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Competition

1
Brick Court Chambers
Monckton Chambers
2
Blackstone Chambers
3
Matrix Chambers
One Essex Court

Leading Silks

1
Daniel Beard KC –Monckton Chambers
Mark Brealey KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Mark is undoubtedly at the top of the competition litigation Bar. His knowledge of the law is impressive, his written advocacy is straight forward and persuasive. Mark’s oral advocacy is understated but he has an uncanny ability to alight upon the most persuasive and important points.’
Helen Davies KC – Brick Court Chambers
Marie Demetriou KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Marie is a total star in several areas of practice not just competition law - which is the real hallmark of a first-rate barrister. She has a sixth sense for the winning point and has unparalleled advocacy skills to then execute it. She is first choice in the most difficult and cutting edge matters. Peerless.’
Sarah Ford KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Sarah is a fantastic advocate. She has an ability to cut through the waffle and deliver the key points clearly and succinctly. Whilst its easier to look at advocates based on what they do say, Sarah has the priceless ability of knowing when not to stand up!’
Paul Harris KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Paul is rightfully considered one of the premier silks at the competition damages Bar. He is a tremendous advocate who forcefully yet intelligently fights hard for his clients. His experience leading cases in the area is second to none, and as a result he consistently provides advice which takes account of the nuances that are often essential in these claims.’
Josh Holmes KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Josh is a class act, engaged, all over the detail, super bright and a pleasure to deal with. He is great on his feet – he reads the tribunal very well, calibrating his submissions with expertise, knowing when to push a point and when a position needs to adapt or be reframed.’
Mark Hoskins KC – Brick Court Chambers
Daniel Jowell KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Daniel is excellent with clients, particularly when setting strategy. He is a smooth and persuasive advocate, unruffled when the going gets tough.’
Brian Kennelly KC –Blackstone Chambers ‘Brian is right at the top of the competition Bar. He is a tremendous advocate who combines for precision, authority and charm brilliantly. He is the most client-friendly silk in this area.’ 
Ronit Kreisberger KC – Monckton Chambers 'Ronit is a fantastic advocate, meticulously well prepared and knows everything there is to know about European and competition law. She holds her own at any level.' 
Thomas de la Mare KC –Blackstone Chambers 'Tom is innovative, forceful, good on his feet, humorous and a pleasure to work with.' 
Robert O’Donoghue KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Robert is a prime litigator, and a prime competition lawyer. Not many at the London Bar can claim that, and it makes him an incredible resource for complex antitrust claims, where one can only prevail if substance and process go hand in hand.’
Meredith Pickford KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Meredith is clear, persistent and a persuasive advocate. He is masterful on his feet, highly strategic, quick thinking and responsive.’
Jon Turner KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Jon is second-to-none on his feet and works incredibly hard as hearings approach.’
Tim Ward KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Tim is a sleeves rolled-up lawyer who gets stuck in to the detail of a case. He is effective, pragmatic and never loses sight of the overall commercial objectives. As an advocate he is persuasive and very effective.’
2
Kieron Beal KC –Blackstone Chambers ‘Kieron is a full package – he is a stellar advocate, very hard working and is across all of the detail. He is a team player who encourages juniors to share the advocacy with him, excellent with clients and highly commercial.’
Michael Bowsher KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Michael is a pleasure to work with and a confident leader in a difficult and challenging case. His advocacy is fluent and engaging and he provides strategic guidance and critical judgement at important points in protracted litigation.’
Gerry Facenna KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Gerry is very user friendly, fearsomely clever and calm and confident even when under the most extraordinary pressure.’
Mark Howard KC - Brick Court Chambers
Maya Lester KC –Brick Court Chambers 'Maya is a first rate barrister. She combines a razor sharp intellect with a measured style of advocacy but can also apply forensic force when needed. She is also a wonderfully collegiate person and a real team player.'
George Peretz KC –Monckton Chambers ‘He's great as a strategist, has a superb understanding of the law and fully reliable as an adviser on complex instructions. George is a go-to KC on complex subsidy control matters.' 
Aidan Robertson KC –Brick Court Chambers 'Aidan is extremely knowledgeable in his field. His ability to explain complex concepts to lay clients is excellent and his advocacy is always thoughtful and well-constructed.'
Tony Singla KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Tony offers exceptional clarity of thought and advocacy.’
Kassie Smith KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Kassie is an understated but brutally effective advocate. She has a knack for finding the killer point.’
Rhodri Thompson KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Rhodri is exceptionally clever. He is able to grasp complex factual and legal issues quickly and thoroughly and communicate them in a simple and easy to understand manner.’
3
Sarah Abram KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Sarah is extremely approachable and very easy to work with. She offers commercial advice that clients can use and is an absolute superstar when it comes to advocacy – she has a wonderful and incredibly effective style, in which she is able to build rapport with judges and bring them around to her point of view.‘
Jessica Boyd KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Jess is very user friendly and gives pragmatic advice.’
Kevin de Haan KC - Gough Square Chambers
Richard Handyside KC – Fountain Court Chambers ‘Richard is one of the pre-eminent silks at the commercial Bar and continues to provide excellent service. He is strategic in his thinking.’
Anneli Howard KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Anneli is rightfully considered one of the top silks at the competition Bar. She is a phenomenal advocate who understands competition law better than anyone, and is one of the hardest working and most charming silks to work with.’
Hanif Mussa KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Hanif has an excellent ability to cut through to the most important issues in the case. He will prioritise – ruthlessly if needs be – to ensure that the points most in need of airtime get the exposition that they deserve. His advocacy style is clear, measured, and inspires confidence in the correctness of his position.’ 
Robert Palmer KC    – Monckton Chambers ‘Robert is a truly outstanding advocate who is able to quickly distil complex information into comprehensible points.’
Conall Patton KC –One Essex Court ‘Conall is well-versed in competition litigation practice, a good advocate and overall a person not to underestimate.’
Fergus Randolph KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Fergus has an excellent in-depth knowledge of the technical side of competition law, not just the law around cartels and damages actions. He is entertaining and friendly to work with.’
Nicholas Saunders KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Nick's mastery of both competition and patent law is a real asset. He is very cool calm and collected, an excellent orator, influential with the judge, and a pleasure to work with.’
David Scannell KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘David is a first-rate KC. He is not afraid to grapple with the most complex cases and his ability to navigate a clear and concise path through thorny legal issues is extremely effective with judges and clients alike.’
James Segan KC –Blackstone Chambers ‘James has a huge depth of experience and encyclopaedic knowledge of the application of competition law.’
Thomas Sharpe KC – One Essex Court ‘Thomas is a good advocate who has the ear of the judge and does not get diverted from the message.’
Jemima Stratford KC –Brick Court Chambers
Victoria Wakefield KC –Brick Court Chambers ‘Victoria is a go-to KC for competition work. She combines a razor-sharp intellect with an easy charm and fantastic client-handling skills. She is a polished advocate who will outclass many more senior silks.’
Rob Williams KC –Monckton Chambers ‘Rob has extremely strong strategic instincts, and a very subtle mind. He sees to the heart of issues and anticipates the court’s response very well. He is also an excellent advocate who presents very calmly and makes arguments which are difficult sound like simple common sense.’

2023 Silks

Ben Lask KC – Monckton Chambers 'Ben has moved seamlessly into silk. His advocacy is a real iron fist in a velvet glove and he is also very collegiate. One to watch in this area for sure.'
Daniel Piccinin KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Daniel is without doubt one of the top new competition law silks. The depth of his knowledge of competition economics is probably unrivalled by anyone at the competition Bar and even exceeds that of many economists. He is already a formidable advocate and a future superstar.’

2024 Silks

Richard Blakeley KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Richard is a very commercial and sensible operator. His advice is clear and helpful and he works brilliantly within large teams tasked with very difficult projects.’
Tristan Jones KC - Blackstone Chambers ‘Tristan is very bright and personable, an excellent lawyer and draftsman with a particularly high attention to detail. He will undoubtedly be one of the best of the new silks specialising in competition law.’
Brendan McGurk KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Brendan is very thorough knowledgeable of competition law; very strategic; extremely pragmatic and excellent with clients.’
Philip Woolfe KC – Monckton Chambers ‘An outstanding lead case lawyer, Philip combines a mastery of detail with a responsive, team-focused approach. He is responsive and does not get easily ruffled. As an advocate he can be devastating - on top of the brief, tactically very smart and knows when to go for the jugular.’

Leading Juniors

1
David Bailey – Brick Court Chambers ‘David’s knowledge of competition law is really second to none at the Bar. He is a superlative black letter lawyer and he is extremely experienced as a barrister in this area. He is very good at the procedural management of these claims and he is extremely responsive and collaborative with the solicitor team.’
Alan Bates – Monckton Chambers 'Alan is concise, thorough, drafts well and is able to convey complex point in a clear and unassuming way. He is extremely knowledgeable and has a very practical and effective way of advising. He also has a great way with judges.' 
James Bourke – Monckton Chambers
Christopher Brown –Matrix Chambers ‘Excellent knowledge of competition law and always a pleasure to work with.’
Nicholas Gibson –Matrix Chambers ‘Excellent research and advice on paper. Nicholas is responsive, easy to deal with and very hard working and commercial.’
Sarah Love –Brick Court Chambers ‘Sarah is one of the highest quality juniors at the competition damages Bar and is destined for the top. She understands the law, economics and commercial dynamics at play extremely well, and is able to discern the correct course through those factors with remarkable clarity. She is also a joy to work with and the clients love her.’
Paul Luckhurst –Blackstone Chambers 'Paul has a formidable intellect. His written work is crisp and persuasive and he is excellent at rapidly digesting complex problems, and providing well-reasoned, commercial advice. He is superb with clients.'
Jason Pobjoy –Blackstone Chambers
Ben Rayment – Monckton Chambers ‘Ben is thoughtful, hard working, not afraid to get stuck in to real technical detail and is an effective and persuasive advocate who drafts clearly and well. He is a real team player.’
Derek Spitz – One Essex Court ‘Derek is fabulously effective. There is no issue too difficult – he is the quintessential safe pair of hands.’
2
Anneliese Blackwood – Monckton Chambers 'Excellent drafting, clearly cuts through complex issues, responsive and turns drafts quickly. Anneliese offers good strategic insights and is a pleasure to work with.' 
Julian Gregory – Monckton Chambers ‘Julian is one of the leading competition law juniors - he is extremely able, knowledgeable and also very efficient and easy to work with.’
Nikolaus Grubeck – Monckton Chambers ‘Nik combines the top-line technical expertise in competition which you would expect from Monckton, with deep experience and feel for public law issues. He is a future star, particularly in merger control cases, and great to work with.’
Laura Elizabeth John –Monckton Chambers
Matthew Kennedy – Brick Court Chambers ‘Matthew is a very bright junior with excellent instincts. He is easy to work with and very responsive and hard working. A real team player and his advocacy skills are first rate.’
Hugo Leith –Brick Court Chambers ‘Hugo really is a star. He has it all; first rate intellect, wonderful judgement, great strategic and tactical senses, unflappable, and very collegiate. It is only a matter of time before he takes silk.’
Daisy Mackersie – Monckton Chambers ‘Daisy is incredibly bright, hard working and responsive. She is a real team player and a joy to work with. An absolute star and one to watch for the future.’
Julianne Kerr Morrison –Monckton Chambers
Emily Neill –Blackstone Chambers ‘Emily’s expertise in competition law is truly remarkable. Her diligence is unparalleled, and her advice consistently reflects a deep and thoughtful understanding of the subject matter. As an advocate, she exudes a compelling and commanding presence, conveying a sense of wisdom and maturity that surpasses her years of experience.’
Suzanne Rab – Serle Court ‘Her first-rate intellect, and analytical skills, combined with a mastery of the relevant law, sound judgment, and a commercial and user-friendly approach, make her one of the leading practitioners at the Bar in this field.' 
Gerard Rothschild –Brick Court Chambers ‘Gerard is a first rate barrister. He is a black letter lawyer of the highest order which he combines with oral and written advocacy which is precise and laconic. He is a silk in all but name.’
Charlotte Thomas – Brick Court Chambers ‘Charlotte has an excellent grasp of the law, is very hard working and has an impressive written and oral advocacy style. The breadth of matters she acts on means that she has the key cutting edge legal developments at her fingertips. She is very responsive and a pleasure to work with.’
3
Michael Armitage – Monckton Chambers ‘Mike is very bright and all over the case law. He also readily understands the client's strategic objectives and factors those into his advice. He is excellent to work with, collaborative and proactive.’
Fiona Banks –Monckton Chambers ‘Fiona works really hard, drafts very well, is highly strategic and not afraid to express her view.’
Alison Berridge – Monckton Chambers ‘Alison is an absolute go-to for anything competition-related. She is incredibly bright, and her strategic nous is second to none.'
Tom Coates – Blackstone Chambers ‘Tom is an incredibly thoughtful barrister and gives careful consideration to all aspects of the instruction. His written advocacy is always of an excellent standard and he clearly understands and is across all aspects of his cases. He performs well on his feet against KCs with significantly more experience.’
Owain Draper – One Essex Court ‘Owain masters his briefs in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. A big talent.’
David Gregory – Monckton Chambers ‘David is an exceptionally talented competition lawyer. He is an innovative thinker, a superb drafter of pleadings and submissions and a concise and persuasive advocate.’
David Heaton –Brick Court Chambers ‘David is intelligent, pragmatic, and his drafting is first rate.’
Tim Johnston –Brick Court Chambers ‘Unusually for a junior counsel, Tim is already a strong advocate in his own right, able to stand his ground in court against much more senior opponents. He is an all round excellent litigator, with a good sense for strategy. A future silk without doubt. ’
Stefan Kuppen – Monckton Chambers ‘Stefan is an excellent barrister to work with. He is thoughtful in everything he does and his judgement on how things will end up is very strong. He is able break down complex issues so that they can be understood and dealt with. Absolutely someone who you want on your side.’
Ben Lewy – One Essex Court ‘Ben is very commercial and user friendly. He is very approachable, practical and makes the difficult concepts easy for clients.’
Alexandra Littlewood – Monckton Chambers ‘Alexandra is delightful to work with – extremely conscientious and thorough, and drafts beautifully.’
Andrew Lomas – One Essex Court 'Andrew is really user friendly and commercial. He understands clients' priorities in their broader context and is extremely responsive and proactive in suggesting solutions.'
Emily MacKenzie –Brick Court Chambers ‘Emily is super bright, writes brilliantly and is a pleasure to work with. She is that rare combination of both an excellent lawyer and also someone with lots of common sense.’
Jennifer MacLeod –Brick Court Chambers ‘Jenny is a future star of the competition law Bar. A thoughtful advocate and a tenacious cross-examiner.’
Ciar McAndrew – Monckton Chambers ‘Ciar's drafting is excellent, be it pleadings, first drafts, letters, submissions or research notes.’
Conor McCarthy – Monckton Chambers ‘Conor is forensic, extremely intelligent and very well read. His analyzation skills are exemplary and his overall knowledge of competition law and public law make for an excellent combination when it comes to producing legal advice.’
Ravi Mehta – Blackstone Chambers ‘Ravi is a safe pair of hands and knows his stuff.’
Emma Mockford –Brick Court Chambers ‘Emma is one of the best junior barristers at the Bar period, and not just in competition law. She has it all: razor sharp intellect, impeccable judgment, unflappable, and extremely collegiate. She is destined for great things.’
Ligia Osepciu – Monckton Chambers ‘Ligia is a great team player - she works really well and collaboratively with the solicitor team; rolls her sleeves up and can work expertly through technical and dense information at speed, making judgment calls which demonstrate clarity of thought about the case strategy.’
Tom Pascoe –Brick Court Chambers ‘Tom is a clever, motivated and persuasive advocate. He is a future leader in the making and the intellectual powerhouse of any team that he joins.’
Naina Patel – Blackstone Chambers 'Naina's advocacy is measured, persuasive and highly effective. She is an excellent lawyer, very analytical and a pleasure to work with.'
Max Schaefer – Brick Court Chambers ‘Max is one of the best juniors at the Bar, and not just in competition law – the hallmark of a first-rate lawyer. He is very clever, has impeccable judgement, and is unflappable. He is also very collegiate to work with. Destined for great things.’ 
Thomas Sebastian – Essex Court Chambers 'Thomas has strong forensic drafting skills and a very broad knowledge of competition law and its application to commercial agreements.'
Jack Williams – Monckton Chambers ‘A first class junior - really takes ownership of the case and gives it his all. Powerful strategic judgement.’

Rising Stars

Greg Adey – One Essex Court ‘Greg really is a star junior. He has it all – razor sharp intellect, wonderful judgment, unflappable, and extremely collegiate. He also has a real maturity that many juniors often lack. He should be ranked much higher!’
Isabel Buchanan – Blackstone Chambers ‘Isabel is a fantastic junior to have on the team. She is commercially driven and understands what is important to the client. She is technically excellent and detail orientated. Her oral advocacy is succinct and effective.’
Lucinda Cunningham – Matrix Chambers ‘Lucinda is great to work with. Her written advice and advocacy is clear, persuasive and considered. She is responsive and collegial and always focused on the client’s objectives and wider goals.’
Antonia Fitzpatrick – Monckton Chambers 'Antonia is brilliant. She works exceptionally hard and drafts clear and compelling written submissions. She conducts a simply brilliant cross-examination of difficult witnesses with a skill that belies her recent call. She is a real star of the future.' 
Joshua Pemberton – Brick Court Chambers 'Josh is extremely smart. He gets quickly into the meat of a case, analysing evidence and tearing apart difficult legal questions with real flair, and drafts with clarity and force. He's also an excellent team player and a real pleasure to work with.'
Will Perry – Monckton Chambers 'Will is a very strong advocate, who understands the technical and economic detail of complex competition matters, but is able to make it simple for the client and court.' 

Competition in London Bar

Brick Court Chambers


Brick Court Chambers is ‘the go-to set for competition litigators, with both strength and depth across all levels’. Competition heavyweights Helen Davies KC and Daniel Jowell KC appear on opposite sides of the cable maker cartel case Spottiswoode v Nexans, with the major consumer collective action seeking over £300m in damages for UK electricity purchasers. In R (Volkswagen) v CMA, Marie Demetriou KC successfully acted for the regulator in a landmark case concerning the extraterritorial scope of its investigatory powers under the Competition Act 1998. Sarah Abram KC acted on behalf of BMW on the same matter and persuaded the CAT that the CMA lacked the power to require disclosure outside of the UK, before the regulator’s appeal was allowed by the Court of Appeal; prompting the manufacturer to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Victoria Wakefield KC is set to represent the defendant in Cabo Concepts Limited v MGA Entertainment, with the standalone abuse of dominance claim set for trial in late 2024.

Les références

‘The senior clerk, Tony Burgess, is extremely good.’ 

‘Clerks are uniformly excellent. Hannah Rayner is responsive and great to work with.’ 

‘The clerks are very pleasant, in particular Paul Dennison, Phil Wilkes and Jo Francis.’ 

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Monckton Chambers


‘A leading competition law set with superior skills through all levels of seniority’, Monckton Chambers operates at the forefront of high profile competition cases, including antitrust, class actions and public undertakings. Anneli Howard KC is ‘considered one of the top silks at the competition Bar’ and has successfully represented Foundem against tech giant Google in multiple CMCs. George Peretz KC successfully acted on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority concerning appeals regarding Heathrow Airport’s charges to airlines, while Josh Holmes KC defends Google in a £7bn collective action alleging anti-competitive practices in relation to mobile searches. In January 2024, Daniel Beard KC led Daisy Mackersie before the CAT in Le Patourel v BT, the first opt-out class action to reach trial and having potentially significant implications for the UK collective proceedings regime. Ronit Kreisberger KC acts for the claimant in Cabo v MGA, a complex abuse of dominance and collusion claim which raises difficult questions at the intersection of competition and IP law.

Les références

‘The clerks at Monckton Chambers are excellent. They are always helpful and go the extra mile to assist you.’ 

‘The clerks are second to none.’

‘Chris O’Brien is commercial, diligent, responsive and ever helpful; you feel like a priority.’

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Blackstone Chambers


Blackstone Chambers is ‘one of the best-regarded sets at the Bar’, with members regularly representing regulators and challenging applicants in complex enforcement cases before the CAT. Hanif Mussa KC acted for the defendants in Granville Technology Group & Ors v LG Display, a follow-on damages claim brought by a group of computer retailers that saw only the third ever cartel damages judgment given by a UK court. Brian Kennelly KC, Tristan Jones KC and Jason Pobjoy all appeared in Volkswagen AG & BMW v CMA, with the High Court’s judgment in favour of the car manufacturers regarding the extraterritorial scope of the Competition Act 1998 being overturned by the Court of Appeal in January.

Les références

‘The clerks are always easy to reach and helpful. Dean Tolman in particular is always very helpful.’ 

‘The clerking team epitomise professionalism.’ 

‘The clerks are friendly, responsive and deliver a professional service.’

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Matrix Chambers


Members of Matrix Chambers remain continually sought after for complex collective actions before all levels of UK courts. In the first major UK collective action concerning environmental pollution as a breach of competition law, Rhodri Thompson KC and Christopher Brown  have been acting for the class representative in Roberts v Severn Trent Water and Ors; with the case raising novel questions of law about whether misleading a regulator and causing higher prices to be charged constitutes an abuse of a dominant position. In Kent v Apple, Nicholas Gibson is representing the CMA as it intervenes in the public interest in the ongoing dispute about loss caused by the tech giant for alleged breaches of EU and UK competition law. Thanks to the set's criminal practitioners, it is also well-placed to handle matters concerning criminal cartel offences.

Les références

‘The clerks at Matrix are some of the nicest to deal with and very commercial.’

‘The clerking is pretty seamless. All are polite and proactive, and they cover each other well.’

‘Clerks are very helpful and add to the service provided by Matrix.’ 

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One Essex Court


With an increasingly ‘growing strength in competition law’, One Essex Court offers a broad range of expertise which spans regulatory enforcement and appeals, UK private damages actions, collective proceedings, and allegations of abuse of dominant position. Conall Patton KC continues to represent Google and its parent company Alphabet in a £13.6 billion opt-out class action in the CAT, defending allegations that the tech powerhouse abused its dominant position in the market for online advertising. Derek Spitz acts as lead counsel for Utilita Energy Limited as it pursues a damages claim alleging abuse of dominant position against Paypoint, while Owain Draper continues to represent Mastercard in the Merchant Interchange Fee Umbrella Proceedings before the CAT.

Les références

‘The clerks room has to be one of the best in London. The clerks are all utterly committed and client focused. They are incredibly human and easy to deal with. Adam Wheeler and Jackie Ginty are standouts.’

‘Jordan Foley is very capable and helpful.’ 

‘The clerks are generally very user-friendly.’

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