Michael Bowsher KC
‘Michael is, without question, the standout procurement silk at the Bar. He is the first — and often only — person to be considered for complex or high-risk cases. His strengths are exceptional across the board.’
Monckton Chambers’ members provide representation across the full gamut of public procurement claims from non-contentious advice to representation in litigation and mediation, with specialised expertise in EU law, regeneration schemes, state and aid procurement, and project finance matters. Michael Bowsher KC is instructed to represent the National Lottery Company in its claim against the Gambling Commission arising from an alleged breach of obligation in conducting the tender process for the award of the new operational contract, which was awarded to Allwyn. With an extensive advisory and litigation practice, Philip Moser KC led Azeem Suterwalla KC in representing for Ordnance Survey (OS) Ltd, which was being sued by Leica Geosystems Ltd which argued that OS had awarded the bid to a competitor with a non-compliant bid. Valentina Sloane KC acted in Optima Health v Department for Work & Pensions for Optima, which challenged DWP’s decision to exclude it from a high-value procurement.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Steve Duffet is brilliant - he understands the issues and the time pressures and always helps to find the right solution.'
- 'I cannot fault the clerk's room. Gemma Goodwin is the stand-out clerk, she is one of the best clerks.'
- 'The clerks' room is very responsive indeed, and is very difficult to fault. Gemma Goodwin stands out as one of the best clerks.'
- 'All the clerks at Monckton are very good. Steve Duffett stands out for approachability and delivering the right teams.'
- 'Monckton are a go-to set for public procurement work with a great roster of leading juniors and silks.'
- 'Monckton are a leading set for procurement - they have unmatched strength in depth and are involved in all of the leading cases.'
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.
Philip Moser KC
'Philip is a very strong advocate in court. He is very clear and reads the court well, persuasive and engaging submissions, strong cross examination.'
Valentina Sloane KC
‘Valentina was truly excellent. Quickly into the detail, robust in her analysis, confident to take a position and back it. Valentina delivers service excellence and was always on top of the detail and timescales despite the many moving parts. Valentina is excellent on her feet before first instance and appellate judges.’
Rob Williams KC
Anneli Howard KC
‘Anneli is a team player and fearless advocate.’
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.
Brendan McGurk KC
Ewan West KC
‘Ewan’s written work is the best. Ewan also has a good tactical acumen that has yields excellent results for lay clients.’
2025 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.
Azeem Suterwalla KC
‘Azeem is an exceptional barrister and is thoroughly deserving of his elevation to silk this year. He has become a go-to barrister for public procurement litigation. Azeem’s written work is always very good, and he is an outstanding advocate. He combines a fierce intellect with an excellent manner with lay clients.’
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 is fantastic with his advice that is tailored for the specific client. He is a great team player and assists with the development of the junior members' of the team's knowledge.’
Jonathan Lewis
‘Jonathan’s advice is consistently commercial and tailored to the specific demands of the business. He is insightful and creative in his approach and an ebullient and thoroughly pleasant man.’
Fiona Banks
‘Fiona understands the client need and perspective more than other barristers. She is reliable and good in front of a difficult procurement client.’
Anneliese Blackwood
‘Anneliese is very good at drafting. Very sensible.’
Alfred Artley
‘Alfred is absolutely ago-to junior. Solicitors breathe a sigh of relief when they have Alfred on board. He is phenomenally bright and gets all over the detail straight away.'
Jen Coyne
‘Jen is one of the star juniors at the Bar for public procurement challenges. She is thorough, excellent at finding points of detail and distilling the key legal issues, and working in a collaborative manner with solicitors and clients.’
Khatija Hafesji
‘Khatija is very clear and excellent with lay clients. She shows empathy but clarity of thought and advice. ‘