Alfred regularly assists more senior members of Chambers in competition matters, with a particular focus on those with a pharmaceutical/regulatory angle.

Cases

During pupillage, he worked on a range of significant competition cases, including:

• Viagogo AG v CMA: regulatory action against the online ticket resale platform Viagogo.
• CMA v Concordia International: challenges to a CMA search warrant granted in the course of a competition investigation into a pharmaceutical company.
• J Sainsbury plc v CMA: challenge by Sainsbury’s and Asda to the procedural timetable set by the CMA for a Phase 2 merger investigation.
• Secretary of State for Health v Servier Laboratories: damages claims brought by the UK health authorities against a pharmaceutical company for infringements of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU.
• Gutmann v London & South Eastern Railway: collective proceedings application in respect of alleged abuse of dominance by train companies involving ‘boundary fares’.
• Achilles Information v Network Rail: successful challenge to Network Rail’s supplier assurance regime for infringements of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU (see case note).
• Royal Mail v Office of Communications: appeal against a fine imposed by the regulator in respect of alleged abusive price discrimination.

Alfred has already gained extensive procurement litigation experience on both the claimant and defendant sides, and has acted in an advisory capacity to a number of government clients.

Cases

• 2019 Rail Franchising Litigation (led by Rhodri Thompson QC and Fionnuala McCredie QC): complex multi-party litigation involving a number of disqualified bidders’ challenges to three rail franchise competitions (one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 cases for 2020”). Alfred appeared as junior counsel in the Court of Appeal and subsequently in a three-week TCC trial.
• Live Nation v Royal Parks: acting for the Claimant in a challenge to the award of the Hyde Park Music Festival contract to AEG.

During pupillage, Alfred was also involved in:

• Bombardier Transportation UK v London Underground: ‘Deep Tube’ procurement challenge to the contract for new Piccadilly line trains – successful application by the defendant to lift the automatic suspension.
• P&O v Secretary of State for Transport: ‘Brexit ferries’ litigation – challenge by P&O to the original settlement agreement with Eurotunnel.

Alfred is also building a general commercial practice. As sole counsel, he is currently acting for the claimant in a high-value construction dispute in the TCC, and has previously been instructed by overseas clients to provide jurisdictional advice. Other recent instructions include a jurisdictional challenge in a complex multi-party shareholder dispute (led by Tom Sebastian).

More widely he has extensive County Court advocacy experience, principally defending airlines in claims under EC Regulation 261/2004.

Alfred is currently assisting Steven Gee QC with the next edition of Gee on Injunctions, and he is frequently asked to speak at seminars and events on commercial dispute resolution.

Cases

Alfred has a particular interest in EU matters, and much of his work has a European angle. He recently co-authored two articles on the Northern Ireland Protocol for the Tax Journal (with George Peretz QC), and was previously instructed by Testbiotech eV in a challenge to a GM marketing authorisation granted by the European Commission (led by Kassie Smith QC) (see news article).

Cases

Alfred is keen to develop a tax practice, and recently co-authored (with George Peretz QC) two articles for the Tax Journal on the customs and state aid provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol. During pupillage, he assisted Peter Mantle in a challenge to recover input tax based on a direct and immediate link between theatre production costs and taxable catering supplies (Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation v HMRC [2019] TC7157).

Cases

During pupillage, Alfred worked on a number of judicial review cases and drafted advice for clients on Brexit-related issues and other matters. He is currently providing advice to the Department of Health and Social Care and the MHRA in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cases

• R. (RD) v Worcestershire County Council: successful challenge to a local authority decision to cut children’s services.
• R. (Utilita) v BEIS: energy firm’s challenge to the smart meter rollout programme.

Alfred acted as junior counsel to the Department for International Trade in a significant freedom of information appeal: Brendan Montague v Information Commissioner [2020].

Before coming to the bar, Alfred spent four years teaching Classics at Winchester College. His commentary on Ovid Amores II was published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2018.

Education

• BPTC, BPP London (2018): Outstanding (ranked top five in year)
• GDL, Oxford Brookes University (2017): Distinction (ranked first in year)
• BA Literae Humaniores, Merton College, Oxford (2012): Double First

Scholarships and prizes

• Lord Denning Scholarship, Hardwicke Entrance Award, Buchanan Prize, Megarry Scholarship (Lincoln’s Inn)
• BPP Excellence Award
• Oxford University Press Prize for highest Distinction on GDL; Oxford Brookes University GDL Scholarship
• Postmaster (Merton College scholarship)

Languages

• French (advanced)
• German (basic)

• ‘Legality of mandatory supplier assurance schemes under competition law: Achilles Information Ltd v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (Case Comment)’, Public Procurement Law Review (2020) 1 NA19-NA23
•  ‘Achilles Information Limited v Network Rail Infrastructure Limited [2019] CAT 20’, Corporate Briefing (2019), Oct, 3-8
•  ‘Permanent exclusion from school, the case for radical reform’, Education Law Monitor (2018), Aug/Sep, 8-11

Case notes

• Ocean Outdoor v London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham [2019] EWCA Civ 1642
• Case note on Achilles Information Limited v Network Rail Infrastructure Limited [2019] CAT 20, Corporate Briefing and Public Procurement Law Review (forthcoming)