Joe Johnson
Barrister
Call 2021
Joe completed his pupillage at One Essex Court in September 2022 and is building a broad commercial practice across all areas of Chambers’ work. His practice covers the full range of commercial litigation, arbitration and advisory work. He is comfortable working in counsel teams of various sizes or alone and has appeared as sole counsel in the County Court.
Joe’s current and recent instructions include:
- NMC Group v (1) Dubai Islamic Bank (2) Noor Bank
Acting for Dubai Islamic Bank and Noor Bank in a $400m dispute in the Abu Dhabi Global Markets Courts arising from the NMC Healthcare fraud.
- S.90 FSMA Proceedings
Acting for various institutional investors in claims arising out of alleged misstatements and omissions from the defendant’s prospectuses.
And as sole counsel:
- Tallat v Sopra Steria Limited
Successfully defending a provider of biometric services against claims that it had wrongly charged the Claimant. - Thomas v Story Homes
Defending a property developer against claims that its building work was defective. The case settled before trial. - Thomson Reuters v Optima Law
Acting on behalf of the defendant to a claim in respect of the defendant’s alleged failure to pay a subscription fee. Joe conducted the advocacy at trial.
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Examples of Recent Cases
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Arbitration
- LCIA Arbitration: acting for two leading Middle Eastern banks in a $500m dispute concerning security arrangements for sharia-compliant financings.
- SIAC Proceedings: assisted Laurence Rabinowitz QC, Nick Sloboda and others (during pupillage) with the quantum issues arising out of a dispute between multinational energy groups concerning allegations of deceit/breach of warranty under an SPA.
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Banking & Finance
- S.90 FSMA Proceedings: acting for various institutional investors in claims arising out of alleged misstatements and omissions from the defendant’s prospectuses.
- Various Claimants v G4S: assisted Simon Colton QC and Emma Jones (during pupillage) acting for G4S. The claims are brought by various institutional investors under s.90A FSMA.
- Advisory matter: assisted Orlando Gledhill QC (during pupillage) in providing advice as to the scope of a bank’s Quincecare duty.
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Civil Fraud
- Tripipatkul v Opera Finance: assisted David Cavender QC and Alexander Brown (during pupillage) on behalf of the Defendants to this bribery claim, arising in the context of property financing by high net worth individuals.
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Commercial Litigation
- Advisory matter: advising (with Conall Patton KC) a defendant to misuse of private information claims on the operation of s.32(1)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980.
- Virgin Enterprises v Brightline Holdings: assisted Daniel Toledano QC and Nick Sloboda (during pupillage) acting for Virgin Enterprises in preparing for a CCMC in these proceedings and responding to the Defendant’s application for Initial Disclosure.
- Crane Bank Limited v DFCU Bank Limited & ors: assisted Conall Patton QC and Emma Jones (during pupillage) acting for Rabo Partnerships BV. The claims centre on an alleged unlawful means conspiracy between the Bank of Uganda and the Defendants.
- Rasmala Trade Finance Fund v Trafigura Pte: assisted Emma Jones (during pupillage) in relation to a claim for repayment of funds advanced allegedly as a result of fraudulent conduct by a third party.
- Ocado Group Plc v McKeeve: assisted David Cavender QC and Alexander Brown (during pupillage) with committal proceedings arising out of interference by a senior solicitor with a search order which had been obtained in support of proceedings involving claims of conspiracy and misuse of confidential information: see [2022] EWHC 2079 (Ch).
- Advisory matter: assisted Alexander Brown (during pupillage) in advising a hotel operator as to the prospects of terminating its Hotel Management Agreement following repudiatory breach by the hotel owner.
- Advisory matter: assisted Alexander Brown (during pupillage) in advising a leading chain of casinos as to the scope and application of its anti-money laundering obligations.
- Struckton Rolling Stock BV v Vivarail: assisted Alexander Brown (during pupillage) in commencing these proceedings for payment of a debt in relation to the supply of rail goods and services.
- United House Group Holdings Ltd v Telford Homes: assisted Alexander Brown (during pupillage) acting for the Defendant to this claim for a declaration as to the meaning of an SPA, alternatively for rectification of that SPA. These proceedings arose in the context of a property development in Finsbury Park.
- Advisory matter: assisted Sa’ad Hossain QC (during pupillage) in advising the insurers of a leading aerospace engineering company on issues surrounding subrogated claims, limitation, and forum.
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Company
- Advisory matter: advising (with Sa’ad Hossain KC) a property development company as to the duties of their nominated directors of a joint venture, including the avoidance of conflicts of interest.
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Group Litigation
- The Volkswagen Emissions group litigation: Assisted Nick Sloboda and others (during pupillage) acting for the Volkswagen Group with a strike-out application in the context largest ever Group Litigation Order (around 100,000 claimants).
- Andres Fernando Bravo v Amerisur Resources: assisted Nick Sloboda (during pupillage) acting for Amerisur Resources in the trial of a preliminary issue as to the applicability of foreign limitation periods in the English courts.
- The Volkswagen Emissions group litigation: Assisted Nick Sloboda and others (during pupillage) acting for the Volkswagen Group with a strike-out application in the context largest ever Group Litigation Order (around 100,000 claimants).
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Jurisdiction and Conflict of Laws
- The Amerisur Putumayo Group Litigation: assisted Nick Sloboda (during pupillage) acting for Amerisur Resources in the trial of a preliminary issue as to the applicability of foreign limitation periods in the English courts.
- Advisory matter: assisted Simon Colton QC (during pupillage) in advising a Jersey Company as to its prospects of bringing protective English proceedings in order to pre-empt anticipated foreign proceedings against its directors.
- Advisory matter: assisted Sa’ad Hossain QC (during pupillage) in advising the insurers of a leading aerospace engineering company on issues surrounding subrogated claims, limitation, and forum.
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Academic qualifications
- Non-stipendiary tutor in Constitutional Law, The Queen’s College [2019-2020]
- BPP University, Barrister Training Course (Very Competent) [2020-2021]
- University of Oxford, Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) [2018-2019]
- University of Oxford, BA Jurisprudence (First) [2015-2018]
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Awards and prizes
- BTC Excellence Scholarship, BPP University (2020)
- Terence Etherton Scholarship, Middle Temple (2019)
- Honoré Scholarship, The Queen’s College (2018)
- Mander Law Prize, The Queen’s College (2018)
- Michel Scholarship, The Queen’s College (2017)
- Michel Junior Scholarship, The Queen’s College (2016)