News & Events
News & Events
On 12 December 2017, James Counsell QC represented the Bar Standards Board to respond to an appeal brought by Howard Godfrey QC against a decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Council of the Inns of Court. The Tribunal had found that Mr Godfrey was guilty of professional misconduct as a result of comments he had made in the Criminal Court of Appeal about a 16 year-old sexual assault victim which were offensive, unnecessary and implied that she bore responsibility for the assault committed on her by her stepfather. The High Court (Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice Spencer) heard that Mr Godfrey, a criminal barrister, called in 1970 and a QC since 1991, had told the Court of Appeal, during…
News 19 Dec, 2017
Chambers is immensely proud and delighted to congratulate four members, Tim Nesbitt, Nathan Tavares, Eliot Woolf and Sarah Crowther on their successful applications to Silk. This is a fantastic personal achievement for all four and very well deserved public recognition of their skill and expertise, especially given the highly competitive nature of the lengthy competition process. Tim was called to the Bar in 1991 and has over 20 years’ experience acting as an advocate and adviser in a number of areas of commercial, regulatory and public law. These are often linked to and involve issues arising out of the commercial transport and financial services sectors. Nathan specialises in clinical negligence, catastrophic personal injury claims, product liability, and professional negligence and was…
News 15 Dec, 2017
The ADGM Court (Judge Sir Andrew Smith) handed down its first judgment in Afkar Capital Limited (C) v Fikry (D). C, an investment firm regulated by the FSRA, applied for an interim declaration that the minutes of a board meeting and resolutions made at the meeting purporting to appoint a new director and CEO were validly made. The ostensible purpose of the interim declaration was to persuade the regulatory authorities to approve the appointments. The application was made in reliance upon the ADGM companies Regulations 2015 (which closely follows the scheme of the 2006 act). D, a director and then CEO of C who had attended the board meeting, challenged the accuracy of the minutes and the validity of the resolutions.…
News 4 Dec, 2017
James Arnold recently appeared in a Radio 4 programme entitled ‘Scotland’s Lord Haw Haw’, assisting Professor Joanne Fox, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, with the legal interpretation of the prosecution and sentencing of Scotland’s Lord Haw Haw, Donald Grant. The programme may be found here.
News 27 Nov, 2017
Oliver Powell, together with Claire Rawle, Partner Blake Morgan LLP, were both invited to speak at UK Harbour Masters Association Autumn 2017 Seminar. Their talk, entitled ‘Health & Safety – the cost of getting it wrong’, drew upon their considerable experience of investigations and prosecutions in health and safety matters. Other speakers at the seminar included: Captain Forkanul Quader of Maritime & Coastguard Agency; Jon Beckett and Miles Featherstone of Port of London Authority; Andrew Kelly of Department for Transport; Helen McCormick of CTRL Marine Solutions Ltd; Scott Baker of Svitzer UK; Caroline Price of Royal Haskoning DHV; Steve Guest of Kongsberg Norcontrol Ltd; and Brett Ward of Fendercare Ltd. The seminar was attended by approximately 150 people, including port…
News 22 Nov, 2017
Starting from Monday 20th November 2017, Employment tribunal fees charged between July 2013 and July 2017 are to be repaid to claimants and employers, subject to applications for refunds. According to People Management, the official magazine of the CIPD, the refund scheme is now open and applications are being processed. The decision, which is an important step in modern history, was made after the Supreme Court found that the employment tribunal fee regime was unlawful by obstructing access to justice. The fee may be charged again in the future, but tribunals need to be ensured that they remain accessible, People Management shows. Daniel Barnett says: “I’m hearing of increases of between 50 per cent and 100 per cent in different regions”. He adds that…
News 21 Nov, 2017
We are pleased to congratulate Samir and Ziad Salloum on their investiture with Pontifical Orders at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Father and son were awarded the Pontifical Knighthood of St Gregory the Great and the Pontifical Knighthood of St Sylvester respectively, from The Vatican. Samir and Ziad Salloum are partners with Salloum & Partners LLC and are two of our long-standing professional associates who have been a major part of our success in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East to date. The firm was established in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1980. Ziad said: “My thanks go out to Bishop Paul Hinder, who presented the awards on behalf of His Holiness Pope Francis, HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al…
News 20 Nov, 2017
We are delighted to announce that Robert Rhodes QC has been recently appointed as Invited Expert of Professional Committee on Investment Arbitration of China Academy of Arbitration Law. Robert sits on a number of Far Eastern panels of arbitrators / mediators, has rights of audience in the Dubai International Financial Centre, and is a member of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre. He has been appointed a Senior International Mediation Expert at the Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Mediation Center, Hong Kong. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of the London Court of International Arbitration and of the International Chamber of Commerce, a former member of the Corporate Panel of the Dispute Board Federation, and has been…
News 16 Nov, 2017
Nathan Tavares represented the family of Jérôme Roussel at the Inquest into his death on Thursday 9th November 2017. Jérôme, a 51 year old trader in the City, was cycling to work at 6.45 am on 2nd May 2017, when he collided with the rear of an articulated lorry which was parked in the cycle lane on Pentonville Road. He suffered fractures in his neck as a result of the collision and underwent major surgery at the Royal London Hospital the following day. Without ever having left hospital, he developed a series of complications including sepsis, from which he died on 25th June 2017. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. Further details are available here.
News 13 Nov, 2017
Benjimin Burgher has overseen the setting up of a new legal body in Abu Dhabi. It deals with cases that involve disputes and claims amounting to less than Dh20,000 (c. £4,000) that require no major investigation. The new one day labour court based at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation aims to provide prompt justice and put an end to lengthy disputes over pay and working conditions. It has dealt with 27 cases since it was launched on the first of October 2017 with the aim of finding swift resolutions, particularly to clear cut cases in which employees haven’t been paid, or where a member of staff has made a false legal or financial claim against their bosses. So…
News 13 Nov, 2017
Last week in Amsterdam, Outer Temple Chambers was represented by Professional Associates Christophe Jolk (Paris) and Alexey Karpenko (Moscow) who spoke at the International Tax Specialist Group (ITSG) 2017 World Conference. ITSG provides high quality, practical and creative international tax advice on a worldwide basis. A world conference is held annually where ITSG members have the opportunity to renew and re-establish their networks. Christophe Jolk is a tax specialist and a litigator and registered at the Paris, New York and Luxembourg Bars. His appearance at ITSG focused on: (i) customs related matters (VAT, excise, customs duties) from a UK and EU perspective, (ii) the role of the ECJ case law for the UK post Brexit and (iii) the UK’s probable tax…
News 9 Nov, 2017
We are proud to announce that David Russell, QC, one of the UAE’s foremost barristers was last night presented with the prestigious award of ‘Lifetime Achievement’ at the WealthBriefing GCC Region Awards 2017. David’s dedication to the private client industry has seen him take on many voluntary roles with global associations, including the Taxation Institute of Australia, and the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants’ Association. He is the current Chairman of the STEP International Client Special Interest Group, a director of STEP, a member of its Worldwide Council and sits on a number of its Committees. David has been chairing the DIFC Wealth Management Working Group that recently presented its findings to the Governor of DIFC, His Excellency Essa Kazim, underlining…
News 9 Nov, 2017
