One Essex Court

Harry’s practice spans the full spectrum of international commercial disputes, but centres on secrets and lies – fraud, bribery, and libel claims, especially with a conflict of laws or jurisdictional element. As part of a team, he has acted in some of the largest and most complex pieces of litigation in history, including for 1MDB, Skat, and Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs – three of them featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for the year. He regularly acts as sole counsel in the High Court and Court of Appeal, including representing MeToo complainants against prominent public figures. He also appears in offshore proceedings, tax appeals and arbitrations.

Before joining One Essex Court, Harry qualified as a solicitor in Australia in 2018; worked at a magic circle firm in London; and won the world championships of the Jessup moot, the largest and most prestigious mooting competition in the world.

Outside of work, Harry’s hobbies are more work. He maintains a lively pro bono practice (and is on the 2025 Pro Bono Recognition List), including establishing that it is not defamatory to denounce someone as the Antichrist, and making a claim of racial discrimination against Oxford University. He is one of the co-authors of the leading textbook on English court rules, Zuckerman’s Civil procedure (4th ed and 5th ed forthcoming), and sits on the General Council of the Bar. He previously taught advocacy to undergraduate mooters at Oxford University and Sydney University. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has been called to the Bar of the Republic of Ireland.

Called 2021 (England & Wales) | Solicitor 2018 (Australia)

LLB (Sydney; First Class, Medal for First Place) BCL (Oxford; Distinction)

Work highlights:

Led (in the High Court and Court of Appeal)

Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan

Defending a Swiss bank in a billion-dollar claim for bribery and money laundering brought by Kuwait’s national pension fund. One of the largest fraud disputes ever heard in the English High Court and one of The Lawyer's Top 20 Cases of the year. (Led by Camilla Bingham KC and Amy Rogers KC.)

Gorbachev v Guriev

Acting in the Court of Appeal and in permission to appeal to the Supreme Court for offshore trustees caught in a dispute between two Russian oligarchs. (Led by Richard Mott and Sam O’Leary.)

Skatteforvaltningen v Solo Capital Partners LLP

Acting for the Danish tax authorities in a £1.5 billion claim for withholding tax fraud, carried out through a complex series of swaps and derivatives. In the words of Foxton J, "one of the largest and most complex pieces of litigation to be heard in the Commercial Court" and one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of the year. (Led by Michael Fealy KC and Jamie Goldsmith KC among others.) 

Privatbank v Bogolyubov

Acting for a Ukrainian oligarch in a US$4.2 billion fraud claim brought by Ukraine’s state-owned bank. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of the year. (Led by Clare Montgomery KC.)

Bourlakova v Bourlakov

Acting for the wife of a Russian oligarch in a US$3 billion fraud claim against her estranged husband. (Led by Matthew Cook KC.)

Seahawk v Gold Dragon

Defending a Lau family entity in a US$1 billion claim in the Cayman Islands for breach of fiduciary duty. Mrs Lau (Zhang Yin) was previously the wealthiest self-made woman in the world. (Led by Graham Chapman KC.)

Confidential instruction

Acting for a FTSE-100 company in a dispute with a whistleblower and a national tabloid newspaper concerning breach of confidence and non-disclosure/non-disparagement agreements. (Led by Alexander Polley KC.)

1MDB v White & Case LLP

Assisting the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund in a billion-pound claim against a leading global law firm in the High Court of Malaya.

Various Claimants v G4S

Acting for G4S in shareholder group litigation pursuant to section 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and in criminal proceedings for fraud against former executives. (Led by Laurence Rabinowitz KC.)

FC Shipping v HMRC

Acting in the tax tribunals for a subsidiary of the Vroon Shipping Group in a dispute concerning anti-avoidance provisions. (Led by Julian Ghosh KC.)

As sole counsel (in the High Court and Court of Appeal)

Various young women v Various prominent public figures

Acting unled in MeToo claims for libel, breach of confidence, and harassment against various prominent public figures.

A journalist v An oligarch

Acting unled for a journalist and activist against a foreign oligarch represented by Carter-Ruck LLP.

R(Balakrishnan) v Oxford University & Office of Independent Adjudicator

Representing an international student alleging her wrongful exclusion from Oxford University, including on the basis of racial discrimination.

Re Festicket

Acting unled against Thomas Munby KC in a million-pound insolvency claim on behalf of creditors asserting particular funds were held on trust for them.

Hayes v Pack

Acting (including unled) for the Liberal Democrats in proceedings brought by a failed candidate for the Party’s presidency.

Ukraine/Russian sanctions

Advising parties dealing with sanctioned individuals and the supply of dual use goods following the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Previous Employment:

Office of General Counsel, Plan International (seconded from Linklaters LLP)

Assisting the General Counsel team of a US$1 billion international humanitarian and development organisation, impacting the lives of 40 million children in 77 countries each year.

Legal Adviser, Linklaters LLP

Examples of cases I have worked on include:

Visa Interchange Dispute: acting for Visa in a £2 billion competition claim. Confidential tax dispute concerning a £2 billion tax avoidance claim against a major UK bank. Confidential HKIAC arbitration concerning $300 million claim by a mining conglomerate against a state-owned enterprise in the PRC.

Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction), Magdalen College, Oxford

First place in two out of four subjects (Conflict of Laws and Trusts Tax). Associate editor, Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal. University Challenge team member, 2019-2020 season.

Bachelor of Laws (Hons I, Medal)/Bachelor of Science (Adv), University of Sydney

University medal for first place in Law. First Class Honours and High Distinction average. Prizes include Ian Joye Prize for highest GPA on graduation; Nancy Gordon Smith Prize for Honours Thesis; Outstanding Merit Scholarship; Monahan Prize for First in Evidence; University of Sydney Academic Merit Prize; James Aitken Scholarship; Walter Reid Memorial Prize; RG Henderson (NSW Bar Association) Memorial Prize; and a place on the Dean’s list. Student editor, Sydney Law Review

World Champion Mooter: international winner of the Jessup International Law Moot (Washington DC), International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (London), and Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot (Dubai).

National Champion Debater: winner of the National Schools Debating Championship, University of Western Sydney Open Debating Championship, Macquarie University Commonwealth Debating Championship, University of Technology Sydney Intervarsity Debating Championship, and Griffith University Intervarsity Debating Championship. Runner-up in the Australian Intervarsity Debating Championship.

Sydney Grammar School

ATAR 99.95; 2400/2400 on SAT reasoning and subject tests.

Undergraduate offers from Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities.

Publications:

Books

Zuckerman on Civil Procedure (Sweet & Maxwell, 4th ed, 2021 and 5th ed, forthcoming)

Journal articles

‘Perfectly Safe, Five Times out of Six: The Briginshaw Principle and Its Paradoxes’ (2019) 42(2) University of New South Wales Law Journal 376. ‘Finality and Judgments Obtained by Fraud’ (2019) 38(3) Civil Justice Quarterly 311. ‘Judicial Intervention into Political Parties’ (2020) 20(1) Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 225. ‘Against Strike-Outs for Disproportionality’ (2020) 12(1) Journal of Media Law 116. ‘The Procedural Argument Against Recovery of Lost Chances in Medical Negligence’ (2020) 49 Australian Bar Review 367. ‘The Meaning of Probative Value’ [2020] Northern Territory Law Journal 1. ‘The Uncertain Boundary Between Contract and Tort’ (2021) 137 Law Quarterly Review 222. ‘Jersey Gets in on Bilateral Investment Treaty (23 February 2021) Global Arbitration Review. ‘What Junior Solicitors Wish You Knew About Privilege Reviews’ (1 September 2021) Law Society Journal. ‘Against Renvoi in Commercial Law’ (2021) 17(3) Journal of Private International Law 524. ‘Guilt by Lottery’ (2022) 86(1) Criminal Law Journal 29. ‘Security for Costs and the False Distinction Between Claimants and Defendants’ (2022) 38(7) Construction Law Journal 474.