With ‘fantastic strength in depth and large number of extremely impressive barristers’, Monckton Chambers leads on competition law matters spanning from fast-track competition and damages claims to mergers, appeals and judicial reviews. ’At the top of the field in competition litigation’, Jon Turner KC led on behalf of the CMA in the Court of Appeal in an appeal following that with major ramifications concerning the extent of the powers of the CAT in CMA v Allergan and others, and ‘strategic mastermind of the highest order’ Daniel Beard KC acted for Intel in Intel vs. European Commission, obtaining a success with the CJEU rejecting an appeal of the annulment of an alleged abuse of dominance fine valued over £1bn. ’A great tactician with a clear sense of strategy’, Ronit Kreisberger KC is instructed in two separate major collective proceedings concerning abuse of dominance claims against Google and Apple, and Meredith Pickford KC led on behalf of Amazon in Riefa v Amazon & Apple, becoming the first British barrister to cross-examine a proposed class representative at a hearing requesting a collective proceedings order. ‘First rate’, Philip Moser KC is advising on follow-on damages litigation for 135 claimants in the second wave of the Trucks cartel cases, expected to go to trial in 2025.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

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.

Daniel Beard KC

'Daniel is a brilliant advocate. He bridges the gap between the economics and law in competition cases effortlessly and it makes him a fierce cross-examiner. He has significant expertise in cases in the tech sector and clients love him.'

Mark Brealey KC

‘Mark has seen it all and has a remarkable track-record of winning cases, even where there is a challenging fact pattern. His advocacy is disarmingly simple and straight-forward. He is a pleasure to work with, good with clients, and approachable.’

Paul Harris KC

Meredith Pickford KC

Jon Turner KC

'Jon is at the top of the field in competition litigation and an excellent oral advocate.'

Tim Ward KC

‘Tim is a perpetually cheerful, engaging and determined team member. He’s great at seeing things from his client’s perspective and works continually to think about how to advance that position. He’s assertive and always fights his client’s corner.’

Michael Bowsher KC

‘He has a capacious intelligence and a formidable work ethic which is allied to a set of natural gifts. Michael is the sort of barrister you would like to have on your side, especially in lengthy and complicated trials. His cross examination is meticulously prepared and his delivery is excellent and attractive.’

Robert Palmer KC

‘He is clear, cogent and effective in all that he does, whether it is carefully unpacking the complexities of a regulatory framework or incisively dismantling a witness’s testimony in cross-examination. Robert combines a brilliant mind with an awesome work ethic to devastating effect.’

George Peretz KC

Kassie Smith KC

‘Kassie’s greatest strength is her sheer tenacity. Whenever you are in a tricky situation she is exactly the kind of fearless advocate you want by your side battling your corner. Her preparation is superb, and her advocacy is sublime. She is clear, direct, and persuasive.’

Rob Williams KC

Gerry Facenna KC

'A firm and persuasive advocate on his feet. Good team player.'

Anneli Howard KC

‘Very commercial and client-friendly.’

Ben Lask KC

'A very promising new competition silk, with a steady hand, sound judgment, and an impressive delivery in court.'

2024 Silks

Brendan McGurk KC

‘His advocacy is excellent. As well as having a mastery of the factual and legal issues, he shows a great grasp of what would, and would not, appeal to tribunals. He also does a great job of liaising with the other Defendants’ counsel and ensuring that collaboration is as consistent and strong as it can be.’

Philip Woolfe KC

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.

Alan Bates

'Alan invariably advocates in a measured and carefully considered manner, and watching his real-time work in the tribunal can feel like a masterclass in advocacy, so controlled and effective is his approach. Alan eschews dramatics and showmanship, providing instead something much more valuable to his clients: a certainty that they are in best possible hands'

James Bourke

'James is an excellent drafter and very quick in the uptake. He is flexible and very client friendly. He is curious and driven to really understand the facts of cases and the technology involved. I think he is truly excellent.'

Ben Rayment

'Ben has the excellent judgement that comes from being a hugely experienced junior. A great asset to any team. His written and oral advocacy are first-class.'

Julian Gregory

‘Excellent and clear in making submissions, good style, explains things clearly but across the detail. Generally excellent all rounder, leading the case, designing strategy, advising the team. Proactive and nice to work with.’

Alison Berridge

‘Alison is stratospherically clever, and practical to boot. She is absolutely the barrister you want in your corner on competition matters.’

Anneliese Blackwood

Nikolaus Grubeck

'Nikolas is a first rate barrister who is very versatile and provides clear and cogent advocacy on a wide range of competition matters. He has excellent cross-disciplinary knowledge and always sees how the competition analysis fits into the wider case theory. On top of that, he's a pleasure to work with.'

Laura Elizabeth John

Stefan Kuppen

'Stefan is a classy advocate, with an understated and intelligent style.'

Daisy Mackersie

'Incredibly bright, thoughtful and measured and a pleasure to work with.'

Ligia Osepciu

Julianne Kerr Morrison

‘Julianne is a junior who can hold her own against silks of any level, she can lead or support as the case requires. A wonderful advocate and a fabulous team player.’

Jack Williams

‘Jack is a fantastic junior – tremendously hardworking and a great team player. Also good on his feet.’

Michael Armitage

'Michael is a formidable advocate and a highly valued team player. He has a capacious intelligence and a formidable work ethic which is allied to a set of natural gifts. Michael is the sort of barrister you would like to have on your side, especially in lengthy and complicated trials. His cross examination is meticulously prepared and his delivery is excellent and attractive. An excellent advocate.'

Fiona Banks

'Fiona is extremely incisive with excellent attention to detail and legal analysis. She is incredibly smart, hard-working and responsive, and able to work well as part of a larger team and when under pressure.'

David Gregory

'David is fantastically bright, while also extremely collaborative and a very clear communicator. He is a highly effective operator, and remains very calm under pressure.'

Conor McCarthy

'Conor has a fine mind and thinks and writes with great clarity and comprehensiveness. He is flexible and user-friendly dealing with clients and firm when necessary, in the interests of the case. He has an excellent sense of strategy and of how various arguments might play out in Court. Conor is a delight to work with and a strong and assured team player.'

Ciar McAndrew

‘Ciar is one of the most talented and reliable juniors at the competition Bar. Her analysis is always utterly rigorous and her judgment is impeccable. She is a can-do junior for whom nothing is too much trouble.’

Kristina Lukacova

‘She has a first-rate intellect, excellent oral and written advocacy skills, and first-rate judgement. Nothing fazes her, which is an excellent quality in litigation. She is also able to leverage a first-rate commercial law practice to great effect in competition law.’

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.

Antonia Fitzpatrick

'Antonia is simply first class. Leaders and senior juniors love her as do clients. Her advocacy is incredibly good for her level of call, and her commercial approach to cases coupled with her thorough understanding of the law mean she is in high demand.'

Alfred Artley

‘He is intellectually astute, delight to work with and an assured advocate. Calm, measured and effective.’

Will Perry

Extremely bright, hardworking, friendly and absolutely on top of this area. He is measured in his advice and able to clarity out of complexity.'

Jenn Lawrence

‘Jenn is very bright and pleasant to work with. Her written advocacy is fantastic as are her quick understanding of complex issues. She has a great future ahead of her.’