Harbottle & Lewis LLP

Commercial Litigation

Louis is a partner specialising in commercial litigation, with over 25 years of experience covering a range of contentious work across a number of the firm’s core sectors.

He advises private offices and global businesses at board level on different types of challenges, including pre-emptive and after-the-fact investigations, urgent injunctions, complex cases heading all the way to trial, appeals and arbitration under various rules. He co-ordinates cross-border litigation and enforcement against, and defence of, assets all over the world, with particular specialisation in the Middle East. Louis supports his clients with early strategic risk management decisions and encourages a pragmatic approach to avoiding litigation where possible.

Louis’ case highlights include (clients are listed in italics):

• UK plc (internal investigation into financial malpractice)
• Nasdaq listed company (investigating secret commissions)
• NYSE listed company (investigating “syphoning” of confidential information)
• Virtus Leisure v Universal Pictures VP Ltd (contractual and fraud dispute)
• PRS for Music v LiveNation (Music) UK Ltd & others (Tariff LP)
• Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth (Supreme Court) (the “Stormtrooper helmet” case)
• LiveNation (Music) UK Ltd v Leighton-Pope & Homer (confidential information)
• Experience Hendrix LLC v Times Newspapers Ltd (breach of contract)
• BNP Paribas v AHAB v Al-Sanea (jurisdiction challenge)
• Saad Investments Company Ltd (in liquidation) v Al-Sanea (Court of Appeal) (put-option claim)
• LCIA arbitration (breach of warranty claim under SPA)
• Victoria Beckham Limited v NJ Richards (professional negligence)
• Representing a core participant in The Litvinenko Inquiry
• Acting for families and other interested persons in a number of coronial inquests

Trained Clyde & Co; qualified 2000; partner 2010; solicitor-advocate (civil)

French

King’s College London (1995, LLB)