Professional practice

Ruben is developing a broad practice encompassing commercial litigation, arbitration, and international law following the completion of his pupillage in September 2024. He has a particular interest in cases involving quantitative, technical or scientific material.

Notable cases Ruben assisted with during pupillage include:

  • Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International [2024] EWHC 1957 (Comm), a 12-week Commercial Court trial of claims worth $3 billion, involving liability for bribery and issues of state immunity (The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2023).
  • BTI v PricewaterhouseCoopers, auditor negligence claims worth €800m in connection with environmental liabilities in the US (The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024).
  • Bourlakova v Bourlakov[2024] EWHC 929 (Ch), an application for an anti-suit injunction in relation to Russian bankruptcy proceedings in the absence of a jurisdiction or arbitration agreement.
  • Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Limited, a claim arising out of a long-running fraud committed by a Credit Suisse employee, currently awaiting appeal in the Privy Council.

Ruben studied mathematics and law as an undergraduate at the University of Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours in both. He then read for the BCL at the University of Oxford, receiving the Vinerian Scholarship for placing first in the year.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Ruben worked at a City firm following his qualification as a solicitor in Australia. Ruben has also worked as a judicial assistant in the Federal Court of Australia on matters spanning commercial, employment, public, and international law. Throughout his undergraduate studies in Sydney, Ruben worked as a paralegal and law clerk at both an international commercial firm and a boutique firm.

 

Career

2024 Tenant at Essex Court Chambers

2023-2024 Pupil at Essex Court Chambers (supervised by Ciaran Keller)

2023 Called to the Bar of England and Wales (Gray’s Inn)

2022-2023 Contract Lawyer (Litigation and Arbitration), Simmons & Simmons LLP

2022 Research Assistant, University of Oxford

2021 Admitted as a Lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia

2020-2021 Associate (Judicial Assistant), Federal Court of Australia

2017-2019 Tutor in Mathematics, University of Sydney

Education

2022 Austrian Arbitration Academy Diploma, University of Vienna (ranked =1st)

2021-2022 BCL, Magdalen College, University of Oxford (Distinction, ranked 1st in year)

2014-2019 LLB, University of Sydney (Hons I)

2015–2016 Exchange in Mathematics and Physics, University of California Los Angeles

2014-2017 BSc in Advanced Mathematics, University of Sydney (Hons I)

Awards

2022

  • Vinerian Scholarship for Best Performance in the BCL
  • Law Faculty Prize for Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Law Faculty Prize in International Environmental Law
  • Law Faculty Prize in Legal Concepts in Environmental Law

2021

  • James Fairfax Oxford Australia Scholarship
  • Eleanor Sophia Wood Postgraduate Research Travelling Scholarship

2019

  • 4th Best Oralist, Jessup Moot, International Rounds
  • 3rd Best Written Memorials, Jessup Moot, International Rounds
  • Top 32 Teams 2019 Jessup Moot, International Rounds
  • 2nd Best Oralist, Jessup Moot, Australian Rounds
  • Winner 2019 Jessup Moot, Australian Rounds
  • =1st place LAWS3431: Law and Social Justice Clinic
  • 2nd best thesis at the Australian and New Zealand Undergraduate Law Honours Conference
  • Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Performance
  • David Burnett Memorial Scholarship in Social Justice

2018

  • Winner 2018 Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot (Australia wide)

2017

  • Winner 2017 Sir John Peden Contract Law Moot (vs Macquarie University)
  • Winner 2017 SULS Public International Law Moot
  • Semi-finalist 2017 Castan Centre for Human Rights Moot (Australia wide)

2016

  • Dean’s Honors List (Winter Quarter)

2015

  • University of Sydney Physics Foundation Scholarship No I
  • First in Course – POLSCI 30 Politics & Strategy
  • Dean of Science Exchange Scholarship
  • International Exchange Scholarship

2014

  • Outstanding Achievement Scholarship
  • Academic Merit Prize
  • Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Performance
Arbitration & related court applications

During pupillage Ruben gained experience in arbitration matters, including a challenge to an award under s.68 of the Arbitration Act 1996. Ruben studied international and commercial arbitration at the University of Vienna’s Arbitration Academy and placed equal 1st in the course.

Banking & financial services

During pupillage Ruben assisted with:

  • An offshore matter raising issues of the Quincecare duty and the banker’s mandate
  • An offshore matter against a major investment bank for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty in the context of management of a large investment portfolio (Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Limited)
Civil fraud & asset recovery

 During his pupillage, Ruben assisted with a number of civil fraud claims, including:

  • Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International [2024] EWHC 1957 (Comm)
  • A claim in deceit and unlawful means conspiracy relating to the acquisition of a well-known online business
  • A $500 million Russian law claim based on an alleged conspiracy
  • An offshore matter involving claims of fraud in connection with investment and settlement agreements

Ruben has also gained experience of various ancillary proceedings that commonly arise in this context, including worldwide freezing orders, contempt of court and committal proceedings and post-judgment procedures leading to enforcement.

Climate change and environmental law

Ruben has a particular interest in matters involving climate change and the environment, having studied science as an undergraduate and placing first in both Legal Concepts in Environmental Law and International Environmental Law on the BCL. Ruben has also worked as a research assistant at the University of Oxford on a project focusing on the liability of corporations in the context of climate change related litigation.

During pupillage, Ruben assisted with BTI v PricewaterhouseCoopers, including on matters of expert evidence as to the technical assessment of environmental damage and legal liability under US environmental law statutes.

Commercial dispute resolution

Ruben has experience across a broad range of commercial disputes, spanning his time working in solicitors’ firms, as a judicial assistant, and during pupillage. His experience during pupillage included:

  • A matter involving liability for breach of contract relating to damage to a commercial aircraft
  • Advising on a dispute following an M&A transaction in the medical sector in relation to alleged breaches of contractual warranties
  • Advising on a dispute relating to the sale of shares in an offshore investment fund, engaging issues of directors’ duties
Conflict of laws & private international law

Ruben has a particular interest in matters of private international law following his academic studies in the area. The majority of the matters Ruben worked on during pupillage involved issues of either foreign law or service on foreign defendants. Examples of matters Ruben assisted with include:

  • An application for an anti-suit injunction relating to Russian bankruptcy proceedings in the absence of a jurisdiction or arbitration clause (Bourlakova v Bourlakov [2024] EWHC 929 (Ch))
  • Advising on the prospects of obtaining an anti-suit injunction by a non-party to the relevant arbitration clause contained in a foreign-currency denominated financial instrument

Advising on a challenge to jurisdiction in a Russian-law governed fraud claim

Public & administrative law

Ruben has a particular interest in public and administrative law, having devoted attention to the area in his academic studies at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is currently an Editor of the European Human Rights Reports.

Ruben has been seconded as external counsel advising on public law matters at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Public international law

During pupillage, Ruben assisted with Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International, including on issues of state immunity under sections 2 and 3 of the SIA 1978. He also gained experience on a matter involving interpretation of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Ruben is currently instructed on behalf of an amicus curiae in an ongoing case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He has also been seconded as external counsel advising on international law matters at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Ruben studied public international law at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level, and has participated in a number of PIL mooting competitions, including the Jessup moot, where he was ranked 4th best oralist at the International Rounds.