Seladore Legal > London, England > Firm Profile
Seladore Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings
Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil Tier 4
Established in 2020, Seladore Legal is a specialist disputes firm with a focus on civil fraud and asset tracing, money laundering, bribery, corruption, breaches of trust and fiduciary duty. Simon Bushell
leads the practice, leveraging 30 years’ experience of acting for private equity houses and financial institutions, banks, corporates and high-net-worth individuals.
Practice head(s):
Simon Bushell
Other key lawyers:
Gary Milner-Moore; Gareth Keillor; Kevin Kilgour
Testimonials
‘Agile firm punching well above its weight.’
‘Gareth Keillor brings strength of knowledge and experience to the team’s offering and has excellent judgement.’
‘Great team of very high calibre ex-City form litigators who form a tight-nit and truly superb litigation outfit: quick off the mark and unerring in getting the best result for clients.’
‘Simon Bushell is a star lead partner. Gary Milner-Moore and Kevin Kilgour are litigators of the very highest calibre both for legal advice and litigation tactics.’
‘Seladore are a boutique practice specialising in fraud and bring an enormous skill and experience to that sector in particular at partner level’
‘Simon Bushell brings a career’s experience; and Gary Miler Moore, Gareth Keillor and Kevin Kilgour are immensely hard working, able, insightful litigators.’
‘Superb specialist international civil fraud practice, packed with brilliant litigators who trained and practiced at major City law firms. Feared and respected by opponents with major assignments and cases to its name. Partners run cases from start to finish, working seamlessly and efficiently in lean and focused teams with fantastic juniors and the pick of the commercial Bar. No hierarchies and formalities – a powerhouse in the field of civil fraud litigation.’
‘Simon Bushell is a huge force in the field of civil fraud. Widely known in the market and immensely hard-working, he has seen it all in the world of cross-border fraud, asset-tracing and insolvency. He knows where the bodies are buried and he digs them up ruthlessly. He feared operator, you want to have him and his team in your corner.’
Key clients
Antoine Massad
Paul Allen / FRP Advisory
SGS / Ziyavudin Magomedov
DTEK Renewables
Sian Participation Corp (in liquidation) / Hellicorp Investments Limited
A high-net-worth individual
The liquidators of Kidman Asset Management Ltd (in liquidation), a BVI company
A shareholder of a challenger bank
Gulfvin Investment Ltd
Work highlights
- Instructed by one of multiple defendants in relation to the huge multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS), against Fahad Al-Rajaan and others.
- Acting for the-court appointed representative of the Russian bankruptcy manager of a Russian bankrupt, pursuing asset recovery processes to identify, secure and realise assets – a case involving significant civil fraud expertise within a broader insolvency context.
- Acting for companies in the SGS Group in a very high-stakes (US$1bn+), multi-pronged dispute concerning control of a major Russian company, FESCO.
Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail Tier 5
Seladore Legal is, for one client, ‘probably the best boutique practice to litigate for investors in massive cases’, with the team focusing on fraud and asset tracing as well as enforcement disputes. The nature of the firm allows the team to routinely act on the claimant side against multinational and state-owend institutions. Head of the team and highly commended Simon Bushell brings a ‘career’s worth of experience’ to a practice that also counts Gary Milner-Moore, Gareth Keillor, and Kevin Kilgour as key contacts.
Practice head(s):
Simon Bushell
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Probably the best boutique practice to litigate for investors in massive cases – they have the toughest litigators around who never take a backward step.’
‘Simon Bushell, Gary Milner-Moore, Kevin Kilgour, Gareth Keillor all deserve special mention – they come together with devastating effect.’
‘Seladore is a boutique litigation firm in the financial / commercial sector and in particular the fraud space; bringing real experience, senior hands on involvement, knowledge and dedication.’
‘Simon Bushell brings a career’s worth of experience; hands on partners Gary Milner-Moore, Gareth Keilor and Kevn Kilgour bring real detailed involvement, knowledge and skill.’
Work highlights
- Acting for liquidators in seeking English law avenues of recovery on behalf of a purported asset management vehicle whose clients were the victims of a sophisticated fraud carried out by its owner.
- Acting for one of multiple defendants in a huge multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security against a host of banks and other financial institutions.
- Acting for a high-profile client in a case relating to a multi-million dollar investment in a US fund and advising on related potential claims against certain banks.
Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium Tier 5
‘Brilliant litigation boutique’ Seladore Legal acts on high-value multi-jurisdictional disputes, with specific expertise in fraud, asset tracing, and enforcement disputes. ‘Tenacious lawyer’ Simon Bushell leads the ‘strong legal team with excellent technical capabilities’, regularly acting for large corporates, private equity houses, and financial institutions. Also of note are ‘immensely hard-working, able, and insightful litigators’ Gary Milner-Moore, Gareth Keillor, and Kevin Kilgour. Practice head(s):
Simon Bushell
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Seladore is a boutique practice specialising in commercial litigation in particular in fraud and brings an enormous skill and experience to that sector, in particular at partner level’.
‘A brilliant litigation boutique, packed with hand-picked litigators who trained and practiced at big City firms, Seladore offers a superb commercial disputes resolution service with lean, partner-led teams who work with the pick of the commercial Bar. Punches massively above its weight.
‘Senior partner Simon Bushell is a hugely experienced litigator, who has seen it all. An expert in cross-border civil fraud. asset tracing and complex multi-jurisdictional disputes, he is a force to be reckoned with and feared by opponents’
‘Simon Bushell – tenacious lawyer. Kevin Kilgour – safe pair of hands. Gareth Keillor – strong legal mind.’
‘Strong legal team with excellent technical capabilities and commercial lawyers’.
‘Small but agile firm punching well above its weight’.
‘Gareth Keillor litigates and arbitrates with intensity and deep analytical insight, whilst remaining charming to deal with. He is across every detail and drives hard on behalf of his clients.’
‘Simon Bushell brings a career’s experience, and Gary Miler Moore, Gareth Keilor and Keving Kilgour are immensely hard-working, able, and insightful litigators’
Key clients
Ziyavudin Magomedov
Antoine Massad
Liquidators of Kidman Asset Management Ltd
DTEK
Sian Participation Corp
Whiteleave
Group of shareholders
Diana McFadzean
Gulfvin
Work highlights
- Acting for companies in the SGS Group in a very high-stakes (US$1bn+), multi-pronged dispute concerning control of a major Russian company, FESCO.
- Instructed by one of multiple defendants in relation to the huge multi-party fraud claim brought by the Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS), against Fahad Al-Rajaan and others.
- Acting for a shareholder in an unfair prejudice dispute concerning a challenger bank.
Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 7
Specialist disputes firm Seladore Legal is experienced in handling significant arbitrations, particularly LCIA cases. The group also has notable expertise in arbitral challenges before the English courts. Senior partner Simon Bushell has longstanding experience in Russia and CIS-related disputes, while Kevin Kilgour's broad commercial disputes practice encompasses arbitration work. Practice head(s):
Simon Bushell
Other key lawyers:
Gary Milner-Moore; Kevin Kilgour; Gareth Keillor; Afzalah Sarwar; Owen Hammond; Richard Ellison
Testimonials
‘They have assembled a formidable line-up of star partners from City firms who are now able to drive home their talent in this more niche firm, which is defter and quicker than many others.’
‘Seladore is a boutique practice specialising in commercial and fraud litigation, particularly in the international arbitration space.’
‘Enormous skill and experience, particularly at partner level.’
‘Simon Bushell brings a career’s experience; and Gary Milner-Moore, Gareth Keillor and Kevin Kilgour are immensely hardworking, able, insightful litigators.’
Work highlights
- Represented the defendant in YDU v SAB, successfully resisting a s.68 challenge to an arbitral award.
- Representing the claimant in an LCIA arbitration, relating to the breach of a share purchase agreement for a company operating in the petrochemicals sector.
- Acting for the claimant in an LCIA arbitration, in relation to control of a joint venture company that owns a significant stake in a major Russian ports/infrastructure company.
Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
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 the firm 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.
The firm continued its strong growth in 2023 working on some of the biggest cases to ever pass through the commercial courts, expanding its high-calibre team and moving into new offices.
2023 also saw the arrival of partner Dan Hudson, who was formerly at Herbert Smith Freehills. Dan spearheads Seladore’s unique corporate crime, investigations, & regulatory practice. 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 better navigate the interplay between potentially competing civil and criminal processes and deal with the relevant criminal investigatory and prosecution authorities.
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 | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Partner | Simon Bushell | simon.bushell@seladorelegal.com | +44 (0)20 4526 9306 |
Solicitor Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Simon Bushell | Senior Partner | View Profile |
|
Daniel Hudson | Partner | View Profile |
|
Gareth Keillor | Partner | View Profile |
|
Kevin Kilgour | Partner | View Profile |
|
Gary Milner-Moore | Partner | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Partners : 5 Other legal staff : 16Languages
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Meeting the challenges of complex civil fraud in 2022
The new year is a good time to reflect, and as Seladore Legal enters 2022 at frenetic pace – having concluded a trial in early December 2021, and another due to start in early February – it occurs to me: has there ever been a better time to be practising complex commercial litigation, and in …