Adam Collins
Team Leader
+44 (0)20 7842 3798
Click here to email
Call 2016
"Jacob is an outstanding junior barrister. Extremely engaged, responsive and hard-working. Turns round work very quickly and always to a very high standard."
The Legal 500
Adam Collins
Team Leader
+44 (0)20 7842 3798
Click here to email
Alfie Sweeney
Team Leader's Assistant
+44 (0)20 3873 6855
Click here to email
Jacob Turner joined chambers in October 2018.
He is a former solicitor-advocate, having qualified in 2014. He has advised individuals, corporates and sovereigns in a variety of commercial matters involving both litigation and arbitration. Jacob accepts instructions in all areas of Chambers’ practice and has a particular interest in cases relating to technology, data and artificial intelligence. He has acted as sole counsel in the High Court, an LCIA Arbitration and the Court of Appeal and as junior counsel in the UK Supreme Court. He is on the Attorney-General’s Panel of Counsel. He is currently advising the UK Government (Office for AI) on a variety of legal and policy issues.
Previously, Jacob worked in the Dispute Resolution department at Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton LLP and as a judicial assistant to Lord Mance at the UK Supreme Court. Jacob is the author of Robot Rules: Regulating Artificial Intelligence (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), which has been cited by Lord Hodge and Lord Sales in extrajudicial speeches on the legal impacts of AI. He is a contributing author to The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell, 2020). Jacob is also the co-author, with Lord Mance, of Privy Council Practice (OUP, 2017).
Thaler v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks [2023] UKSC 49
Acting for Dr Thaler (with Prof. Ryan Abbott and Robert Jehan) in an appeal heard by the UK Supreme Court on the question of whether it is possible to register a patent in circumstances where the invention in question has been devised by an AI system and therefore no human inventor can be named on the relevant application form. This appeal was the first time that a Supreme Court in any jurisdiction has considered the legal issues arising from AI. The case received wide press coverage in the UK and internationally.
General Dynamics v The State of Libya
Acting for the State of Libya (led by Richard Lissack KC) in an appeal relating to the enforcement of an arbitral award against a property in London. The case raises important questions on as to the extent to which generalised language in a contractual document can be deemed to waive a State’s immunity from execution. Due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in November 2024.
Petersen Energía Inversora, S.A.U. and ors v The Argentine Republic
Acting for the Argentine Republic (led by David Railton KC and Rajesh Pillai KC). The case concerns a US$16bn arbitral award relating to the alleged failure by the Republic to make a tender offer to shareholders in respect of an oil company that was re-nationalised in 2012. The claimants have sought recognition and enforcement of that award in the English court.
BTI 2014 LLC v PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP
Acting for BTI, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco Plc, (led by Simon Birt KC, James Sheehan KC and Ciaran Keller) in a several hundred million dollar auditors’ negligence claim relating to dividends paid by a non-operating company to its parent, which resulted in the non-operating company being unable to satisfy very large liabilities for historic environmental damage. Aspects of the case have already been heard by the Court of Appeal: [2021] EWCA Civ 9, and a related claim arising from the same events was heard by the Supreme Court. Listed for a 10-week trial in June 2024, which settled after one week. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2024.
‘Maduro Board’ of the Central Bank of Venezuela v ‘Guaidó Board’ of the Central Bank of Venezuela [2023] EWCA Civ 742
Acting for the ‘Maduro Board’ of the Central Bank of Venezuela (led by Richard Lissack KC) in litigation concerning the right to represent the Central Bank and the entitlement to give directions as to nearly US$2 billion of Venezuela’s international reserves held in the Bank of England’s vaults, and approximately US$120 million held by court-appointed receivers on behalf of the Central Bank of Venezuela. The High Court hearing resulted from a judgment of the Supreme Court: [2021] UKSC 57. Leave to appeal was granted by Cockerill J due to the ‘unique’ nature of the case. The Court of Appeal judgment was handed down in July 2023. One of The Lawyer’s Top 10 Appeals of 2023.
Acting for the first AI company to be investigated by the UK information Commissioner’s Office for alleged algorithmic bias (2022-2023). The investigation resulted in a ‘no enforcement’ and ‘no publication’ decision by the regulator.
Acting for a technology company, which is threatened with legal action by a major Gig Economy platform, for alleged misuse of that platform’s confidential information. The case raises important issues around the interaction of data protection law, restraint of trade and competition law.
Thaler v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks [2023] UKSC 49
Acting as counsel for Dr Thaler (with Prof. Ryan Abbott and Robert Jehan) in an appeal heard by the UK Supreme Court on the question of whether it is possible to register a patent in circumstances where the invention in question has been devised by an AI system and therefore no human inventor can be named on the relevant application form. This appeal was the first time that a Supreme Court in any jurisdiction has considered the legal issues arising from AI. The case received wide press coverage in the UK and internationally.
Allianz Global Investors GmbH and ors v Deutsche Bank AG London and ors Claim No. CL-2020-000737
Instructed jointly by nine defendant banks in a multi-billion dollar follow-on damages claim by various claimants arising from European Commission findings in respect of manipulation of the foreign exchange market by a cartel, over the period 2003-2013. This appears to have been the first litigation in the world where the claimant parties sought to plead and prove their claim using AI in order to generate instances of alleged infringement. The claim raised novel issues of practice and procedure with respect to the use of AI in the litigation process.
Advising one of the world’s leading car manufacturers on its global AI ethics policy.
Drafting the first ‘AI Explainability Statement’ – a public documents which sets out how an organisation designed and uses AI systems – to be approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
Advising an individual on the legal and regulatory consequences of employing a trading algorithm
Advising INTERPOL and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute on global AI ethics guidance for policing and justice systems.
Advising an organisation on the copyright consequences of a proposed AI system.
Advising a Middle Eastern country on drafting AI regulations
Providing training to the judiciary of two countries on novel legal challenges arising from AI.
Advising several UK organisations on potential legal liability arising from their use of AI, including with regards to requirements under the GDPR.
Advising part of the UK Government on the governance of AI and duties for public servants.
Advising one of the world’s largest asset managers and a major venture capital firm on their data and AI policies.
Jacob also lectures on AI at universities and other institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge, NYU, the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg. Jacob teaches a twice-yearly course on the Regulation of AI at Singapore Management University, and has delivered seminars to the Chinese Government and Military at the invitation of the UN.
Jacob’s work is regularly cited by regulators in public studies, including by the UK Government in its 2020 report on the impact of AI on the duties of public servants, and by the Law Society in its 2019 study of Algorithms in the Justice System.
FW Aviation Holdings 1 Limited v VietJet Aviation JSC
Acting for the claimant (led by Akhil Shah KC) in a claim for in excess of US$200 million relating to a lessee’s failure to pay rent for aircraft. The defendant is a well-known Vietnamese low cost airline. The case involves complex multi-jurisdictional issues, including novel ones in the English Courts as to the requirements for interim relief to be granted under the Cape Town Convention.
GTLK Europe DAC and GTLK Europe Capital DAC (in Liquidation)
Acting for the liquidators of the GTLK Europe companies (led by Akhil Shah KC), which form part of a major shipping and aviation leasing company, ultimately owned by the Russian State. The mandate involves issues arising from the termination of various leasing agreements as well as from the imposition of international sanctions to the GTLK Group’s parent company.
Chelluri v Air India [2021] EWCA Civ 1953
Acting successfully as sole counsel for the defendant airline in the Court of Appeal (Vos MR, Coulson LJ and Stuart-Smith LJ), in a case concerning the jurisdictional ambit of Regulation 261/2004 (the ‘Denied Boarding’ Regulation). The case raised important issues including the proper approach to interpreting retained EU law following Brexit, and the circumstances in which UK appellate courts should depart from EU jurisprudence.
Jacob is regularly instructed by airlines in County Court proceedings arising under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 and the Montreal Convention.
Advising an aircraft manufacturer on potential liability arising from a fatal helicopter crash.
Assisting in an insurance dispute concerning a major and high-profile air disaster (as a pupil).
Santander UK Plc v The Financial Ombudsman Service Limited
Acting (led by Adam Zellick KC) for Santander UK Plc in a judicial review of a decision by the FOS not to apply its six-year limitation limit when determining the fairness of mortgage interest rate setting decisions concerning the bank’s Standard Variable Rate. The proceedings raise issues of major importance to the mortgage and banking industries, as well as to the wider public.
Barlow v Barclays Bank UK plc
Acting for the defendant Barclays Bank UK plc. The claim related to a cheque issued in favour of the by the bank following the claimant’s representation that he was entitled to a payment in respect of historic payment protection insurance. The bank cancelled the cheque before it had been cashed. The Claimant alleges that the bank should have honoured the cheque. The bank’s position was that the Claimant misrepresented his entitlement to a payment, and this misrepresentation entitled the bank to cancel the cheque. The case settled before trial.
RBS GRG Redress Scheme
Acting for a SME business which was subject to unfair historic decisions made by the Royal Bank of Scotland Global Restructuring Group. Made a partially successful challenge to the Independent Third Party Sir William Blackburne concerning the bank’s assessment of consequential losses.
Jacob is regularly instructed by banks in cases arising under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
Counsel to the Dame Linda Dobbs Review, considering whether issues relating to HBOS Reading were investigated and appropriately reported to authorities following Lloyd Banking Group’s acquisition of HBOS.
Advising a bank in relation to its reporting obligations under POCA.
BTI 2014 LLC v PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP
Acting for BTI, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco Plc, (led by Simon Birt KC, James Sheehan KC and Ciaran Keller) in a several hundred million dollar auditors’ negligence claim relating to dividends paid by a non-operating company to its parent, which resulted in the non-operating company being unable to satisfy very large liabilities for historic environmental damage. Aspects of the case have already been heard by the Court of Appeal: [2021] EWCA Civ 9, and a related claim arising from the same events was heard by the Supreme Court. Listed for a 10-week trial in June 2024, which settled after one week. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2024.
Allianz Global Investors GmbH and ors v Deutsche Bank AG London and ors Claim No. CL-2020-000737
Instructed jointly by nine defendant banks in a multi-billion dollar follow-on damages claim by various claimants arising from European Commission findings in respect of manipulation of the foreign exchange market by a cartel, over the period 2003-2013. This appears to have been the first litigation in the world where the claimant parties sought to plead and prove their claim using AI in order to generate instances of alleged infringement. The claim raised novel issues of practice and procedure with respect to the use of AI in the litigation process.
Palmali SA v Litasco SA
Acting for the defendant, Litasco SA (led by Thomas Munby KC and Tom Bird) in a claim relating to an alleged contract regarding the shipping of oil products. The claim was originally for approximately $2 billion but reduced substantially in a strike out application ([2020] EWHC 2581 (Comm)).
The Khan Partnership & Anor v Al Rawas & Anor
Acting for a judgment creditor seeking to enforce a judgment debt through proceedings including CPR Part 71 (debtors’ examination) mechanism.
General Asset Management Ltd v Leatherbarrow
Acting for the defendant in a claim for possession made by a lender following a fraudulent disposition concerning the defendant’s property. Claim dismissed, and indemnity costs awarded to the defendant.
Kadie Kalma & Ors v African Minerals Ltd & Ors
Acting for a mining company in UK litigation in relation to a human rights claim arising from events in Sierra Leone (as a solicitor-advocate). Claim dismissed following a trial.
Kazakhstan Kagazy & Ors v Zhunus & Ors
Acting for a high net worth individual in a long-running $300 million commercial fraud claim in the UK Courts, concerning land, paper-processing and logistics sites in Kazakhstan (as a solicitor-advocate).
General Dynamics v The State of Libya
Acting for the State of Libya (led by Richard Lissack KC) in an appeal relating to the enforcement of an arbitral award against a property in London. The case raises important questions on as to the extent to which generalised language in a contractual document can be deemed to waive a State’s immunity from execution. Due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in November 2024.
Petersen Energía Inversora, S.A.U. and ors v The Argentine Republic
Acting for the Argentine Republic (led by David Railton KC and Rajesh Pillai KC). The case concerns a US$16bn arbitral award relating to the alleged failure by the Republic to make a tender offer to shareholders in respect of an oil company that was re-nationalised in 2012. The claimants have sought recognition and enforcement of that award in the English court.
AS PNB Banka and others v. Republic of Latvia, ICSID Case No. ARB/17/47
Acting for the shareholder claimants in the merits hearing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration concerning alleged corruption at the highest levels of Latvian banking regulation.
Angophora v Ovsyankin [2021] EWHC 3376 (Comm)
Acting for the claimant, a joint venture between Intesa Sanpaolo and Gazprombank, in a high-value commercial fraud dispute concerning the oil and gas industry, led by Michael Swainston KC and James Duffy. Secured award of over $40 million in favour of the claimant. Jacob’s client then successfully resisted subsequent s.24 and s.68 Arbitration Act 1996 challenges brought against the award in the High Court.
Maduro Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela v Guaidó Board" of the Central Bank of Venezuela
Acting for the ‘Maduro Board’ of the Central Bank of Venezuela in litigation concerning the proper representatives of the Government of Venezuela and the entitlement to give directions as to nearly US$1 billion of Venezuela’s international reserves, held in the Bank of England’s vaults, and approximately US$120 million held by court-appointed receivers on behalf of the Central Bank of Venezuela, following a payment from Deutsche Bank under a swap contract. Issues in the case have been remitted by the UK Supreme Court ([2021] UKSC 57 )to the High Court for determination.
Advising an NGO on submissions to the International Criminal Court concerning jurisdiction over the Situation in Palestine.
Acting for an NGO in preparing several submissions to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court concerning War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity committed by individuals in the Middle East.
Acting for an NGO in a complaint to the UK’s National Contact Point tribunal concerning a breach of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by a major accountancy firm. The complaint was accepted by the National Contact Point, the final assessment of which called on the accountancy firm to change its global human rights policies.
Acting for the Russian Federation in numerous enforcement matters arising from the Yukos arbitration (as a solicitor-advocate).
Law Debenture Trust Corporation PLC v Ukraine
Acting for the Russian Federation (as bondholder) in a dispute with Ukraine, concerning Ukraine’s default on a $3 billion bond (as a solicitor-advocate).
NML Capital Ltd v Argentina
Acting for the Argentine Republic in matters arising from a sovereign debt dispute, including the seizure of the Argentine Navy’s flagship, The ARA Libertad, in Ghana (as a solicitor-advocate).
Poštová banka, a.s. and ISTROKAPITAL SE v. Hellenic Republic
Acting for the Hellenic Republic in an investor-state arbitration under the ICSID Rules, concerning the legality of the Greek Debt Bail-Out (as a solicitor-advocate).
AS PNB Banka and others v. Republic of Latvia, ICSID Case No. ARB/17/47
Acting for the shareholder claimants in the merits hearing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration concerning alleged corruption at the highest levels of Latvian banking regulation.
Acting for a co-investor in a dispute before the LCIA concerning a joint venture vehicle in the extractives industry (led by Michael Swainston KC and James Duffy). Award of over $40 million in favour of the claimant.
Acting for a corporate in the agricultural commodities trading industry in a dispute before SIAC.
Advising a corporate in the agricultural industry in a potential LCIA dispute concerning the licensing of crops.
Acting for a corporate in a dispute before the LCIA worth over $100 million, including delivering the opening and closing oral submissions (as a solicitor-advocate).
P v Q [2017] 1 W.L.R. 3823; P v Q [2017] 1 W.L.R. 3800
Acting in cases relating to the attempted removal of an arbitral panel for alleged misconduct in delegating duties to the arbitral assistant. Successfully resisted removal of arbitral panel (as a solicitor-advocate).
Vale SA v BSG Resources
Acting for Vale SA in LCIA arbitration concerning mining rights in the Republic of Guinea. $2 billion award made in favour of Vale SA (as a solicitor-advocate).
Assisting counsel for the defendant in an investor-state dispute involving an alleged expropriation of an investment in an oil and gas company (as a pupil).
Jacob has recently advised several clients on issues arising from the UK sanctions regime.
Acting for a law firm concerning its representation of a client in proceedings in the UK Supreme Court, with respect to the designation of that client under the UK Russia sanctions regime.
Advising a prominent private client law firm concerning UK sanctions regime, and in particular the ban on the provision of trust services.
Advising on whether a designated person under the UK Russia Sanctions regime is in ‘control’ of a non-designated entity, for the purpose of heavy commercial litigation in which the entity was a party.
Advising a subsidiary of a Russian State-Owned company as to the impact of the UK sanctions regime, including both as to asset freezes and trade-related sanctions in the energy industry.
Acting for two shipping companies and their ultimate beneficial owner, in a dispute concerning the applicability of the US Iran sanctions regime, and the EU / UK Blocking Regulations (which criminalise compliance with aspects of the US sanctions regime by UK / EU individuals).
Multiple advices on the preparation of licenses for submission to HM Treasury, the unwinding of transactions with sanctioned entities, the compulsory reporting of suspected sanctions breaches, and the current practice of enforcement authorities.
Prizes and Awards
Teaching
Jacob lectures regularly on the governance of AI. He has spoken at universities including: Oxford, Cambridge, Shanghai Maritime, Tel Aviv, University of California, New York University, and the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg. His current and former teaching roles include:
Judicial Assistant to Lord Mance (2015-2016)
Other positions
Adam Collins
Team Leader
+44 (0)20 7842 3798
Click here to email
Alfie Sweeney
Team Leader's Assistant
+44 (0)20 3873 6855
Click here to email
Prizes and Awards
Teaching
Jacob lectures regularly on the governance of AI. He has spoken at universities including: Oxford, Cambridge, Shanghai Maritime, Tel Aviv, University of California, New York University, and the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg. His current and former teaching roles include:
Judicial Assistant to Lord Mance (2015-2016)
Other positions