Signature Litigation LLP

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Lawyer & team quality

Ioannis Alexopoulos

Ioannis is a Partner at Signature’s London office specialising in international arbitration including enforcement of Awards and civil fraud, asset tracing and recovery.Ioannis is a seasoned disputes lawyer with broad experience in commercial litigation and international arbitration, including both commercial and investment treaty matters. He develops integrated strategies aligned to clients’ commercial objectives, whether asset recovery, risk containment or settlement. His work frequently involves cross border issues, with competing jurisdictions, differing governing laws and parallel proceedings.His clients include high-net-worth individuals, banks, large corporates, insurers, intermediaries, venture capital and private equity investors in the UK and internationally. He has a consistent track record in high value, complex, cross border disputes, with particular emphasis on joint venture and shareholder disputes, shareholder protection, business separations and fraud.Ioannis’s sector focus includes financial services (with emphasis on matters involving financial products, investment banking and derivatives), energy and natural resources, shipping and international trade, telecoms, IT and infrastructure projects. He has strong experience in matters connected with Central Europe, the MENA region, the CIS and former CIS countries, Sub Saharan Africa and Brazil.Ioannis is bilingual in English and Greek. He is a fluent Portuguese speaker and is also conversant in French.

Mark Beardsworth

Mark is a Partner at our London office specialising in investigations and white collar crime.Mark has a 25-year track record of successful representations of individuals and corporates in many major Serious Fraud Office investigations, including IKEA, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, LIBOR/EURIBOR, Forex, Independent Insurance, G4S Serco, Sweett Group, Barclays Qatar and Tysers Integro. He has also advised clients in relation to major prosecutions brought by the Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Financial Reporting Council.Mark has very significant experience in conducting corporate internal investigations for clients that operate across a range of industries including financial services, education, energy and infrastructure and sports and retail. He advises corporates on governance, compliance, management systems and controls, as well as on implementing policies. Mark also advises in relation to risk and governance during key corporate events including M&A and distressed situations.Much of his work involves clients facing scrutiny internationally and in complex “parallel proceedings” involving civil and regulatory litigation.He is also the author and Editor of numerous books and articles including the successful ABA Publication “An International Guide to Corporate Internal Investigations”.

Natalia Chumak

Natalia is a partner at Signature’s London office. Having joined Signature in 2013, shortly after its inception, Natalia’s current role is centred on strategic development of the firm’s international arbitration practice across all its offices, as well as on strategic legal innovations including AI. Natalia adds increased focus, depth and coordination to Signature’s international arbitration practice, whilst continuing to act as a senior adviser on selected matters where her sectorial or geographical experience provide valuable input into the case. Known for her forward thinking, she is actively involved in integrating tech and non-tech legal innovations to increase clients’ gains from legal services. With over 20 years of arbitration and litigation experience in complex and high value international disputes often involving a multijurisdictional element, Natalia has significant experience in handling arbitration disputes under the most major arbitration institutions with the primary focus on the LCIA and SCC. Natalia’s experience spans across many industry sectors including energy (oil and gas upstream, electricity/infrastructure), water, mining & natural resources, metallurgical, banking, agrotrading, construction, aviation, automobile, railway, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, manufacturing (plastics) and others. Her legal career has a strong historic foundation in acting for clients from former Soviet Republics (Ukraine, Russia, Central Asian states). Natalia has extensive experience in a variety of commercial disputes including contractual disputes arising out of SPAs and related contractual documentation, shareholders’ agreements, investment agreements, memoranda of understanding, option agreements, debt finance agreements and related security documentation, personal guarantees, partnerships (in relation to offshore private equity structures). Natalia also has extensive experience in disputes concerning asset valuation, oral high level agreements between international high net worth individuals in relation to joint investments, fraud and corruption claims and related asset tracing actions, claims arising out of liquidation of investment funds. Natalia has significant experience in both applying for and opposing the grant of freezing orders and other interim relief, jurisdictional challenges, enforcement of arbitral awards in offshore jurisdictions and related insolvency proceedings. Natalia’s experience spans across many industry sectors including energy (oil and gas upstream, electricity/infrastructure), water, mining & natural resources, metallurgical, banking, argo-trading, construction, aviation, automobile, railway, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, manufacturing (plastics) and others.

Julian Connerty

Julian has over 30 years of experience in handling the litigation, arbitration and mediation of international large scale commercial disputes, with particular expertise in international fraud, insurance industry disputes and regulatory investigations. In the area of commercial disputes Julian specialises in fraud and asset recovery actions. He has acted for and against governments, banks, insurers and individuals, and against the police and the Serious Fraud Office in matters arising out of bribery and corruption, theft, fraud, dishonesty, money laundering, and insider dealing. He has obtained and resisted freezing and restraint orders, and acted in extradition cases and requests for mutual judicial assistance. In the area of financial regulation, he has acted for regulated firms and individuals, and for and against the regulators, including the FCA and the PRA. Cases handled include breaches of the FCA principles, market abuse, perimeter breaches, fit and proper persons investigations, and disciplinary and authorisation cases, both before the High Court and the FCA’s Regulatory Decisions Committee.

Simon Fawell

Simon has more than 20 years' experience across a wide range of commercial and financial litigation and arbitration, with a particular focus on complex banking and structured finance matters. Recent cases include a high profile professional negligence claim brought on behalf of a major international bank against a magic circle law firm; a case against Credit Suisse arising from derivative notes related to Greensill exposures which would have challenged prevailing case law on the "no look through" principle in the context of bearer notes; and a multi-million pound dispute concerning the collapse of a joint venture in the energy sector. Simon's experience encompasses a broad spectrum of industries and subject areas including banking, structured finance, derivatives (particularly in the ISDA form) commercial mortgage-backed securities, asset financing, leasing, insurance and reinsurance, infrastructure, energy, private equity, private credit and funds.

Kate Gee

Kate is a Partner at Signature’s London office specialising in complex, high value, multijurisdictional commercial disputes, including product liability disputes, civil fraud, insolvency, asset tracing and recovery and enforcement of foreign judgments.With 15 years’ experience acting in cross border commercial disputes, Kate regularly represents domestic and international companies, insolvency practitioners and high-net-worth individuals, both as claimant and as defendant. Kate has a particular focus on disputes involving allegations of civil fraud and in matters requiring global asset recovery or enforcement. She has a special interest in digital assets and tech disputes.Kate has advised on all stages of litigation, from pre-action through to fully contested trials and post-judgment enforcement. When advising clients, Kate keeps the clients’ overall commercial objective at the centre of the litigation strategy. Kate also has experience of a wide range of interim applications, including applications for summary judgment, stays and adjournments, specific and third-party disclosure, security for costs, freezing injunctions, committal for contempt of court and applications for cross-examination on evidence.In 2018, Kate co-founded ACROSS Fraud, a network for fraud lawyers in London and worldwide. Kate is a member of the Fraud Lawyers’ Association, the International Bar Association (Asset Recovery Committee), and the ThoughtLeaders4FIRE community. She also co-chairs a quarterly fraud breakfast forum for civil fraud practitioners in London.

Ritwick Ghosh

Ritwick is a Counsel at Signature Litigation specialising in commercial litigation and arbitration. He has represented corporates and individuals in various sectors including banking, asset management, insurance, other professional services, energy and logistics. He has also advised governments and other public bodies. He has advised clients in response to regulatory enforcement action as well as acting for clients in cross-border litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Alasdair Glass

Alasdair has over 10 years’ experience in complex, high value commercial litigation and he has represented clients at all stages of the litigation life cycle from inception to appeals in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. His clients include banks, investment firms and high net worth individuals, as well as other international corporates. Alasdair has significant experience in disputes concerning complex financial products, breaches of fiduciary duty, fraud and bribery and contractual issues. His expertise lies primarily in the corporate (including banking and private equity), technology and energy sectors. Alasdair has acted on some of the most high-profile cases in the London disputes market, including multiple cases featured In The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of the Year”. Most of Alasdair’s cases have an international component, spanning many geographical regions including Europe (in particular the CIS), North America, Africa and the Middle East. Alasdair regularly contributes to the legal press and was one of the previous editors of the Chambers & Partners UK Litigation Global Practice Guide.

Paul Grant

Paul is a well-rounded practitioner and has a broad litigation experience having advised clients in a wide range of contentious matters. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2017 and subsequently to the Gibraltar Bar in 2019. Paul has experience in contentious trust matters and has appeared as a junior in the Chancery Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar and the Court of Appeal on matters relating to the administration of trusts and insolvency. Paul has been involved in commercial disputes touching upon construction, insurance and clinical negligence. He has also advised banks on regulatory matters and has been instructed in relation to inquests and public inquiries. Most recently, he represented Gibfibre Limited in a “first of its kind” competition law claim against Gibtelecom Limited under the (Gibraltar) Competition Act 2020. Paul also has also advised clients in relation to defamation and privacy matters, as well as landlord and tenant disputes.

Pietro Grassi

Pietro is a Counsel at Signature Litigation with significant experience in public international law, investor-State arbitration, and international commercial arbitration. He has advised and represented corporations, individuals, and States on matters of public international law before national and international courts and tribunals, as well as arbitral tribunals constituted under major arbitration rules (e.g., ICC, ICSID, LCIA, SCC, and UNCITRAL). He is also often engaged in pro bono litigation involving human rights issues. Highlights of his career so far include securing US$455 million for a US-based bottle maker in an ICSID claim against a Latin American State, and successfully obtaining provisional measurers for a politically prosecuted South American individual proceedings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Pietro is admitted to practice in both Brazil and Portugal, and he is a Registered Foreign Lawyer with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales.

Colin Grech

Colin is a Senior Associate at Signature Litigation with a broad depth of experience, having advised clients in a wide array of contentious and non-contentious matters. Whilst Colin’s main focus is on dispute resolution, his non-contentious work involves large scale corporate and transactional matters. He has previously advised on complex trust and company structures, multi-jurisdictional corporate finance transactions, having acted on both sides for clients involved in large lending facility agreements, and also provides general corporate and commercial advice to local businesses in Gibraltar. Colin’s contentious practice has involved admiralty work including ship arrests, criminal work (where he has gained ample court experience) and he has advised on disputes in the following practice areas: corporate (including unfair prejudice petitions, breach of fiduciary claims against directors and disputes between shareholders), commercial (including breaches of joint venture agreements, disputes concerning private equity funds and he continues to advise one of the largest air-conditioning manufacturers in Europe in relation to an ongoing dispute with a national supplier), construction, landlord and tenant, employment (acting for both employer and employee), contract, trade licencing and distributed ledger technology. He frequently advises clients in a broad spectrum of financial services disputes which will often include elements of regulatory work. Colin also has experience in arbitrations, both commercial and international, having acted for clients in arbitrations under the LCIA Rules and in a very large investor-State arbitration under ICSID rules (acting for the investor). Colin also has a growing insolvency practice, having successfully acted for the cell liquidator of a private cell company against a regulated trust administrator in Gibraltar. This was the first time in the jurisdiction that an administration order (and subsequently a liquidation order) was granted by the Supreme Court against a regulated trust administrator. Colin was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2010 and was subsequently called to the Gibraltar Bar in 2011.

Duncan Grieve

Duncan is a Partner, based in London, specialising in investigations and white collar crime.He has deep experience in handling cross-border investigations involving issues in foreign jurisdictions, acting for corporates, boards and individual clients, and has advised on many of the major multinational cases of the last 15 years.Duncan represents individuals subject to internal, regulatory and criminal investigation. He advises on all sensitivities and risks arising from such matters including legal, reputational and privacy issues and is attuned to the need to maintain relationships with government and regulatory authorities. He has acted for clients in relation to public enquiries and Parliamentary Select Committee appearances.He has leading experience in Brazil, Portugal and Lusophone Africa and has also handled major matters involving Russia, China, India, South Africa, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Greece, Romania, the Czech Republic, Canada and Japan.A fluent Portuguese speaker, Duncan spent two years in Brazil advising clients in investigations stemming from Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), including the negotiation of novel leniency agreements with Brazilian prosecuting authorities and regulatory agencies. His combination of fifteen years cross-border investigations experience, on-the-ground experience in Brazil and fluency in Portuguese is unique in the London market.Duncan also advises on financial sanctions and trade embargoes. He provides counsel to clients on the application of UK sanctions across a range of sectors and assists clients to comply with reporting obligations to the UK authorities, as well as handling investigations into potential sanctions breaches. He regularly delivers presentations on bribery, corruption, cross-border investigations and effective compliance strategies. He has lectured and published on these topics in the UK and Brazil, and co-authors the Brazil chapter in the ABA International Guide to Corporate Internal Investigations.

Becca Hogan

Becca specialises in high‑value, complex commercial disputes, with a particular focus on banking and financial services, securities litigation and group actions. She also advises on contentious regulatory matters, including FCA investigations. Her recent work includes representing a group of institutional investors pursuing claims exceeding £560m against Barclays Plc under FSMA s.90A, arising from alleged fraud and misconduct linked to Barclays’ liquidity dark pool. She has a long track record in securities litigation, notably acting for a large institutional and retail claimant group in the groundbreaking s.90 proceedings against the Royal Bank of Scotland and its former directors. Becca is a lead partner at Signature defending Renault in the unprecedented NOx Diesel Emissions Group Litigation. In 2024, a Group Litigation Order was made in respect of Renault—one of 14 GLOs in the Pan‑NOx Emissions Litigation, which encompasses claims by more than 1.5 million claimants against multiple manufacturers. A 10‑week technical trial is listed from October 2025. The case involves highly complex issues regarding diesel engine design and operation and requires close collaboration between Signature’s London and Paris teams. She has also acted in substantial fraud and conspiracy matters, including defending the former management of a Thai renewable energy company in a US$2bn dispute over a 19‑week trial.

Graham Huntley

Graham Huntley is a Founding Partner of Signature Litigation and a seasoned commercial and banking litigator in London. With his time at Signature and previously as a Partner in a major international law firm, Graham has over 40 years’ experience in commercial litigation.Graham has an extensive track record handling complex, high-value and cross-border mandates for a diverse client base, including banks, large corporations, high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. He hasa wide range of interest, including financial services; regulatory investigations and follow-on litigation; civil fraud, asset tracing and recovery; professional negligence, and various corporate disputes involving M&A, shareholders, joint venture and partnership disputes.He has acted in some of the most prominent and ground-breaking litigation cases in England, which have attracted significant press attention and shaped the litigation space. Graham has rights of audience in the Higher Courts of England and Wales.

Abdulali Jiwaji

Abdul is a Partner at Signature’s London office specialising in the handling of a range of commercial and financial services disputes. Abdul has over 25 years' experience conducting litigation, arbitration and contentious regulatory matters in London and Hong Kong. He represents high-net-worth individuals, corporates and financial institutions in both pursuing and defending claims. He advises on a wide range of disputes, including those arising from shareholder agreements and joint ventures, M&A transactions and product liability issues. His matters frequently involve complex insolvency and insurance issues.Abdul has significant experience of financial markets disputes, drawing on his time spent on secondment with the Compliance Team of a wholesale bank. He regularly advises on disputes involving financial products, mis-selling claims, regulatory investigations and compliance matters.Abdul is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales and holds Higher Rights of audience. He is also admitted to practise as a solicitor in Hong Kong.

Tsegaye Laurendeau

With over 15 years’ experience in international arbitrations as counsel, Tsegaye represents international corporates, States and State-owned entities in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations conducted pursuant to the arbitration rules of many of the major arbitration institutions including the LCIA, ICC, ICSID, CRCICA, HKIAC AND UNCITRAL. Tsegaye has a particular focus in disputes involving complex corporate structures, financial products, accounting and tax issues and matters relating to quantum. He has significant experience in disputes concerning joint ventures, M&A, investment funds and international financing disputes. His expertise primarily lies in the energy sector (oil and gas, nuclear), commodities, infrastructure, mining, technology and telecoms industries. Tsegaye is particularly known for his expertise in Africa, although his experience over the years spans many geographical regions including MENA, South America and Eastern Europe (former Soviet Bloc). Tsegaye also acts for sovereign states and corporations in multilateral and bilateral investment treaty disputes. He has developed an expertise in arbitrations involving complex corporate structures, financial products, accounting and tax issues and matters related to quantum. He is listed on the Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance. Tsegaye’s international arbitration practice increasingly includes appointments as arbitrator, both as sole and co-arbitrator. In January 2024, Tsegaye was appointed to the P.R.I.M.E. Finance (Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance) Panel of experts/arbitrators, an innovative international collaborative organisation with the aim of assisting with the resolution of disputes concerning complex financial products. In July 2024, Tsegaye was elected as a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court for the 2024-2027 mandate. Tsegaye is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales and the Paris Bar. He is fluent in English, Amharic and French and conversational Spanish.

Neil Newing

Neil is a Partner at Signature’s London office, specialising in international arbitration.Neil advises on high-value, multi-party and multi-jurisdictional disputes, with a particular focus on the energy sector, including oil and gas. He has acted in commercial arbitrations under LCIA, ICC, CIETAC, SIAC, SCC and the UNCITRAL Rules, as well as ad hoc proceedings. He has an equally robust investment treaty practice, representing investors, States and State-owned entities, in ICSID and ad hoc proceedings.Neil’s practice encompasses arbitration related court proceedings before the English courts, including enforcement of and challenges to awards. He has significant experience across the energy value chain (upstream, midstream and downstream), including exploration and production, joint ventures, oilfield services, pipeline transportation, product distribution and carbon emissions.Beyond energy, Neil acts in corporate and finance disputes arising from M&A transactions, shareholders’ agreements, loans and guarantees, as well as in technology, media and telecoms matters, including contractual disputes, royalty audits and rights issues disputes. He has represented clients across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the CIS.He is co-author of “International Arbitration: A Practical Guide”, a leading international arbitration textbook published by Globe Law and Business. Neil is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the ICC and the LCIA. Neil is a native English speaker and a fluent French speaker.

Tom Snelling

Tom is a Partner at Signature’s London office specialising in commercial litigation with a particular focus on fraud claims, group action and product liability claims.Tom has nearly 25 years’ experience in a wide range of complex and high value commercial disputes spanning many industry sectors – including automotive, consumer products and retail, and private equity financial services and infrastructure – and often involving multiple jurisdictions.Tom regularly acts for large corporates and on some of the most significant mandates being brought before the English High Court which attract substantial media attention. He recently represented Privinvest, an international shipbuilding group in the USD 1.3bn claim brought by the Republic of Mozambique, also known as the “Tuna Bonds” litigation, involving bribery and corruption claims, as well as various jurisdictional and state immunity challenges. Tom represented Renault in the unprecedented Pan NOx Diesel Emissions Group Litigation in England and Wales in which around 1.8 million Claimants had issued claims against car manufacturers (and others). In an extensive liability ruling in July 2026, the High Court rejected all claims against Renault. He also acts for ALDI, a global discount supermarket chain.Tom’s work is also often international in scope. In particular, he has regularly helped protect leading global consumer brands on cross-border product safety and contentious regulatory actions.Tom balances his 'mega cases' with a longstanding commitment to pro bono work. He has represented: Save the Children; someone seriously injured in the London 7/7 bombings; and the family of one of the Manchester Arena bombing victims. Tom has also brought a successful intervention in the UK Supreme Court on behalf of both the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

Daniel Spendlove

Daniel is a Partner at Signature’s London office, specialising in complex and high value commercial disputes, usually with an international focus.With over 20 years’ experience, Daniel represents both claimants and defendants in High Court English litigation and international arbitrations. Daniel’s clients include corporations, investment banks, investment funds, bondholders, industrial groups and high/ultra net worth individuals.Daniel has a particular focus in M&A disputes, litigation involving funds and other investments, joint venture and shareholder disputes, and professional negligence claims. He has been involved in some of the most significant and high profile ‘bet-the-company’ cases in the London litigation market, several of which have featured in The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of the Year.” In recent years he has handled several prominent group claims, and he works closely with a number of leading litigation funders.Daniel has litigated cases in various offshore jurisdictions (including Cayman and the Isle of Man) as well as key European jurisdictions such as France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. He is particularly experienced in advising clients from the CEE and USA.Outside of client work Daniel sits on the Litigation Committee of the City of London Law Society and is a Steering Committee member of the English-American Litigation Forum. He is regularly asked to comment on key legal issues and has been centrally involved in proposed legislative reforms affecting the litigation market. He is a Contributing Editor of “Getting the Deal Through: Complex Commercial Litigation”.

Rory Spillman

Rory is a Partner at Signature’s London office specialising in commercial and banking litigation.With nearly 15 years’ experience, Rory represents institutions, corporates, private equity firms, high-net-worth individuals, and financial entities from varying jurisdictions, focussing on complex and high value commercial and banking disputes. Rory represents clients in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.Rory has significant experience in representing large numbers of claimants in group claims against financial institutions, including claims pursuant to s. 90 and 90A Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.Rory also represents clients in complex shareholder and partnership disputes, including claims in relation to alleged breaches of fiduciary duties and subsequent accounts of profits, unfair prejudice disputes, as well as post-M&A disputes.In addition to the above areas, Rory also represents and advises clients on white-collar regulatory investigations. His experience covers FCA investigations and interviews, Upper Tribunal proceedings, and advising individuals with respect to investigations into them and their employers. This includes advising and working with legal teams in other jurisdictions (including the US) in the wider context of multi-jurisdictional regulatory, criminal and civil investigations, including SEC and DOJ proceedings.

Adriano Stagni

Adriano has particular expertise in insurance and arbitration. He regularly advises clients on dispute resolution matters within the insurance sector. Since joining Signature Litigation, Adriano has worked on several international cases involving commercial litigation, war and terrorism, dispute resolution and insurance. He is the author of Risks in International Trade Contracts. He has also published several articles with an international law focus such as, Jurisdictional Conflicts Between EU and Non-EU States: Practical Problem and Taxes in Legal Relations of Import. He is also a co-author of the article Moral versus punitive damages exposure in Latin America and Insurance Litigation – United Kingdom. Prior to joining Signature Litigation, Adriano coordinated and provided guidelines for law firms as an in-house HDI Brazilian lawyer. He also practised at Dinamarco, Rossi, Beraldo and Bedaque Advocacy where he was responsible for developing the necessary strategy of defence, attending hearings and making oral submissions in front of the Brazilian courts on behalf of his clients, who were primarily insurers. Adriano is a graduate of Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo/Brazil (PUC-SP), one of the leading law schools in Brazil, where he also obtained his Master’s Degree in International Law (2015). Adriano obtained his LLM at King’s College London where he wrote his final dissertation on Development and Market Distribution of Arbitration Institutions. Adriano is a qualified lawyer in Brazil and is also a qualified solicitor in England and Wales.

Josh Wong

Josh is a highly experienced commercial and corporate litigation and international arbitration lawyer, with a particular focus on professional negligence cases, international joint venture disputes, asset tracing and enforcement actions that involve multiple jurisdictions. He also has a successful record in toxic tort/industrial disease cases, and a strong public procurement and judicial review practice. Josh acts for a broad range of clients, including organisations active in China and South East Asia, utilising his in-depth knowledge and experience of practicing in both China and Hong Kong. He regularly acts for clients in the financial services, energy and extractive, insurance, manufacturing and retail sectors. He has extensive expertise representing clients in ad hoc arbitrations and arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA, SCC and UNCITRAL rules, and also specialises in security, asset tracing and enforcement actions involving the CIS, India, China and offshore jurisdictions such as BVI, Cayman and Belize. Josh is native Chinese and regularly speaks on issues relating to China at events organised by the China Britain Business Council, UK Trade and Investment and China Britain Law Institute.