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The Global Competition Review (GCR) has published its Barrister Survey, profiling Jon Turner QC and Daniel Beard QC as leading silks, with Alistair Lindsay and Josh Holmes listed as leading juniors.
The GCR Barrister Survey selected seven silks and five juniors in total “who are raising the bar,” and profiled Monckton barristers as follows:
Jon Turner QC
Last year was a particularly busy year for Jon Turner QC, who was seldom out of court. He led a run of five Court of Appeal cases, winning four. These included the Deutsche Bahn litigation; the Humber Oil litigation involving alleged abuse of dominance by a UK port authority; and the KME/Toshiba case. Representing three major mobile telephone companies, he won a landmark appeal against a CAT judgment upholding “ladder pricing” by BT on 08 number charges. Described as “tenacious” in court, and praised for his “in-depth understanding of competition law and economics”, the pace does not look set to slow for Turner in the near future. In the High Court, he is lead counsel for pharmaceutical defendant Reckitt Benckiser in the NHS claim for over £100 million in damages, and counsel for the claimant National Grid in its claim for damages from the EU switchgear cartel. Turner is praised for his relationships with fellow barristers, described as a “brilliant leader -very clever, very inclusive and very supportive”.
Daniel Beard QC
Daniel Beard QC, who was awarded silk in April 2011, has worked on multiple high-profile competition matters, including the merger between News Corporation and BSkyB, and the judicial review of the merger Ryanair’s minority share in Aer Lingus, which has been the subject of two Court of Appeal judgments. Described as “very bright and easy to deal with”, Beard is one of the top choices for solicitors. His recent damages cases include work on Emerson Electric Co v Morgan Crucible before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and representing copper manufacturer KME in a High Court case that dealt with which damage claims can be brought in English courts, both of which are now under appeal. He has also worked on important appeals against infringement decisions in both the UK and EU, including Polish Telecom’s continuing challenge of a €125 million fine for abuse of dominance and appeals in the construction cartel cases before the CAT. Beard has particular expertise in the telecoms sector, where he has acted in BT’s pay-TV appeal and in the first ever telecoms competition case to be heard in Bahrain.
Alistair Lindsay
Alistair Lindsay has twice made the shift between the bar and private practice, rejoining his original chambers, Monckton, in 2008 after seven years as a partner at Allen & Overy in London. Described as “a dab hand” in merger matters, Lindsay is frequently retained in merger reviews before the UK and European competition authorities, and is currently advising on the first foundation hospital tie-up to be referred by the OFT to the CC. In behavioural matters, he is acting for tobacco company Gallaher in its application to the CAT for permission to appeal against its £50 million fine in the OFT’S closed tobacco case. He is due to appear before the Court of Appeal in a private action alleging abuse of dominance in the shipping industry and in Nokia’s damage claims against LCD manufacturers, which is running parallel to an investigation by DG Comp.
Josh Holmes
Josh Holmes is highly praised by his fellow barristers for his eloquent delivery, excellent client manner and “good grasp of both the big picture and details”. His busy workload includes acting for Gaviscon-maker Reckitt Benckiser in its defence of damage claims brought by the NHS, and representing HTC on an IP and competition case -the first to grapple with the competition implications of FRAND licence terms. In the European courts, he is acting for the UK government in Mastercard’s appeal in the interchange case, and for DG Comp in its defence of several appeals in the airline fuel surcharge case. Before the CAT, Holmes successfully defended against a request for judicial review brought by the newsagents’ trade bodies after the OFT decided to close its investigation of newspaper and magazine distribution. He also represented four UK light bulb producers and a recycling scheme in their recent settlement of a stand-alone damage claim appearing before the High Court.