Seladore Legal > London, England > Firm Profile

Seladore Legal Offices

Seladore Legal
20-22 Bedford Row
WC1R 4EB
England
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Seladore Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings

Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil Tier 3

‘Increasingly active in some of the largest disputes before the London courts and internationally’, Seladore Legal is a disputes boutique that specialises in high-stakes litigation, fraud, asset tracing and enforcement matters. The practice also covers breaches of trust and fiduciary duty, along with money laundering, bribery and corruption cases. One of the UK’s best-known fraud lawyers, Simon Bushell is ‘a master strategist’, whose track record includes investigations into worldwide frauds, conspiracies and insolvencies; Gary Milner-Moore acts in complex cases involving fraud; Gareth Keillor is experienced in CIS-related disputes; and Kevin Kilgour has notable experience in fraud and economic tort cases.

Practice head(s):

Simon Bushell

Other key lawyers:

Gary Milner-Moore; Gareth Keillor; Kevin Kilgour; Dan Hudson; Owen Hammond

Testimonials

‘Partners with enormous experience in investigations and bringing complex fraud claims. Just an astoundingly good unit of top litigators.’

‘Seladore has emerged as one of the leading litigation boutiques, going from strength to strength.’

‘They are packed with some of the best fee earners, having trained and practised at a larger top-tier firm, and increasingly active in some of the largest disputes before the London courts and internationally.’

‘Boutique practice made up of a core of very experienced commercial, banking and fraud lawyers, with very heavy partner commitment to whatever work is required.’

‘Simon Bushell is a master strategist and Gary Milner-Moore has intellectual rigour in abundance.’

‘Simon Bushell, Gary Milner-Moore, Kevin Kilgour and Gareth Keillor are exceptionally experienced and able, and they offer a stand-out, small-firm flexibility to top-tier disputes.’

‘Kevin Kilgour and Gareth Keillor are star partners, both combining superb technical ability and experience with excellent case management and focus on their clients’ wider strategic objectives. Formidable opponents in any case.’

‘Owen Hammond is really superb and destined for partnership any time soon. He is all over everything, hard-working, very bright, and very easy to work with.’

Key clients

SGS Group

Sian Participation Corp (in liquidation)

Hellicorp Investments

FRP Advisory

Work highlights

  • Acting for a Russian businessman (and a number of his companies) in a very high-stakes, multi-pronged dispute concerning control of a major Russian company, FESCO, as well as a Black Sea port.
  • Acting for one of multiple defendants, in relation to the huge multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security against Fahad Al-Rajaan (and others).
  • Defending President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi of Mozambique against a Part 20 claim brought in the English proceedings of the Tuna Bonds scandal, which were commenced against multiple defendants, including Credit Suisse and Privinvest.

Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail Tier 5

Specialist disputes firm Seladore Legal acts both for and against major banks and financial institutions, with expertise in large-scale fraud claims, investment disputes, and enforcement disputes. With strong international capabilities, the team of ‘class performers’ is experienced in disputes arising out of Russia, Ukraine, and the CIS region, as well as offshore jurisdictions. Practice head Simon Bushell represents a wide range of financial institutions, from banks to private equity houses, in investment banking and alternative investment disputes. Co-founder Gareth Keillor also boasts an active banking litigation practice.

Practice head(s):

Simon Bushell

Other key lawyers:

Gary Milner-Moore; Gareth Keillor; Kevin Kilgour; Afzalah Sarwar; Owen Hammond; Matt Robertson

Testimonials

‘Light on their feet due to being a crack unit of top litigation star from big city firms, who are hands-on and superb.’

‘Class performers include Simon Bushell, Gary Milner-Moore and Kevin Kilgour.’

‘Seladore have emerged as one of the leading litigation boutiques, going from strength to strength.’

‘They are packed with some of the best fee earners having trained and practiced at a larger top-tier firm and increasingly active in some of the largest disputes before the London Courts and internationally.’

‘Kevin Kilour and Gareth Keillor are star partners, both combining superb technical ability and experience with excellent case management and focus on their clients’ wider strategic objectives.’

‘Formidable opponents in any case.’

‘The Seladore team is a consistently high calibre, ferociously hard-working, intensely motivated litigation boutique. Despite relatively modest size they are capable of handling the biggest and most complex disputes, enabling them to compete with some of the heaviest hitters in the market.’

‘Matt Robertson is an exceptional up-and-coming associate.’

Key clients

Antoine Massad

The liquidators of Kidman Asset Management Ltd (in liquidation),

9089900 Canada Inc.

Work highlights

  • Acting for one of multiple defendants in the multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security against a host of banks and other financial institutions and certain of their current and former employees.
  • Acting for liquidators on behalf of a purported asset management vehicle, whose clients were the victims of a sophisticated fraud carried out by its owner pursuing recovery against banks and other entities that may have enabled the fraud.
  • Acted for a Canadian company in proceedings against a UAE-incorporated company and a guarantor, seeking payment of a debt and interest pursuant to a loan facility agreement and an accompanying guarantee, with a settlement reached in 2023.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium Tier 5

Active in international disputes, Seladore Legal‘s focus ranges from contractual disputes to fraud and breaches of trust, handling cases with significant cross-border dimensions. ‘Very experienced litigator’ Simon Bushell leads the practice; his cross-border commercial disputes experience is concentrated in matters related to Russia, Ukraine and the CIS region. Gareth Keillor boasts an impressive roster of international clients and regularly litigates in cases involving offshore jurisdictions. Also an expert on Russian and CIS-related matters, the ‘very bright’ Kevin Kilgour excels in joint venture and shareholder disputes. Daniel Hudson joined the firm in April 2023 to head the white-collar and regulatory disputes practices.

Practice head(s):

Simon Bushell

Other key lawyers:

Kevin Kilgour; Gareth Keillor; Gary Milner-Moore; Daniel Hudson; Afzalah Sarwar; Owen Hammond; Jade Hu; Matt Robertson;

Testimonials

‘Simon Bushell has seen it all and brings a wealth of experience and energy to all his matters.’

‘Gareth Keillor is very clever, very creative, commercial and pragmatic. Kevin Kilgour is super easy to work with, gets stuck in, and always probes the right points Simon Bushell is fab on central strategy and runs a fab team.’

‘I am working with four lead partners – Simon Bushell, Gary Milner-Moore, Kevin Kilgour and Gareth Keillor. They are exceptionally experienced and able; and offer a stand-out small firm flexibility to top tier disputes.’

‘The best boutique firm, which makes them probably the best overall. They only have the highest calibre.’

‘Kevin Kilgour and Gareth Keillor are star partners; both combining superb technical ability and experience with excellent case management and focus on their clients’ wider strategic objectives. Formidable opponents in any case. Matt Robertson is an exceptional up-and-coming associate.’

‘Kevin Kilgour – very bright lawyer who has client’s true interest at heart. Highly reliable. Matt Robertson – superb associate / young lawyer.’

‘We have dealt mainly with Simon Bushell, a founding partner of Seladore. Simon is very demanding but also not over risk-averse like some lawyers and very much focused on results from our investigations. He is passionate too in defence and execution of his client’s case.’

‘Simon Bushell – very experienced litigator. Can be aggressive when he needs to be but also is commercially very astute. Kevin Kilgour – a very experienced litigator who adopts a thoughtful, detailed and measured approach to his cases. Gareth Keillor – likewise a very experienced litigator who adopts a detailed and collaborative approach to his cases.’

Key clients

SGS Group / Ziyavudin Magomedov

Whiteleave Holdings Limited & Vladimir Potanin

Antoine Massad

His Excellency, President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi of Mozambique

Sian Participation Corp (in liquidation)

Mossley Trading Limited

9089900 Canada Inc

Tariq Hamoodi

Work highlights

  • Acting for companies in the SGS Group in a very high-stakes, multi-billion-dollar, multi-pronged dispute concerning control of a major Russian company, FESCO.
  • Acting for Vladimir Potanin and one of his corporate vehicles in High Court proceedings brought by Rusal relating to a shareholders agreement concerning Norilsk Nickel.
  • Instructed by one of multiple defendants in relation to a multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS), against the late Fahad Al-Rajaan and others.

Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 6

Seladore Legal focuses on high-stakes, cross-border disputes, as well as enforcement matters. Notably active in LCIA cases, the specialist disputes boutique houses experts in conflicts arising out of Russia, Ukraine and the CIS. It also assists with cases that require the coordination of legal action in offshore jurisdictions, in support of claims being pursued in England. Simon Bushell regularly acts in significant arbitral proceedings, while Kevin Kilgour represents clients from the technology, telecoms, logistics, banking, and real estate sectors.

Practice head(s):

Simon Bushell

Other key lawyers:

Kevin Kilgour; Gary Milner-Moore; Richard Ellison; Jade Hu

Testimonials

‘Boutique practice with very heavy partner commitment.’

‘Exceptionally experienced and able – offers a standout small-firm flexibility to top-tier disputes.’

‘At the very top of the tree.’

‘Few other firms have such high-quality partners so actively involved in the day-to-day running of cases so as to ensure stellar outcomes.’

‘Led by Simon Bushell, Seladore Legal is a boutique firm that is very responsive and extremely effective.’

Work highlights

  • Acting for the respondent in an LCIA Arbitration, which concerns a contract for the design and commissioning of a metals refinery.
  • Acted for an LNG client in a supply obligation-related dispute with an oil major.
  • Acted for a professional football club in relation to a claim for lost earnings by a former loan player, who alleged that the club was obliged to acquire him permanently.

Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)

Former Herbert Smith Freehills LLP partner Daniel Hudson now leads the sanctions offering at specialist disputes firm Seladore Legal.

Seladore Legal > Firm Profile

Seladore Legal is a London-headquartered law firm specialising in complex, cross-border litigation and international arbitration. The firm’s partners include some of London’s most experienced and acclaimed litigators who have worked on many of the biggest commercial disputes of recent years.

The firm does not undertake transactional work, leaving it able to pursue claims where necessary against large financial institutions, multinational corporations and government entities as the case may be. It takes a focused, partner-driven approach, developing and pursuing effective solutions for clients faced with the most difficult and challenging problems.

Seladore Legal was founded in 2020 by highly experienced former Herbert Smith Freehills lawyers Simon Bushell and Gareth Keillor. Simon spent 26 years at Herbert Smith Freehills, having established its Russia and CIS disputes practice and led its civil fraud team. He subsequently became Chair of the Litigation Department at Latham & Watkins in London. All of Seladore’s partners have trained and worked at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Seladore has a vast wealth of collective experience at all levels of the English higher courts and the team are veterans of complex multijurisdictional disputes, with wide experience of coordinating parallel cross-border litigations, and proceedings before a number of courts. The firm also has considerable experience in acting for clients under all major sets of arbitration rules, including LCIA, ICC, ZCC, SCC, DIAC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, OHADA, TAI and others.

The firm also has a corporate crime, internal investigations, & regulatory practice led by specialist partner Dan Hudson. This complements Seladore’s already well-established practice in civil fraud, with the recoveries of assets and damages arising from bribery, corruption and other forms of misappropriation having a significant overlap with criminal and regulatory issues.

Seladore’s unique white collar crime capability enables it to manage an issue with discretion from the moment it is first identified internally. Being an unconflicted specialist firm, Seladore combines heavyweight forensic skills, astute judgment and the level of independence necessary for companies to maintain the trust of investors, regulators, and other stakeholders throughout the process. The firm has genuine expertise in  navigating the interplay between potentially competing civil and criminal processes and dealing with the relevant criminal investigatory and prosecution authorities.

The firm continued its strong growth in 2024, working on some of the biggest cases to ever pass through the commercial courts and expanding its high-calibre team.

2024 also saw the arrival of Laurence (Larry) Shore as partner at Seladore. Larry, who joined from a leading Italian law firm, is a distinguished international arbitration practitioner with a wealth of expertise, and heads Seladore’s newly-opened Milan office.

Cases

The team at Seladore is working in some of the largest and most complex disputes of the year. These include:

  • Representing jailed Russian businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov in his $13.8 million UMC claim brought against TPG, DP World and various Russian state interests. It is the largest claim ever brought in the High Court of England and Wales outside the collective redress regime. Seladore has also acted for Mr Magomedov in ligation and arbitration around the world as he pursues damages following the unlawful dismantling of his business empire.
  • Successfully acting for the President of Mozambique in relation to claims stemming from the so-called ‘Tuna Bond’ case brought by the Republic of Mozambique against Privinvest, with allegations of bribery and collusion against the state following the issuing of loans to fund projects in the region.
  • Acting for Kidman Asset Management (in liquidation) as it seeks to recoup funds on behalf of creditors of a fraudulent company run by London-based Italian financier Massimo Bochicchio.

 

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior Partner Simon Bushell [email protected] +44 (0)20 4526 9306

Staff Figures

Partners : 6
Other legal staff : 22

Languages

Russian
Arabic
Mandarin
Portuguese