Mr Ben Harding > Kings Chambers > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile
Kings Chambers Offices
36 YOUNG STREET
MANCHESTER
M3 3FT
England
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Mr Ben Harding
Position
Ben practises in all aspects of commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Most of his work is in the Business and Property Courts and he regularly appears across the Northern, North-Eastern and Midlands Circuits and in London.
Within his broad commercial practice Ben has developed specialisms (detailed further below) in contract disputes, company and shareholder matters, insurance, insolvency, professional negligence and construction. He also has a growing sports law practice, having acted for a number of football clubs.
Ben approaches every instruction with intellectual rigour, attention to detail, commercial pragmatism and speed. His attitude is that cases are won on the facts and lost on the law, so it is essential to identify and analyse the key issues early to achieve the best result for his client. He is also aware of the ever-pressing need to give a firm, clear view on prospects, for the benefit of the client and insurer/funder.
Ben acts predominantly as sole Counsel and has been led by chambers’ silks on a number of occasions. His clients span the range from large corporations and institutions to private individuals, and the subject matter ranges from multi-million-pound claims and injunctions to his client’s home
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association
Professional Negligence Bar Association
Northern Chancery Bar Association
Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
British Irish Commercial Bar Association
Education
Balliol College Oxford) – BA (Hons) Literae Humaniores – First Class 1998 – 2002
City University – CPE/PGDL 2004 – 2004
BPP Law School – BVC 2005 – 2005
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation
Kings Chambers handles large-scale commercial disputes for national clients with ease, and is praised as ‘the pre-eminent set in Manchester for valuable commercial litigation’. Its members are well-equipped to expertly handle cases in domestic and international courts and arbitral venues. It is home to Andrew Grantham KC, who boasts expertise in a range of commercial disputes, and David Casement KC is another active silk in this arena. Lesley Anderson KC is a notable name who has appeared before the Supreme Court several times over the last few years. Among the juniors Martin Budworth acted for the claimant in Oakwell v BFC Investment Company, which concerned a claim for several million in unpaid consideration pursuant to Chinese-American investors purchasing Barnsley Football Club. Ben Harding has an increasingly active practice in the injunctive work space, while Aidan Reay is noted for his frequent appearances in the High Court. Neil Berragan predominantly appears before the business and property courts and is often sought after for urgent interim applications. He is acting for the claimant in Kip McGrath Global Pty Ltd v Justine & Colin Gray and KMM Learning LLP, which concerns an Australian company claiming for the breach of a franchise agreement, and an interim injunction was successfully obtained to prevent the defendant from further breaching non-compete covenants.
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Company and insolvency
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Ben Harding – Kings Chambers ‘Ben is cerebral, detailed, analytical, and he treads with authority and intellect in all aspects of his commercial litigation practice. He is able to tailor his work and input according to the commercial circumstances and the relative importance of the matter on the client’s agenda, and he is responsive and dedicated.’
Praised as ‘the pre-eminent set in Manchester for valuable company litigation’, Kings Chambers is home to Lesley Anderson KC, who has appeared several times before the Supreme Court, and David Casement KC, who successfully represented the respondents in Brown v Graham, a shareholder dispute surrounding allegations of unfairly prejudicial conduct arising from the termination of a director. Louis Doyle KC is a specialist personal and corporate insolvency silk, while Mark Harper KC and Andrew Grantham KC are both strong in shareholder disputes. Martin Budworth and Ben Harding are notable juniors in this area; Budworth acted for the plaintiff in Durose v Waterland & ors, a £25m unfair prejudice petition arising from allegations that Dutch private equity investors unlawfully flooded the board and subsequently diluted the shareholding.