Monckton Chambers is pleased to congratulate Lord (Christopher) Bellamy KC on his recent appointment as Honorary Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Laws at University College, London. In addition to his Chamber arbitral and consultative work, Christopher is looking forward to working with the UCL Centre for Law, Economics and Society, one of the leading academic institutions in the UK and Europe, on issues affecting competition law, regulation and more broadly the judicial system in the UK and EU.

Read the UCL press release.

Jenn Lawrence has been elected as a Trustee of Human Rights Watch UK, the UK legal entity of the New York-headquartered nonprofit watchdog. Jenn said:

“I’m delighted to have been elected to the Board of Trustees at Human Rights Watch UK.

HRW investigates and reports on human rights abuses worldwide, campaigning to change policy and intervening in strategic litigation where appropriate. HRW’s recent work has included investigations into the human rights implications of the curtailing of the right to protest in the United Kingdom, the Israel-Gaza war, the treatment of the Uyghurs in Türkiye and state censorship in Russia.

 I’ve been following the organisation for some time now and am looking forward to working with the Board to further matters of particular impact for those in the UK.”

Khatija Hafesji has been shortlisted for “Returner of the Year” at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2026.

Hosted by The Global Legal Post, the awards honour outstanding women leaders and practitioners, as well as legal teams and businesses driving meaningful change.

The shortlist was selected from nearly 350 entries across 32 categories and includes 82 law firms and chambers, alongside 27 other businesses and more than a dozen not-for-profit organisations.

You can read the full Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2026 shortlist, the winners will be announced at the ceremony taking place on 28th April.

Khatija Hafesji has been appointed Editor in Chief of the Human Rights Law Reports – UK Cases, published by Sweet & Maxwell.

She takes over from Eric Metcalfe who was Editor in Chief for eleven years.

Tim Ward KC, who founded the Reports in 2000 and was the first General Editor, said:

“I am delighted that Khatija is continuing the tradition of Monckton involvement in the Reports.  Eric did a fantastic job and I look forward to the Reports going from strength-to-strength under Khatija’s stewardship.”

The first issue of 2026 has been published today and features the following significant judgments:

• The Supreme Court’s decision in Re JR87’s application for Judicial Review [2025] UKSC 40; [2026] HRLR 1, which held that the religious education and collective worship specified by the Northern Ireland Department for Education in its core syllabus was not conveyed in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner and thereby breached A2P1, read with art.9 ECHR.
• The Court of Appeal’s decision in R (L1T Holdings Ltd.) v Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Cabinet Office [2025] EWCA Civ 1528; [2026] HRLR 2, dismissing the company’s appeal that an order made under s.26 of the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (requiring it to divest its shareholding in another company due to its links with certain Russian nationals) was a disproportionate interference with its A1P1 rights.
• R (Jwanczuk) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2025] UKSC 42; [2026] HRLR 3, which held that the contribution condition for the receipt of Bereavement Support Payments did not discriminate against the surviving partners of those with a lifelong inability to work through disability. The judgment also provides important guidance on the approach to be taken to decisions made by different appellate courts of the United Kingdom.

Khatija Hafesji is ranked across three practice areas, with a focus on Public Law and Data Protection, Competition, and Procurement. She has a particular interest and expertise in human rights law, particularly cases involving the rights of children. She is a Trustee at the Public Law Project.

Please see The Law Reports, published by Sweet & Maxwell.

Update:

On 26 January, a memorial service was held in Gray’s Inn Chapel for Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG KC, the former head of Monckton Chambers and a much-loved and revered mentor, colleague and friend to many of us.  Here is a collection of the spoken and written tributes from the service.  Jeremy is much missed.

Please see the collection of tributes for Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG KC

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It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that Members of Monckton Chambers announce the death of our colleague and friend, Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG KC, who passed away on 25 August 2025.

Sir Jeremy was distinguished for his enormous contribution to the fields of European Law and Competition Law both as a practitioner and academic. This was recognised by his being awarded one of the highest Orders, a Knighthood of the Order of St Michael and St George. Sir Jeremy was also a Fellow and Senior Dean of All Souls, University of Oxford, for many years and an annual lecture in his name is held in Oxford, organised jointly by Monckton Chambers, All Souls College and the Faculty of Law.

He will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with friends and family.

 

In its first certification judgment since the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Evans v Barclays, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has certified opt-out proceedings brought against Valve Corporation, which operates Steam, the world’s largest PC game distribution platform.

The claim, estimated to be worth up to £656m, alleges that around 14 million consumers have been overcharged for games and additional content on Steam and other platforms as a result of Valve’s abuse of dominance.

The Class Representative alleges, in summary, that Valve has unlawfully imposed: (a) platform parity obligations (PPOs), that restrict publishers’ ability to offer better prices or terms through competing distribution channels, (b) anti-steering and/or tying provisions, that prevent users from purchasing additional content through competing distribution channels, and (c) excessive and unfair commission charges on sales made through Steam.

Valve opposed certification on multiple grounds, in particular alleging deficiencies in the proposed methodologies for establishing liability and loss in relation the PPO and unfair pricing abuses, as well as deficiencies with the proposed class definition. The CAT rejected Valve’s objections and certified the claim.

Before reaching its judgment, the Tribunal of its own motion raised issues concerning the Class Representative’s funding arrangements (following its judgment last year in Riefa v Amazon) and whether the proceedings warranted certification on an opt-out basis (in the light of Evans v Barclays).

On the former point, the CAT accepted the Class Representative’s submission that the facts of Riefa were highly unusual, and moreover (as stated in Riefa itself) that the Tribunal’s comments in Riefa should not be elevated into a set of independent legal tests or rules, and that the Tribunal should be reluctant to venture into an assessment of the commercial terms of the LFA unless they are sufficiently extreme to warrant calling out.

On the latter point, the Tribunal found that Evans did not call into question certification on an opt-out basis, noting that this was a claim brought on behalf of a large class of consumers each of which had suffered moderate losses – described by the Supreme Court as a ‘paradigm’ of where opt-out certification is appropriate.

Julian Gregory and Will Perry were instructed by Milberg London LLP for the Class Representative at the CPO hearing.

Robert Palmer KC was instructed for the Class Representative at an earlier stage of proceedings.

The claim is funded by Bench Walk Advisors.

Every year, The Lawyer Hot 100 recognises a diverse mix of legal professionals who have been the standout lawyers in the UK over the previous twelve months. This year, Antonia Fitzpatrick is listed amongst the 11 “Hot 100” barristers mentioned.

Antonia is described as follows:

“Apple is learning fast to brace itself when Antonia Fitzpatrick appears on the other side. The Monckton junior has already built a reputation in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) for taking on Big Tech, and she is doing so at remarkable speed. Last year, at just five years’ call, she was called on by her senior to make submissions on interest in Rachael Kent v Apple, a claim that ultimately delivered a victory for consumers and sought £1.5bn in damages.

Her march through the CAT continues this year. Fitzpatrick is instructed for the claimants in Elizabeth Helen Coll v Alphabet Inc. and Others, a 14-week showdown in which she will represent 19.5 million UK-based Android users who bought apps and in-app content through the Google Play Store. It is one of the largest class actions currently headed for trial.

She has also been brought onto a cartel competition dispute, the £930m salmon cartel claim, which awaits a case management conference this year. The case adds another heavyweight battle to Fitzpatrick’s already solid portfolio which is defined by big wins in high-stakes competition litigation.

Drawn to competition disputes because of the mix of economics, public impact and sheer scale, Fitzpatrick is being brought in on a myriad of competition cases that are shaping consumer markets. She was previously involved in the interchange fees litigation and is already lined up for future trial three, the date for which is still to be set.

Fitzpatrick has fast become a recognised name in the CAT as a go-to in the billion-pound, large-scale disputes that are shaping the competition legislation landscape.”

Monckton Chambers barristers are pleased to feature in two of the 10 disputes set to be heard in the appeal courts in 2026 as listed in The Lawyer’s top 10 appeals of 2026. Further to the recent article from the Lawyer in relation to their top 20 first instance cases of 2026 this is further evidence that Monckton Chambers is operating at the top table in relation to first instance and appellate litigation.

• Professor Carolyn Roberts v Severn Trent Water and others

Court of Appeal, 11 February (one day)

For the appellant, Professor Carolyn Roberts, Jon Turner KC and Julian Gregory instructed by RPC partners Zoë Mernick-Levene and Jonathan Cary

For the respondents, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent, Thames Water, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water, Daisy Mackersie instructed by Freshfields partners Mark Sansom, Deba Das and senior associate Liz Forster, and associates Oscar Battell-Wallace, Charlie Fisher and Kelley Macpherson.

 

• The King on the application of Emmanuel School (Derby and others v The Chancellor of the Exchequer and others

Court of Appeal, 20-21 January (two days)

For the appellants, a child and his father from London’s Charedi Jewish community, Khatija Hafesji, instructed by Rook Irwin Sweeney partner Alex Rook and solicitor Jennifer Wright

The Lawyer’s “Top 20 cases of 2026” has been published, highlighting the biggest disputes of the year based on profile and value. Fifteen members at Monckton Chambers feature in three of these cases:

Alex Neill v Sony listed in the CAT in March for 10 weeks:

For the class representative, Alex Neill: Robert Palmer KC, Nikolaus Grubeck, Stefan Kuppen and Charlotte McLean, instructed by Milberg partners Natasha Pearman and James Oldnall, senior associates Hadley Howe Zielonka and Alicia Clark, associates Joel Mitchell, Courtney Sanders, Adriarna Milloy, Maya Ffrench-Adam, trainees Dwight Wilson, Kolade Kayode, and paralegals Isaba Moazzem, Claudia Chan and Amelia Hall

For the defendant, Sony: Daniel Beard KC instructed by Linklaters partners Sarina Williams and Verity Egerton-Doyle, managing associates Alex Hannington, Balaji Subramanian, Rebecca Dickie, Imogen Yates, Stephanie Farrington, Jason Shardlow-Wrest and Maria Papadopoulos, and associates, Annabel Leigh McCullagh, Noelle Huang, Harry Sorenson-Vaz, Anna Veispak, Geneva Hoffman, Dasha Konnova, Harry Vose, Bhavisha Sharma and Will Smith

Coll, Rodger and Epic v Google listed in the CAT in September for 14 weeks:
For the class representative, Elizabeth Helen Coll: Ronit Kreisberger KC and Antonia Fitzpatrick instructed by Hausfeld partners Lesley Hannah, Joanna Christoforou and Daniel Hunt, counsel Sofie Edwards, Kio Gwilliam-Savva and Jonathan Amior, senior associate Shahrina Quader, and associates Hannah McEwen, Jake Henderson, Luise Luetcke and Kazi Elias.

For the claimant in the related case of Epic v Alphabet & others:
Daisy Mackersie, instructed by Norton Rose Fulbright partners Caroline Thomas, Susanna Rogers and Mark Tricker.

For the class representative in the related case of Rodger v Alphabet & others:
Anneliese Blackwood instructed by Geradin partners David Gallagher, Jennifer Reeves, Patrick Teague and Anthony Ojukwu.

For the defendants Alphabet, Google LLC, Google Ireland Limited, Google Commerce Limited and Google Payment Limited (Google Asia Pacific Pte Limited and Google UK Limited are also included as defendants in the Rodger v Alphabet Inc & others proceedings)): Josh Holmes KC, Kassie Smith KC, Jack Williams, Jenn Lawrence and Luke Kelly instructed by RPC partners David Cran, Chris Ross and Rathi Thiagamoorthy, and senior associates Will Carter, Gowri Chandrashekar, Ricky Cella and Tom McCall

Shein v Temu listed in the CAT in November for three weeks:
For the defendant, Whaleco UK: Josh Holmes KC, Nikolaus Grubeck, Cliodhna Kelleher and Charlotte McLean, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer partner Stephen Wisking