“An obvious leader… Tim is clever and able to juggle a remarkable workload. He is a go to junior.”
Tim is recognised as a leading junior in all his key areas of work. The directories describe him as “very insightful and knowledgeable”, “an excellent communicator and advocate” with a “vivid turn of phrase” and “an obvious leader… [and] go to junior.” (Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners 2022).
His practice spans public law, public international law and EU/Competition law.
He regularly appears in ground-breaking cases such as Pfizer Inc and another v Competition and Markets Authority (judgment pending before the Supreme Court in 2022); Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell Plc [2021] UKSC 3; Lungowe and Others v Vedanta Resources Plc [2019] UKSC 20; and “Miller 1” [2017] UKSC 5. He is currently instructed in four cases before the Court of Appeal as well as various matters before the European Courts in Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights.
Tim is recognised as a leading junior in all his key areas of work. The directories describe him as “very insightful and knowledgeable”, “an excellent communicator and advocate” with a “vivid turn of phrase” and “an obvious leader… [and] go to junior.” (Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners 2022).
His practice spans public law, public international law and EU/Competition law.
He regularly appears in ground-breaking cases such as Pfizer Inc and another v Competition and Markets Authority (judgment pending before the Supreme Court in 2022); Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell Plc [2021] UKSC 3; Lungowe and Others v Vedanta Resources Plc [2019] UKSC 20; and “Miller 1” [2017] UKSC 5. He is currently instructed in four cases before the Court of Appeal as well as various matters before the European Courts in Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights.
Legal 500 describes Tim as “An obvious leader in the public law field.” He recently appeared in R (British Sugar Plc) v Secretary of State for International Trade [2022] EWHC 393 (Admin), the first post-Brexit case concerning UK tariffs and a major authority on the interpretation of the Northern Ireland Protocol (the appeal will be heard shortly in the Court of Appeal). His has an established reputation in complex Convention claims: he appeared in the Tobacco Plain Packaging litigation and is currently instructed in an application to the Strasbourg Court concerning Article 14 discrimination. In the regulatory field, Tim will appear before the Court of Appeal next term in a case concerning the statutory definition of plying for hire and appeared in Uber London Limited’s licence appeals in 2018 and 2020. He regularly advises the Legal Services Board, Ofsted and other regulators. He also has considerable experience in the financial services sphere. He appeared before the High Court on behalf of the loss-making investors in London and Capital Finance (against the FSCS) and is instructed in major judicial review in the Cayman Islands (against CIMA). In the past, Tim appeared in the Miller "Article 50" litigation before the Supreme Court, the Pfizer Inc v the Competition and Markets Authority (concerning the recoverability of costs from public authorities again before the Supreme Court) and acted for one of the Core Participants before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse.
Tim also has considerable public international law experience, acting for NGOs, private parties and States in a variety of forums. He has been instructed by the International Commission of Jurists and the CORE Alliance (pro bono) in the Supreme Court on two occasions. He has also acted for the UK Government before various international bodies and regularly advises on questions of international law, business and human rights, international environmental law and trade.
Tim has a busy competition law practice acting both for and against regulators. Legal 500 describes him as an “excellent communicator and advocate” who produces “powerful, persuasive documents” and has a “down to earth manner.” He acted for Pfizer, successfully challenging the CMA’s decision that Pfizer had charged an unlawful price for a pharmaceutical product (including on appeal to the Court of Appeal). He also acted for Ping up to the Court of Appeal challenging the CMA’s decision that a restriction on internet sales was an abuse of dominant position. He is now instructed to challenge a further excessive pricing decision at first instance (hydrocortisone). Tim also acts in follow-on damages actions. He is instructed to act for the largest claimant group in the Trucks litigation claim and for a defendant in the Smart Card Chips and DRAMs claims (both of which have gone to the Court of Appeal).
In the field of EU law, Legal 500 describes Tim as an “out-of-the-box thinker, dependable and experienced in EU law matters.” He is called to the Bar in Ireland (2018) and has rights of audience before the CJEU. He has appeared alone before the European Court of Justice in a number of cases including the UK’s reference concerning the Second Tobacco Products Directive. He has also been instructed in the Austrian Government’s challenge to the lawfulness of the State aid measures concerning Hinkley Point C and in a reference from the Supreme Court in Case C-316/15 Hemming v Westminster City Council. He regularly advises and acts for a range of government departments, local authorities and private contractors in the fields of public procurement, subsidy and State aid and is currently instructed before the General Court in the UK Government’s challenge to the Commission’s Decision that the UK taxation regime for wholly controlled foreign companies is a breach of State aid law.
Tim has particular expertise in private international law, and regularly advises on questions of conflict of laws and jurisdiction. He has also acted in various heavyweight commercial disputes as a junior to Mark Howard QC, Tim Lord QC and Charles Hollander QC.
Tim carries out a wide range of public and public international law work, with a particular emphasis on cases that raise complex questions of human rights law. He regularly appears in leading cases on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants.
He has significant expertise in the law of surveillance (including drones), counter-terrorism and information law as well as electoral law.
He is currently instructed to act for one of the Core Participants in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse.
He is a member of the Attorney General's B Panel of Counsel with Developed Vetting Clearance, the Welsh Government’s Panel of Counsel and the EHRC’s Panel of Counsel with Developed Vetting Clearance.
His notable instructions include:
Judicial Review/Administrative Law:
Human Rights:
Public International Law:
Electoral law:
Surveillance, Security and Information Law:
Public Inquiries:
Discrimination:
Sanctions:
Advised on the potential consequences, for the purposes of the sanctions regime, of a commercial joint venture agreement (as a junior to Maya Lester QC).
Tim has a thriving EU and competition law practice. He is recognised in Legal 500 2018 as an up and coming practitioner who is “bright, quick and able to adjust to work in the way that clients require.”
Legal 500 (2018) describe Tim as "Very responsive, intelligent and commercially minded, one to watch for the future.” In previous years it has noted that he is “a team player who will work all hours to get the job done. He is on a fantastic upward trajectory with his public procurement practice."
Tim is currently instructed in four cases before the European Courts, two of them unled. He regularly advises alone on complex questions of EU law, freedom of establishment, State aid and public procurement.
Tim has experience in various regulated sectors including telecoms, aviation and pharmaceuticals.
His current notable instructions include:
His notable previous instructions include:
His notable instructions include:
Tim has a busy commercial litigation and advisory practice.
He is currently instructed to act alone for two different local authorities in substantial commercial disputes with a value of several million pounds.
He has previously advised on a multi-billion pound dispute arising out of a property development (as a junior to Mark Howard QC), appeared in an arbitration concerning a joint venture dispute arbitration in the Middle East (led by Tim Lord QC), as well as acting for a Government department in a substantial contract dispute (unled).
His notable instructions include:
Commercial litigation:
Jurisdiction/Conflict of Laws:
2011-2012: Pupillage Brick Court Chambers.
2010-2011: Bar Professional Training Course (Outstanding).
2009-2010: Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction).
2003-2007: DPhil Modern History, Keble College, Oxford.
2002-2003: MSt Historical Research, Keble College, Oxford (Distinction).
1998-2001: BA Hons. Modern History, Keble College, Oxford (Double First).
Scholarships and Prizes:
2010-2011: Denning Prize, Lincoln's Inn.
2009-2010: Lord Bowen Scholarship, Lincoln's Inn.
1999-2006: Undergraduate and Graduate Scholar, Keble College, Oxford.
'Notes From a Small Island: Natural Justice and the Institutional Design and Practice of Competition Authorities and Appellate Courts', in Competition Policy International (2014) (10.1) (with Robert O'Donoghue).
'The Snowden "Revelations": Is GCHQ breaking the law?', in, European Human Rights Law Review (2014) (2) (with Jemima Stratford QC).
Two chapters in K. Bacon, European Union law of State Aid (2019, OUP).
Contributing author to the forthcoming edition of M. Brealey ed., Competition Litigation: UK Practice and Procedure.
Before coming to the Bar, Tim was a fellow in Modern European History at St Peter’s College Oxford. He is the author of Being Soviet: Identity, Rumour and Everyday Life Under Stalin 1939-53 (OUP) (selected by the Financial Times as one of their non-fiction books of the year in 2011).
"He is enthusiastic, full of ideas and someone who thinks carefully and deeply about topics. He is also an articulate and compelling speaker." "He was a pleasure to work with: able to work to very tight deadlines and to provide helpful advice." "His drafting is exceptional and he turns things around quickly, and he produces powerful, persuasive documents." (Chambers & Partners 2022)
"Tim is very insightful and knowledgeable, and the client was pleased with his robust and thoughtful advice." (Chambers & Partners 2022)
"He has a great reputation in the public law field." (Chambers & Partners 2022)
"An obvious leader in the public law field, Tim is clever and able to juggle a remarkable workload. He is a go to junior in this field." (Legal 500 2022)
"An excellent communicator and advocate. Tim has an engaging and down to earth manner, and a vivid turn of phrase." (Legal 500 2022)
"Tim is an out-of-the-box thinker, dependable and experienced in EU law matters. He presents superbly to both his instructors and our clients – his advice and delivery are always commercial." (Legal 500 2022)
"He is extremely hard-working, his drafting is excellent and his advocacy is really good too." "He gets to grips with cases and complex matters incredibly quickly." (Chambers & Partners 2021)
"He is extremely bright, picks things up very quickly, and produces very nice written work and pleadings." (Chambers & Partners 2021)
"Extremely bright, and also really good at saying exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. Has excellent judgement and is very likeable and easy to get along with." (Chambers & Partners 2021)
"His burgeoning parallel public law practice is a tremendous asset in antitrust cases." (Legal 500 2021)
"Tim has a wealth of experience in EU law as it applies to public procurement and is able to explain difficult concepts in plain English. Tim is also an out-of-the-box thinker and dependable and presents superbly to both his instructors and our clients." (Legal 500 2021)
"An out-of-the-box thinker, dependable and experienced in public procurement disputes. He presents superbly." (Legal 500 2021)
"An inventive and confident litigator, who retains a calm head and very respectful manner throughout difficult circumstances." (Legal 500 2021)
"Sought-after junior with broad expertise across areas including human rights, pensions, licensing and electoral law. He attracts instructions from a number of central government entities." "He's very easy to work with as he understands the broader context of our work and achieves the balance between real-world considerations and pure questions of law." "We often turn to Tim for matters of high complexity. He has a real firm grip of the law, and he can apply that to unique situations. He's very authoritative, which is good for the courtroom and the client." "He's superb and will become an absolutely stellar lawyer. He has an easy turn of phrase which the courts like." (Chambers & Partners 2020)
"You can just give him a call and speak with him openly about the case; he's always available to just have a chat if something is not entirely clear." "He is practical, sensible and has a really good sense of what the client has in mind. Clients really like him and value his work ethic and great legal mind." (Chambers & Partners UK & Global 2020)
"Produces strong written work, has good advocacy skills and is good with clients." (Chambers & Partners 2020)
"A bright, up-and-coming public lawyer who finds himself in leading cases." (Legal 500 2020)
"An outstanding junior who is able to quickly cut to the key issues in a case." (Legal 500 2020)
"Committed and available, he masters his brief. Good at spotting essential points for pleadings." (Legal 500 2020)
"He is bright, quick and able to adjust to work in the way that clients require." (Chambers & Partners 2019)
"Very responsive, intelligent and commercially minded, one to watch for the future." (Legal 500 2018-19)
"He is very supportive, quick to grasp facts and a barrister who provides good, practical advice." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
"An excellent junior, who brings wider public and commercial experience to the case." (Legal 500 2017)
"He combines intelligence and sensitivity with an incredible work ethic. A proactive lawyer who has an excellent sense of humour." "Tim is a team player who will work all hours to get the job done. He is on a fantastic upward trajectory with his public procurement practice." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
"Very responsive and clear in his views." (Legal 500 2016)