Profile
Position
As part of a broad Chancery-Commercial practice, Daniel Lightman KC often engages with challenging and novel issues of law and civil procedure, in particular concerning shareholder disputes (he has appeared in many landmark unfair prejudice petitions and derivative claims), company law (including in matrimonial proceedings), insolvency, civil fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and professional negligence.
Shortlisted for Company/Insolvency Silk of the year for the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Awards 2024, and previously recognised as one of The Lawyer magazine’s “Hot 100 Lawyers”, he is described by Chambers & Partners as “always [seeking] to find solutions to issues. He does creative and clever work… A man with a brilliant mind, who is really knowledgeable in his field”. Recent significant cases include East Riding of Yorkshire Council as Administrating Authority of the East Riding Pension Fund v KMG [2025] EWCA Civ 1137 and [2025] Bus LR 1214; In re BHS Group Ltd (in liquidation) [2025] Bus LR 1639 and [2024] 1 BCLC 71; Re Contingent and Future Technologies Ltd [2024] 2 BCLC 358; Re Klimvest plc [2023] 1 BCLC 388; Taylor Goodchild Ltd v Taylor [2022] 2 BCLC 27; Re Prospect Place (Wimbledon) Management Co Ltd [2022] BCC 1176; and King v Stiefel [2022] 1 All ER (Comm) 990.
Ranked in Tier 1 for Company law in both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK, he is a co-author of two leading practitioner textbooks, contributing two chapters (on derivative claims and unfair prejudice petitions) to Joffe et al., Minority Shareholders: Law, Practice & Procedure (OUP, 7th Ed, 2024) and three chapters to Lightman & Moss, The Law of Receivers and Administrators of Companies (6th Ed, 2017). Other recent publications include: ‘Non-members and s 994 petitions: a novel approach’ (NLJ, 31 May 2024), ’The rule in Clayton’s Case: its application in non-banking relationships’ (BJIBFL, May 2024), ‘The light at the end of the tunnel and the last throw of the die: liquidators’ claims against former directors following Sequana’ (IIRR 2023-24) and ’Pleading Issues: Pick Your Battles’ (NLJ, 27 January 2023).
Career
Called to the Bar 1995. King's Counsel 2016.
Memberships
ACTAPS; Chancery Bar Association; COMBAR; Family Law Bar Association; Insolvency Lawyers’ Association; PNBA.
Education
Magdalen College, Oxford (BA Hons, Double First, Literae Humaniores); City University (Dip Law with Distinction). Hardwicke, Mansfield and Denning Scholar of Lincoln's Inn.
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