The Lawyer has highlighted 10 disputes set to be heard in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in 2024. Monckton Chambers’ Brendan McGurk is instructed in the following case:
The Humane League (Appellants) v the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (Respondents)
Brendan is instructed on behalf of the Appellant by Advocates for Animals’ director Edie Bowles.
Subscribers to The Lawyer can read the full article here.
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, Monckton Chambers has one member amongst the 11 “Hot 100” barristers listed – Daniel Beard KC.
Daniel Beard KC is described as follows:
With clients including Apple, Microsoft, and Sony demanding his attention, Monckton Chambers’ Daniel Beard KC is among the most in-demand silks at the Inns of Court. Whether it’s dealing with a growing volume of class actions, or challenging competition authority decisions, Beard is reshaping the boundaries of competition law both at home and abroad. Along with his regular appearances in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, he is widely regarded as a leading figure in the EU Court of Justice and General Court in Luxembourg.
An intellectual heavyweight, Beard is a passionate advocate who can present the most complex matters in neat, persuasive arguments that satisfy the demands of both clients and courts. The tech giants will face increased regulatory scrutiny from around the globe in 2024. For these clients, securing Beard as barrister is equivalent to gold-plating any required defence, potentially protecting billions in revenue.
Subscribers to The Lawyer can read the full article and details of the hundred here.
Members of Chambers are delighted to announce that Luke Kelly has joined Monckton Chambers as of today, Monday 22nd January 2024.
Luke has 13 years of experience practising at the Bar in South Africa. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2022.
Luke has experience and expertise in the fields of competition law, public law, and general commercial law. He has appeared in a number of prominent cases in courts and tribunals in South Africa and Namibia.
He is the lead author and editor of Principles of Competition Law in South Africa (Oxford University Press), and co-author and editor of Class Action Litigation in South Africa (Juta).
Philip Moser KC, Joint Head of Chambers, welcomes Luke to Chambers, “Members of Monckton Chambers are delighted to welcome Luke Kelly, a leading competition lawyer and principal author of the leading text on competition law in South Africa. Luke will reinforce and enhance the burgeoning Monckton competition practice, augmenting the existing litigation team. Friendly and approachable as well as erudite, we know he will be popular with clients.”
Luke says, “I am very excited to have joined Monckton Chambers. Its members are involved in a remarkable array of interesting and high-profile work domestically and abroad. I have been humbled by the warm welcome that I have received from members, and I look forward to learning from them, and working hard to contribute to the set’s outstanding reputation.”
To view Luke’s full profile, please click here.
Monckton Chambers is very pleased to announce the appointment of Brendan McGurk, Philip Woolfe and Ewan West to King’s Counsel.
The official swearing-in ceremony will take place on Monday 18 March at Westminster.
The joint Heads of Monckton Chambers Tim Ward KC and Philip Moser KC commented: “We are delighted with the three appointments, which reflect the candidates’ hard work and standing across five of Monckton Chambers’ principal practice areas: Competition, Commercial, Public Law, VAT and Procurement.”
The members and staff of Chambers warmly congratulate Brendan, Philip and Ewan on their new appointments.
The full list of KC appointments, announced on the 19 January, can be viewed on the KCA website.
Monckton Chambers is delighted to become an Advocate Silver Circle Pro Bono Patron.
Advocate is the Bar’s national pro bono charity that makes it possible for barristers to balance a dedicated practice and make a significant contribution to the community, making access to justice available to all.
In addition to this patronage, our members already frequently donate their time and expertise to those who may otherwise be unable to obtain legal aid and who cannot afford to pay for legal advice and representation.
We are proud and committed to champion this worthwhile cause, and to support Advocate to continue to provide this important service.
You can read more about the work of Advocate here.
Tim Ward KC has been awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland. The Order “may be conferred on Icelandic or foreign individuals for achievements to the benefit of the Icelandic people”. It is the highest honour the Icelandic State can bestow on individuals. The award recognised his role in the successful defence of Iceland in the “Icesave” case before the EFTA Court. Following the collapse of the entire Icelandic banking system in 2008, British and Dutch investors lost access to their deposits in the privately owned Icesave bank. The British and Dutch Governments compensated individual investors and sought recovery from the Icelandic state. Proposals for repayment were rejected by the Icelandic people in two referenda. The EFTA Surveillance Authority brought infringement proceedings, arguing that under the terms of a deposit guarantee directive, the Icelandic State was obliged to ensure that the sums guaranteed were paid out. In effect the State must be the guarantor of last resort. Given the size of the bank failure, as compared to the Icelandic economy, this would have been equivalent to a burden of tens of thousands of Euros on each Icelandic family. The Court rejected that argument, holding there was no such obligation under the Directive, at least in a case of systemic bank failure. There have since been repayments from the estate of the collapsed bank.
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.
The awards recognise a Chambers pre-eminence in the UK. They also reflect achievements over the past 12 months including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service. They honour the work of sets and individuals across the country based on the research for the recent edition of Chambers UK Bar.
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 23rd 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:
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.
