One Essex Court barrister Laurence Rabinowitz KC has been appointed as chairman of the UK’s Takeover Panel, replacing Michael Crane KC who is retiring from the role next year.

Rabinowitz will assume the chairmanship on 1 May 2025, while also sitting as a panel member on the Hearings Committee as chair designate from the start of next month.

The Takeover Panel is an independent body which is responsible for issuing and administering the Takeover Code and to supervise and regulate takeovers, as well as any other matters related to the code. It is designed to ensure fair treatment for all shareholders during any takeover bid.

Rabinowitz was called to the Bar in 1987 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 2002. His practice covers commercial litigation and arbitration, with expertise in banking and finance, company law, energy, civil fraud, competition and professional liability cases. He has also previously served as a deputy High Court judge.

The appointment will not impact Rabinowitz’s full-time practice at One Essex Court. He is currently acting for Hewlett Packard in its £3.4bn damages claim related to its acquisition of Autonomy. HP is continuing to pursue its claim in the UK despite the death of Autonomy founder Mike Lynch in August when his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Rabinowitz has also been involved in other high-profile disputes including the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ scandal and the civil case between Boris Berezovsky and former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, which became the largest civil court case in British legal history.

He is described in Chambers UK for his commercial dispute resolution work as “absolutely top of the commercial Bar. Laurence is a go-to person for ‘break the company’ points”. He is also described for his international arbitration work as “incredibly bright and extremely client-friendly. He is able to break down complex concepts into very simple explanations”.

Crane, meantime, steps down from the role he was elected to in 2016. He is a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers and an international arbitrator. He was called to the Bar in 1975, becoming a QC in 1994 and deputy High Court judge in 2002.