Rhys Novak > Charles Russell Speechlys LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Charles Russell Speechlys LLP Offices

5 FLEET PLACE
LONDON
EC4M 7RD
England
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Rhys Novak

Work Department
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Energy & Natural Resources, Financial Services, Private Wealth
Position
Rhys is a dispute resolution specialist with considerable experience across a broad range of corporate and commercial disputes, including breach of contract, shareholder, fraud, tax, professional negligence and warranty claims. He also has a particular specialism in corporate fraud and crime issues, including advising businesses on protecting themselves, their officers and employees from bribery and corruption.
Clients include corporates and individuals, whether based in the UK or abroad. Rhys represents a broad range of companies – from multinationals and financial services firms to family-owned entrepreneurial businesses. He also has experience of advising and representing ultra-high net worth and high net worth individuals both on personal matters, regulatory matters and matters concerning their businesses.
Rhys is admitted to practise in England and Wales.
Experience highlights:
- Representing an engineering company on its defence of a US$146 million claim concerning its investment in a Tanzanian power plant. This work included a multi-jurisdictional battle involving proceedings in England, Tanzania, New York and the Netherlands
- Representing MasterCard UK Members Forum Limited (in members’ voluntary liquidation) on 15 claims brought by high profile retailers concerning the alleged anti-competitive effects of interchange fees on credit card payments
- Representing a tech entrepreneur on a contractual claim for £21 million with a successful arbitral award and assisting with enforcement in the UK, Jersey and the BVI.
- Representing leading stockbrokers in defending a £16.5m professional negligence claim concerning complex options trading strategies
Lawyer Rankings
London > Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
Charles Russell Speechlys LLP‘s ‘fraud team has an amazing skillset and wide-ranging technical competence and expertise’. The London team regularly pursues and defends large-scale civil fraud claims (and related asset recovery actions) across multiple jurisdictions. It also carries out investigations where clients (including insolvency office holders) suspect they are victims to wrongdoing. The group additionally has extensive experience in obtaining and resisting emergency relief in relation to cross-border fraud cases, including freezing orders, injunctions, and search orders, and it liaises with criminal authorities and law enforcement agencies where appropriate. The practice’s client base ranges from multinational businesses, regulators, central banks and governments, to corporate investors, insolvency practitioners, and HNW individuals and their family offices. Team head Stewart Hey handles a range of cross-border fraud disputes and investigations; Charlotte Pender‘s track record encompasses high-value banking and fraud cases; Caroline Greenwell‘s disputes work covers misrepresentations, wrongful acts, civil fraud asset tracing, and bribery and corruption allegations; and Rhys Novak ‘vigorously seeks to advance his client’s interests’. Other key team members are Abigail Rushton, Lucy Wicksteed and Peter Carlyon, who all act in multi-jurisdictional fraud cases.
London > Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
Charles Russell Speechlys LLP fields an ‘extremely dedicated team that goes the extra mile for clients’. With the majority of the group’s caseload containing international elements, the 42-strong commercial dispute resolution’s practice represents private banks, corporations, regulators, foreign governments, celebrities and ultra-HNW individuals in major disputes. It has notable experience in company and shareholder-related disputes, as well as sector expertise in technology, engineering, telecoms, sports, and financial services, along with mining, energy, aviation, professional services and retail. Charlotte Pender ‘leads the team brilliantly‘; Stewart Hey is the firm’s fraud, asset recovery and investigations head; Rhys Novak‘s commercial and corporate disputes practice covers fraud, bribery, sanctions and financial services; and Edward Craig is ‘a highly experienced and capable litigator‘. The second line of key practitioners includes Caroline Greenwell, who is experienced in multi-jurisdictional disputes and financial crime investigations; Lucy Wicksteed, who focuses on financial services and fraud; Abigail Rushton, whose experience includes obtaining worldwide freezing orders; and ‘incredibly hard-working and talented litigator’ Lin Boutong.
Lawyer Rankings
- Commercial litigation: mid-market London > Dispute resolution
- Fraud: civil London > Crime, fraud and licensing
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Family
- Employment > Immigration: personal
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Private client > Court of protection
- Private client > Family: mediation
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Employment > Immigration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Real estate > Residential property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Industry focus > Emerging markets
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – small-mid cap
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- Real estate > Planning
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- Employment > Senior executives
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
- Real estate > Property finance
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Employment > Employers
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £500m)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition