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Outer Temple barristers included in The Lawyer's 'Top 10 Appeals of 2025' & 'Top 20 Cases of 2025'

Outer Temple barristers included in The Lawyer’s ‘Top 10 Appeals of 2025’ & ‘Top 20 Cases of 2025’

The Lawyer has revealed its ‘Top 10 Appeals of 2025’ and ‘Top 20 Cases of 2025’ and we are delighted to share that three of Outer Temple’s members have been mentioned for their involvement in this year’s biggest cases.

There are plenty of lawsuits heading to the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the High Court, and The Lawyer has unveiled its top appeals and cases to look out for this year.

We are delighted to share that Henry Reid has been included in the ‘Top 10 Appeals of 2025’ for his involvement in James “Jes” Staley v the FCA, and Harry Steinberg KC and Aliyah Akram in the ‘Top 20 Cases of 2025’ for their involvement in The Military Deafness Litigation.

James “Jes” Staley v the FCA (The Upper Tribunal, Tax and Chancery Chamber) (Top 10 Appeals of 2025)

This dispute involves Barclays’ ex-CEO and the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA), whereby James Staley, the ex-CEO was banned from holding a senior role in the financial services industry for 10 years and fined £1.8m for failing to disclose the extent of his relationship and his last point of contact with Epstein.

In its decision notice, the FCA said Staley had “recklessly approved” a letter sent by Barclays to the FCA claiming he did not have a close relationship with Epstein. However, the FCA said that in emails between the two, Staley described Epstein as one of his “deepest” and “ most cherished” friends.

Never before has the CEO of one of Britain’s “big four“ commercial banks – Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and Natwest – been banned from holding a senior role in the City. It is understood that appeals of decisions by regulators typically take one or two days, but very high-profile ones can be as long as 12 days. The hearing is set to take place in March 2025. Henry Reid is instructed as a junior on behalf of the FCA.

Representing the respondent, the Financial Conduct Authority
Outer Temple’s Henry Reid, Fountain Court’s Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC and Eleanor Davison, and 4 Stone Buildings’ Lara Hassell-Hart are instructed by the FCA’s in-house legal team.

The Military Deafness Litigation (High Court) (The Top 20 Cases of 2025)

This case involves thousands of ex-military personnel expecting compensation after suffering from hearing loss during their time of service. Harry Steinberg KC and Aliyah Akram represent the claimants. This follows a settlement deal reached with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last summer, in which the Government body conceded on issues of limitation and duty of care. Harry and Aliyah were also instructed in that case – read more here. There were also two separate decisions made in relation to individual claimants; Barry v MoD [2023] in which the court awarded 34-year-old James Barry £713,000 for losses sustained during his four-year career in the Royal Marines, and Inglis v MoD [2019] EWHC (QB) in which Mr Inglis was awarded £545,766 for his noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Harry acted on behalf of the claimants in both instances, again instructed by Hugh James.

The trial, set to take place in October 2025 will consider how damages will be calculated, and how much the MoD owes the claimants.

Representing the claimants, 3,400 soldiers
Outer Temple’s Harry Steinberg KC and Aliyah Akram, and 12KBW’s James Pickering and David Green, instructed by Hugh James’ partner Simon Ellis.

The Lawyer’s full list of top cases for 2025

The full list of ‘Top 10 Appeals of 2025’ is available to subscribers of The Lawyer at: https://www.thelawyer.com/unveiled-top-10-appeals-of-2025/

The full list of ‘Top 20 Cases of 2025’ is available to subscribers of The Lawyer at: https://www.thelawyer.com/unveiled-the-top-20-cases-of-2025/

Find out more

Harry Steinberg KC is a leading silk specialising in personal injury, including industrial disease and military claims. as well as sports law and aviation. He is recognised by Chambers & Partners as “a highly skilled practitioner known for his representation of large claimant groups. His work in the area typically arises from personal injury and industrial disease claims.” His personal injury practice focuses on high value and complex serious injuries and fatal claims, with much of his work having an international aspect. Harry has specialised in industrial disease and mesothelioma for over a decade and is recognised in the directories as a leading silk.

Aliyah Akram is acknowledged as a leading junior in personal injury, military claims and industrial disease litigation. Many of her cases have an international aspect and give rise to both jurisdictional issues and conflicts of laws. She is well known for her work on group litigation claims and has been involved in some of the largest group actions ever brought in the UK including the abovementioned group claims brought by military personnel against the Ministry of Defence for personal injury whilst in service. Aliyah is ranked in the directories and was shortlisted in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024 as Personal Injury Junior of the Year.

Henry Reid’s practice covers a wide array of commercial, corporate and financial services matters. His work focuses on commercial litigation, contentious and non-contentious financial services, sanctions, banking and finance, fintech and regulatory investigations. Since moving to the Bar in 2022, Henry has been ranked by Legal 500 as a “Rising Star” in both Banking & Finance and Financial Services Regulation as well as a Leading Junior in Crypto and Blockchain Assets.

 

External Publications, News 14 Jan, 2025

Authors

Harry Steinberg

Harry Steinberg KC

Call: 1997 Silk: 2016

Aliyah Akram

Call: 2012

Henry Reid

Henry Reid

Call: 2018

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