Hanif Mussa KC > Chambers of Tom Weisselberg KC and Jane Mulcahy KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Blackstone Chambers‘ team of ‘expert counsel‘ is well versed in handling a broad spectrum of environmental work. Thomas de la Mare KC brings expertise in water regulatory issues, and the ‘brilliant‘ Hanif Mussa KC is well versed in handling mandates involving renewable energy matters. Mussa’s recent caseload includes appearing before the Court of Appeal for the defendant in R (Wild Justice) v Water Services Regulation Authority, a claim involving an application for judicial review of alleged failures by the regulator to monitor water pollution from sewage treatment works; the Court dismissed the appeal and refused permission for judicial review. Emma Dixon is a highly regarded junior in the space, with an excellent track record in acting for environmental NGOs.

Blackstone Chambers is a ‘go-to set for financial regulatory work’ and offers expertise across the spectrum of related work including FCA and PRA regulatory investigations, judicial reviews of regulatory action, and commercial and chancery claims involving breaches of the Financial Services and Markets Act. In one of the highest profile market abuse cases pursued by the FCA in recent years, Javan Herberg KC and Paul Luckhurst acted for Sir Christopher Gent in defending a claim of market abuse by disclosure of information while chair of the medical device maker ConvaTec. Another highly publicised case has seen 2022 silk Hanif Mussa KC represent UKAR and NRAM, the successors to Northern Rock, in the “mortgage prisoners” litigation; a complex case brought by thousands of claimants who allege they are trapped on more expensive mortgages due to affordability requirements, despite being up-to-date with mortgage payments.

Blackstone Chambers has ‘great strength in depth, at both silk and junior level, for energy regulation and other related areas of public law’. Members are ‘all super-bright and good to deal with’. Best known for public law matters, the set also handles a broad range of specialist energy and natural resources work concerning commercial, regulatory and environmental matters. Hanif Mussa KC continues to build a strong reputation following his appointment to silk in 2022 – he successfully acted for acting for National Grid and its subsidiaries in their appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority against a multibillion-pound price control set by Ofgem in respect of the gas and electricity sectors.

Blackstone Chambers is ‘outstanding‘ in public procurement law. James Segan KC is ‘an extremely accomplished advocate‘ and is highly regarded for his expertise in advising on IT and telecoms sector mandates. Hanif Mussa KC is well known for assisting government departments with a broad range of procurement matters. The ‘incredibly smart‘ Emily Neill is a key name at the junior end of chambers, and regularly acts for claimants, defendants and tenderers as interested parties across a wide spectrum of procurement issues.