‘Calm, measured but fearless when necessary.’
Emma has a busy practice spanning all areas of chambers’ work including EU and competition law, public law and commercial law. She is regularly instructed in complex and high-profile litigation across all of her core practice areas and has appeared in a range of tribunals including the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The directories recommend Emma as a leading junior in competition law, public and administrative law and civil liberties and human rights. They variously describe her as “really superb – a star of the future”, “an experienced lawyer [with] great judgment” (C&P 2021) and “an effective and efficient advocate, and a great asset to the team” (L500 2021). In 2020, Emma was also the first junior barrister to be profiled by The Lawyer, in its new ‘Barrister of the Week’ series, which described her as a “leading junior”, with a “cross-disciplinary practice” and “multi-faceted approach”.
Emma has a busy practice spanning all areas of chambers’ work including EU and competition law, public law and commercial law. She is regularly instructed in complex and high-profile litigation across all of her core practice areas and has appeared in a range of tribunals including the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The directories recommend Emma as a leading junior in competition law, public and administrative law and civil liberties and human rights. They variously describe her as “really superb – a star of the future”, “an experienced lawyer [with] great judgment” (C&P 2021) and “an effective and efficient advocate, and a great asset to the team” (L500 2021). In 2020, Emma was also the first junior barrister to be profiled by The Lawyer, in its new ‘Barrister of the Week’ series, which described her as a “leading junior”, with a “cross-disciplinary practice” and “multi-faceted approach”.
Before coming to the Bar, Emma qualified as a solicitor at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (2011-13) and practised as an associate in the firm’s dispute resolution department in London (2013-16), specialising in EU and competition litigation and public law.
Emma is a member of both the Attorney General's C Panel as well as the Equality and Human Rights Commission's C Panel. She is also a trustee of the AIRE Centre.
Emma graduated from the University of Oxford in 2010, winning the All Souls Prize for the Best Performance in Public International Law Final Honour Schools. She has a Master’s degree from King’s College London in EU competition law.
Emma’s practice covers all areas of EU and competition law, including both stand-alone and follow-on competition law claims, State aid and judicial review on EU law grounds. She acts for both claimants and defendants and is recommended in the field of competition law by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. She has particular expertise in the emerging area of collective actions, having acted in connection with four separate applications for collective proceedings orders to date.
Highlights of Emma’s current and recent instructions in this field include:
Emma also practised in EU and competition law in her previous role as a solicitor at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Highlights of her time at Freshfields included acting for Ericsson in the Unwired Planet Inc v Huawei & Ors proceedings [2017] EWHC 711 (a ground-breaking FRAND and competition law dispute in the patent infringement context) and acting for one of the non-addressee airlines in the Air Cargo Pergan appeals (Emerald Supplies Ltd & Ors v British Airways plc & Ors [2015] EWCA Civ 1024).
Emma has a Master’s degree in EU competition law from King’s College London and has previously lectured in the subject of competition law at Queen Mary’s University.
Emma’s public law practice encompasses the full ambit of public law from commercial judicial reviews to human rights based challenges. She acts for a wide range of clients, including NGOs and campaigning organisations, individuals and corporates, and undertakes extensive pro bono work. She has acted in numerous high profile and substantial public law challenges, including the Heathrow third runway judicial review and the ongoing challenge by the End Violence Against Women Coalition to the CPS’ approach to the prosecution of rape. She is recommended in the directories in both public and administrative law as well as in civil liberties and human rights.
Emma is a member of both the Attorney General's C Panel as well as the Equality and Human Rights Commission's C Panel. She is also a trustee of the AIRE Centre, a specialist legal charity whose mission is to promote awareness of EU and ECHR rights and assist marginalised individuals and those in vulnerable circumstances to assert those rights. Emma also regularly appears as a volunteer advocate for the Asylum Support Appeals Project before the First-Tier Tribunal (Asylum Support).
Highlights of Emma’s current and recent public law instructions include:
Emma’s public law experience during pupillage included working on the following cases:
Emma is regularly instructed in commercial disputes of varying size and complexity. Highlights of her recent commercial experience include:
During pupillage Emma also worked on a wide range of commercial law matters. Highlights include the following cases:
Emma also has substantial commercial law experience as a result of her experience as a solicitor at Freshfields. During her training contract at Freshfields, Emma spent time in both the firm’s commercial litigation and international arbitration teams (as well as assisting on corporate and financial transactional work). After she qualified, she worked on a high-value international commercial arbitration before the LCIA, concerned with the contractual obligations of parents to a joint venture.
Gold at the end of the rainbow? The quantification provisions of the new EU Damages Directive, Competition Law Insight, Volume 13, Issue 6 (10 June 2014) (with Lawrence, Hollway and Howe).
Natural Justice in the CAT – Lessons for the Competition and Markets Authority and Private Parties, [2015] 8 GCLR 25 (with Das).
Questions Left Unanswered by the Great Repeal Bill, ALBA summer conference paper, July 2017 (with Bacon) (available online at https://adminlaw.org.uk/publications/lecture-papers/).
Competition Act Appeals—practice and procedure in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, LexisNexis practice note, July 2018.
Balancing Speed and Safety: the Authorisation of Covid-19 Vaccines and Medicines, Judicial Review, June 2020, DOI: 10.1080/10854681.2020.1780664 (with Stratford and MacKenzie).
Professional experience:
2016: Called to the Bar of England and Wales
2013-16: Associate Solicitor, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
2011-13: Trainee Solicitor, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Education:
2016: Bar Transfer Test, BPP Law School
2013-15: MA in EU Competition Law, King’s College London
2011: Legal Practitioners’ Course, BPP Law School
2007-10: BA in Jurisprudence (Law), University of Oxford (Hertford College) (First Class, All Souls Prize for Best Performance in Public International Law, Final Honour Schools)
Scholarships and prizes:
Highly Commended, Law Society’s Excellence in Pro Bono Award (jointly with Jennifer MacLeod and Arnold & Porter LLP)
Pupillage:
Bar European Group Phoenicia Scholar (2017)
Wolfson Scholarship, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (2016)
University of Oxford:
All Souls Prize for the Best Performance in Public International Law, Final Honour Schools (2010)
Twice recipient of the Hertford College Book Prize for academic achievement (2010)
Mooting and Advocacy:
Winner of the KCL Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition (2015) (a four-stage commercial law competition, the final of which took place in the Supreme Court in March 2015 and was judged by Lord Judge).
Winner of the KCL Graveson Moot (2015) (a three-stage annual competition, covering contract, tort and public law. The final took place in the Royal Courts of Justice before a bench of three, including the Hon Sir David Foskett).
Appointments:
Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel (C Panel)
Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Counsel (C Panel)
Professional Memberships:
ALBA, BEG, COMBAR, JUSTICE, Liberty
"She is really superb – a star of the future." "Emma is an experienced lawyer and has great judgement." Chambers & Partners 2021
‘Emma is extremely practical and solutions-focussed. She combines substantial expertise in competition and EU law with an ability to think laterally in order to find ways through difficult issues. She is indefatigably hard-working, and she is always a positive team member. Very popular with silks and instructing solicitors alike.’ Legal 500 2021
‘An effective and efficient advocate, and a great asset to the team.’ Legal 500 2021
‘Calm, measured but fearless when necessary.’ Legal 500 2021
‘Diligent, detail-orientated and pragmatic.’ Legal 500 2021