Alastair accepts instructions across all areas of public, regulatory and human rights law. His current and recent experience includes:

• R (Elliott Associates, Elliott International and Jane Street Global Trading) v The London Metal Exchange and LME Clear – judicial review of the LME’s cancellation of nickel trades, involving a $470m damages claim under the Human Rights Act 1998 (acting for the LME, on a team led by Jonathan Crow KC) (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases in 2023).

• R (British Gas Trading Limited & others) v Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero – judicial review of the sale of Bulb Energy Limited (in special administration), founded upon alleged subsidy control infringements (acting for the Secretary of State, on a team led by Jason Coppel KC).

• R (Greenpeace) v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – acting for Greenpeace in its judicial review of the Government’s plan to grant licenses for the extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea (on a team led by James McClelland KC).

• FCA Investigation – advising a regulated entity in relation to an FCA investigation (led by Ben Jaffey KC).

• R (Al Haq) v Secretary of State for Business and Trade – acting for Oxfam (as an intervener) in judicial review proceedings concerning the sale of arms to Israel following the military invasion of Gaza after 7 October 2023 (on a team led by Marie Demetriou KC).

• Confidential advice – advising a commercial property company on public law issues. 

•   Sports arbitration – acted in an arbitration concerning regulatory issues in sports law.

Alongside practice at the Bar, Alastair teaches constitutional law at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was previously a research assistant on the public law team at the Law Commission of England and Wales.

Alastair accepts instructions in all types of competition disputes. His recent experience includes:

• Cavallari v Mercedes – acting for Mercedes in its defence of over 300,000 claims in the largest group litigation order made in the English courts in the NOx emissions litigation (on a team led by Helen Davies KC).

• Flynn & Pfizer v CMA – an appeal against the decision of the CMA finding excessive pricing infringements in the sale of epilepsy drugs (acting for Flynn, on a team led by Jemima Stratford KC).

• Phones4U v Telefonica & others. – a claim by the administrators of Phones4U regarding an alleged collective withdrawal from Phones4U by mobile network operators (as a pupil, assisting Sarah Abram KC, acting for O2/Telefonica).

• Advanz Pharma Corp & others. v Competition and Markets Authority – an appeal against a decision of the CMA finding competition infringements in the supply of prochlorperazine tablets (as a pupil, assisting Sarah Bousfield, acting for Alliance Pharmaceuticals).

• Allianz Global Investors v Barclays Bank & others. [2022] EWCA Civ 353 – litigation arising out of alleged competition infringements in the forex trading market (as a pupil, assisting Sarah Abram KC, acting for HSBC).

• Gutmann v Stagecoach & others – an application for a collective proceedings order in proceedings alleging abuse of dominance by the defendant train companies (assisting Sarah Abram KC, acting for Stagecoach).

Alastair was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2023 and accepts instructions in EU law. Recent experience includes:

• WR Grace v European Chemicals Agency (Lanthanum Chloride) – acting for the appellant in an appeal against a compliance check decision under the REACH Regulation (led by Andrew McIntyre).

Alastair accepts instructions in all areas of commercial law. His experience includes:

• Cavallari v Mercedes – acting for Mercedes in its defence of over 300,000 claims in the largest group litigation order made in the English courts in the NOx emissions litigation (on a team led by Helen Davies KC).

• R (Elliott Associates, Elliott International and Jane Street Global Trading) v The London Metal Exchange and LME Clear – judicial review of the LME’s cancellation of nickel trades, involving a $470m damages claim under the Human Rights Act 1998 (acting for LME, on a team led by Jonathan Crow KC).
   
• FCA Investigation – advising a regulated entity in relation to an FCA investigation (led by Ben Jaffey KC).
   
• Confidential LCIA proceedings – A week-long arbitration in the London Court of International Arbitration arising out of an alleged corporate raiding of assets by the Russian state, with a damages claim worth over $300m (as a pupil, assisting Sarah Bousfield on a team led by Tim Lord KC and Thomas Plewman KC).

• Phones4U v Telefonica & others. – a claim by the administrators of Phones4U regarding an alleged collective withdrawal from Phones4U by mobile network operators (as a pupil, assisting Sarah Abram KC, acting for O2/Telefonica).
   
• Confidential advice – Advising an international law firm on conflict of interest issues arising out of high value multi-jurisdictional disputes in the insurance industry (as a pupil, assisting James McClelland KC).
   
• Alastair has also gained experience working on a number of commercial agency disputes (as a pupil, supervised by Sarah Bousfield).

Education

2020-2021: PGDip in Bar Practice, Inns of Court College of Advocacy

2018-2019: BCL (Distinction), University of Oxford

2014-2018: LLB (First Class), Trinity College Dublin

Scholarships and prizes

John and Sophie Laws Scholarship (Bar European Group)

Stella Cacoyanni Soulioti Scholarship (Gray’s Inn)

Herbert Hart prize for Jurisprudence and Political Theory (University of Oxford)

Foundation Scholarship (Trinity College Dublin)

First Class Book Prize (Trinity College Dublin)

Entrance Exhibition (Trinity College Dublin)

Professional experience

2023: Tutor in Constitutional Law, Magdalen College, Oxford

2020-2021: Tutor in Tort Law, Trinity College Dublin

2019-2020: Research Assistant, Public Law, Law Commission of England and Wales

Pro bono

Alastair accepts pro bono instructions. He was listed in the Pro Bono Recognition List in 2024.

Languages

French – professional working knowledge