The members and staff of Monckton Chambers warmly congratulate Rob on ‘taking silk’ yesterday. Rob was sworn-in along with the 113 other new QCs, at the official Queen’s Counsel Appointments Ceremony 2020 at Westminster. The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC, who was appointed as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on 24 July 2019, officiated.

Rob is a highly experienced barrister and advocate practicing in competition law, procurement law and other public law and regulatory litigation. He won Competition Junior of the Year at the Chambers Bar Awards 2019.

George Peretz QC today gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Internal Market Sub-committee, which is conducting an inquiry into level playing field commitments and State aid in the future EU/UK trade agreement. George gave evidence on a wide range of issues relating to State aid, including the State aid elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol. A link to the recording of the evidence session can be found here.

Professor Carl Baudenbacher has been appointed Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. His teaching and research will focus on the institutional design of international and supranational treaties. Baudenbacher will have a special regard for surveillance and judicial control in the EU and the EEA as well as in the bilateral relationships EU – Brexit Britain and EU – Switzerland.

The Lawyer has published details of its top fifteen appeals to watch across 2020 and seven members of Monckton Chambers feature in three of those selected:

1. Mastercard / Visa – Interchange Fee Litigation
Supreme Court, January 20, four days (now awaiting judgment)

For Sainsburys

Monckton’s Mark Brealey QC, instructed by Morgan Lewis partner Frances Murphy and Mishcon de Reya partner Rob Murray.

For Asda, Argos and Morrisons

Monckton’s Jon Turner QC, Meredith Pickford QC and Laura John, instructed by Stewarts partner Kate Pollack for Asda, Argos and Morrisons.

For the European Commission

Monckton’s Tom Sebastian, instructed by the European Commissions legal team.

2. Walter Merricks & Ors v Mastercard
Supreme Court, May 12, two days

For Walter Merricks

Monckton Chambers‘ Paul Harris QC, instructed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partners Boris Bronfentrinker and Nicola Chesaites.

3. Uber v Transport for London
Westminster Magistrates’ Court, TBC

For Uber

Monckton Chambers’ Tim Ward QC, instructed by Hogan Lovells partner Charles Brasted.

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Chambers Global 2020 has just been published, ranking the top lawyers and law firms in over 190 countries across the world.

Competition Law in UK

Monckton Chambers is one of five sets to be recognised for Competition Law in UK and one of only two in the leading band. Individual Monckton members ranked for this category are:

SILKS: Tim Ward QC, Philip Moser QC, Mark Brealey QC, Jon Turner QC, Paul Harris QC, Daniel Beard QC, Kassie Smith QC, George Peretz QC, Meredith Pickford QC, Josh Holmes QC and Ronit Kreisberger QC.

JUNIORS: Rob Williams, Alistair Lindsay, Ben Rayment, Julian Gregory, Anneli Howard, Alan Bates, Ben Lask, Philip Woolfe, Anneliese Blackwood, Laura Elizabeth John, Ligia Osepciu, Alison Berridge, Michael Armitage and James Bourke. Julianne Kerr Morrison and Thomas Sebastian are ranked in the Global Guide for the first time this year.

Public International Law in UK

Thomas Sebastian also appears for the first time in the Global Guide under Public International Law: The English Bar. Client comments include: “Very well respected in international trade.”

Dispute Resolution in Russia

Drew Holiner is one of only six UK lawyers ranked for Dispute Resolution in Russia (expertise based abroad). The Guide highlights the following client comments:
“Having somebody who is a Western-trained lawyer but also with incredible expertise is unique,” a source says, adding: “I don’t have enough good things to say! He’s a unique asset and someone I enjoy working with.” Another source adds: “He can translate the concepts into English law and vice versa. That’s a real advantage to have on your side.” reports that ‘sources appreciate his insight and expertise, with one noting: “One of a very small pool of high-level Russian law experts who acquits himself well in difficult cases.”’

Dispute Resolution: Commercial (UK)

Drew Holiner is also ranked, for the first time, alongside William Buck and Gregory Pipe, for the category of Dispute Resolution: Commercial (UK) in the Global Guide.

Drew has the following client comment : “Very good at giving incisive advice which gets to the point. He’s helpful and user-friendly and he has a great turnaround time.” “Drew Holiner is a good resource at the Bar, as he is dual-qualified in English and Russian law.”

William Buck’s strengths are highlighted as:
William is very commercial, and he finds a way to make the law work in his client’s favour.” “He is very pleasant, approachable and user-friendly. Clients like him and he works well as part of a legal team.”

Gregory Pipe is described as:“a good advocate on his feet, who is very tactical and very strategic. He’s excellent on the really heavy stuff and very good with clients.”

For the full Chambers Global Guide, click here.

Michael Bowsher QC spoke at the annual Thomson Reuters Year in Review 2020 conference in Washington DC. His paper was written over the Christmas/New Year break so only dealt with the position on Brexit as it applied then. Covid was a problem for the future. The paper nonetheless includes quite a lot of comment on the future of UK procurement law which might still be relevant.

The Lawyer magazine has published its “Top 20 cases of 2020” highlighting the move from 2019’s “public interest” showcase and Brexit to this year, disputes from further afield.

In all, eight QCs and 16 Juniors at Monckton Chambers were instructed, many of them in multiple cases, across three of the cases highlighted by The Lawyer magazine as the “top cases” for 2020:

1. West Coast Trains Partnership Limited & Ors v Department for Transport & Ors, High Court, Technology and Construction Court, Jan 2020, three weeks

The 2019 Rail Franchising Litigation is four separate claims against the Department for Transport, which has been rolled up into one massive claim. The claims arise out of three separate rail franchise procurement competitions run by the DfT between 2017 and 2019: the East Midlands franchise, the South East franchise and the West Coast franchise. The claimants challenge their respective disqualification from the competitions for their failure to submit compliant tender bids.

For the claimant, Stagecoach East Midlands Trains Limited, Stagecoach South Eastern Trains Limited & Ors

• Monckton Chambers’ Tim Ward QC, Ewan West, Daisy Mackersie, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills partner Nusrat Zar.

For the claimant, Arriva Rail East Midlands Limited

• Monckton Chambers’ Philip Moser QC, Ciar McAndrew and Jack Williams, instructed by Stephenson Harwood partner Paul Thwaite.

For the defendants, the Department for Transport
For claims arising from West Coast competition

• Monckton Chambers’ Anneli Howard, Brendan McGurk, Will Perry and Alfred Artley, instructed by Addleshaw Goddard partner Bill Gilliam

For claims arising from East Midlands competition

• Anneli Howard, Azeem Suterwalla, Will Perry and Alfred Artley, instructed by Eversheds Sutherland partner Richard Pitt

For claims arising from South Eastern Competition

• Anneli Howard, Fiona Banks, Will Perry and Alfred Artley, instructed by DLA Piper partner Paul Stonóe

For the interested party, First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited

• Valentina Sloane QC, instructed by Burges Salmon partner Chris Jackson

For the interested party, London and South East Passenger Rail Services Limited

• Rob Williams, instructed by Womble Bond Dickinson partner Richard Collins

2. Michael O’Higgins FX Class Representative Ltd; Phillip Evans FX Claim UK; Allianz Global Investors GmbH & Ors v Barclays Bank plc, Citibank N.A, JPMorgan Chase & Co & Ors, Competition Appeal Tribunal, February 13, TBC

Three separate claims against a raft of banks will reach the courts this year, as Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Scott+Scott and Hausfeld bring proceedings
accusing the banks of rigging forex rates in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The High Court proceedings will run separately, covering the same issues.

I. Michael O’Higgins FX Class Representative Ltd v Barclays Bank plc, Citibank N.A, JPMorgan Chase & Co & Ors, Competition Appeal Tribunal, February 13, TBC

For the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth defendant, JP Morgan Chase & Co, JP Morgan Chase Bank National Association, JP Morgan Ltd and JP Morgan Europe Ltd and JP Morgan Ltd :

• Daniel Beard QC, Rob Williams and Stefan Kuppen, instructed by Slaughter and May partner Ewan Brown.

For the eleventh and twelfth defendant, NatWest Markets plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

• Josh Holmes QC, instructed by Macfarlanes partner Tom Usher.

For the fourteenth and fifteenth defendant, MUFG

• Jon Turner QC and Ronit Kreisberger QC, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills partner Stephen Wisking

II. Phillip Evans FX Claim UK v Barclays Bank plc, Citibank N.A, JPMorgan Chase & Co & Ors, Competition Appeal Tribunal, February 13, TBC

For the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth defendant, JP Morgan Chase & Co, JP Morgan Chase Bank National Association, JP Morgan Ltd and JP Morgan Europe Ltd and JP Morgan Ltd

• Daniel Beard QC, Rob Williams and Stefan Kuppen, instructed by Slaughter and May partner Ewan Brown.

For the eleventh and twelfth defendant, NatWest Markets plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

• Josh Holmes QC, instructed by Macfarlanes partner Tom Usher.

For the fourteenth and fifteenth defendant, MUFG

• Jon Turner QC and Ronit Kreisberger QC, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills partner Stephen Wisking

III. Allianz Global Investors GmbH & Ors v Barclays Bank plc, Citibank NA, Citigroup Inc & Ors, High Court, Commercial Court, 25 February, TBC

For the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh defendant, JP Morgan Chase & Co, JP Morgan Chase Bank National Association, JP Morgan Ltd and JP Morgan Europe Ltd and JP Morgan Ltd

• Daniel Beard QC, Rob Williams and Stefan Kuppen, instructed by Slaughter and May partner Ewan Brown.

For the twelfth defendant, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group

• Josh Holmes QC, instructed by Macfarlanes partner Tom Usher.

3. National Grid and Scottish Power v ABB, Prysmian, NKT, Safran & Ors, High Court, Queen’s Bench Division, November 2020, 12 weeks

National Grid and Scottish Power claim they were overcharged on cable supplies they purchased between 1999 and 2009, alleging that the defendants were part of a cartel involving the main producers of high-voltage power cables in Europe, Japan and Korea.

For the claimant, National Grid

• Jon Turner QC, Laura Elizabeth John and Julianne Kerr Morrison instructed by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Joby Davies.

For the claimant, Scottish Power

• Daniel Beard QC and Ligia Osepciu, instructed by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Ed Coulson.

For the defendant, NKT

• Michael Armitage, instructed by Addleshaw Goddard partner Mark Molyneux.

For the defendant, Prysmian

• Fiona Banks, instructed by Macfarlanes partners Cameron Firth and Simon Day.

For the defendant, Safran

• Kassie Smith QC, instructed by Hogan Lovells partner Nicholas Heaton.

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Monckton Chambers is delighted to announce that Rob Williams will take silk this year.

Rob is a highly experienced barrister and advocate practicing in competition law, procurement law and other public law and regulatory litigation. He won Competition Junior of the Year at the Chambers Bar Awards 2019.

The members and staff of Chambers warmly congratulate Rob on his appointment to Queen’s Counsel.

The official swearing-in ceremony of the 114 new QCs will take place on Monday 16 March.

The full list of QC appointments, announced on the 16 January, can be viewed on the QCA website.