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3 January Recruitment: Perren Buildings welcomes Polish specialist Mikolaj Pietrzak as a new international member Perren Buildings have announced today that Mikołaj Pietrzak has agreed to join the International Division of chambers. Mikolaj is a Polish lawyer who specializes in business crime and human rights law and has been involved in many trans-jurisdictional criminal cases between Poland and other European Union member states or the United States of America. Mikolaj Pietrzak has acted as counsel in such cases as: · the criminal investigation regarding the detention and torture of Abd al-Rahim Al-Nashiri in the alleged CIA prison in Poland. · the precedent setting European Arrest Warrant case of Adam. G, involving Belgium and Poland, · the case involving corruption charges brought against Beata Sawicka, a prominent Polish Member of Parliament, Mikołaj Pietrzak has postgraduate qualifications in law from the University of Warsaw and from Cambridge University. He is fluent in Polish and English and proficient in French. He has been a member of the Warsaw Advocate’s Chamber since 2001 and a member of the Warsaw Advocate’s Council since 2010. His domestic practice in Poland has involved tax crime for individuals and companies, as well as disciplinary offences against professionals and politicians. He has appeared regularly as an advocate before the Supreme Court of Poland and the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland and has also represented many applicants before the European Court of Human Rights. Commenting on the appointment, Jo Cooper said “Mikolaj’s experience adds greatly to the strength of our international section. As well as providing greater geographical coverage for our chambers, Mikolaj’s human rights work—especially in the Al-Nashiri case— is highly relevant to litigation currently being brought from the UK and US. We look forward to working closely together”.
15 September Perren Buildings advocates recommended in latest Legal 500
Perren Buildings Chambers has broken into the Legal 500 for the first time. The legal ratings publisher takes soundings from colleagues, opponents and clients to give a ranking to individual advocates as well as to organisations. This year it chose to cite the chambers as a whole for ‘breaking new ground’ and to pick out Head of Chambers Jo Cooper and Stephen Walters as ‘first-class advocates capable of dealing with the most serious of offences’. Welcoming the listing, Jo Cooper referred to Stephen’s exceptional track record as a leading junior in serious cases over the last few years. As to the first listing for Perren Buildings Chambers, he said: “This is a real boost. We’re delighted. The machinery for delivering legal services is constantly evolving but the values and qualities they were assessing are timeless. We are really pleased that colleagues and clients thought we should be singled out in this way.” You can read what the Legal 500 said here:
16 August Perren Buildings welcomes Tony Loader
Perren Buildings is delighted to announce that Tony Loader is to join chambers with immediate effect. Welcoming his appointment, Head of Chambers, Jo Cooper, said: “Tony is a highly experienced practitioner with strong advocacy credentials as a leading advocate—including in the gravest cases. He is well known for the commitment and quality of his work and the specialist skills he brings. He will be an asset to our chambers and we wish him every success here.” As well as advocacy in a full range of criminal defence cases, Tony Loader has particular experience in dealing with mental health issues, both in relation to the law, and in relation to vulnerable witnesses and clients. You can view Tony Loader’s profile here
28 June
Update—Prof Erlinder released, but Rwanda criminal charges remain.
Speaking at a gathering of senior lawyers and judges in London, Jo Cooper, Chair of SAHCA, and Head of Chambers at Perren Buildings 15 Old Bailey, has called for additional safeguards for lawyers at risk of arrest for simply doing their job on behalf of clients. “There has in the last three weeks been a campaign bringing together Bar associations from across the world in support of Professor Erlinder “I am delighted that SAHCA has been playing a role together with others - including ICB and ICDAA of which I am Vice President. There has been substantial action by Amanda Pinto QC on behalf of the CBA. “Those efforts will not be complete until Peter is free, he is out of Rwanda, the charges are dropped, and there are real guarantees of functional immunity - that is free passage and protection from harassment or criminal proceedings - for advocates doing their job. “SAHCA has members in Sierra Leone, in ICTY and ICTR. The Erlinder episode - even if it were to be over tonight - shows all of us who have links with those courts that we act at our peril. “As Peter's co-counsel pointed out, it is not just those of us who are brave enough to go to Rwanda who are at risk. Any of us crossing an international border may find ourselves subject to an arbitrary international arrest warrant that obliges the holding nation to detain based on no more than the fact we are fearlessly and effectively fulfilling the mandate the Tribunal appointed us for.”
7 June
President of ICTR Defence Bar Professor Peter Erlinder arrested in Rwanda on genocide denial charges. Perren Buildings International members Virginia Lindsay, Elise Groulx, Nancy Hollander and Dan Arshack join domestic members Ken Carr and Jo Cooper to call for Peter’s immediate and unconditional release.
Professor Peter Erlinder, Lead Counsel in the defence of Major Aloys Ntabakuze at the Rwanda Tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, and current President of the Rwanda Tribunal Defence Bar, was arrested on May 28th during a visit to Kigali, Rwanda. Prosecutors say the charge is genocide negation and claim it is made out, in part, on the basis of statements made by him on behalf of his client in the course of the defence of Major Ntabakuze at the ICTR. Jo Cooper said “An attack upon one lawyer for doing his job in fearlessly representing an unpopular client is an attack on all of us who do the same. The Rwanda Government is apparently relying on statements made by Peter during the course of the defence of his client at ICTR. It is unconscionable that a State should seek to criminalise counsel for conduct which is part and parcel of the job that the ICTR Registry has assigned Professor Erlinder to carry out. He continued: “If the leader of the Defence Bar in the Rwanda Tribunal can be subject to this arbitrary arrest then no lawyer in the international tribunals can be sure they will not be subject to similar pressure. Peter’s detention is intolerable and the International Courts should join domestic governments in lobbying urgently for his immediate release.” Further background on this story is available
Perren Buildings International members are working with colleagues in domestic and international organizations to support urgent efforts to obtain Professor Erlinder’s immediate release: Nancy Hollander is a former President and Dan Arshack is a current Executive member of NACDL. Virginia Lindsay is a member of the Executive Committee of International Criminal Bar Elise Groulx is President and Ken Carr is Vice President of the International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association Jo Cooper is Chair of SAHCA
An online petition calling for Peter’s release is at: |
Perren Buildings Chambers / News |
