Wessen Jazrawi

Partner
London

OVERVIEW

Wessen plays a key role in both our competition and human rights & environmental practice areas. Providing access to justice for individuals and businesses – regardless of the practice area - lies at the cornerstone of her practice.

Expertise

At Hausfeld, she has worked on some of the most well-known competition cases of recent years, including the MasterCard / Visa interchange fee litigation and the Marine Hose cartel.

Prior to joining Hausfeld, Wessen acted in two cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, including the first follow-on action to have reached trial in the UK, Enron Coal Services Limited v. English Welsh & Scottish Railway.

Clients

Because of the nature of her practice, she represents people and corporates, both on an individual or group basis. For example, she advised a group of international retailers in proceedings relating to multilateral interchange fees and represented a large group of multinational companies in a private damages action following the global Marine Hose cartel.

- 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. Damages are estimated to be over £480 million.
- 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.
- Advising on a collective consumer claim, including related insurance and funding issues.
- 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 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 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