The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2025 has been published and features Essex Court’s, Joe Smouha KC.
Joe is credited for his acting as lead counsel for the Republic of Mozambique in the “Tuna Bond” litigation. In 2025, Joe is in the Commercial Court from March on the year-long PIFSS trial, representing the Man Group.
He has also been involved in the ongoing dispute between Ugandan banks Crane Bank and DFCU Bank which will come to trial in October 2026. Other recent cases include acting for Mastercard in the causation trial in the Merricks litigation and for General Dynamics in its claims against Libya.
The Lawyer article states, “Standing at the front of a packed Commercial Court in October 2023, Joe Smouha KC described the Mozambican corruption scandal that had come to be known as the “Tuna Bonds” litigation as “bribery on an industrial scale”. The line was the culmination of a decade-long scandal that had tanked the Mozambican economy and led to one of the most high-profile pieces of litigation of the decade. The Mozambican government’s lead counsel has made a name for himself acting in high-profile civil fraud matters. The Tuna Bonds case, though, may have been one of his most prominent and consequential, given the billions at stake for the already struggling Mozambican economy.
Smouha celebrated when judgment was published in Mozambique’s favour in July 2024 alongside his instructing solicitor, fellow 2025 Hottie Sarah Gabriel, in what was a significant victory for the Mozambican people.
Last year, Smouha took on Lord Pannick KC in the ongoing dispute between Ugandan banks Crane Bank and DFCU Bank. His 2025 looks set to be even busier. He is due to be in the Commercial Court from March on the year-long Top 20 dispute that involves the Kuwaiti social security system PIFSS, defending the London Stock Exchange-listed investment company Man Group.”
The full Hot 100 list can be found here.
