Kate Pollock

Stewarts

Representing ASDA, Argos and Morrisons in a migraine-inducing legal battle against Mastercard may seem daunting for some, but Stewarts partner Kate Pollock took it in her stride.

In what was her first competition case after moving to the disputes boutique in 2011, Pollock’s persistence led to a landmark Supreme Court victory on behalf of her corporate clients in June, triumphing over Jones Day, Linklaters and Milbank in the high-profile interchange fees litigation. The case itself has often been in the shadow of its Mastercard relation, Merricks; however, this remains the only competition damages claim to reach the Supreme Court.

An extra sweetener lay in the fact that the eventual ruling followed Mr Justice Popplewell’s dismissal of the claim in 2017, which was successfully appealed by Pollock’s band of claimants. The matter is now back in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Quite the win for the firm’s head of competition.