Retour United Kingdom - The Bar

Leading Silks

Michael Bowsher KCMonckton Chambers ‘Michael is, without question, the standout procurement silk at the Bar. He is the first — and often only — person to be considered for complex or high-risk cases. His strengths are exceptional across the board.’  
Sarah Hannaford KCKeating Chambers ‘Sarah is a star of the procurement bar. She is incredibly bright, hardworking and a formidable advocate.'
Fionnuala McCredie KCKeating Chambers ‘Fionnaula is a tenacious and very bright advocate. She is an excellent leader who really supports her juniors and works very well as a team with them.'
Philip Moser KCMonckton Chambers 'Philip is a very strong advocate in court. He is very clear and reads the court well, persuasive and engaging submissions, strong cross examination.'  
Valentina Sloane KCMonckton Chambers ‘Valentina was truly excellent. Quickly into the detail, robust in her analysis, confident to take a position and back it. Valentina delivers service excellence and was always on top of the detail and timescales despite the many moving parts. Valentina is excellent on her feet before first instance and appellate judges.’
Lord Banner KCKeating Chambers ‘Charles is very succinct and to the point. He cuts straight to the heart of complicated matters, explaining those in laymen language and in a manner that endears himself to the judiciary.'
James Goudie KC11KBW ‘James has comprehensive knowledge of public procurement law. He can be very succinct when required and is able to explain complex legal issues to clients in a straightforward manner. Excellent overall.’
Anneli Howard KCMonckton Chambers ‘Anneli is a team player and fearless advocate.
Andrew Kinnier KCHenderson Chambers ‘Andrew is highly articulate with a great client manner. He is a down to earth and pragmatic barrister.'
Rhodri Williams KC – Keating Chambers ‘Rhodri is excellent. He quickly gets into the detail, and is calm and assured.'

2024 Silks

Joseph Barrett KC11KBW ‘Joe is incredibly bright. Very strategic. Superb advocate. Team player. A winner and second to none.'
Ewan West KCMonckton Chambers ‘Ewan’s written work is the best. Ewan also has a good tactical acumen that has yields excellent results for lay clients.’

2025 Silks

Azeem Suterwalla KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Azeem is an exceptional barrister and is thoroughly deserving of his elevation to silk this year. He has become a go-to barrister for public procurement litigation. Azeem’s written work is always very good, and he is an outstanding advocate. He combines a fierce intellect with an excellent manner with lay clients.’

Leading Juniors

Alan BatesMonckton Chambers ‘Alan is fantastic with his advice that is tailored for the specific client. He is a great team player and assists with the development of the junior members' of the team's knowledge.’  
Patrick Halliday11KBW ‘Patrick has an excellent approach with clients, good with written pleadings and in Court. Even when the merits were against him he comes up with some creative interpretation to try to convince the judge.’
Stephen Kosmin11KBW ‘Stephen is on top of all the detail, responsive, professional and has excellent judgement. ‘
Jonathan Lewis  – Monckton Chambers ‘Jonathan’s advice is consistently commercial and tailored to the specific demands of the business. He is insightful and creative in his approach and an ebullient and thoroughly pleasant man.’
Simon TaylorKeating Chambers ‘Simon is a go-to junior for procurement disputes, particularly anything health care related. He has great attention to detail and is very bright.’
Fiona BanksMonckton Chambers ‘Fiona understands the client need and perspective more than other barristers. She is reliable and good in front of a difficult procurement client.’
Anneliese Blackwood  – Monckton Chambers  ‘Anneliese is very good at drafting. Very sensible.’
Khatija Hafesji – Monckton Chambers  ‘Khatija is very clear and excellent with lay clients. She shows empathy but clarity of thought and advice. ‘
Benjamin Tankel  - 39 Essex Chambers ‘Ben is one of the most capable, hard-working, barristers in procurement law. His level of support and turnaround of instructions is second to none. He is extremely knowledgeable and has a great rapport with clients.’
Alfred Artley – Monckton Chambers ‘Alfred is absolutely ago-to junior. Solicitors breathe a sigh of relief when they have Alfred on board. He is phenomenally bright and gets all over the detail straight away.'
Jen Coyne  –Monckton Chambers  ‘Jen is one of the star juniors at the Bar for public procurement challenges. She is thorough, excellent at finding points of detail and distilling the key legal issues, and working in a collaborative manner with solicitors and clients.’
Emily NeillBlackstone Chambers ‘Emily is an extremely diligent barrister. Her attention to detail and meticulous planning to pleadings and the running of cases is unparalleled.’
James NeillLandmark Chambers ‘James is very through and very good at picking up the intricate, difficult points which other barristers often miss. His advocacy is calm, considered and meticulous. It is easy to follow, and he breaks things down in a way that anyone can understand even if they don’t have a background in the area being dealt with.’

Rising Stars

Barney McCay - Landmark Chambers  ‘Barnay is amiable, intelligent, and diligent in his approach. His collaborative nature and sharp legal mind make him a strong asset to any case.’
Tom Walker – Keating Chambers ‘Tom is a very diligent junior with a particular expertise in public procurement law.’
Ben Graff Keating ChambersBen is an accomplished junior barrister with significant expertise in public procurement. Ben has a particular strength in reviewing and distilling large volumes of complex documentation, enabling him to identify key issues and present clear, focused advice.'

Public procurement in London Bar

11KBW


Lauded as a ‘leading procurement set for public procurement law’, 11KBW provide expertise across the board, with members regularly acting in many of the leading High Court claims.  With extensive practice representing both contracting authorities and Claimants, Jason Coppel KC, was instructed by Airwave Solutions Limited in an innovative procurement, contract and judicial review litigation challenging the Home Office’s decision to extend Airwave’s contract for the provision of radio services to the emergency services. Patrick Halliday is acting in Millbrook Healthcare Ltd v Devon County Council in a challenge to the procurement of a £65m contract for medical equipment, whilst Rupert Paines  was instructed by Bretagne Angleterre Irlande SA in an expedited challenge to the award of a 20-year framework for ferry services between Jersey and the UK.

Les références

‘The clerking team are excellent. They are very quick to respond and offer valuable insights into suitability of counsel for specific procurement instructions. Thomas Belcher and Michael Smith are go-to choices.’

‘Lee Cutler, Michael Smith, Tori Eastwick, John Ojeda and Thomas Belcher are helpful and prompt.’

‘The Chambers Clerks are very good and responsive.’

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Keating Chambers


With a strong reputation for acting on both sides of high-profile procurement disputes, Keating Chambers’ members are also regularly instructed by government bodies on an advisory basis. Leading James Frampton, Sarah Hannaford KC acted for Unipart Group Limited in a £4.4bn procurement contract challenge for a logistics partner which carries out procurement of medical suppliers for the NHS. Rhodri Williams KC led Tom Walker in representing Robert Heath Heating Ltd in a claim for breach of duty regarding the award of a contract for domestic heating services. Whilst Simon Taylor acted in Excelerate Technology Limited v West Midlands Ambulance Service HSFT and NHS England on a complex application for disclosure guidance.

Les références

‘Will Shrubsall provides excellent management and oversight of the clerking team. James Luxmore is and Robert Garvan are very helpful and experienced.’

The clerks are helpful and approachable. In particular Jade Clark is excellent. Amy Barrie, Robert Garvan, James Luxmore and Will Shrubsall are all very helpful and responsive too.’

‘Will Shrubsall is a real star’

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Monckton Chambers


Monckton Chambers’ members provide representation across the full gamut of public procurement claims from non-contentious advice to representation in litigation and mediation, with specialised expertise in EU law, regeneration schemes, state and aid procurement, and project finance matters. Michael Bowsher KC is instructed to represent the National Lottery Company in its claim against the Gambling Commission arising from an alleged breach of obligation in conducting the tender process for the award of the new operational contract, which was awarded to Allwyn. With an extensive advisory and litigation practice, Philip Moser KC led Azeem Suterwalla KC in representing for Ordnance Survey (OS) Ltd, which was being sued by Leica Geosystems Ltd which argued that OS had awarded the bid to a competitor with a non-compliant bid. Valentina Sloane KC acted in Optima Health v Department for Work & Pensions for Optima, which challenged DWP’s decision to exclude it from a high-value procurement.

Les références

‘Steve Duffet is brilliant – he understands the issues and the time pressures and always helps to find the right solution.’

‘I cannot fault the clerk’s room. Gemma Goodwin is the stand-out clerk, she is one of the best clerks.’

‘The clerks’ room is very responsive indeed, and is very difficult to fault. Gemma Goodwin stands out as one of the best clerks.’

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Blackstone Chambers


A strong commercial set, Blackstone Chambers’ offer ‘high-quality specialised public and competition law barristers’. Emily Neill has acted in GCI IT UK Limited v Department of Finance, instructed by Northern Ireland’s Department of Finance to defend a challenge to the award of the IT services contract for the land registry. James Segan KC specialises in procurement issues in the IT and telecommunications fields.

Les références

‘The chambers is a top flight chambers, which will provide the best legal advice available in any commercial case.’

‘Blackstone are professional and easy to deal with. The set are always able to provide high-quality, specialised public and competition law barristers.’

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