Wessen Jazrawi

Partner
London

OVERVIEW

Wessen specialises in large-scale competition damages litigation, on behalf of both corporate entities and consumers in opt-out claims. She is passionate about access to justice, and also plays a key role in our human rights & environmental practice.

Expertise

Prior to joining Hausfeld, Wessen worked at the Financial Services Authority and at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe where she worked on a number of claims before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. This included the first follow-on action to have reached trial in the UK, Enron Coal Services Limited v. English Welsh & Scottish Railway.

At Hausfeld, she has conducted litigation before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, High Court and the Court of Appeal, and has extensive experience on both traditional competition damages claims and collective actions. Examples of the former include some of the most well-known competition cases of recent years such as the MasterCard / Visa interchange fee litigation and the Marine Hose cartel. In the collective sphere, she is acting for Christine Riefa Class Representative Ltd in proposed collective proceedings against Apple and Amazon. She also acted for the proposed class representative, the Consumers’ Association (Which?), in an abuse of dominance claim against Qualcomm on behalf of a class of UK consumers. Finally, she acted for Privacy International in its intervention before the Competition Appeal Tribunal in relation to the Meta / Giphy merger, and is acting for them in the Amazon/iRobot matter before the European Commission.

Clients

Because of the nature of her practice, she represents people and corporates, both on an individual or group basis. Notable representations at Hausfeld include acting on behalf of 10+ corporate groups against MasterCard / VISA, for Christine Riefa Class Representative Ltd against Apple and Amazon, and for Privacy International with respect to the Meta/Giphy merger and the ongoing Amazon/iRobot acquisition.

Working towards a diverse, equitable and inclusive work force is paramount to Wessen who is an active member of Hausfeld's Racial Justice group.

- Acting on behalf of Christine Riefa Class Representative Ltd in a claim against Apple and Amazon on behalf of millions of UK consumers who purchased Apple products. The claim seeks damages of at least £500m for UK consumers who paid higher prices for Apple products as a consequence of an agreement between Apple and Amazon which required Amazon to exclude independent merchants from its marketplace and thus restrict sales of Apple products.
- Acting for a group of multinational retailers in claims for unlawful interchange fees against Mastercard and VISA. These complex proceedings, which involved losses in 18 European jurisdictions and related proceedings in the High Court and in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, included the first preliminary issue hearing on applicable law in competition litigation disputes, a hearing at the Court of Appeal on the “relation back” rule and preparation for a Supreme Court hearing.
- Filed a representative collective action with the CAT on behalf of the Consumers’ Association (known as Which?) against Qualcomm on behalf of a class of around 29 million UK consumers alleging that Qualcomm abuses its dominance in the markets for smartphone chipsets and standard essential patents, the result of which is that Qualcomm is able to overcharge smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung for its technology.
- Represented a large group of multinational companies in a private damages action in relation to the global Marine Hose cartel.
- Acted for Enron Coal Services Limited against English Welsh & Scottish Railway Limited, which was the first follow-on action to have reached trial in the UK. This included two hearings before the Court of Appeal and a full trial in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
- Acted for Rapture TV plc in its appeal against a decision by Ofcom before the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Wessen acted on a pro-bono basis for the majority of the cases below.
- Acting for a group of farmers from the Copper Belt region of Zambia in pollution claims against UK-based mining company Vedanta Resources Limited and its Zambian subsidiary.
- Assisted in the drafting of the Communication submitted on behalf of 16 youth petitioners to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, led by teenage activist Greta Thunberg.
- Acted for the former employees of a mercury thermometer factory in India owned by Unilever plc who had suffered mercury contamination, ultimately obtaining a settlement for them.
- Exploring with a number of campaigning and parent groups, including Mums for Lungs, the possibility of bringing an action against the government on behalf of a group of children who have been affected by poor air quality in London.

- Acted for the CEO of a disability aviation charity, in relation to a disability discrimination claim against Carnival PLC t/a Cunard.
- Acted for the claimant/appellant, ex-police officer Andrea Brown, in a pivotal costs case on the clarification of the Qualified One-Way Costs Shifting Rules.
- Part of the legal team fighting to end #PeriodPoverty, working alongside Free Periods and the Red Box Project.
- Acted for the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor in a challenge to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s decision to award a $83.3 million public supply contract for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Saiger LLC.
- Acting on behalf Daze Aghaji and Peter Garforth to hold the Government to account for its failures to adopt adequate policies to combat climate change through bringing a Judicial Review in relation to the Government's carbon budgets.
- Acted in a high-profile judicial review on behalf of Avaaz relating to the Murdoch family’s bid for Sky and the question of whether Sky would remain fit and proper to hold a broadcasting license if 100% owned by 21st Century Fox.

Wessen Jazrawi is a member of the team that stands out for praise and recognition. In an ongoing case, Wessen has once again shown to me her enormous commitment to her clients and the vindication of their rights. Throughout Wessen has ensured that my clients understand the process and that they are thereby able to play a part in forming the case and the arguments and the way in which the case is framed.

Legal 500, 2023