News

Max Schofield appears before a Grand Chamber in the Court of Justice of the European Union

3rd May 2022

Max Schofield (pictured here) appeared for the taxpayer, Fenix International Ltd, in a preliminary reference from the First-Tier Tax Tribunal to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The case (C-695/20) was heard before a panel of 15 Judges, including the President and Vice-President of the Court, in Luxembourg on 3 May 2022. The subject of the appeal is the validity of a Council Implementing Regulation which imposes, by way of Article 9a, a...

First week of Gaia Pope inquest concludes 

29th April 2022

Gaia Pope went missing on 7th November 2017. Following Gaia being reported missing, searches were undertaken by Dorset Police, Her Majesty’s Coastguard, National Police Air Service, Dorset Search and Rescue and other volunteers. Gaia was found deceased on 18th November. This week the Senior Coroner for Dorset swore in a jury for this Article 2 inquest that is anticipated to last 11 weeks. This inquest will examine numerous issues including Gaia’s medical history including mental...

Victoria Jones successfully defends ‘Funtime Freddy’ and ‘Funtime Foxy’ in the IPEC 

29th April 2022

On Wednesday 27 April 2022, judgment was handed down by Deputy High Court Judge Amanda Michaels, in the case of Luen Fat Metal and Plastic Manufactory Co Ltd v Funko UK, Ltd [2022] EWHC 951 (IPEC), in which the Claimant had brought claims against the Defendant for infringement of its ‘Funtime’ trade mark as a result of the Defendant’s use of the names ‘Funtime Freddy’ and ‘Funtime Foxy’ on its products. After narrowing the specification...

Nick Kaplan wins for Bexheat in TCC   

21st April 2022

3PB's construction and engineering barrister Nick Kaplan, pictured here and instructed on a direct access basis through Harris Consulting International, acted for Kent-based plumbers Bexheat in the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in the case of Bexheat Ltd v Essex Services Group Ltd 2022 WL 01158724 (2022), with judgement handed down by Mrs Justice O’Farrell DBE. The case was brought by Nick's client Bexheat ("BHL") for summary...

Jamie Johnston races to 3PB

21st April 2022

Civil law barrister Jamie Johnston (call: 2016), pictured here, has joined national chambers 3PB (3 Paper Buildings) from chambers in Newcastle and will be based at the now-large Birmingham office. He specialises in property and chancery, commercial disputes and sports law and has a busy practice in the High Court, County Court, tribunals and hearings. Before coming to the Bar, Jamie spent ten years' building up and then selling a national franchising company so brings...

Former Skaddens partner joins 3PB 

19th April 2022

International arbitration barrister, commercial litigator and former Skaddens partner Patrick Heneghan, pictured here, has joined the commercial and construction & engineering teams at national chambers 3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings). Patrick left Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in 2015, after almost 15 years in its international litigation and arbitration team. More recently Patrick has been assisting retired High Court judge Sir William Blackburne in his appellate role in relation to complaints concerning the Global...

Victoria Jones successful in defeating an opposition against ‘CATL NBattery’

19th April 2022

Victoria Jones recently represented Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited in its successful defence to opposition proceedings brought against its application to register the mark ‘CATL NBattery’ brought by Caterpillar Inc. relying on its well-known ‘CAT’ marks. After having found the marks in question to be visually and aurally similar to a low degree and conceptually dissimilar, the Hearing Officer found that there was no likelihood of confusion between the marks and for the purposes of...

3PB breaks through £30m turnover

14th April 2022

National chambers 3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) has broken through the critical £30m threshold - traditionally the preserve of the specialist London sets - with record turnover of £31.4m and receipts of £30m this financial year ending 28 February 2022, a rise of 16.8% and 12.3% respectively from last year’s results of £26.9m and £26.7m; alongside fees per barrister (FPB) growing by 9.5 %. After this record year 3PB has now set its sights on...

Craig Ludlow speaks on flexible working at Acas conference

13th April 2022

Flexible working: a strategic approach to increase productivity and tackle skill shortages - 12 May 2022 A recent Acas survey found that half of employers in Great Britain expected an increase in demand for flexible forms of working from employees, including hybrid options. However, there is growing evidence to suggest that there remains a significant mismatch between employees' preferences towards different types of flexible working and employers' offerings, leading to various degrees of costly workplace...

Victoria Jones in successful in 'Rainbow Rangers' decision

12th April 2022

3PB’s specialist IP barrister Victoria Jones is successful in an appeal before the Appointed Person. Victoria recently represented Genius Brands International, Inc in an appeal against a decision by a hearing officer of the UKIPO refusing to register its ‘RAINBOW RANGERS’ mark as a result of an opposition brought by The Guide Association. In her decision, the Appointed Person, Emma Himsworth QC found that the hearing officer had erred in finding that there was a...

At the end of last year, Sir Christopher Bellamy’s review of criminal legal aid recommended a number of actions which urgently needed to be taken in order to stop and reverse the decades long decline of the publicly funded bar due to under investment.  His proposals were well-considered and based upon a multitude of evidence he had obtained from a wide variety of sources. In recent weeks, members of the Criminal Bar Association have voted...

Welcome to April's employment law newsletter In the April edition of our employment law newsletter, we welcome Craig Ludlow's appointment to the Editorial Board of the Employment Lawyers Assocation (UK) Briefing magazine; report on the Fifth Addendum to the ET Presidential Guidance on awards for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury and other statutory increases to compensation from 6 April; and consider the ET's roadmap for how Employment Tribunal hearings will be conducted over 2022...