Alex Fawke

Alex focusses on disputes involving government. This includes judicial review of major government decisions, economic regulation (price control reviews / licence modifications), procurement, State aid / subsidy control, human rights and trade and investment treaty disputes. 

He acts for both public bodies and the private sector, with particular experience advising clients in energy, water, transport, insurance, financial services, media and telecommunications. He has worked on many of the UK’s most significant disputes involving government in the past decade.  

He spent much of 2018 and 2019 on secondment at the UK Government, assisting the Department for International Trade in the establishment of its new trade law regime post-Brexit.

Alex has published over 25 articles in academic and industry journals concerning public and administrative law, as well as trade and investment law. His work has been widely cited in national parliaments, academia and by the WTO. 

Alex has worked in the firm’s offices in London, Singapore and the Middle East. Before joining Linklaters, Alex served on the staff of various Members of Parliament in Australia as an advisor and speechwriter. He also worked as a researcher in international trade law at Monash University and at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. 

Work highlights

Alex has acted for clients on many of the UK’s most significant disputes involving government and regulators over the past decade, including representing:

• the operator of the National Lottery, Camelot, in its challenge to the UK government’s award of the Fourth Licence 
• a group of airlines in their judicial review of the UK government’s quarantine regulations 
• numerous banks in judicial reviews of Financial Ombudsman Service decisions
• the UK government on the design of various emergency responses to the pandemic and threatened litigation
• Annington Homes and Terra Firma in a multi-billion pound judicial review against the UK Ministry of Defence
• numerous clients in the energy, water and aviation sectors concerning price control reviews and licence modification challenges

His further experience in public law matters includes advising:

• senior members of a UK government body on their obligations in a judicial review 
• numerous witnesses ahead of appearances before parliamentary committees
• various insurers and developers in relation to the UK government’s leasehold, freehold and enfranchisement reforms
• an industry mutual fund in judicial review proceedings concerning the UK government’s regulation of its sector, including State aid and human rights law challenges
• a UK water company in judicial review proceedings against one of its regulators 
• the BBC on various aspects of its regulatory functions under its Charter
• Visa Europe in litigation before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court concerning alleged breaches of competition law

Alex has published over 25 articles in academic and industry journals concerning public and administrative law, as well as trade and investment law. He sits on the Committee of the Young Public Lawyers’ Group in London.

Alex holds degrees in politics, French and law (with first class honours) from Monash University.

He speaks English, French, German and Spanish.

• “UK Customs and Trade” in The International Trade Law Review 2023 (9th edition, The Law Reviews, 2023) (co-authored with Matthew Weiniger KC)
• “Judicial Review Lessons from Financial Ombudsman Case”, Law360, May 2023 (co-authored with Tom Cassels and Alison Wilson
• “International arbitration in Australia: 2020/2021 in Review and Reflections on a Decade since Reform” (2023) 32(3) Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal 163 (co-authored with Albert Monichino KC)
• “Standing in judicial review proceedings – no ‘carte blanche’ for public interest groups, LexisPSL, April 2022 (co-authored with Emma Kate Cooney)
• “International Trade 2021: UK Trends and Developments” in Chambers Guide to International Trade 2021
• “Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, Issue Estoppel and Comity: Developments in Australia” (2014) 16(1) Asian Dispute Review 10 (co-authored with Albert Monichino KC)
• “Public Policy under the International Arbitration Act” (2014) Australasian Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Bulletin (co-authored with Robert Kovacs)
• “Arbitraż inwestycyjny a kryzys strefy euro” (in English: BIT claims and the Eurozone crisis) (2014) Przegląd Prawa Handlowego (in English: Commercial Law Review) 39 (co-authored with Tom Lidstrom)