Tristan is widely recognised across his core practice areas of public, regulatory and competition law. He also has a busy employment law practice particularly in discrimination law. He is currently one of the Standing Counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority.

"A pleasure to work with and highly sought after, Tristan is astute when it comes to strategy, very good with clients and very good on his feet."- Legal 500, 2024

Experience

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Public & Regulatory

Tristan’s practice covers the full range of public and regulatory law, from human rights law through to technical sectoral regulation. The current edition of Chambers & Partners notes that he is sought after in “difficult administrative and public law disputes”.

Many of Tristan’s cases raise human rights and civil liberties issues. He recently appeared in the Court of Appeal as Advocate to the Court in Barking and Dagenham LBC v Persons Unknown [2022] EWCA Civ 13 concerning injunctions against travellers. He is also a specialist in EU law, which is a feature of many of the cases summarised below.

Tristan has extensive experience of education law, including special educational needs, student discipline, and regulation of higher education providers (e.g. Bloomsbury v Office for Students [2021] EWCA Civ 800). He has acted in planning judicial reviews, including obtaining an unusual injunction against Transport for London. In environmental law, his practice recently included a judicial review concerning trade in endangered species, Glass Eels Ltd v SSEFRA [2023] EWHC 336.

In social security law, Tristan has acted in the Upper Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, including representing a claimant in the test case SSWP v Jeffrey [2016] EWCA Civ 413. In immigration law, he has acted in judicial reviews of immigration decisions as well as in human trafficking claims. He has acted in several cases concerning prisoners’ rights, from judicial reviews of decisions regarding particular prisoners to the wider challenge to prisoner voting legislation in R (Chester) v SSJ [2013] UKSC 63. He has also acted in cases concerning data protection rights, most recently R (Open Rights Group) v SSHD [2021] EWCA Civ 800.

Tristan has wide experience of media and telecoms regulation. He recently led Ofcom’s team in a judicial review regarding the BBC’s online services (Radiocentre Ltd v Ofcom [2023] EWHC 1977). He was part of the claimant’s team in a challenge to the Advertising Standards Authority in R (Cityfibre Ltd) v ASA [2019] EWHC 950. Further details of Tristan’s telecoms experience, including cases involving Ofcom, can be found in the telecoms section of this page.

Tristan has advised on many energy matters, including oil and gas licensing and electricity and gas distribution and supply. He has acted both for and against Ofgem in litigation (including in R (Infinis) v Ofgem [2013] EWCA Civ 70). He has also acted in several cases concerning pharmaceutical regulation, including R (Blue Bio) v SSH [2016] EWCA Civ 554, as well as several cases in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2021-2023.

Details of Tristan's recent judicial reviews against the CMA can be found on the competition section of this page.

A selection of recent cases appears below.

Cases

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Competition

Tristan is a leading competition law barrister. He is one of the standing counsel to the Competition and Markets Authority and has appeared in many of the preeminent cases over recent years.

Tristan’s experience of competition enforcement appeals, for the regulator and for appellants, includes challenges to decisions on smart meters (2010), tobacco (2011), pre-cast concrete (2020), liothyronine (2022), prochlorperazine (2023) and hydrocortisone (2023).

In private damages claims Tristan has acted for claimants and defendants in many major disputes, including in litigation regarding sports data, interchange fees, trucks, power cables, bearings, rubber, car safety systems, copper tubes, air freight, accreditation services, and forex.

Tristan has also acted in several collective proceedings. He acted for the claimant in the first application for a Collective Proceedings Order (Pride) and he represented Which? in its intervention in the Supreme Court in Merricks. He recently acted for the class representative obtaining a CPO against Google, and is currently instructed in several other collective claims both for claimants and defendants.

In the merger space, Tristan’s experience includes acting for Ryanair in its challenges to the CMA, as well as more recently for the CMA in the two high-profile technology sector merger challenges in 2020 (Sabre/Farelogix) and 2022 (Facebook/Giphy).

Tristan also has state aid and subsidy experience. He acted as lead counsel for the claimants in the 2019 state aid challenge to the capacity market (which settled). In 2022 he was a part of the team acting for British Sugar in a challenge to import tariff rules.

A selection of Tristan's recent cases appears below.

Cases

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Telecommunications

Tristan is recognised as a leading junior in telecoms law, which brings together his EU, regulatory and competition expertise.  He has appeared in many of the main cases over the last decade, and is frequently instructed by Ofcom as well as by industry.  A selection of recent cases appears below.

Cases

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Employment

Tristan has experience of a wide range of employment disputes, covering Employment Tribunal and High Court cases.

Tristan has particular expertise in equal pay and the Equality Act. He regularly appears in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, and he acted as sole counsel for the successful claimant in the leading Court of Appeal case on discrimination causing stress at work.  He has also acted in several high profile disability discrimination claims.

A selection of recent cases appears below.

Cases

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