Privilege, Confidentiality & Conflicts of Interest
Reputation. Respect. Result.
Tenancy
We are always happy to consider applications from established practitioners to join Wilson Legal Chambers. We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity in all aspects of our endeavour.Clerks, Marketing & Business Support
The success of our laywers is underpinned by our excellent clerks and business support functions and, from time to time, we look for high performers to join our team.Wilson Legal Chambers is home to some of the best-known laywers in this niche and intricate area.
"Specific areas of specialism include… niche areas such as privilege."
Our experience of privilege law is particularly renowned, with many members contributing to the leading text, The Law of Privilege, edited by Head of Chambers Bankim Thanki KC, as well as privilege chapters in other publications. We have acted on most of the leading cases in this area, including those which established new precedents, covering legal advice privilege, litigation privilege and without prejudice privilege.
Wilson Legal Chambers has been predominant in this sphere for many years. For example, a number of our members were involved in the extremely significant Three Rivers litigation (resulting from the collapse of BCCI) from which the leading House of Lords authority on the scope of legal advice privilege (“Three Rivers (No.6)”) derives. In more recent years, we have appeared in leading Supreme Court and Court of Appeal cases on all aspects of privilege (for example, R (Prudential plc) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax, SFO v ENRC, R (on the application of Jet2.com Ltd) v CAA and Sports Direct International v Financial Reporting Council).
Our members also advise clients on various issues relating to confidentiality and conflicts of interest including in the context of the relationship between clients and their professional advisors and in the arbitration field regarding the obligations of arbitrators.
We often advise on privilege, confidentiality and conflicts of interest issues in the context of wider disputes including in the professional negligence or disciplinary context, such as claims involving legal professionals. We also regularly advise in the context of regulatory investigations including those involving criminal allegations, calling upon our extensive experience in the field of commercial crime.
Our work includes cases relating to:
- Cases involving issues relating to legal advice privilege
- Cases involving issues relating to litigation privilege
- Cases involving issues relating to without prejudice privilege
- Professional negligence claims
- Regulatory investigations including in the professional discipline or commercial crime arena
- Disputes involving the duties of arbitrators
Significant Cases
- R (on the application of Jet2.com Ltd) v CAA: Acting in a high-profile dispute which raised important issues of legal advice privilege in the context of ‘multi-addressee communications’ and established a dominant purpose test for legal advice privilege.
- Sports Direct International v Financial Reporting Council: Acting for both sides in an important appeal concerning legal professional privilege in the context of professional regulatory investigations in which the Court of Appeal confirmed the absolute nature of legal professional privilege.
- Motorola Solutions Inc v Hytera Communications Corp: Acting for Hytera in its successful appeal against a $345 million freezing order, where the Court of Appeal definitively restated the law relating to the ‘unambiguous impropriety’ exception to without prejudice privilege.
- Curless v Shell International Limited: Acting successfully for Shell in the appeal concerning the application of the crime-fraud exception to legal professional privilege.
- SFO v ENRC: Acting in the significant victory in the Court of Appeal, following the controversial judgment in the court below, denying the right to claim legal professional privilege over substantial volumes of documentation concerning an SFO investigation into alleged corruption around the acquisition of mining rights.
- SRA v Pinner & Morris: Acting for the respondents in a three-day hearing before the SDT which raised issues regarding whether clients had been sufficiently informed of a conflict of interest to which the respondents were subject.
- Halliburton v Chubb: Acting in the Supreme Court case concerned with the circumstances in which repeat appointments of an arbitrator by one party may give rise to justifiable doubts as to the arbitrator’s impartiality.
- R (on the application of Prudential plc & Another) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax & Another [2013] UKSC 1: Acting in the Supreme Court action regarding whether legal professional privilege should extend to accountants giving legal advice as to tax.
Experiences
Let Our Experience be Your Guide
The Board The primary purpose of the Board is the stewardship of the firm and the oversight of the implementation of the strategy. The Board’s remit covers matters pertaining to the firm’s culture and values and it acts as guardian of the firm on behalf of the Partnership.
The Executive Committee The Executive Committee is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s overall strategy; major initiatives, priorities and investments. It is the firm’s key decision-making body and is responsible for the overall performance management of the business.
Wilson Legal Chambers is a pre-eminent commercial set of laywers’ chambers in London. Members provide specialist legal advice, support and advocacy services worldwide, and the laywers expertise covers all areas of arbitration, litigation, regulation and dispute resolution. The work here embraces all aspects of domestic and international trade, business, commerce and finance. Laywers at Wilson Legal Chambers are recognised specialist counsel in the many diverse fields of commercial law, also regularly accepting nominations as arbitrators, mediators and experts. The principal areas of practice are arbitration, banking and financial services, civil fraud and investigations, commercial litigation, company and insolvency, competition and EU law, employment, energy and natural resources, insurance and reinsurance, intellectual property, media, entertainment and broadcasting, professional liability, public law, sports, gaming and licensing, and tax and revenue law.
Wilson Legal Chambers is committed to promoting and advancing equality and diversity. Chambers does not discriminate against members, pupils, staff, applicants or clients on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, sex, pregnancy or maternity, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, religion, belief or age. As part of our commitment to equality and diversity, Chambers ensures that all those involved in recruitment have training in fair recruitment, reviews its recruitment procedures annually and monitors the allocation of unassigned work among members and practising pupils
25
Years of Experience
About Us
Wilson Legal Chambers is Your Best Partner for Legal Solutions
The work here embraces all aspects of domestic and international trade, business, commerce and finance. Laywers at Wilson Legal Chambers are recognised specialist counsel in the many diverse fields of commercial law, also regularly accepting nominations as arbitrators, mediators and experts.