The Lawyer’s Top 10 Appeals of 2025 has been unveiled and three members of Essex Court have been featured in one appeal. Bath Racecourse Company & Others v Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE, Allianz Insurance plc and Aviva Insurance Ltd has been listed in the Court of Appeal over four days in late January 2025. […]

Richard Hoyle has been appointed directly to the Serious Fraud Office’s ‘A’ Panel of Counsel (Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance). The appointment is for a four-year period which commenced on 31 December 2024. The panel is sub-divided by seniority (KC 5yrs+, KC under 5yrs, and A, B and C panels for juniors), with appointments […]

The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2025 was recently published, and 14 members feature in six cases. The cases that members are involved in are as follows: The Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan and others The Public Institution for Social Security (of Kuwait) has sued numerous defendants including its former Director General, […]

As of 1st January 2025, Sir Frank Berman KCMG KC has retired from practice. Sir Frank is a leading public international lawyer, who joined Essex Court Chambers in 2000 after a distinguished career in HM Diplomatic Service culminating in his post as Legal Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It has been a pleasure […]

In FCA v Markou, the Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by the FCA against a decision of the Upper Tribunal in a reference made by a senior mortgage adviser subject to the Senior Managers’ regime. The Court of Appeal held that, on the factual conclusions made by the Upper Tribunal at the trial of the […]

The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in The Humane League’s claim, by reference to the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations, regarding “fast-growing” chicken breeds. Although the appeal was dismissed, the Court of Appeal proceeded to express its views, obiter, on the issue of interpretation.  In disagreement with the judge, the Court held in […]

On 12 December 2024, the Court of Appeal (Vos MR, Andrews and Falk LJJ) handed down judgment in The Prestige litigation (The London Steam-Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Association v. the Kingdom of Spain and the French State). This judgment is the latest of a long series of cases arising out of the clean-up costs of the […]

On 13 December 2024, Mr Justice Bright handed down judgment in the case of Hapag-Lloyd AG v. Skyros Maritime Corporation and Agios Minas Shipping Company [2024] EWHC 3139 (Comm), two related arbitration appeals concerned with the assessment of damages upon late redelivery of containerships under time charters. The main issue in the appeals concerned the […]

On 4 December 2024, following a five-day trial, Mr Justice Andrew Baker gave judgment in a dispute worth over €400 million relating to Spanish law governed investment agreements concluded between Banco de Sabadell, one of the major Spanish retail banks, and entities within the Cerberus group in July 2018 and August 2019 (the “Investment Agreements”) […]

A settlement agreement has this week brought to an end litigation commenced last year by claimants including Shell UK Limited against defendants including Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace International and individual Greenpeace activists. The litigation concerned a protest carried out by Greenpeace activists who boarded and occupied a heavy lift vessel and large structure (FPSO) in transit […]

In the case of Dowling v. United States of America, the UK Employment Tribunal has upheld the State immunity of the USA in respect of the claims by a former Motor Pool Supervisor employed by the US Embassy. The Employment Tribunal applied the decision by the Supreme Court in Benkharbouche v Embassy of the Republic of […]

On 20 September 2024, the Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland delivered judgment in the case of Dillon and Ors v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [2024] NICA 59, concerning the controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (“the Legacy Act”). The Legacy Act imposed a number of restrictions on legal procedures […]