Prof Jonathan Harris KC KC > Serle Court > London, England > Barrister Profile
Serle Court Offices
6 NEW SQUARE, LINCOLN'S INN
LONDON
WC2A 3QS
England
- Set Profile
- Go to...
Prof Jonathan Harris KC KC
Position
Professor Jonathan Harris KC (Hon.) practises in all core areas of commercial and chancery litigation. He has a pre-eminent reputation in the field of private international law and specialises in cross-border disputes (particularly disputes raising issues of jurisdiction, arbitration, anti-suit injunctions, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and choice of law- both under the European legislation and the common law rules). He also specialises in offshore litigation. He has also drafted firewall and asset protection legislation for a number of offshore jurisdictions (including BVI and Gibraltar).
Jonathan is joint general editor (with Lord Collins of Mapesbury) of the leading work Dicey, Morris and Collins, The Conflict of Laws (and is also responsible for eleven chapters).
Jonathan was instructed for the successful appellant in the Privy Council in Hutcheson v Spread Trustees, a case concerning trustee exemption clauses in Guernsey. He was also instructed for the successful respondent in the landmark Supreme Court case of Granatino v Radmacher on pre-nuptial agreements.
He has been instructed in landmark offshore cases including Charman v Charman and Mubarak v Mubarak.
Jonathan also regularly provides expert opinions on English law for foreign proceedings as well as on the law of offshore jurisdictions.
Jonathan is a member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law. He was legal advisor to the Ministry of Justice in negotiations on the EU Succession Regulation. He gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee on the implications of Brexit for cross-border dispute resolution.
He is author of The Hague Trusts Convention and co-author of International Sale of Goods in the Conflict of Laws. He has also contributed to two editions of Underhill and Hayton, Law of Trusts and Trustees and to Benjamin’s Sale of Goods (8th edition). He is co-editor of the Journal of Private International Law, joint general editor of the Oxford Private International Law Series and an editorial board member of Trusts and Trustees. He is a member of STEP and honorary member of ACTAPS.
Jonathan also holds the position of Professor of International Commercial Law at King’s College, London on a part-time basis; and is Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford and Harris Manchester College, Oxford. He has previously been Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore and Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Jonathan’s practice was the subject of a profile in the New Law Journal.
Career
Qualified 2006, Lincoln’s Inn. Silk 2016.
Languages
French, German.
Memberships
Member of LCIA; member, STEP; honorary member, ACTAPS; Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on private international law; Advisory Council, British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
Education
Portsmouth Grammar School; Jesus College Oxford (1994 BA; 1995 BCL; 1998 MA); Birmingham University (2002 PhD); Harris Manchester College, Oxford.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Private wealth and probate
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Jonathan Harris KC –Serle Court ‘Jonathan is exceptionally clever. He is the absolute go-to barrister for any conflicts of law issues. He is on top of all the details and can draft clear and compelling documents.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 6Jonathan Harris KC – Serle Court ‘Jonathan is an expert in cross-border jurisdiction issues, including on the enforcement of English court orders. His work is of very high quality and he is responsive and thoughtful to comments and questions.’
Serle Court offers a ‘broad range of experience and deep experience’ and is particularly reputed for its commercial Chancery experience. For example, Rupert Reed KC successfully defended Princess Aljawharah Bint Ibrahim Abdulaziz Alibrahim in the Chancery Division against property claims in London made by the Asturion Foundation, which involved complex issues of Liechtenstein, Saudi, and Islamic laws. Hugh Norbury KC continues to represent the claimant in Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan others, a case concerning alleged bribery of the former Director General of Kuwait’s public pension fund, a claim exceeding $1bn. In Privatbank v PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jonathan Harris KC is defending the auditor’s Ukrainian entity against allegations of responsibility breaches that resulted in the bank’s significant capital shortfall. Additionally, Sophie Holcombe is representing the beneficiaries of a Singapore trust in a dispute against Credit Suisse Trust, alleging fraudulent mismanagement of a high-value investment portfolio.
The English Bar Offshore > Trusts and private wealth
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Jonathan Harris KC – Serle Court ‘Jonathan is simply the best in his field.’
The English Bar Offshore > Commercial disputes
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Jonathan Harris KC – Serle Court ‘Jonathan’s expertise in private international law and cross-border issues is unparalleled. He is spectacularly bright with a superb ability to distil very complex law into comprehensible advice, and if he is on your side you know you are getting the right advice.’