | FITZPATRICK, Antonia (2020) | ||
| Member of Chambers | KELLEHER, Clíodhna (2020) | ||
| Member of Chambers | LAWRENCE, Jenn (2021) |
Barrister Profiles
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Michael Armitage | Michael’s diverse practice covers public law (including community care), competition law (EU… | View Profile |
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Alfred Artley | Alfred has established a strong junior practice since joining Chambers in 2019,… | View Profile |
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Fiona Banks | Fiona is consistently ranked as a leading junior by the legal directories… | View Profile |
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Alan Bates | Alan specialises in competition, procurement, public/administrative and EU law. The legal directories… | View Profile |
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Professor Carl Baudenbacher | Specialised experience and knowledge European courts and procedures EU fundamental freedoms law… | View Profile |
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Daniel Beard | Daniel Beard is widely regarded as one of the Bar’s leading specialists… | View Profile |
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Lord Christopher Bellamy | Lord (Christopher) Bellamy was a member of Monckton Chambers from 1970 to… | View Profile |
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Alison Berridge | Alison is a competition and public law specialist. She is a highly… | View Profile |
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Anneliese Blackwood | Anneliese is a leading junior in competition and public procurement. She advises… | View Profile |
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James Bourke | James is a competition law specialist with strong experience in EU law.… | View Profile |
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Michael Bowsher | Michael Bowsher QC has a busy practice in public procurement, competition and… | View Profile |
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Mark Brealey | Mark Brealey QC specialises in EU and Competition Law. He regularly appears before… | View Profile |
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William Buck | William has a strong practice covering a wide spectrum of high value… | View Profile |
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Michael Collins SC | Michael is a leading silk in commercial, competition and EU law at… | View Profile |
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Jen Coyne | Varied practice, at the intersection of commercial and public law. Experience across… | View Profile |
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Gerry Facenna | Gerry is ranked by the legal directories as a Leading Silk in:… | View Profile |
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Antonia Fitzpatrick | Antonia joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2021 and is developing… | View Profile |
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Piers Gardner | Piers transferred to the Bar in 2000, after over 20 years’ experience… | View Profile |
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Mr Steven Gee | Steven Gee QC is a commercial litigator with nearly forty years’ experience.… | View Profile |
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Harry Gillow | Harry joined Chambers as a tenant in 2018 following successful completion of… | View Profile |
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Julian Gregory | Julian Gregory is a competition and regulatory law specialist who is consistently… | View Profile |
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David Gregory | David has practiced at Monckton Chambers as a tenant since 2015, following… | View Profile |
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Khatija Hafesji | Khatija has a vibrant practice with a particular focus on public law,… | View Profile |
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Melanie Hall | Melanie Hall has been an acknowledged leader in the field of VAT… | View Profile |
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Paul Harris | Paul is a highly sought-after litigation and appellate Silk, relishing the cut… | View Profile |
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Raymond Hill | Raymond specialises in VAT and Direct Tax, as well as the pensions… | View Profile |
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Drew Holiner | Drew specialises in commercial dispute resolution and is admitted to practise in… | View Profile |
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Josh Holmes | Josh’s practice covers all aspects of competition law and regulation, including communications,… | View Profile |
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Francis Hornyold-Strickland | Barrister, International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation. Francis has a broad commercial and international… | View Profile |
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Anneli Howard | Anneli Howard is top-ranked by the directories in six different disciplines: Competition,… | View Profile |
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Laura Elizabeth John | Laura is a highly experienced specialist in Competition law and Information law.… | View Profile |
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Clíodhna Kelleher | Clíodhna joined Monckton as a tenant in October 2021. She is developing… | View Profile |
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Luke Kelly | Luke Kelly has been practising at the Bar in South Africa since… | View Profile |
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Julianne Kerr Morrison | Julianne is a popular junior barrister whose busy practice covers many of… | View Profile |
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Panos Koutrakos | Professor Panos Koutrakos is a leading authority on EU law, who has… | View Profile |
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Ronit Kreisberger | Ronit is a leading barrister at the London Bar and former Solicitor-Advocate,… | View Profile |
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Stefan Kuppen | Stefan is a competition and regulatory specialist. He has extensive experience in… | View Profile |
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Ben Lask KC | Ben is an experienced junior specialising in Competition, Public and EU Law.… | View Profile |
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Jenn Lawrence | Jenn joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2022. She has a… | View Profile |
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Jonathan Lewis | Jonathan has a diverse practice with particular focus upon public procurement, public… | View Profile |
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Alexandra Littlewood | Alex has a diverse and busy practice, covering public, competition, information and… | View Profile |
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Kristina Lukacova | Kristina has a broad commercial and commercial chancery practice with a focus… | View Profile |
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Daisy Mackersie | Daisy is an experienced junior practising in competition, procurement and regulatory law.… | View Profile |
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Andrew Macnab | Andrew practises principally in the areas of VAT, duties and indirect taxation,… | View Profile |
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Peter Mantle | Peter has a breadth and depth of experience and expertise in the… | View Profile |
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Ciar McAndrew | Ciar is a sought-after junior tenant whose practice spans all areas of… | View Profile |
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Conor McCarthy | Conor’s practice encompasses public law, civil claims and international law. He is… | View Profile |
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Brendan McGurk KC | Brendan is a leading junior with a wealth of experience in Commercial,… | View Profile |
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Jeremy Mcbride | Jeremy has had considerable experience in litigating and advising on European and… | View Profile |
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Eric Metcalfe | Eric is a specialist in human rights, information law, public law and… | View Profile |
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Frank Mitchell SC | Frank has spent almost twenty years representing taxpayers’ interests in tax disputes.… | View Profile |
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Philip Moser | Philip Moser QC, joint Head of Chambers, is ranked as a Leading… | View Profile |
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Natalie Nguyen | Natalie joined Monckton as a tenant in October 2023, following successful completion… | View Profile |
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Ligia Osepciu | Ligia specialises in European law, with a particular focus on competition law,… | View Profile |
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Robert Palmer | Robert Palmer QC is widely recognised as a leader in the fields… | View Profile |
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George Peretz | George’s practice covers a wide range of public law, regulatory and tax… | View Profile |
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Will Perry | Will has a busy practice in competition, consumer, data protection and privacy,… | View Profile |
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Meredith Pickford | Meredith is a leading silk for competition and economic regulatory matters. As… | View Profile |
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Gregory Pipe | Greg is a heavy-weight commercial practitioner who litigates and advises on complex… | View Profile |
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Imogen Proud | Imogen is a public law specialist. She is regularly instructed in the… | View Profile |
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Ben Rayment | Ben is an experienced litigator of heavy and complex disputes in the… | View Profile |
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Ian Rogers | Ian Rogers QC is a leading silk who has built up an… | View Profile |
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Valentina Sloane | Valentina is a leading barrister in EU relations, procurement and tax law,… | View Profile |
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Kassie Smith | Kassie Smith QC is one of the Bar’s leading specialists in competition,… | View Profile |
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Mr Azeem Suterwalla | Azeem is a leading junior with a well-established practice across Chambers’ core… | View Profile |
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Jon Turner | Jon is the top-ranked UK Queen’s Counsel in The Legal 500’s European… | View Profile |
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Christopher Vajda | Christopher Vajda QC had a wide-ranging practice. He acted on numerous occasions… | View Profile |
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Tim Ward | Tim Ward KC, joint Head of Chambers, is widely recognised as a… | View Profile |
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Ewan West KC | Ewan has a wide-ranging and well-established practice spanning all of Chambers’ main… | View Profile |
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Hugh Whelan | Hugh joined Chambers as a tenant in October 2023, following the successful… | View Profile |
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Jack Williams | Jack practises in Competition Law; Public Procurement Law; Administrative & Public Law;… | View Profile |
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Rob Williams | Rob is a highly experienced barrister and advocate practicing in competition law,… | View Profile |
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Ian Wise | Ian Wise QC is ranked as a leading silk in Administrative and… | View Profile |
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Philip Woolfe KC | Philip is an EU law specialist with a particular focus on Competition… | View Profile |
- Competition
- European Union law
- Public procurement
- Tax: VAT and excise
- Telecoms Regulation
Top Tier Set Rankings
- Data protection
Set Rankings
- Court of Protection and community care
- Employment
- Fraud: civil
- Local government (including rating law)
- Education
- Immigration (including business immigration)
- Aviation
- Consumer
- Group litigation
- Social housing
- Energy
- Commercial litigation
- Professional negligence
- Commodities
- International arbitration: counsel
- Insolvency
- Shipping
- Company