BL-2023-BRS-000024 - [2025] EWHC 2898 (Ch)

As I have said, the defendants were represented at the trial pro bono by Rory Brown of counsel and Morgan Lewis & Bockius UK LLP, solicitors. They have been acting for the defendants only since 15 December 2024 and 10 January 2025 respectively, ie just over nine and eight months before the trial. Before January 2025, the defendants acted in person. Their services were allocated to the defendants by the legal charities Advocate and Law Works respectively, and were not chosen by the defendants themselves. Mr Brown was called to the Bar in 2009, and has a chancery commercial practice based in well-known specialist chambers in London. Morgan Lewis Bockius UK LLP is an international law firm headquartered in the USA, with offices round the world. The London office is situated in Blackfriars, in the City of London.

There are no longer any guideline rates for the fees of barristers, as there are for solicitors. For the purpose of ascertaining solicitors’ guideline hourly rates, Morgan Lewis Bockius UK LLP would fall within either London 1 or London 2 band, depending on whether the work done was “Very heavy commercial and corporate work” (which is necessary to fall within the scope of London 1). In my judgment, this case is not within that description, and so cannot fall within London band 1. If it is to be a London band, it will be London band 2. On the other hand, had this work been done by a firm based in Bristol (where the claimants’ solicitors are based, and where the claim was issued and the trial took place) that firm would have fallen within national band 1.