
- Tel:
- Work 020 7583 3335
- Fax:
- Fax 020 7353 0329
- DX:
- 5 LONDON CHANCERY LANE
- Email:
Akhil Shah QC
- Tel:
- Work 020 7583 3335
- Email:
Position
Barrister specialising in commercial litigation with an emphasis in aviation, trade finance, banking, insurance and arbitration. In aviation regularly represents manufacturers, airlines, insurers, financiers and leasing parties in a wide range of aviation matters dealing with: aircraft leasing, jurisdiction and air disaster, aviation insurance/reinsurance and regulatory work.
Notable cases include: aircraft finance: Alpstream v PK (2013); aircraft leasing: Pindell v AirAsia [2011] 2 All ER (Comm) 296; Sunrock v SAS [2007] 2 Lloyds 612 (CA); airline and airport dispute: DTVA v bmibaby [2011] 1 Lloyds 68; regulatory: Kibris v Secretary of State and Republic of Cyprus [2011] 1 Lloyds 274 (CA) and IHRC v CAA (2007 ACDS); jurisdiction and mass disaster/product liability: Amiri Flight v BAE Systems Plc [2003] 2 Lloyds 767 (CA); Airbus v Patel [1999] 1AC 119; carriage by air: Huzar v Jet 2 (2014); Western Digital v BA [2001] QB 733 (CA).
Other areas of practice include commercial litigation, Banking (Petrosaudi v Novo Banco (2017)), re/insurance (Involnert v Aprilgrange and others (insurance moral hazard) and Blue Sky v Chartis and others (2010)); and arbitration (Bermuda form and petroleum and telecoms joint venture disputes).
Career
Called 1990; Inner Temple; called to the British Virgin Islands Bar 1999; Silk 2010. Publications: contributor to ‘Carriage by Air’ (2000); Bullen and Leake and Jacob’s ‘Precedents of Pleadings’ (2016, 18th edition), Halsbury’s Laws “Aviation” (2017, 5th ed) and ‘Commercial Court Procedure’.
Languages
Working French, basic German.
London Bar
Aviation
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â 'He is super-bright, super-responsive, and is the most capable aviation specialist silk at the bar'. â
Within: Aviation
Fountain Court Chambers is applauded by clients as a 'go-to set for complex aviation-related litigation' thanks to its offering of a 'strong spread of top-quality silks and juniors'. Bankim Thanki QC, Alexander Milner, Akhil Shah QC and David Murray, were involved in judicial review proceedings, brought by the administrators of Monarch Airlines, regarding the decision by the UK airport coordinator not to allocate or to reserve slots for Monarch for the summer 2018 season. Aircraft leasing dispute LaudaMotion v Lufthansa was also a key highlight for the set; Akhil Shah QC acted for LaudaMotion, while James Cutress QC, who was leading David Murray, appeared for Lufthansa.
Fountain Court Chambers is applauded by clients as a 'go-to set for complex aviation-related litigation' thanks to its offering of a 'strong spread of top-quality silks and juniors'. Bankim Thanki QC, Alexander Milner, Akhil Shah QC and David Murray, were involved in judicial review proceedings, brought by the administrators of Monarch Airlines, regarding the decision by the UK airport coordinator not to allocate or to reserve slots for Monarch for the summer 2018 season. Aircraft leasing dispute LaudaMotion v Lufthansa was also a key highlight for the set; Akhil Shah QC acted for LaudaMotion, while James Cutress QC, who was leading David Murray, appeared for Lufthansa.
Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â A real team player with great analytical ability. â
Commercial litigation
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â He performs at the top of his game throughout a case. â
Insurance and reinsurance
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â He is very good with tricky technical issues and thorough in his analysis. â
International arbitration: counsel
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â Supremely qualified in arbitrations. â
Product liability
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â He has developed a strong product liability practice, especially in relation to aviation. â
Travel law (including jurisdictional issues)
Within: Leading Silks
Akhil Shah QC - Fountain Court Chambers â He has has great aviation industry knowledge and experience and has developed a confident and effective courtroom style. â
Within: Travel law (including jurisdictional issues)
Fountain Court Chambers is a 'fantastic set' which is experienced in aviation and regulatory matters. Akhil Shah QC, who is noted for his regulatory experience, was involved in Blanche v easyJet, a second appeal and test case of a passenger claim for compensation under EU Regulation 261. Rosalind Phelps QC is acting as the external legal adviser to the CAA Panel deciding a contested case about the use of aircraft parts and their impact on the airworthiness of passenger aircraft; Volare v Civil Aviation Authority.