As 'a top class chambers in commercial litigation', Fountain Court Chambers continues to impress with its routine involvement in prominent commercial disputes. The team regularly appears before the Commercial Court, the Chancery Division, and in international commercial arbitration cases. Notably, multiple members of the set represented various parties in the longrunning Russian Aircraft litigation, regarding whether aircraft expropriated by the Russian Federation, following its invasion of Ukraine and subsequent imposition of sanctions on the country, are considered permanently lost, and whether the loss is attributable to a war risk or an all-risk insured policy. The case included David Railton KC, Simon Atrill KC, Adam Sher, Ian Bergson and others appeared for Lloyds Insurance Company, and Akhil Shah KC leading the advice to Tokio Marine and HDI. The Commercial Court ruled that the aircraft were lost on 10 March 2022, and the proximate cause of the loss was Russian Government Resolution 311, which banned the return from Russia of leased aircraft and engines to Western lessors. The ban qualified as 'restraint' and/or 'detention' within the meaning of war risks perils, meaning the loss is covered under the war risk insurance and excluded under the all-risk insurance. In March 2025, Alex Barden KC and Rupert Allen KC were appointed to silk.
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Profile
Position
Alex’s practice covers a wide range of commercial disputes, especially corporate and insolvency, banking, fund and LLP law, group actions and civil fraud. He has particular experience of complex litigation and arbitration involving financial institutions, often with an international element or a regulatory dimension. His clients include institutions, funds, listed companies, government bodies, litigation funders and high net worth individuals.
Recent cases include acting for the successful claimants in the EUR 1.2 billion Argentina Sovereign Debt litigation, for Italian oil giant Eni in its successful defence of a $1 billion bribery claim, and proceedings arising from the merger of brokers Tullett Prebon and ICAP.
He has appeared as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and in multiple Commercial Court trials, including for challenger bank Zopa and for hedge fund Cerberus.
Alex is currently acting in the US FDIC’s cartel claim against the LIBOR panel banks, in FSMA s.90A claims against Reckitt Benckiser, and in civil fraud proceedings for the recovery shares in French fashion conglomerate SMCP.
Alex has particular experience in the field of financial institutions, having acted for the institutional claimants in the £4 billion RBS Rights Issue Litigation, for Kaupthing Bank, and for structured finance creditors in the insolvencies of Lehman Brothers and MF Global.
He is also prominent in the specialist company and insolvency field, having acted in the Edwardian Hotels shareholder dispute, in the Stobart Group boardroom dispute and in the Liontrust and Marathon fund litigation.
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Testimonials
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- 'Alex Taylor is a legend; he is sublime in his handling of complex and urgent issues.'
- 'First class. Alex Taylor is everything you look for in a senior clerk.'
- 'Sian Huckett and Adam Collins are both excellent and down to earth.'
- 'Faultless service from the clerks' room.'
- 'Fountain Court is an impressive chambers. It is professional, business like, and provides a very high quality service.'
- 'Fountain Court is an excellent set with good strength and depth.'
- 'Fountain Court are clearly strong in this field.'
- 'First-class set.'