Reanne MacKenzie is developing a broad practice as sole and junior counsel across a range of Chambers’ specialisms including commercial litigation, group litigation, property and consumer finance. She has gained wide experience of high value commercial litigation and arbitration, including acting for the successful claimant group in the Post Office Group Litigation.
Reanne graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge with a First in History. She was awarded a distinction on the GDL and an outstanding on the BPTC, both from City University Law School. She was awarded the Pegasus Scholarship from Inner Temple and spent 6 weeks on secondment in Bermuda.
Expertise
Commercial
Reanne has experience of being led in complex commercial litigation and arbitration, with particular focus on contractual disputes. She is also instructed as sole counsel in smaller commercial claims. Reanne is one of the five counsel team, all from Henderson, that achieved a stunning victory for over 500 Subpostmaster claimants in the Post Office Group Litigation. The claimants sued the Post Office in relation to the correct construction and interpretation of the Subpostmaster contract (“the Common Issues”) as well as its point of sale and accounting IT system (“the Horizon Issues”). The Common Issues Judgment is a landmark case on relational contracts and implied terms.
Reanne and the team further succeeded against the Post Office in its failed recusal application (and subsequent attempt to appeal) as well as the Post Office’s application for permission to appeal the Common Issues Judgment, which was denied after an oral hearing.
The claimants were also successful in the Horizon Issues trial and Reanne was part of the legal team that successfully concluded the Group Litigation with a negotiated settlement favourable to the Subpostmasters.
The success of the Post Office Group Litigation revealed the true extent of the miscarriage of justice suffered by many Subpostmasters, which has led to many Subpostmasters having their criminal convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal.
The Post Office Litigation was identified by ‘The Lawyer’ as one of its Top 20 cases for 2018 and has received extensive media coverage, including being named the civil litigation case of the year by the civil litigation case of the year by the ‘Civil Litigation Brief’.
Representative cases
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Bates & Ors v Post Office Limited (No 6 Horizon Issues) [2019] EWHC 3408 (QB)
Acting for over 500 Claimants in claim against Post Office relating to its point of sale and accounting IT systems.
The case was identified by The Lawyer as one of its Top 20 cases for 2018.
Final Judgment in the Post Office Group Litigation (December 2019)
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Bates & Ors v Post Office Limited (No 5 Common Issues Costs and PTA) [2019] EWHC 1371 (QB)
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Bates & Ors v Post Office Limited (No 4 Recusal) [2019] EWHC 871 (QB)
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Bates & Ors v Post Office Limited (No 3 Common Issues) [2019] EWHC 606 (QB)
Landmark victory in the Post Office Group Litigation (March 2019)
Product Liability & Group Litigation
As a third six pupil Reanne assisted in preparing the successful interlocutory application for security for costs in the Seroxat Group Litigation (led by Charles Gibson QC).
Reanne is on the Government’s junior-junior panel, including acting Government in the high profile Cyprus Colonial Group Litigation. Reanne travelled to the national archives in Nicosia, Cyprus in order to assist in the preparation of the case. This work was of great assistance to the case and in assisting the parties to reach a settlement. Reanne has also acted in large scale vaccine damage cases and alleged defective vehicle cases.
Representative cases
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Sandra Bailey & Others v GlaxoSmithKline UK Limited [2017] EWHC 3195 (QB)
As a third six pupil Reanne assisted in preparing the interlocutory application for security for costs in the Seroxat Group Litigation (led by Charles Gibson QC).
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Volkswagen NOx Emissions Group Litigation (2018/19)
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The Cyprus Colonial Group Litigation
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The Post Office Group Litigation (2018/19)
Acting for over 500 Claimants in claim against Post Office relating to its point of sale and accounting IT systems.
The case is identified by The Lawyer as one of its Top 20 cases for 2018.
Finance and Consumer Credit
Reanne has a growing practice acting for a range of lenders in PPI claims. Reanne has a wealth of experience of successfully taking these matters to final hearings and has assisted in a devising a coordinated strategy for lenders adopting a more robust approach to defending PPI claims.
Reanne also has a developing practice in both bringing and defending claims under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act as well as advising companies on potential breaches under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the related Regulated Activities Order 2001.
Property
Reanne is regularly instructed in property disputes, including in an advisory capacity, such as the proper procedure for evicting tenants. She has represented various housing associations, local authorities and private landlords. Reanne also has experience of bringing and defending mortgage possession hearings as well as claims for forfeiture and orders for sale. Reanne has also been instructed to appear at the First Tier Tribunal in long-term leasehold disputes.
Offshore
During 6 weeks in Bermuda in January and February 2020, Reanne saw a broad range of offshore litigious work, including contentious trust matters, employment cases, and share purchase agreement disputes. She also assisted on various hearings, including discharging an ex parte order granting recognition of an English liquidator, an application for the appointment of provisional liquidators and the winding up of various companies. She also prepared applications for letters rogatory and assisted in preparing an appeal against the Bermuda Medical Council. Reanne is comfortable advising on substantive offshore matters as well as assisting ancillary support matters within the jurisdiction of the English courts.
Employment and International Law
Reanne regularly prepares and runs Employment Tribunal cases. This has included helping employers defend claims for discrimination brought as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic, as well as bringing whistleblowing claims for employees.
Reanne also routinely acts for employees in employment matters before the Administrative Tribunal of large international organisations, including the Africa Development Bank and the International Labour Organisation.
Environmental and Public Law
As a third six pupil Reanne assisted senior counsel in advising clients in relation to the EU Landfill Directive and waste acceptance procedures at landfill sites. She was also part of the counsel team that sought to judicially review the Prime Minister’s decision to trigger Article 50. Reanne also has experience of defending Health and Safety and Environment Agency prosecutions and is adept at appearing in the criminal courts.
Representative cases
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Wilson & Others v The Prime Minister [2018] EWHC 3520 (Admin)
Acting for the Claimants in seeking permission to judicially review the Prime Minister’s decision to trigger Article 50 on the basis that corrupt and illegal practices by Vote Leave as well as possible Russian interference, and the criminal investigation into the largest donor Arron Banks, before and during the referendum, undermined the integrity of the result and rendered the decision to leave the EU void.
EU Law
Reanne has assisted senior counsel in various research tasks in relation to intra-EU ISDS and the Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”) as well as the future of intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BITs”).
Reanne assisted in preparing the claimant’s successful appeal to the Court of Appeal in Micula v Romania and European Commission (as Intervener) (led by Professor Sir Alan Dashwood QC and Patrick Green QC).
Representative cases
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Micula v Romania and European Commission (as Intervener) [2018] EWCA Civ 1801
Acting for the Claimant in his successful appeal to the Court of Appeal in which the Court accepted that the grant of security of by Romania must be a quid pro quo for the upholding of the stay (led by Professor Sir Alan Dashwood QC and Patrick Green QC).
Personal Injury
Reanne is frequently instructed in personal injury claims. She has experience of representing insurers and claimants, and has been instructed both on her own account and as a junior. As a pupil, Reanne gained experience of a range of different personal injury matters, including road traffic accidents, fatal accidents, employers’ liability, occupiers’ liability, as well as attending JSMs.
News and articles
Alerter by James Palmer & Reanne MacKenzie - UKSC...
Alerter by Reanne MacKenzie - Housing Secretary...
COVID-19 Briefing Note – Commercial Dispute...
Court of Appeal rules on provision of gas safety...
COVID-19 - Travel & Holiday Claims amid a Global...
COVID-19 - Procedural Updates
Instructing Reanne MacKenzie
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- Government Legal Department, Junior Junior Scheme (22/01/2018 to 31/05/2022)
- COMBAR
- Health & Safety Lawyers’ Association
- BA (First Class Honours, Cantab)
- MA (Cantab)
- BPTC Exhibition Scholarship from Inner Temple
- GDL Exhibition Scholarship from Inner Temple
- Dick Longden Prize from Emmanuel College, Cambridge
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Legal Status: Barrister
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