39 Essex Street silk joins Leveson LJ on NoW inquiry
A silk from 39 Essex Street has been appointed as counsel to Lord Justice Leveson’s inquiry into the phone-hacking allegations levelled at the defunct tabloid News of the World.
Robert Jay QC
Robert Jay QC will work alongside Leveson LJ, who was appointed to lead the enquiry earlier this month (14 July 2011).
Yesterday the judge outlined details of the scope of the enquiry saying that it could take several years to conclude given the breadth of the allegations.
Most recently Jay was instructed by the Treasury Solicitor to act for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in its attempt to block a compensation bid launched by Mau Mau Kenyans (21 July 2011).
The High Court rejected a strike-out bid submitted on behalf of the FCO, allowing the claimants to pursue their claims against the FCO.
He was also instructed by Leigh Day & Co in its fight for compensation for Ivory Coast residents who claimed to have varying degrees of illness because of toxic waste dumped in the country by Trafigura, (12 May 2010). That claim settled out of court without Trafigura ever admitting liability.
For a list of advisers involved with the phone-hacking saga, click here.
