The recently launched Chambers Bar UK 2021 ranks 53 individual Monckton barristers across 20 practice areas with many appearing in multiple categories.

Monckton Chambers is one of the most highly ranked sets in the UK as it has been recommended in eleven practice areas; in five of these, Monckton is recognised as a “Band One” leading set:

• Competition
• European Law
• Telecommunications
• Public Procurement
• Indirect Tax

The Set has also been ranked in a further six categories:

• Administrative and Public Law
• Civil Liberties & Human Rights
• Data Protection
• Sports Law
• Environment
• Community Care

Individual members were also recognised as “Leading Individuals” in a further nine categories:

• Aviation
• Commercial Dispute Resolution – London
• Consumer Law
• Education
• Immigration
• Local Government
• Public International Law
• Crime: International Criminal Law
• International Human Rights Law

This is how the researchers summarised the set in the overview of leading sets:

Hailed as the “go-to set for difficult competition matters,” Monckton Chambers wins further plaudits for its strength in telecommunications law, with one commentator describing the set as “top of the pack.” It also boasts top-tier rankings in our public procurement, European law and indirect tax sections. Star individual Melanie Hall QC is lauded her for “extremely sharp and strategic insight” in relation to indirect tax, while Anneli Howard is described as a “stunningly bright barrister” on European law matters. The set is also home to top-ranked Jon Turner QC who “is an exceptional lawyer and advocate and arguably the best competition barrister in the UK,” according to one source, while another describes him as “brilliantly clever and analytical, with a calm, client-friendly approach.” The public procurement offering is bolstered by “guru” Michael Bowsher QC, “a fearless tactician” with “encyclopaedic knowledge of the area.” The “superb quality, innovative thinking and reliable service” of the set is further shown through its inclusion in the community care, administrative and public law, civil liberties and human rights, data protection, environment and sport rankings, with commentators also underlining the “genuine human warmth from the team” as a key attribute.

For further details on how Monckton Chambers performed, visit the Chambers and Partners website.

Anneli Howard is one of five lawyers shortlisted for the Barrister of the Year category of this year’s The Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2020.

The awards, now in their fifth year, are part of “The Next 100 Years”, the new project from the team behind the “First 100 Years”, which is dedicated to achieving equality for women in law. The aim is to accelerate the pace of change over the next decade by encouraging collaboration across the profession, improving the visibility of women in law and supporting the women lawyers of the future. Baroness Hale is the patron of “The Next 100 Years”.

The winners of the five categories will be announced at a virtual event on Thursday 5th November 2020 (6 – 8pm). You can see the full list of finalists here.

Professor Panos Koutrakos has been mentioned in the Opinion by Advocate General Pikamäe of the European Court of Justice in Joined Cases C‑225/19 and C‑226/19 R.N.N.S. and K.A. v Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken. 

These cases are about Article 32 of Regulation 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas and its interpretation in the light of Articles 41 (right to a fair hearing) and 47 (right to an effective remedy) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The cases arose in the context of visa applications rejected by the Netherlands authorities after other Member States had objected on grounds of public policy, internal security or public health, or their international relations. The questions referred to the European Court of Justice are about the information that may be communicated to the applicants and the remedies available to challenge the objections to the issuing of the visa. 

In his Opinion, delivered on 9 September 2020, Advocate General Pikamäe referred to the article by Professor Koutrakos on ‘Judicial Review in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy’, (2018) 67 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 1. 

This article has also been mentioned in two other Opinions this year: by Advocate General Tanchev in Case C 730/18 P SC v EULEx Kosovo and by Advocate General Bobek in Case C 14/19 P European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) v KF.

Monckton’s Ben Emmerson QC has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to international human rights and humanitarian law.

Ben Emmerson is an international lawyer who has acted in a long list of international human rights cases, including representing the widow of Alexander Litvinenko; representing Ukraine in a series of cases against Russia arising out of the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines MH17a, and representing Georgia following the Russian invasion of South Ossetia in 2008.

He previously served as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, and a Judge on the UN international criminal tribunals, in the equivalent UN rank of the Assistant Secretary-General.
We congratulate Ben on this great recognition.

Responding to the announcement, Ben Emmerson QC said:

“I was both chuffed and at the same time humbled when I heard the news. I am sensitive to the debate surrounding the continued use of the word “empire” in the name of the award, but from a purely personal point of view, it’s a great way to mark the end of what has been an amazing and rewarding 35 year career at the Bar, and a great way to start the next chapter of my life. I am leaving the Bar at the end of this month to move on to a new challenge, and this is a high note for me to go out on.”

A link to the full press release is here.

Tim Ward QC has been selected as the Lawyer’s Barrister of the Week as a result of his success in acting for Uber London Ltd in its appeal against Transport for London’s refusal a private hire licence. The full article can be read here.

In the recently launched Legal 500 UK Bar 2021, a record 53 individual barristers from Monckton Chambers are listed across 19 practice areas with many recommended in multiple categories.

Monckton Chambers has been recommended, as a TOP-TIER set in the following five practice areas:

• Competition
• EU law
• Telecoms (regulatory)
• Public procurement
• Tax – VAT

The Set has also been ranked in a further four areas:

• Administrative and public law (including local government)
• Civil liberties and human rights (including actions against the police)
• Data protection
• Sport

Individual members were also recognised as “Leading Individuals” in:

• Aviation
• Commercial Litigation
• Education
• Environment
• Fraud:civil
• Immigration (including business immigration)
• International arbitration: counsel
• International Crime & Extradition
• Public international law
• Social housing

See full Monckton Chambers’ rankings here.

The shortlist for the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2020 has been announced and Monckton Chambers and its members are up for multiple awards across two categories.

Monckton Chambers is nominated for the Set award for Competition with Mark Brealey QC in the final three for Silk of the Year and Alan Bates for Junior of the Year for the same category.

Monckton is also in the running for the Set award for Tax with Andrew Macnab shortlisted in the final three for Junior of the Year in the category.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony which will be held virtually on Thursday, 19 November 2020

The aim of the awards is to recognise, reward and celebrate both sets’ and individual barristers’ pre–eminence in key practice areas. The awards are based on the research for the 2021 edition of Chambers Bar and reflect notable achievements over the past 12 months including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service.

Melanie Hall QC, Ronit Kreisberger QC, Anneli Howard and Imogen Proud are in the shortlist for a Women in Law Award.

The Monckton finalists span four award categories with Melanie Hall in the shortlist for two awards:
Woman of the Year – Melanie Hall QC
Mentor of the Year – Ronit Kreisberger QC
Barrister/Advocate of the Year – Melanie Hall QC, Anneli Howard
Rising Star – Barrister/Advocate of the Year – Imogen Proud

More than 400 legal professionals, law firms, legal departments and other legal businesses have been nominated for these inaugural UK awards that set out to promote diversity within the legal profession.

The Women in Law Awards are the latest in a series of diversity events delivered by Incisive Media, which include The Women in Insurance Awards, The Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards and The Women in Investment Awards. The ethos of the awards is to promote equality across all parts of the profession by showcasing excellence and achievement.

You can read the full shortlist here and the winners will be announced at the virtual ceremony taking place on Wednesday 11th November.

The members of Monckton Chambers congratulate Julianne Kerr Morrison, James Bourke and Khatija Hafesji on their successful applications in the most recent round of Attorney General Panel appointments. Julianne is promoted to B panel; James and Khatija are new additions to the C Panel.

All appointments commence from September for five years.

The Attorney General maintains four advisory panels of junior counsel to undertake civil and EU work for all government departments. There are three London panels (an A panel for senior juniors, a B panel for middle juniors, a C panel for junior juniors) and a regional panel. In addition, there are three Public International Law Panels.

In total, these most recent appointments mean that 22 members of Monckton Chambers are on the following AG’s panels:

• A Panel: Raymond Hill, Anneli Howard, Alan Bates, Ben Lask, Andrew Macnab, Peter Mantle, Brendan McGurk,  Ewan West
• B Panel: Eric Metcalfe, Azeem Suterwalla, Fiona Banks, Julianne Kerr Morrison.
• C Panel: Anneliese Blackwood, Tarlochan Lall,  Conor McCarthy, Michael Armitage, Jack Williams, Imogen Proud, James Bourke, Khatija Hafesji.
• Public International Law B Panel: Anneli Howard, Thomas Sebastian
• Public International Law C Panel: Nikolaus Grubeck