Monckton Chambers congratulates former Member of Chambers, Lady Justice Rose, on her appointment to the Supreme Court.

Dame Vivien Rose was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1984 and was in practice at Monckton Chambers for ten years.

She became a Chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2006, a High Court Judge in 2013, President of the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) between 2015 and 2018 and was appointed to the Court of Appeal in January 2019.

Members and staff offer our warmest congratulations to Lady Justice Rose who will join the Supreme Court as a Justice on 13 April.

The Lawyer has highlighted 15 disputes set to be heard in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in 2021. Thirteen members of Monckton Chambers are instructed in the following four highlighted cases.

Phones 4U v Orange, Telefonica and Deutsche Telekom
For the defendant, EE:
Meredith Pickford QC and David Gregory, instructed by Clifford Chance partners Samantha Ward and Jeremy Kosky.
For the defendant, Vodafone Limited and Vodafone Group Plc:
Rob Williams QC instructed by Hogan Lovells partner John Tillman

Royal Mail v Ofcom
For the appellant, Royal Mail:
Daniel Beard QC and Ciar McAndrew, instructed by Ashurst partner Nigel Parr.
For the respondent, Ofcom:
Josh Holmes QC, alongside Julianne Kerr Morrison and Nikolaus Grubeck, instructed by Ofcom’s in-house legal team.
For third-party, Whistl:
Monckton’s Jon Turner QC is leading Alan Bates and Daisy Mackersie, instructed by Tower House partner Rosaleen Hubbard.

Gregor Fisken v Bernard Carl
For the respondent, Gregor Fisken LTD:
William Hooper instructed by Rosenblatt partner Simon Walton.

Lloyd v Google
For the ICO as the intervening party:
Gerry Facenna QC and Nikolaus Grubeck instructed by the ICO.

Subscribers can read the full article here.

Chambers Global 2021, ranking the top lawyers and law firms in over 200 jurisdictions across the world, has been published.

Monckton Chambers is once again one of five sets to be recognised for Competition Law in UK. In addition, individual barristers, 34 in all, are ranked across four practice areas: Competition Law (UK), Public International Law: The English Bar, Dispute Resolution (Russia) and Dispute Resolution: Commercial (UK)

Competition Law in UK. Individual Monckton members ranked for this category are:

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

Juniors: 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, James Bourke, Julianne Kerr Morrison and Thomas Sebastian. Fiona Banks, is also listed, for the first time this year.

In addition Sir Christopher Bellamy QC is recognised as a Senior Stateman for both Competition Law and Competition Law Litigation.

Public International Law in UK

Thomas Sebastian, described as “very clever, thorough and a go-to for WTO matters“, is once again in the Guide under Public International Law: The English Bar.

Dispute Resolution in Russia

Drew Holiner, described as “excellent at the mechanics of arbitration,” is one of only five UK lawyers ranked for Dispute Resolution (Expertise Based Abroad) in Russia.

Dispute Resolution: Commercial (UK)

Drew Holiner is also ranked, for the category of Dispute Resolution: Commercial (UK) in the Global Guide , alongside once again, William Buck, described as having “a strong commercial head on his shoulders”, and Gregory Pipe, noted for being “ highly experienced and his strategising is superb”. William Hooper, “a master of detail in a case“, is in the tables for the first time as “up and coming”.

For the full Chambers Global Guide, click here.

George Peretz QC and Ian Rogers QC have both been recommended for reappointment to the Welsh Government Panel of Queen’s Counsel.

George Peretz has been on the panel since 2017 and Ian Rogers since 2012. Candidates for the appointments had to satisfy a number of criteria, including experience of advocacy in the higher courts, experience in constitutional and administrative law, knowledge of the devolution settlement in Wales and of divergences between the law in England and in Wales, experience of working for or against the government or other public bodies and an appreciation of the particular characteristics of government litigation.

Both appointments will be for a period of five years starting on 1 March 2021, but subject to extension or disposal at the discretion of the Counsel General for Wales.

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 two members amongst the 18 “Hot 100” barristers listed – Paul Harris QC and Josh Holmes QC.

Paul Harris is described as follows:

Whether you’re someone who uses Mastercard or a fan of Manchester City, Paul Harris QC was your man to thank in 2020. From a legal perspective, it’s hard to look beyond the Monckton silk’s success in the Merricks affair, during which he set a game-changing precedent by leading his team to a Supreme Court victory in December. The case, which has now been given the green light to proceed, seeks to reclaim funds for people aged 16 or over who used Mastercard and were overcharged on transaction fees between 1992 and 2008, which could apply to 46.2 million adults in the UK.

However, as the Manchester City-loving barrister admits himself, you can’t get better than bagging a last-gasp win for your hometown club, even if it comes in the form of a judgment rather than a goal. It was back in July that the state-school lad from Manchester flew to Switzerland to represent the club in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where it faced the prospect of a two-year ban from the Champions League.

In a comeback of epic proportions, Harris successfully appealed a previous decision and reduced the club’s fine by £20m in the process.
It is often City’s star players who receive the glory for dramatic wins; however, this time it was all Harris.

The Hot 100 also highlights Josh Holmes’s stellar year:

When it comes to the UK Bar, Josh Holmes QC is the King of Competition. Since taking silk in 2017, the Monckton man’s career has gone from strength to strength, building on his reputation as Ofcom’s go-to advocate to gain instructions on most of the biggest competition cases around.

Whether it be leading a star-studded team on the FX rigging litigation or preparing for the long-awaited Servier trial in July, Holmes admits his caseload does require finding extra hours in the day, which occasionally involves not sleeping. This commitment to the client cause and a need to live and breathe his cases has led to Holmes securing many lucrative wins in complex litigation.

An enjoyment of cut-and-thrust courtroom drama has also assisted Holmes in high-stakes matters, something which has only enhanced his reputation as competition’s smiling assassin.

The only way now is up for the EU expert, particularly as he ploughs on in a practice area that remains unfazed by the pandemic. There is no doubt he picked the right horse when becoming a barrister and he has since ridden it superbly.

Subscribers to The Lawyer can read the full article and details of the hundred here.

Sir Christopher Bellamy QC is one of 25 arbitrators, appointed by the Joint Committee for Brexit, to hear disputes arising from the withdrawal of the UK and Northern Ireland from the European Union.
The 25-strong panel is made up of five persons in the position of chairperson and twenty ordinary members, ten to each represent The EU and the United Kingdom.

The selection of panel members was made in accordance with Article 171(2) of the Withdrawal Agreement, which states that “the list is to only comprise persons whose independence is beyond doubt, who possess the qualifications required for appointment to the highest judicial office in their respective countries or who are jurisconsults of recognised competence, and who possess specialised knowledge or experience of Union law and public international law. The list is not to comprise persons who are members, officials or other servants of the Union institutions, of the government of a Member State, or of the government of the United Kingdom.”

One chairperson and four arbitrators, selected from those appointed, will serve as a panel to hear disputes.

For further information and to read the full list of the appointees, see here.