39 Essex Chambers features in The Lawyer Top 20 Cases of 2024

39 Essex Chambers are pleased to feature in two of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024. Published annually, the Top 20 Cases series recognises the leading cases to be heard in the UK from all civil courts and arbitrations. With another landmark year for the English Courts, two cases involving 39 Essex members are highlighted.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking v The Financial Conduct Authority 
Anna Lintner acting for the claimant, High Court, Administrative Court. 

This is a significant judicial review claim relating to effective regulation of the financial services sector. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking (APPG) are seeking to overturn a decision by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to reject certain findings of John Swift KC in his review of the FCA’s redress scheme relating to the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products and take no further action to procure redress for so-called “sophisticated customers”. If this case proves successful banks could have to pay a further £3.2 billion to customers who were mis-sold interest rate swaps in the interest rate hedging products scandal.
 
39 Essex Chambers member Anna Lintner is instructed by Hausfeld on behalf of the applicant, the APPG, alongside 3 Hare Court’s Thomas Roe KC. 

Athena Capital, Raffaele Mincione, and others v Secretariat of State of the Holy See
James Bradford acting for the defendant, High Court, Commercial Court.

The Secretariat of State of the Holy See is the defendant in the case brought by the claimants which include Athena Capital, WRM Capital and British-Italian financier Raffaele Mincione. This case will be the first time that one of the principal governmental units of the Holy See will have appeared as a defendant in a civil trial taking place in English courts. The Claimants have brought proceedings for declaratory relief that they have no liability concerning the purchase of a property in Sloane Avenue, London. The civil claim in London is taking place against the background of criminal proceedings which are taking place in the Vatican City State against Mr Mincione, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and a number of others for various alleged crimes including embezzlement.

In this case James Bradford of 39 Essex Chambers acts for the defendant, the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, alongside Charles Hollander KC of Brick Court Chambers and Samar Abbas Kazmi of Atkin Chambers. They are instructed by Hill Dickinson LLP. 

Read The Lawyer’s complete list of Top 20 Cases 2024 here.