The Legal 500

Position

Barrister specialising in commercial litigation (including, particularly, aviation and professional negligence) and regulation. Cases include: regulation: SRA v Dennison [2011] EWHC 291 (admin) (striking off dishonest solicitor); SRA v Davis [2011] EWHC 232 (admin) (basis of court awarded in SDT); Virdi v The Law Society [2010] EWCA Civ 100 (CA; claim for apparent bias in the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal) and 2009 EWHC 918 (Admin) (challenge to the findings of the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal); Casson v The Law Society [2009 EWHC 1943 (Admin) (whether inadequate professional service findings were bankruptcy debts); PQR v Pressdram [2009] EWHC 39 (QB) (confidentiality in reprimand from Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal). In Re P [2005] 1 WLR 3019 (acting for the Bar Council in a challenge to the composition of the Visitors’ Panel on grounds of apparent bias); aviation: ACG Acquisition v Olympic [2010] EWHC 923 (comm) (‘hell and high water’ clause); Tandrin v Aero Toy Store [2010] EWHC 40 (Comm) (whether credit crunch within force majeure clause), [2009] EWHC 1450 (QB) (Comm) (jurisdictional challenge to English Court when foreign proceedings extant); Fujitsu Computer Products Corp v Bax Global Inc [2005] EWHC 2298 (Clarke J) (the effect of an in-house airway bill lacking the IATA recommended Warsaw notice; Quantum Corporation Ltd v Plane Trucking [2002] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 25 CA (liability regime for trucking between airports), Irish Aerospace (Belgium) NV v European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation [1992] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 383 (aviation/judicial review); insurance: British Credit Trust Holdings v UK Insurance [2004] 1 All ER 444 (declaratory relief/doctrine of abandonment); Kler Knitwear Ltd v Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd [2000] Lloyd’s IR Report 47 (insurance warranty); shipping: The Stolt Loyalty [1993] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 281 [1995] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 598 CA (time limits in shipping cases), Melvin v Poseidon [1999] 2 ALL ER (Comm) 761 (charterparty guarantee); professional negligence: Morgan Crucible Co Plc v Hill Samuel [1991] 1 Ch 295 CA; oil trading: Philbro Energy AG v Nissho Iwai Corporation [1991] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 28 CA; other commercial: Power v Trustees of Open Text Life Assurance Scheme [2009] EWHC 3064 (Ch) (duties of trustees of scheme to take into account change in legislation); Investment Invoice Financing Ltd v Limehouse Board Mills Ltd [2006] EWCA Civ 9 (Court of Appeal) (the jurisdiction of and principles to be applied by a court when requiring assignees of claims to provide security for the payment of costs ordered to be paid by the assignor; Mbasago & ors v Logo Ltd & ors [2005] EWHC 2034 (Davis J) (a review of the elements of unlawful means of conspiracy in the context of the alleged attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, including in particular whether there needs to be an actionable tort against one of the alleged conspirators); Mbasogo & Ors v Logo Ltd & Ors [2006] EWCA Civ 1370 (Court of Appeal) (a review of the principles governing non-justiciability of a claim brought by a foreign state in the English courts); Dixons Group plc v Murray-Obodynski [2000] 1 BCLC 1 (CA) (construction of share sale agreement), [1997] 86 BLR 16 (expert’s certificate), Alexander v Rolls Royce Motor Cars [1996] RTR 95 CA (damages for distress in contract). Regulatory: acting for the Bar Council in connection with a challenge to the composition of a Visitors Panel hearing a disciplinary appeal: in Re P (a barrister) [2005] 1 WLR 3019.

Career

Called Middle Temple 1981; QC 2002.

Education

Eton; Cambridge University (1980 MA Law First Class Hons).

Practice Areas

Aviation; Litigation - commercial; Professional disciplinary and regulatory law (including police law)