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
Barrister specialising in commercial litigation with an emphasis in aviation, trade finance, banking, (re)/insurance and arbitration. In aviation regularly represents manufacturers, airlines, insurers, financiers and leasing parties in a wide range of aviation matters dealing with: aircraft leasing, jurisdiction and air disaster, aviation insurance/reinsurance and regulatory work.
Notable cases include: Celestial v UniCredit (letter of credit and Russia sanctions dispute); DAE v War Risks Insurers (Aircraft reinsurance dispute arising from Russian invasion of Ukraine); FWA v VietJet (Aircraft repossession dispute); Qatar Airways v Airbus (aircraft delivery / product liability dispute); Wilmington Trust v SpiceJet (frustration of aircraft lease); Airbus v Generali (jurisdiction/title to sue); Re:Thomas Cook (in liquidation) (airline licensing); Re:Monarch Airways (in administration) (judicial review of airport slot allocation); LAIL and OTS v Maroil (joint venture/shareholder dispute concerning reflective loss) Petrosaudi v Novo Banco (banking / letter of credit); Alpstream v PK and GECAS (aircraft finance); Involnert v Aprilgrange and others (insurance moral hazard); Lipton v BA CityFlyer (SC) (UK Reg 261 rights); Jet 2 v Huzar (CA) (EC Reg 261 rights); Blue Sky v Chartis & Others (insurance dispute concerning Iranian sanctions); PK v Mahan (arrest of aircraft and enforcement of judgment); Kibris v SoS and Republic of Cyprus (review of right to fly from UK); acting in Bermuda Form and other international arbitration disputes).
Career
Called 1990; Inner Temple; called to the British Virgin Islands Bar 1999; Silk 2010.
Publications: contributor to ‘Carriage by Air’ (2000); Bullen and Leake and Jacob’s ’Precedents of Pleadings’ (19th edition), Halsbury’s Laws “Aviation” (2017, 5th edition) and ‘Commercial Court Procedure’.
Languages
Working French.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- '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.'