Meg Cochrane

Call: 2019

Meg has a multi-disciplinary practice and welcomes instructions across a range of Chambers’ areas of expertise.

Meg enjoys a busy and wide-ranging advisory, drafting and advocacy practice. She has successfully represented clients, ranging from individuals to foreign entities to FTSE 100 companies, at interim hearings, trials, first appeals and second appeals in the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and various Tribunals.

Alongside her full-time practice, Meg has worked as Junior Counsel for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and as a Junior Research Fellow for the UCL Centre of Law, Economics and Society. She has also done a 9-month secondment as a barrister and case investigator at the Financial Conduct Authority where she worked on a portfolio of unsuitable pension transfer advice cases.

Banking & financial services

Meg accepts instructions in all areas of banking and financial law.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Acting for various major UK banks in trials of claims under ss.140A-C of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 concerning the alleged non-disclosure of commission related to PPI or motor finance.
  • Acting for the Defendant in the trial of a claim concerning a purportedly unauthorised transaction.

 

FCA Secondment

From October 2021 to July 2022, Meg undertook a 9-month secondment at the Financial Conduct Authority. She worked on a portfolio of unsuitable pension transfer advice cases related to British Steel as part of a multi-disciplinary team within the Retail & Regulatory Investigations Directorate of the Enforcement & Market Oversight Division. In her role as a secondee barrister and case investigator, Meg:

  • Analysed complex and voluminous evidence to determine appropriate and non-time-barred potential courses of action in cases. This included drafting a thorough limitation analysis concerning Section 66 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, (‘FSMA’), and the prospective imposition of any formal disciplinary sanctions and protective or remedial measures.
  • Conducted the compelled interviews of individuals under Sections 171 and 172 of FSMA, having previously drafted detailed plans and relevant chronologies and compiled the evidentiary bundles for these interviews.
  • Drafted advanced warning notices against a firm and 2 individuals.
  • Drafted correspondence with subjects and their legal representatives.

Civil fraud & asset recovery

Meg undertakes a range of civil fraud and asset recovery work.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Representing the Claimant in a fraud case involving the falsification of documents.

 

Alongside her practice, Meg has given in-person and remote seminars to various law firms on the topic of ‘How to Deal with Crypto-Asset Fraud’. In addition, in her role as a Junior Research Fellow, Meg has worked on various publications on the topic of ‘blockchain’.

 

Featured cases

  • Kazakhstan Kagazy Plc & Others v Zhunus & Others [2019] EWHC 2630 (Comm) Advised on the merits, prospects of success and procedural issues regarding an application for permission to appeal (assisting Jonathan Miller).

Commercial

Meg accepts instructions in all areas of commercial law. She is particularly interested in private international law in the context of international commercial litigation.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Drafting an application seeking inter alia a freezing order over the Defendant’s assets (led by Jonathan Miller).
  • Anslip UK Limited v British Gas Trading Ltd, CA-2024-001098, Court of Appeal – Drafting the statement of reasons for the Court of Appeal to oppose the Appellant’s request for permission, having successfully represented the Defendant(/Respondent) in the trial getting the claim and the first appeal to HHJ Saggerson dismissed.
  • Dore & Pistidda v EasyJet Airline Company Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1553 – See Meg’s featured cases for this case in the Court of Appeal, Civil Division.
  • Representing the Claimant utility company in the trial of its various claims concerning contractual debts linked to unpaid invoices for the supply of gas and electricity to different business premises.
  • Representing different parties in dealing with various applications, including for strike out or summary judgment, setting aside default judgment, and relief from sanctions.
  • Drafting the reply to defence and defence to counterclaim in a telecommunications dispute.
  • Drafting the particulars of claim for an outstanding debt in respect of building services.
  • Drafting the First Defendant’s defence, counterclaim and Part 20 additional claim for breach of contract.

 

Featured cases

  • (1) Ms Dore & (2) Ms Pistidda v easyJet Airline Company Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1553 (23 November 2022) – Successfully acted (as sole counsel) against a KC and junior and before 3 Lord Justices in a dispute regarding the submission of air passenger online compensation forms and documentary evidence. Prior to this, Meg obtained permission to appeal from Lord Justice Nugee with Meg having drafted the Grounds of Appeal, skeleton argument for permission to appeal (second appeal) and the witness statement in support of the Claimants’/ Appellants’ application to adduce ‘fresh’ evidence.

Insolvency & restructuring

Meg has gained experience of a broad range of insolvency work.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Drafting an application to amend a just and equitable winding up petition (led by Duncan Macpherson).
  • Advising on and representing different parties in the hearing of various bankruptcy and winding up petitions, and applications relating thereto, including but not limited to s.216(3) applications and s.127 applications for a validation order.

Intellectual property

Meg undertakes a range of intellectual property work. She is particularly interested in copyright, trademarks and image rights.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Obtaining the registration of the ‘MPAA’ word mark and 2 figurative marks as trademarks in the UK (UK00003601680) with the Intellectual Property Office, having previously advised on the prospects of registering and using these marks and drafting a TM8 and Counterstatement when opposition was filed.

 

In her role as a Junior Research Fellow, Meg gained an understanding of relevant policy issues in the fields of intellectual property law, competition law and the development of the digital economy.

Jurisdiction challenges

Meg is developing her practice in this area.

Matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Linkked B.V. v Mr Wright, High Court, Queen’s Bench Division – Representing the Dutch Claimant company in opposing an application to set aside the registration of a Dutch judgment and refuse its recognition and enforcement in England & Wales under Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012. Prior to this, Meg advised on the merits of said application along with various evidential and procedural aspects and drafted the witness statement of the Dutch lawyer in support of the Claimant’s case.
  • Tritech Distribution Ltd v Daf-Trans Spolka Z Organiczona Odpowiedzialnoscia & Others, High Court, Commercial Division – Drafting the application by, and supporting witness evidence of the director of, a Polish company to set aside a judgment entered in default by the High Court in England & Wales based on CPR r.13.2 (with the claim form not having been served in line with Regulation (EC) No. 1393/2007) and/or CPR r.13.3.
  • Representing various Claimants in opposing an airline’s application disputing the jurisdiction of the courts of England & Wales and seeking to rely on a (conditional) exclusive jurisdiction clause in favour of the Irish courts.
  • Drafting the Claimant’s witness statement in opposition to the Defendant’s challenging of the jurisdiction of the courts of England & Wales in favour of the courts of Switzerland.

Professional negligence

Meg has gained experience of a range of professional negligence work.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Advising on and drafting particulars of claim against various firms of solicitors for professional negligence, many of which have settled at mediation prior to trial.

Public law & inquiries

Meg is developing her public law & inquiries practice.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Working as Junior Counsel for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, (see below).
  • Advising on whether a decision rendered by the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Tribunal could be judicially reviewed (assisting Lisa Hatch).

 

UK Covid-19 Inquiry

In June 2022, Meg was selected as Junior Counsel for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, (the ‘Inquiry’). The purpose of the Inquiry, chaired by the Rt. Hon. Baroness Hallett DBE, is to investigate and report on the UK’s preparations for and response to the pandemic.

In her role as junior counsel working on Module 2, which centres on the UK’s core political and administrative decision-making, Meg:

  • Drafted comprehensive requests to high-profile scientists and politicians seeking their witness statements and disclosure of documents, pursuant to Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules 2006.
  • Reviewed draft individual and corporate statements and exhibits to determine whether further information/responses were required.
  • Conducted voluminous disclosure review exercises and set up systems to make said reviews as efficient as possible, particularly in relation to WhatsApp messages.
  • Attended the preliminary hearings, which were covered by various news outlets including ITV News.
  • Drafted question and evidence plans for high-profile witnesses, including current and former Prime Ministers, Chancellors of the Exchequer, Cabinet Secretaries, Special Advisers, Foreign Secretaries, Health Secretaries, UK Chief Scientific Advisers and UK Chief Medical Officers.
  • Attended the 9 weeks of live evidence hearings for Module 2 from September-December 2023, including that of former Prime Minister Johnson, which was covered by various news outlets including BBC News.

Sport

Meg is developing her practice in this area.

Recent matters on which Meg has been instructed include:

  • Drafting an application on behalf of a prospective purchaser against an EFL League One football club (led by Jonathan Miller).
  • Advising on whether a decision rendered by the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Tribunal could be judicially reviewed (assisting Lisa Hatch).

 

Articles

Recent articles Meg has written include:

Education

  • LL.M. in Law & Economics (UCL)
  • LL.B. in Law & French Law (UCL)
  • Diplôme d’Université Droit Français (Université Aix-Marseille, France)

Languages

  • French & Spanish (High Proficiency)
  • (Brazilian) Portuguese, Italian, Hindi and Punjabi (Elementary Proficiency)

Publications

From July 2018 to July 2024, Meg worked as a Junior Research Fellow for the UCL Centre of Law, Economics and Society. Also, from February 2019 to May 2022, she worked as an Editor for the National Research University, Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

In these roles and through her work with senior professors in multiple diverse jurisdictions, Meg furthered her understanding of relevant policy and legal issues in the fields of competition law, intellectual property law and the development of the digital economy. In addition to these fields, Meg has also had various pieces of her written work published and been asked to speak on podcasts.

 

Examples of Meg’s work include the following:

Books

Law Journal Articles

Reports/Research Papers

Podcasts

Awards & certifications

This is the Privacy Policy for:

Barrister: Meg Cochrane

Address: 1EC, 3 King’s Bench Walk North, Inner Temple, London, EC4Y 7HR

The Purposes for which Personal Data is Processed:

Personal data will be processed in order to enable the provision of legal services, ie:

  1. advice;
  2. representation in court;
  3. the drafting of legal documents.

It may also be necessary to retain personal data for conflict-checking purposes or for use in the defense of potential complaints, legal proceedings or fee disputes.

The Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data

In some cases the subject of the personal data will have given consent to the processing of his or her personal data. Where explicit consent has not been given, personal data will be processed only when:

  1. it is necessary for the performance of a contract with the person whose personal data is processed (or prior to entering such contract, in order to take steps at the request of the person whose personal data is processed); or when
  2. it is necessary for the purposes of providing legal services.

Special Categories of Personal Data

It may be necessary to process personal data which constitute particularly sensitive special categories, ie personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

Such data will only be processed where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

Who will receive Personal Data

The recipients of the personal data processed will be:

  1. instructing solicitors and clients;
  2. courts and other tribunals to which documents are presented;
  3. witnesses and potential witnesses, including expert witnesses;
  4. other barristers, pupil barristers and other legal representatives;
  5. regulatory authorities.

Retention Periods for Personal Data

Personal data in case files will generally be kept at least the end of one year after the maximum relevant limitation period has expired. The limitation period will be measured from the latest date it is possible to bring any appeal.

The retention period will be reviewed when the work has been completed. The retention period may be adjusted at that time.

International Data Transfers

In cases involving international disputes, it may be necessary to transfer personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area which have different data protection standards to those which apply in the European Economic Area. This will only be done for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. In the event this is necessary, appropriate safeguards will be in place to protect personal data, such as European Commission approved standard contractual clauses or the EU-US Privacy Shield. You have a right to ask for a copy of the relevant safeguard.

Individual’s Rights

If your personal data has been processed or held, you have a right to request access to (and rectification or erasure of) personal data; or to request restriction of processing concerning the data subject; or to object to processing; as well as the right to data portability. These rights may be limited where there is a legal requirement, or other legitimate grounds, to process your data.

If you wish to exercise these rights, please use the contact details above.

If you have unresolved concerns you also have the right to complain to data protection authorities.