Professor Holger Hestermeyer was invited to give oral evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee on UK accession to Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on 5 December 2023.

The CPTPP is one of the UK’s most significant free trade agreements, of relevance for business with countries like Australia, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and Vietnam. In most cases the agreement operates in parallel with already existing bilateral Free Trade Agreements, raising complex legal questions. In addition, the agreement is of strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific region and in the current world trading system.

Professor Hestermeyer is a leading expert in the law of world trade. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

 

George Peretz KC has been announced the winner of the Lexology Client Choice Award 2024 for UK Competition law.

Established in 2005, Client Choice recognizes those that stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service. The criteria for this recognition focus on an ability to add real value to clients’ business above and beyond the other players in the market.

All at Monckton Chambers congratulate George on this recognition. You can read more on the Lexology website here.

Monckton Chambers is delighted to announce that at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023 we were awarded the prestigious ‘Competition Set of the Year’ and Rob Williams KC was named ‘Competition Silk of the Year.’ This follows our success of also being awarded ‘Competition Set of the Year’ and ‘Silk of the Year’ at The Legal 500 Awards 2023 earlier this year.

Congratulations to all of our friends and colleagues across the bar who were shortlisted for awards and won in their categories, you can view further details on the website here.

Members of Chambers are delighted to announce that Francis Hornyold-Strickland has joined Monckton Chambers as of today, Thursday 23^rd November 2023.

Francis has a broad commercial practice, with a particular emphasis on international arbitration, civil fraud, shipping, and commodities disputes. Francis is recommended in the leading directories and, in 2024, has been described as:

• “He is incredibly intelligent and a brilliant barrister”(Chambers UK, 2024)
• “Francis is a confident, assertive and fluent advocate” (Legal 500, 2024)
• “Very dynamic, able to respond quickly, and provide assistance in every aspect of the work. He gets involved and adds a lot of value.” (Legal 500, 2024)
• “Francis is personable and has a great manner in explaining complicated matters in layman’s terms” (Legal 500, 2024)
• “An accomplished advocate despite his junior level. Responsive and hard working with a solution-oriented mindset.” (Legal 500, 2024)
• “Francis is very smart, a good advocate and offers great client service.”(Chambers UK, 2024)
• “He is user-friendly and very much a team player.” (Chambers UK, 2024)

Francis is regularly sought after for advice on particularly complex cases and has a thriving advisory and advocacy practice both in the English High Court and overseas, particularly in the Middle-East. He is co-author, with Professor Charles Debattista, of the practitioner text Debattista on Bills of Lading in Commodities Trade and the lead author of the website Strickland’s Shipping Guide. More recently, Francis has developed a busy practice in sanctions related work, particularly in light of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. He is involved in several cases concerning UK, EU and US OFAC sanctions and their effect on contractual performance and termination.

Francis practices both as counsel and as arbitrator. He accepts arbitral appointments in both ad hoc and institutional arbitrations. As counsel he acts in a wide range of commercial disputes, both unled and led, in High Court litigation, and arbitration. He is familiar with all major international rules including: LCIA, DIAC, ICC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, the Swiss Arbitration Rules, and LMAA rules. Francis is also a registered practitioner in the DIFC Courts in Dubai and the ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi, where he appears regularly including, most recently, in a US$160,000,000 anti-suit injunction in the ADGM.

Philip Moser KC , Joint Head of Chambers, welcomes Francis to Chambers, “Francis is the perfect addition to the Commercial and Arbitration group at Monckton Chambers, to meet existing client demand and grow commercial work further, at home and internationally – especially in the Middle East. His positive attitude and friendly nature will be appreciated by Monckton clients.”

Francis says, “I am delighted to be joining Monckton Chambers. The set is at the very top of its game both domestically and internationally.  It also plays host to a lovely group of people. I look forward to helping reinforce Monckton’s commercial strengths over the years to come and to making many friends along the way.”

To view Francis’ full profile, please click here.

 

The text of the Procurement Act 2023, which is expected to come into force in about a year’s time, has been published. As is well known there will be plenty more to come in secondary legislation, guidance and so forth and we look forward to planning a programme on Next Steps in the New Year.  If you have any topics you’d like us to cover, do please let us know in an email to chambers@monckton.com

Chambers UK Bar today launched their 2024 guide and Monckton Chambers is delighted to see a total of 144 rankings across 23 practice areas. We are pleased to see 5 new entries into the tables with 24 improved rankings including 2 new star individuals and 2 members recognised as ‘up and coming’. Congratulations to all members listed.

Monckton has once again been recognised as a Band 1 set for 5 areas:

• Competition ‘renowned for its superb ability in complex competition law mandates across a breadth of key areas. Members regularly appear before the CAT, the UK appellate courts and the European Court of Justice, representing clients on both sides of infringement decision appeals and follow-on damages claims, as well as a number of high-profile collective action proceedings. The set also stands out for the frequency with which its members represent major parties in disputed merger proceedings. Members further advise key UK public bodies, including acting as standing counsel to regulators, and defending both UK and European competition authorities in disputed cartel investigations. The set has seen members active in many of the leading cases.’
• EU law ‘Many of Monckton Chambers’ key areas of practice are grounded in its members’ superb understanding of EU law principles. The UK government frequently instructs barristers from the chambers in cases concerning state aid, European Commission cartel decisions, taxation and customs. The barristers additionally represent corporations and individuals in matters of the types listed above, and in litigation relating to industry sector regulation, free movement, data protection and other issues.’
• Telecoms regulation ‘Monckton Chambers handles the full spread of telecommunications law work and is particularly well known for its strength in competition cases. It is a strong choice for advice on reforming telecoms legislation and for representation in regulatory disputes, and further boasts intellectual property expertise, having appeared in numerous key cases relating to standard-essential patents in the technology sector. Its members have noted EU law expertise and are known for their adroit handling of EU competition law cases, as well as their superior advice on EU regulatory frameworks. The barristers’ clients include significant telecoms companies, content providers, and both UK and overseas regulatory bodies including Ofcom.’
• Public procurement ‘Monckton Chambers is an esteemed chambers which undertakes the full sweep of procurement cases on both the advisory and contentious fronts. The set receives instructions from tenderers and contracting authorities alike, and can assist with all stages of the procurement process. Members have experience in a variety of areas, from health and transport to utilities and IT. They are “nationally renowned for procurement work and have a great depth and range of expertise,” according to an interviewee
• Indirect Tax ‘Monckton Chambers is a first-rate set known for its extensive work across the full gamut of indirect taxation disputes. Chambers frequently acts for the Revenue and for taxpayers in cases relating to VAT, anti-dumping charges, input and exit taxes and landfill taxes, among others. Members regularly appear at all levels of the court and tribunal system, and routinely handle cases before the Supreme Court and the ECJ.’

The Set has also been ranked in a further 6 areas:

• Administrative and public law
• Community Care
• Civil Liberties
• Data protection
• Group Litigation
• Sport

Individual members were also recognised as “Leading Individuals” in an additional 12 practice areas:

• Animal Law
• Aviation
• CDR London
• Consumer Law
• Education
• Environment
• Immigration
• International Human Rights Law
• Life Sciences
• Local Government
• Regulatory
• Social Housing

Congratulations also to our clerking team who are again highly praised in this year’s guide as follows:

• “The clerking team is always responsive and impressive and seems to play a key role in business development at the chambers, which it does very well.”
• “Monckton’s clerking team has always been highly responsive and has provided excellent service levels.”
• “The clerks at Monckton are always available and approachable. They have a good understanding of the underlying issues and are able to give informed recommendations. They are very nice to deal with.”
• “David Hockney is a very responsive and helpful clerk. He is very useful in getting us the right people for our case.”
• “John Keegan really gets it and does a good job.”
• “David Hockney, John Keegan and the rest of the clerking team are first rate; they are reliable, accessible and accurate.”
• “The clerking team helped me to actively manage the work and relationship with counsel at a time when counsel was travelling internationally a lot.”
• “The clerks at Monckton are the best and have been consistently so over the years. They know their barristers’ practices really well and are very responsive.”
• “The clerks are always constructive in fee discussions and have assisted with the lodging of documents when we have really been up against a tight deadline. They go above and beyond the call of duty.”

You can view the full list of Monckton Chambers’ rankings here.

Monckton Chambers is delighted to announce that Steven Gee KC has been called to the Bar of the Republic of Ireland at the Call Ceremony in Dublin today, 11th October 2023.

Steven has been a member of Monckton Chambers since 2019, he was called to the bar in 1975 and elevated to silk in 1993. He is an experienced Commercial Litigator and Arbitration Specialist including in Commercial Fraud, Cross Border Disputes, Chancery, Conflicts of Law, Insolvency, Partnerships and Joint Ventures.

He is admitted to Practice in New York and the US District Courts for the Southern District of New York, and Eastern District of New York as well as being admitted in BVI, Eastern Caribbean and Antigua.

Steven appears in appellate courts in Eastern Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas, Hong Kong and is also a Recorder with Civil, Criminal, Chancery and Family tickets, including complex financial Authorisations.

Members and staff warmly congratulate Steven on his latest success.

Today the Legal 500 UK Bar guide 2024 was launched and, Monckton Chambers secured a record number of rankings totaling 144. This includes 61 individual barristers from Monckton listed across 23 practice areas, 13 new entries into the tables this year, 23 improved rankings and 6 members mentioned in the ‘rising star’ categories. Congratulations to all members listed.

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

• Competition: ‘Well established as a first-rate competition law set’ ‘Monckton Chambers has very strong strength and depth in competition law, which makes it the go to chambers for many.’
• EU law: ‘a leading set for EU law, with extensive expertise in both the silk and junior ranks. Members are well known for appearing before prominent EU institutions in complex cases.’
• Telecoms regulation: ‘leading chambers for telecommunications law and regulation.’
• Public procurement: ‘home to a team of ‘highly talented practitioners’ in the public procurement arena.’ ‘‘Monckton is first rate – the “go to” chambers for public procurement.’
• Tax: VAT and excise: ‘leading set for VAT’ and other indirect tax matters, and the set’s expertise in EU and public law enables its members to handle a wide range of complex cases for both taxpayers and HMRC.’

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

• Administrative law and human rights: ‘‘strong public law counsel‘, and the team is well known for its solid track record in handling high-profile civil liberties and public interest challenges and judicial reviews, both in the commercial and regulatory arenas.’
• Data protection: ‘definitely A-list.’
• Sport: ‘particular strengths in matters at the intersection of sport law with EU competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading.’

Members were also recognised as ‘Leading Individuals’ in:

• Aviation
• Court of Protection and community care
• Commercial Litigation
• Consumer
• Company
• Education
• Energy
• Fraud: civil
• Group Litigation
• Immigration (including business immigration)
• International arbitration: counsel
• Insolvency
• Local government (including rating law)
• Professional Negligence
• Social housing

Congratulations also to our clerking team for receiving excellent feedback from clients as part of the research process. The team are praised for being:

• ‘Very professional and very responsive.’
•  ‘All the clerks in my experience offer a stellar service. They are very responsive and I can rely on them for a swift response.’
• ‘Great clerking and a strong service ethos which permeates the whole offering right to the front desk, which is a credit to them.’
• ‘Super! We enjoy working with them, they are very organised and have got the art of customer service down to a T!’
• The clerks room is fantastic. They are extremely accommodating and commercial and there is a real feeling that they are going the extra mile.’

We would like to thank our clients and colleagues as ever for their kind feedback as part of this process. You can view the full list of  Monckton Chambers’ rankings here.

Monckton Chambers is delighted to announce that at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023 we were awarded the prestigious ‘Competition Set of the Year’ and Mark Brealey KC named ‘Competition Silk of the Year.’

The Legal 500 Bar Awards are determined on The Legal 500’s market-leading independent research, conducted by over 20 in-house and freelance researchers with in-depth knowledge of their practice areas for the annual directory.

Congratulations to all of our friends and colleagues across the bar who were shortlisted for awards and won in their categories.