On 9 May 2019, His Honour Judge Bayliss QC sentenced two defendants, Saleem Arif and Kewal Banga, to 4 years 6 months and 2 years 11 months respectively for their part in a sophisticated fraud. Saleem Arif was found guilty of one count of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering following a three […]

On 3 May 2019, Gough Square Chambers hosted a dinner at the Reform Club to celebrate Claire Andrews’ 13 years as Head of Chambers. Claire led Chambers with distinction during a period of significant change for both the profession and Chambers. Claire’s leadership will be missed but she will remain an active and integral member […]

Yesterday the Court Appeal handed down the latest judgment in an ongoing claim that seeks up to £14bn in damages and interest for UK consumers: Merricks v Mastercard Inc [2019] EWCA Civ 674. The claim relates to certain fees charged by MasterCard prior to July 2008 whenever a customer used their card to make a […]

Nugee J has handed down judgment in Greenlands Trading Ltd v Pontearso [2019] EWHC 278 (Ch), on appeal from the decision of HHJ Wulwik that a relationship between a lender and a borrower was not unfair under s 140A of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 . Points that arose were whether a default rate of […]

Having been convicted of the consumer protection offence of contravening professional diligence, Peter Carroll, a door-to-door fish salesman, was sentenced on 5 April 2019 by HHJ Crowson at Teesside Crown Court to 12 months’ immediate imprisonment and a 7 year Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him from all unsolicited doorstep selling. The commercial practices of Carroll […]

In April’s Practical Law lending column Ruth Bala considers the use of the ‘unfair relationship’ provisions to attack the level of interest rates and the need for the creditor to adduce expert evidence in light of two recent High Court decisions. Read the column here.

Chambers is delighted to announce the Publication of ‘Mis-Selling Financial Services’ by Jonathan Kirk QC, Thomas Samuels and Lee Finch (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019). This new work offers a clear and concise analysis of the law relating to the mis-selling of financial services products. The introductory chapters cover the history of mis-selling, from their origins […]

Chambers is delighted to announce that Cameron Crowe has been appointed to List A of the Specialist Regulatory Advocates in Health and Safety and Environmental Law. Cameron’s profile can be viewed here

On 25 March 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published its Final Report following its review of the retained provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (“CCA”). The Final Report follows the Interim Report published in summer last year (see Gough Square News Item on Interim Report) and is closely aligned with the FCA’s position […]

The Court of Appeal handed down its latest judgment on broker secret commissions in Medsted Associates Ltd v Canaccord Genuity Wealth (International) Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 83. The appellant (‘Medsted’) was a broker who introduced potential investors in contracts for difference to financial institutions such as the respondent (‘Canaccord’). The Court of Appeal upheld the first […]