We act for businesses and private individuals on complex, high-value, international litigation and arbitration. Our clients range from successful business leaders and entrepreneurs, listed companies, funds, high profile figures, state actors and high net worth individuals. We have honed our skills by successfully representing our clients against major organisations, including UK financial institutions, represented by the larger firms.
We know how to win. We develop intelligent and focused dispute resolution strategies which take into account our clients’ legal, business, personal, communications and political aims. We are tenacious in our execution and achieve successful commercial results.
We have extensive experience in corporate and finance disputes including banking, complex finance arrangements, joint ventures, fraud, investments (including distressed debt, investments in special situations, investments in emerging markets and sovereign debt investments) and securitisations.
We understand that litigation is usually an expensive option. We provide our clients direct and dispassionate advice on their options, benefits / risks and costs together with bespoke and strategic means of resolution before resorting to the courts. In circumstances where litigation is the only option, we offer a flexible and innovative approach to funding with a wide range of options including, risk sharing fee agreements by funding the case ourselves on a conditional or contingency fee basis, giving us the opportunity to show our commitment to our clients.
We also use third party litigation funding and after the event insurance funding. These options reduce the financial burden on our clients and minimise their risks enabling them to fight from a position of strength and focus on the win.
For further information or assistance, please contact Lara Robson.
We specialise in complex banking and finance litigation on behalf of private and institutional investors. We have a deep understanding of the other side from acting for international investment banks in the past. Additionally, our founder, Negar Yazdani, was an investment banker and has detailed knowledge in the origination and structuring of credit products.
Our deep capital markets experience gives us a solid technical and financial understanding of failed complex financial products and activities including:
- Benchmark manipulation and market abuse
- Mis-selling of financial products, misrepresentation and negligent advice
- Claims relating to a broad range of capital markets products including derivatives, swaps, structured financial products, real estate products including CMBS and RMBS
- Failed investment schemes, fund management disputes, investor disputes and private equity investments disputes
- Breaches of covenants under secured and unsecured facility agreements together with trustee and broker claims
- Disputes arising out of commercial and retail insurance contracts
Uniquely, we are conflict-free. We do not take instructions from UK financial institutions.We are one of the few law firms with the knowledge, experience and ability required to successfully take on the banks and their lawyers.
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved with are:
- US$210m cross currency swaps claim
- £500m interest rates swaps mis-selling claim against multiple banks
- Breach of confidence, misrepresentation and breach of contract claims arising out of an €85m facility agreement
- €30m claim in respect of revocation of a letter of credit
- US$300m dispute in respect of syndicated lenders calling in loans wrongfully
We combine deep technical expertise with commercial awareness and the tool box of strategic solutions. We advise on a wide range of contentious issues that international businesses may encounter across a variety of jurisdictions. Whether you wish to purse matters through the Courts, arbitration or using other tactics, we can assist.
We act on behalf of shareholders, companies, directors and investors on a wide range of issues including:
- Shareholder rights under shareholder agreements and articles of association
- Protection of minority shareholder rights and unfair prejudice
- Joint venture disputes
- Sale and purchase agreements and option agreements
- Derivative actions on behalf of companies against directors
- Corporate governance disputes
- Intellectual property rights and confidential information
- Software, outsourcing and website contracts
- Breach of fiduciary duty, breach of statutory duty and misfeasance claims against directors
- Disputes relating to the dissolution of partnerships and the division of partnership assets
- Disputes relating to investment agreements
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved with are:
- Acting in a multi-jurisdictional US$350m shareholder dispute over ownership of a hotel chain
- Acting for an international engineering company on an arbitration claim arising out of construction of an oilfield
- Advising individuals in respect of a £140m dispute with liquidators
- Assisting a shareholder in a minority rights claim in the Caribbean over the ownership of a hotel against the company and other shareholders
- Advising a New York listed company in commodities arbitrations in Africa and Asia
- Acting for directors defending claims for breach of fiduciary duty, misfeasance and wrongful trading
We assist employers, employees, directors, senior executives and consultants with a wide range of employment related issues. We work with our clients to obtain their desired outcomes, whether that is achieved through a commercial and strategic settlement or pursuing their claims through the Courts or tribunals.
Our experience of both “sides” of employment issues put us in a unique position to understand the challenges faced in obtaining satisfactory resolution. This enables us to offer our clients the appropriate strategic advice. In high profile or sensitive cases, we work with our communications colleagues to provide reputation and media management assistance.
We provide assistance on the full range of issues including:
- Bonus disputes
- Breach of confidential information
- Compromise agreements
- Database theft
- Data protection and privacy
- Discrimination
- Partnership disputes
- Redundancy
- Restrictive Covenants
- Unfair dismissal
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved with are:
- Acting for 3 directors in bonus disputes against the liquidators of their previous company
- Advising a New York listed company on redundancy issues and compromise agreements
- Acting for a woman who suffered pregnancy related discrimination and achieved a six figure settlement during tribunal proceedings
- Advising a female CEO in an unfair dismissal claim against a financial institution
- Acting for a woman in high profile sex discrimination proceedings against a US company
- Acting for a global travel company in breach of confidence claims against a number of former employees
We have extensive experience in handling disputes that arise in relation to family wealth and private financial arrangements for HNW and high profile clients. Disputes include issues relating to breach of trust, duress and undue influence in relation to financial settlements, multijurisdictional high-value matrimonial disputes, and other disputes involving personal circumstances.
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved in include:
- Advising a landed family in relation to claims against trustees of the family trust
- Acting for an investor against a company and its directors in relation to transactions in breach of trust
- Acting for a family trust in pursuing claims arising out of investments which had been the subject of fraud
- Advising an individual in claims arising out of divorce proceedings including claims against offshore trusts and pursuing enforcement action against trust assets in the UK
We advise clients on cases that involve sophisticated instances of fraud, asset recovery and related litigation. Our team has experience of investigating, initiating and defending claims across a wide range of jurisdictions and on cross-border matters and we work closely with clients to develop innovative strategies to achieve recompense.
We have significant experience in global asset recovery and forensic investigation in several high value claims. We work with accountants, tax experts, valuation experts, private investigators and lawyers in a wide variety of jurisdictions to substantiate the existence and recovery of tangible and intangible assets.
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved in include:
- Acting for a landed family in respect of investments made into a “Ponzi Scheme”, including obtaining freezing injunctions and bringing claims against the fraudsters and solicitors involved in the scheme
- Acting for an UHNW individual in relation to a property investment which was the subject of fraud, including obtaining freezing injunctions, summary judgment and taking enforcement action across Europe and the Middle East
- Advising a high profile family in relation to an SFO investigation
- Advising the claimant in relation to fraudulent transfers of land and assets by an UHNW individual to avoid judgment
The roots and a substantial part of this practice is its disputes work – traditional bilateral, collective or class action / multi-party litigation.
The firm was founded as a litigation boutique pursuing retail claims on behalf of private individuals against banks. Our background as a pioneer in launching the litigation of financial irregularity insurance products in the UK shaped the legal and regulatory landscape in this area.
Class actions are very popular in the USA but have only in recent years been possible in the UK through “Group Litigation Orders”. This is a way for individuals with similar complaints to join together offering strength in numbers, shared knowledge and efficiency in costs.
We have experience in managing the complexities of group action, co-ordinating the group and pursuing the claims to achieve success. We also, on high profile cases, provide reputation and media management to achieve maximum exposure.
We act for businesses and private individuals against solicitors, accountants, financial advisors, surveyors and valuers for breaches of duty and negligent advice. These are industries that we know well, and we bring our wealth of experience to bear on dispute resolution strategies using litigation, arbitration and mediation techniques.
A few examples of recent cases our partners have been involved with are:
- Advising a yacht owner in a dispute with a yacht surveyor
- Acting for a company in liquidation against its former solicitors for negligence and wrongful use of client monies
- Advising several directors in pursuing a professional negligence claim against their former solicitors in relation to employment claims
- Acting for a property solicitor in defending professional negligence claims
Supported by our Sovereign Advisory experience, our Diplomatic Community Representation and our Sovereign Wealth Fund expertise, we pursue and defend claims involving sovereign and state agencies and state owned entities.