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BA (Hons), Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Oxford) (1st Class); Graduate Diploma in Law, City University (Distinction)
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“a very impressive advocate” – Chambers UK, 2025
Michael is an experienced senior junior barrister. He specialises primarily in competition law, public law and sports law, but he also has expertise across a range of other fields including public procurement, information law and general commercial litigation and arbitration. He regularly acts unled (often against silks) and has substantial experience conducting oral advocacy and cross-examination in high-profile, high-value trials. He was instructed in two of the Lawyer magazine’s Top 20 cases for 2025 (Kent v Apple and McLaren v MOL & Others). His cross-examination of a leading global technology firm’s Chief Financial Officer at a recent trial was reported in the Financial Times.
The legal directories describe Michael as a “very impressive”, “well prepared”, “cerebral”, “super-bright” and “absolutely excellent” advocate who is “very collegiate”, “a master of the detail”, “good at bringing across the recent case law to the tribunal”, a “real team player”, “very calm and great with the clients” and “clearly valued by the silks he works with”. Clients praise his “excellent tactical nous and exceptional drafting” and his ability to “turn round submissions and advice quickly and well”.
Michael prides himself on the diversity of his practice. He acts for a range of claimants and defendants and is just as comfortable advising multi-national businesses on competition law issues as he is helping secure urgent interim relief for individuals in receipt of legal aid.
Michael is Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority, and a member of the Attorney- General’s “B-Panel” of counsel. He is direct access qualified and accepts pro bono instructions in suitable cases.
Before qualifying as a barrister, Michael read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford, where he received the top mark in the University in Philosophy finals, and the 4th highest overall mark in the University. He then worked as a parliamentary researcher and caseworker in the House of Commons before completing his GDL (with Distinction) and BPTC (Outstanding, ranked 5th in year) at City, University of London.
Michael undertakes a broad range of public law and judicial review work ranging from major human rights and discrimination cases to challenges to regulatory decisions in the commercial sphere. He also has a specialist community care practice, often acting for vulnerable, legally-aided claimants on extremely urgent applications. The public law legal directories describe him as “a very impressive advocate” who is “extremely well prepared”; he “runs challenging points and does it very well”.
Michael regularly appears unled, for both claimants and defendants, in the Administrative Court and in a range of specialist tribunals. He also frequently acts as junior counsel in claims raising major points of principle, both at first instance and on appeal. He has appeared in four public law cases in the Supreme Court: twice for claimants, and twice for defendants. As Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority, Michael routinely acts in regulatory appeals decided on judicial review grounds.
The following is an illustrative list of Michael’s reported public law cases:
Michael’s competition law practice covers litigation and advisory work across the full spectrum of competition law. He has substantial advocacy experience (including cross-examination) in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The legal directories, in which he has for many years been ranked as a leading junior in competition law, describe Michael as “very astute and has considerable experience”, “super-bright and amongst the best analytical juniors…having excellent tactical nous and exceptional drafting”, “excellent to work with”.
Michael is instructed on a number of the most of high-profile competition claims in this jurisdiction. As well as acting for both claimants and defendants in private competition law disputes, he has served as Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority since 2021.
Michael’s competition law practice divides into (i) collective proceedings, (ii) private competition law claims and (ii) regulatory appeals.
Collective proceedings
Michael has an extremely busy collective proceedings practice: a GCR analysis in April 2025 found that Michael “leads his contemporaries” as the busiest barrister in this field, having advised on 10 of the 24 collective claims filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal since the collective proceedings regime came into force in October 2015. Michael acts for both class representatives and defendants, and he was the only barrister to be instructed in each of the first three collective claims to come to trial (Le Patourel v BT; Gutmann (Bounday Fares); Kent v Apple). In addition to those cases, Michael has acted in a range of other collective claims including Gibson v Pride Mobility Scooters, Trucks (RHA / UKTC), Coll v Google, McLaren v MOL & Others, Which? v Qualcomm Inc, Boyle v Govia Thameslink and Spottiswoode v NKT & Others.
Michael appeared in each of the first three collective competition law trials before the CAT (the only barrister): Le Pat, Gutmann, Kent.
Private competition law claims
Michael also has a busy private competition law practice, covering both follow-on and stand-alone claims for both claimants and defendants (including the Air Cargo, Trucks and Power Cables proceedings). Notable current and recent instructions include:
Regulatory appeals
In his role as Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority, Michael has been instructed in a number of major regulatory appeals, including both antitrust cases and merger appeals. Notable current and recent instructions include the Hydrocortisone Appeals (pending before the Court of Appeal), Cerelia v CMA [2023] CAT 54; and BGL v CMA [2022] CAT 36.
Michael also a niche sports law practice, in which he combines his substantial experience in public law, competition law and general commercial litigation with his passion for a range of different sports. His sports law practice covers disciplinary proceedings, arbitrations and civil court proceedings.
Selected instructions include:
In addition to his primary practice areas, Michael also has significant experience in public procurement, information law and general commercial litigation.
Public procurement
Information law
Commercial law
Michael also has a general commercial practice, covering both litigation and advisory work. Recent instructions include acting unled for a ‘start up’ technology company in a private arbitration concerning the distribution of the proceeds of sale of a major asset.
Administrative & Public Law: “Michael is a very impressive advocate. He is extremely well prepared.” – Chambers UK, 2025
Competition Law: “Michael is very astute and has considerable experience in competition matters. He is cerebral with a very in-depth knowledge of case law.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2025
Competition Law: “Mike is very bright and all over the case law. He also readily understands the client’s strategic objectives and factors those into his advice. He is excellent to work with, collaborative and proactive.” – Legal 500, 2025
Administrative & Public Law: “He is very, very good – he runs challenging points and does it well.” – Chambers UK, 2024
Community Care: “He runs challenging points and does it very well.” “Michael is very good.” – Chambers UK, 2024
Competition Law: “Michael is excellent to work with, collaborative, and collegiate.” – Chambers UK, 2024
Administrative Law and Human Rights: “A junior who provides very good, intelligible advice.” – Legal 500, 2024
Competition Law: “He is super-bright and amongst the best analytical juniors. Michael knows abuse of dominance issues inside-out, also having excellent tactical nous and exceptional drafting.” – Legal 500, 2024
Administrative & Public Law: “He is absolutely excellent; he gets up to speed very quickly and is very collegiate.” – Chambers UK, 2023
Community Care: “Michael is an excellent barrister.” “He has an impressive public law practice.” – Chambers UK, 2023
Competition Law: “A master of the detail and good at bringing across the recent case law to the tribunal. He’s clearly valued by the silks he works with.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2023
Administrative Law and Human Rights: “Mike is very collegiate and can turn round submissions and advice quickly and well.” – Legal 500, 2023
Competition Law – Legal 500, 2023
Community Care: “Michael is an impressive barrister and is particularly strong in public law.” “Michael is practising in interesting and complex cases.” – Chambers UK, 2022
Competition Law: “Good at grasping the issues and solving the problems, and focusing on what is important.” “He is a real team player; he is very resourceful and hard-working as well.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2022
Competition Law: “Great to work with, user friendly and a master of the detail.” – Legal 500, 2022
Competition Law: “A very bright barrister, who cuts through to the key issues. He’s been involved in quite a few big cases so his ability to call on that experience is invaluable.” “He was very knowledgeable on the issues, very calm and great with the clients.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2021
Competition Law: “A strong drafter who is highly regarded by senior QCs.” – Legal 500, 2021
Competition Law: “His attention to detail is good and his drafting is excellent.” “He is practical and willing to work hard, and is someone who gets on very well with clients.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2020
Undergraduate
Legal
BA (Hons), Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Oxford) (1st Class);
Graduate Diploma in Law, City University (Distinction)
Co-author (with Jon Turner KC and Anneli Howard KC) of the chapter on ‘Litigating Infringements in National Courts’ in Bellamy & Child (8th edition), European Union Law of Competition
Co-Author (with Jack Williams) of “Some things money cannot buy – lessons learned from the latest judgment under the UK’s new regime for collective competition law claims: Merricks v Mastercard Inc” (2018) 37(1) Civil Justice Quarterly 48-61
“The (Fast-Track) Trial of Socrates”, Competition Law Journal (2017, issue 3)
“Streetmap gets lost in Google abuse of dominance claim” (article for Lexis PSL, 25/2/16)
“Competition Law, land agreements and the decision in Martin Retail Group Ltd v Crawley Borough Council: an opportunity missed?” – article in the Competition Law Journal (2014, issue 3)
