Joseph Farmer > Fountain Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Joseph Farmer

020 7583 3335 jxf@fountaincourt.co.uk View profile

Position

Joseph has a diverse and thriving practice. His commercial work includes cases involving banking and finance, construction, professional negligence, company law, and civil fraud. He also undertakes regulatory and administrative law work, including cases in relation to professional discipline. He has experience of a range of heavy and complex disputes, and frequently acts as sole counsel, including in matters requiring challenging court advocacy.

His recent cases (both led and unled) include a multi-jurisdictional conspiracy claim involving a Thai renewable energy company, banking disputes concerning interest rate swaps (including mis-selling disputes involving allegations of LIBOR manipulation), a heavy construction arbitration, claims in relation to damage to aircraft, an unfair prejudice petition under s.994 of the Companies Act 2006, a judicial review in relation to criminal proceedings, and enforcement proceedings arising out of a civil fraud claim.

Prior to coming to the bar, Joseph was a research assistant at the Law Commission, a solicitor (practising in Scotland), and a judicial assistant at the UK Supreme Court.

Recent highlights

 Suppipat & Ors v Narongdej & Ors [2023] EWHC 1988 (Comm)

One of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of 2022”. Instructed (with Derrick Dale KC) for seven out of seventeen defendants in a Commercial Court claim in connection with the ownership of a renewable energy company in Thailand. 55-day trial listed from October 2022.

R (Forsey) v Northern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court [2021] EWHC 3013 (Admin)

Instructed (with Richard Lissack KC and Andrew Smith KC) for the claimant in a judicial review of a decision on jurisdiction in criminal proceedings relating to an alleged offence under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Two-day substantive hearing before the Divisional Court in October 2021.

Stichting Vestia v Société Générale (FL-2020-000034)

Representing (with Richard Handyside KC and Natasha Bennett) the defendant bank in a claim with an estimated maximum value of c.€130 million involving alleged bribery and the allegation that several interest rate swaps entered into by the parties were outside the capacity of the claimant, a Dutch social housing association.

Ashley v Jimenez (HC-2017-000156)

Acting (with Richard Lissack KC and James Cutress KC) for the claimants in a high-profile fraud claim in the Chancery Division, including the successful defence of a jurisdictional challenge: [2019] EWHC 17 (Ch), [2019] EWHC 580 (Ch); obtaining judgment on the merits without trial: [2019] EWHC 1806 (Ch); obtaining judgment with respect to enforcement (February 2021); and successfully resisting applications for permission to appeal (November 2021).

Entertainment Partners LLC v Sargent [2019] EWHC 3718 (Ch)

Instructed (with Ben Valentin KC) for the Petitioner, a minority shareholder, in an application for an interim injunction restraining the sale of shares which involved allegations of unfairly prejudicial conduct.

Other cases include: SRA v Robinson [2019] 4 WLR 162;  Fundo Soberano de Angola v dos Santos [2018] EWHC 2199 (Comm); Instant Access Properties (in Liquidation) v Rosser [2018] EWHC 756 (Ch); SRA v Leigh Day; and Gemini v CBRE & King Sturge (CL-2013-000161) (one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 cases of 2016”).

Career

• 2007-08 – Research Assistant, Law Commission of England and Wales
• 2009-11 – Trainee Solicitor (Scotland), Brodies LLP
• 2011-12 – Solicitor (Scottish qualified), Brodies LLP
• 2012-13 – Judicial Assistant to Lord Hope of Craighead, Deputy President, UK Supreme Court
• 2013-14 – Pupil, Fountain Court Chambers
• 2014 to date – Barrister, Fountain Court Chambers
• (Year of call: 2013, Lincoln’s Inn)

• Joseph is the co-author, with Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC, of the chapter entitled “Liability in Public Law” in P Feldschreiber (ed.), The Law and Regulation of Medicines and Medical Devices(2^nd ed, OUP, 2021).
• Joseph is the co-author, with Nik Yeo, of a two-part article on cryptocurrency disputes (N Yeo and J Farmer, “Mapping the Landscape: Cryptocurrency Disputes under English Law: Part 1” (2019) 2 Journal of International Banking and Financial Law 80, with the second part at (2019) 5 JIBFL290). Part 1 covered disputes between holders of cryptocurrencies, and between holders and service providers. Part 2 looks at disputes between service providers, and regulation.

Education

• 2006 – LL.B (Hons) (First Class) – Law with French Legal Studies – University of Glasgow
• Dr John MacCormick Prize for the LL.B graduate deemed to have had the most distinguished academic record (2006)
• Erasmus Exchange at Université Robert Schuman, Strasbourg, France (2004-5)
• 2007 – LL.M – University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Thouron Scholar (2006-7)
• 2009 – Diploma in Legal Practice – Glasgow Graduate School of Law