LEGAL 500, 2010

ADMINISTRATIVE & PUBLIC LAW (INCLUDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW) ~ LEADING SET

Monckton Chambers has expertise in issues relating to EU and procurement law within a public sector context: the barristers 'live and breathe public procurement'. Clerk Tony Burgess is particularly praised for his proactive service. Christopher Vajda QC is 'a star in challenges to regulators', while 'leading light in procurement law' Michael Bowsher QC remains 'one of the founding fathers of procurement counsel: a prophet in his own land'. At the junior end, where the set has growing strength, Kassie Smith provides 'confident and forthright advice which is pragmatically tailored to the issue', and Tim Ward and Daniel Beard are also highly regarded.

Leading Silks: Christopher Vajda QC, Michael Bowsher QC

Leading Juniors: Jennifer Skilbeck, Tim Ward, Kassie Smith, Daniel Beard and Robert Palmer

 

CIVIL LIBERTIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS (INCLUDING PUBLIC INQUIRY LAW AND ACTIONS AGAINST THE POLICE)

Monckton Chambers provides 'outstanding service, with prompt high-quality advice'. Former City solicitor Piers Gardner has vast knowledge of all aspects of the ECHR. Ian Rogers and Tim Ward are also recommended. Gerry Facenna and Laura Elizabeth John are 'able, hardworking, responsive and have a very pleasant manner and an excellent grasp of both the big picture and the detail when pursuing a legal case'.

Leading Juniors: Tim Ward, Ian Rogers and Piers Gardner

 

CONSTRUCTION

Other notable practitioners include procurement specialist Michael Bowsher QC from Monckton Chambers.

Leading Silks: Michael Bowsher QC

 

CONSUMER AND PRODUCT LIABILITY ~ LEADING SET

Monckton Chambers has a strong cadre of younger juniors with consumer law expertise. Gerry Facenna and Anneli Howard are recommended.

Leading Juniors: Gerry Facenna and Anneli Howard

 

EU AND COMPETITION ~ TOP TIER LEADING SET

Monckton Chambers is commended for its 'proactive', 'practical' and 'helpful' clerks, most notably senior clerk David Hockney, who has a 'very good understanding of the issues and requirements' in this field. With a rich array of silks and juniors, it is 'ever present in all the major competition cases'. The 'outstanding' Jon Turner QC ('exceptionally bright', 'confident', 'very good understanding of the underlying economics') impresses many with his 'excellent advocacy skills', most notably in the Court of Appeal case T-Mobile v Ofcom. Paul Lasok QC is a 'highly skilled specialist' and provides 'commercial', 'detailed, and 'reliable advice'. John Swift QC ('hugely pragmatic', 'tremendous gravitas', 'excellent on his feet') successfully appeared for the Competition Commission in the Court of Appeal case BSkyB v Competition Commission. 'Outstanding' silk Christopher Vajda QC has a 'strong intellect', is 'very versatile' across UK and EU cases, and has the 'ability to respond to the other side's argument at the drop of a hat'. Michael Bowsher QC is 'bright', 'practical' and has 'incomparable experience of public procurement cases in the UK courts'. The 'authoritative and pragmatic' Nicholas Paines QC is also recommended for procurement as well as European law cases. Seasoned figure Sir Jeremy Lever KCMG QC is described as 'the father of modern competition law'. The 'very intelligent' Daniel Beard frequently represents the OFT and Competition Commission, acting for the latter in the BSkyB/ITV case. Meredith Pickford is a master of 'economic arguments' and has incredible 'tactical awareness'. 'All-rounder' George Peretz is 'very responsive' and 'quickly gets to the heart of the issue'. Kassie Smith is 'very sound', 'pragmatic', 'a real team player' and 'really gets stuck into the detail of a case', leading many to believe that she is a silk in waiting. Other juniors of note are Julian Gregory ('willing to get stuck in', 'intelligent', 'approachable'); Paul Harris ('tenacious litigator', 'suggests innovative solutions', 'pugnacious yet realistic'); Josh Holmes ('intelligent and articulate'); Anneli Howard ('responsive', 'hardworking', 'practical'); Ronit Kreisberger ('experienced', 'intelligent', 'responsive'); former Allen & Overy LLP partner Alistair Lindsay ('decisive', 'commercial', 'responsive'); Andrew Macnab ('excellent', 'very commercial', 'straight to the point'); Philip Moser ('outstanding advocate', 'skilled strategist'); Ben Rayment ('very bright, 'considered', 'hardworking'); Jennifer Skilbeck ('highly experienced in EU procurement law'); Valentina Sloane; and Tim Ward ('very good on his feet'). Esteemed figure Rupert Anderson QC tragically died in 2009. Peter Roth QC became a High Court judge.

Leading Silks: Paul Lasok QC, Sir Jeremy Lever QC, John Swift QC, Nicholas Paines QC, Christopher Vajda QC, Michael Bowsher QC and Jon Turner QC

Leading Juniors: Andrew Macnab, George Peretz, Jennifer Skilbeck, Philip Moser, Paul Harris, Tim Ward, Kassie Smith, Ben Rayment, Daniel Beard, Josh Holmes, Meredith Pickford, Ronit Kreisberger, Valentina Sloane, Julian Gregory and Anneli Howard

 

EDUCATION

Robert Palmer is recommended as a leading junior 

 

HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT ~ LEADING SET

Specialising in environmental law, Monckton Chambers' Jon Turner QC and Kassie Smith were instructed on the ongoing judicial review Air Transport Association of America v DECC. Robert Palmer's 'technical ability is fantastic and he is incisive in his advice'.

Jon Turner QC is recommended as a leading silk 

Leading Juniors: Kassie Smith and Gerry Facenna

 

IMMIGRATION (INCLUDING BUSINESS IMMIGRATION)

Robert Palmer is recommended as a leading junior 

 

MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT ~ LEADING SET

Paul Harris at Monckton Chambers is 'confident and assured on his feet', handling Formula One disputes as well as football and rugby cases. The 'fantastic' Christopher Vajda QC represented Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Services in the Court of Appeal case regarding televised horseracing in betting shops, with Ronit Kreisberger representing Amrac/the racecourses/Alphameric in the same case. Fiona Banks has 'a forensic eye for detail'.

Christopher Vajda QC is recommended as a leading Silk

Leading Juniors: Paul Harris, Ronit Kreisberger and Fiona Banks

 

PLANNING AND LICENSING

At Monckton Chambers, the 'technical and incisive' Robert Palmer has appeared in a number of High Court proceedings, including acting for the developer in Phillips v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Robert Palmer is recommended as a leading junior 

 

TAX: CORPORATE AND VAT ~ LEADING SET

Monckton Chambers has renowned VAT experience and fields a number of top-rated members including the 'phenomenally bright' head of chambers Paul Lasok QC, who 'knows VAT law backwards'. The 'pragmatic, commercial and thorough' Melanie Hall QC is 'very hardworking, technically strong and has extraordinary knowledge of indirect taxes'. Christopher Vajda QC joins the table for his indirect tax experience. Of the juniors, the 'very user friendly and clever' Paul Harris, Peter Mantle, Raymond Hill and Andrew Macnab are well regarded. Valentina Sloane continues to receive high praise and regularly acts for the taxpayer against HMRC. Chief clerk David Hockney is valued by clients.

Leading Silks: Paul Lasok QC, Nicholas Paines QC, Christopher Vajda QC and Melanie Hall QC

Leading Juniors: Andrew Macnab, Peter Mantle, Raymond Hill, Paul Harris and Valentina Sloane