Brick Court Chambers is ‘the go-to set for competition litigators, with both strength and depth across all levels’. Competition heavyweights Helen Davies KC and Daniel Jowell KC appear on opposite sides of the cable maker cartel case Spottiswoode v Nexans, with the major consumer collective action seeking over £300m in damages for UK electricity purchasers. In R (Volkswagen) v CMA, Marie Demetriou KC successfully acted for the regulator in a landmark case concerning the extraterritorial scope of its investigatory powers under the Competition Act 1998. Sarah Abram KC acted on behalf of BMW on the same matter and persuaded the CAT that the CMA lacked the power to require disclosure outside of the UK, before the regulator’s appeal was allowed by the Court of Appeal; prompting the manufacturer to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Victoria Wakefield KC is set to represent the defendant in Cabo Concepts Limited v MGA Entertainment, with the standalone abuse of dominance claim set for trial in late 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The senior clerk, Tony Burgess, is extremely good.'
- 'Clerks are uniformly excellent. Hannah Rayner is responsive and great to work with.'
- 'The clerks are very pleasant, in particular Paul Dennison, Phil Wilkes and Jo Francis.'
- 'The clerk's room are excellent. Phil Wilkes is extremely responsive and has an uncanny knack of finding a way to make things work, however awkward.'
- 'A go-to competition law set.'
- 'Brick Court is universally excellent. They have great strength in depths and the barristers work fantastically well together.'
- 'Brick Court is one of, if not the, leading competition set.'
- 'Brick Court is the top competition law set. They have an amazing depth of KCs, as well as juniors of all levels.'
Lawyers
Leading silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Marie Demetriou KC
‘Marie is a total star in several areas of practice not just competition law - which is the real hallmark of a first-rate barrister. She has a sixth sense for the winning point and has unparalleled advocacy skills to then execute it. She is first choice in the most difficult and cutting edge matters. Peerless.’
Sarah Ford KC
‘Sarah is a fantastic advocate. She has an ability to cut through the waffle and deliver the key points clearly and succinctly. Whilst its easier to look at advocates based on what they do say, Sarah has the priceless ability of knowing when not to stand up!’
Mark Hoskins KC
Daniel Jowell KC
‘Daniel is excellent with clients, particularly when setting strategy. He is a smooth and persuasive advocate, unruffled when the going gets tough.’
Robert O’Donoghue KC
‘Robert is a prime litigator, and a prime competition lawyer. Not many at the London Bar can claim that, and it makes him an incredible resource for complex antitrust claims, where one can only prevail if substance and process go hand in hand.’
Mark Howard KC
Maya Lester KC
Maya is a first rate barrister. She combines a razor sharp intellect with a measured style of advocacy but can also apply forensic force when needed. She is also a wonderfully collegiate person and a real team player.'
Aidan Robertson KC
'Aidan is extremely knowledgeable in his field. His ability to explain complex concepts to lay clients is excellent and his advocacy is always thoughtful and well-constructed.'
Tony Singla KC
‘Tony offers exceptional clarity of thought and advocacy.’
Sarah Abram KC
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Fergus Randolph KC
‘Fergus has an excellent in-depth knowledge of the technical side of competition law, not just the law around cartels and damages actions. He is entertaining and friendly to work with.’
Nicholas Saunders KC
‘Nick's mastery of both competition and patent law is a real asset. He is very cool calm and collected, an excellent orator, influential with the judge, and a pleasure to work with.’
David Scannell KC
‘David is a first-rate KC. He is not afraid to grapple with the most complex cases and his ability to navigate a clear and concise path through thorny legal issues is extremely effective with judges and clients alike.’
Jemima Stratford KC
Victoria Wakefield KC
‘Victoria is a go-to KC for competition work. She combines a razor-sharp intellect with an easy charm and fantastic client-handling skills. She is a polished advocate who will outclass many more senior silks.’
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Leading juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
David Bailey
‘David’s knowledge of competition law is really second to none at the Bar. He is a superlative black letter lawyer and he is extremely experienced as a barrister in this area. He is very good at the procedural management of these claims and he is extremely responsive and collaborative with the solicitor team.’
Sarah Love
‘Sarah is one of the highest quality juniors at the competition damages Bar and is destined for the top. She understands the law, economics and commercial dynamics at play extremely well, and is able to discern the correct course through those factors with remarkable clarity. She is also a joy to work with and the clients love her.’
Matthew Kennedy
‘Matthew is a very bright junior with excellent instincts. He is easy to work with and very responsive and hard working. A real team player and his advocacy skills are first rate.’
Hugo Leith
‘Hugo really is a star. He has it all; first rate intellect, wonderful judgement, great strategic and tactical senses, unflappable, and very collegiate. It is only a matter of time before he takes silk.’
Gerard Rothschild
‘Gerard is a first rate barrister. He is a black letter lawyer of the highest order which he combines with oral and written advocacy which is precise and laconic. He is a silk in all but name.’
Charlotte Thomas
Charlotte has an excellent grasp of the law, is very hard working and has an impressive written and oral advocacy style. The breadth of matters she acts on means that she has the key cutting edge legal developments at her fingertips. She is very responsive and a pleasure to work with.’
David Heaton
‘David is intelligent, pragmatic, and his drafting is first rate.’
Tim Johnston
‘Unusually for a junior counsel, Tim is already a strong advocate in his own right, able to stand his ground in court against much more senior opponents. He is an all round excellent litigator, with a good sense for strategy. A future silk without doubt. ’
Emily MacKenzie
‘Emily is super bright, writes brilliantly and is a pleasure to work with. She is that rare combination of both an excellent lawyer and also someone with lots of common sense.’
Jennifer MacLeod
‘Jenny is a future star of the competition law Bar. A thoughtful advocate and a tenacious cross-examiner.’
Emma Mockford
‘Emma is one of the best junior barristers at the Bar period, and not just in competition law. She has it all: razor sharp intellect, impeccable judgment, unflappable, and extremely collegiate. She is destined for great things.’
Tom Pascoe
Tom is a clever, motivated and persuasive advocate. He is a future leader in the making and the intellectual powerhouse of any team that he joins.’
Max Schaefer
Max is one of the best juniors at the Bar, and not just in competition law – the hallmark of a first-rate lawyer. He is very clever, has impeccable judgement, and is unflappable. He is also very collegiate to work with. Destined for great things.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
