Professional practice

Yanni is developing a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice in line with Chambers’ profile. Notable cases with which Yanni assisted during pupillage include:

  • An LCIA arbitration arising out of an international distribution agreement in the medical technology sector.
  • A jurisdictional challenge to an UNCITRAL arbitration award in the Commercial Court.
  • An appeal to the Privy Council against a judgment of the Bermudan Court of Appeal on claims arising out of the investment of substantial funds in an insurance policy investment structure: Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Bidzina Ivanishvili and others.
  • An ICC arbitration arising out of an international aircraft lease.
  • A Court of Appeal hearing in a substantial challenge to an arbitral award under section 68 of the Arbitration Act.
  • Advice on the operation of a trends clause in a Covid BI Policy.

Before joining Essex Court Chambers, Yanni practised as a barrister in Australia, where he gained experience in a broad variety of commercial matters. He also worked as an associate in the disputes and investigations team at Slaughter and May in London, where he acted on a number of complex and high value commercial disputes often involving issues of foreign law.

Yanni holds a Bachelor of Civil Law with Distinction from the University of Oxford, where he was awarded the Linklaters Prize for Best Performance in Principles of Financial Regulation. He also has a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) from Monash University.

 

Career

2024: Tenant, Essex Court Chambers

2023–2024: Pupil, Essex Court Chambers (with Siddharth Dhar KC)

2023: Called to the Bar England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn)

2022: Called to the Bar, Victoria, Australia

2020–2022: Associate, Slaughter and May

2017–2020: Solicitor, King & Wood Mallesons

2017: Admitted as a solicitor, Australia

Education

2019–2020: BCL, University of Oxford (Distinction)

2011–2016: Bachelor of Laws, Monash University (First Class Honours)

2011–2016: Bachelor of Commerce, Monash University (Finance major; First Class Honours)

Awards

2020: Linklaters Prize for Best Performance in Principles of Financial Regulation in BCL

2016: Best delegate award at Harvard World Model United Nations in Rome, Italy

2015: Best delegate award at Harvard World Model United Nations in Seoul, South Korea

2015: Winner of Microsoft Protégé Consulting Challenge

2014: Winner of Monash University General Moot Competition

Publications

Yanni is the current editor of Thomson Reuters Westlaw’s ‘Trusts’ entry in The Laws of Australia.

Yanni has also published the following pieces in leading English journals:

  • Y Goutzamanis, “Closing the Floodgates: Lloyd v Google LLC [2021] UKSC 50” (2023) 86 Modern Law Review 249
  • Y Goutzamanis, “Rise of the Privacy Class Action” (2020) 39 Civil Justice Quarterly 203
Arbitration & related court applications

At present, Yanni is instructed in a LCIA arbitration arising out of an international distribution agreement in the medical technology sector (led by Siddharth Dhar KC).

During pupillage Yanni assisted with:

  • Various arbitrations under the LCIA rules.
  • An ICC arbitration arising out of an international aircraft lease.
  • A jurisdictional challenge to an award made in a bilateral investment treaty arbitration.

A Court of Appeal hearing in a substantial challenge to an arbitral award under section 68 of the Arbitration Act.

Banking & financial services

During pupillage Yanni assisted with:

  • An appeal to the Privy Council against a judgment of the Bermudan Court of Appeal on claims arising out of the investment of substantial funds in insurance policy investment structure: Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Bidzina Ivanishvili and others.
  • The provision of advice on the application of a parallel debt regime in a high-value facility agreement.

During pupillage Yanni also gained exposure to:

  • Various sanctions disputes, including Celestial Aviation Services v UniCredit, which concerned the effect of UK/EU/US sanctions on the enforceability of a letter of credit.
  • Drafting an Answer to a claim against a bank for alleged breach of a Quincecare duty in the Royal Court of Jersey.
  • Advice on potential claims arising from the grant of restricted share units.

Yanni also has significant banking and financial services experience from his work as a barrister in Australia and, prior to that, as an associate at Slaughter and May in London. Banking and financial services disputes in which Yanni was instructed in Australia include:

  • Equity Financial Planners Pty Ltd v AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd – acted for a large diversified financial services company in defending a class action brought by former financial planners in the Federal Court of Australia (led by David Batt KC and Tamieka Spencer Bruce SC).
  • In the matter of Redstar Transport Operations Pty Ltd (in liq) & Ors – acted for PwC as liquidators of the Redstar Group of Companies in applications for public examination of a receiver and auctioneer in the Supreme Court of Victoria (unled).
  • Providing advice to a major Australian bank relating to a payment processing error (led by Dr Charles Parkinson KC).

Yanni was also awarded the Linklaters prize for the highest mark in the Principles of Financial Regulation paper on the BCL at Oxford.

Civil Fraud & Asset Tracing

During pupillage Yanni worked on a number of cases involving civil fraud, including:

  • A Court of Appeal hearing in a substantial challenge to an arbitral award under section 68 of the Arbitration Act for fraud/serious irregularity.
  • An appeal to the Privy Council against a judgment of the Bermudan Court of Appeal on claims arising out of the investment of substantial funds in an insurance policy investment structure: Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Bidzina Ivanishvili and others.

A Court of Appeal hearing in a contempt application.

Commercial dispute resolution

During pupillage Yanni worked on a number of commercial disputes, including:

  • Various commercial arbitrations under the LCIA and ICC rules.
  • Various Commercial Court and arbitral disputes arising out of aircraft lease arrangements.
  • A Commercial Court dispute arising out of a contract for the construction of a super-yacht: Winch Design Limited v Carl Le Souef and Somnio Superyachts Pty Ltd.
  • Advice on potential claims for breach of warranty under a share and asset purchase agreement.
  • Preparing pleadings in a dispute under an option to purchase several properties.

Yanni also has significant commercial dispute resolution experience from his work as a barrister in Australia and, prior to that, as an associate at Slaughter and May in London.

Conflict of laws & private international law

During pupillage, Yanni gained exposure to a number of cases involving issues of private international law, including:

  • Drafting a skeleton argument in a jurisdiction challenge in the Commercial Court.
  • Providing merits advice on an application for an anti-suit injunction in complex multi-jurisdictional proceedings arising out of a bond issue.

An appeal involving various issues of UK/EU/US sanctions law and the effect of illegality under foreign sanctions on the enforceability of the English law governed letter of credit: Celestial Aviation Services v UniCredit.

Energy & natural resources

During pupillage, Yanni gained exposure to a number of energy & natural resources disputes, including:

  • Assisting Siddharth Dhar KC in an LCIA arbitration arising out of a sale of crude oil.
  • Advising on a claim arising out of a sale of gasoil.
Insurance & reinsurance

During pupillage, Yanni gained exposure to the following insurance and reinsurance matters:

  • Appeal regarding the construction of an offshore construction all-risks insurance policy: Technip Saudi Arabia Limited v The Mediterranean and Gulf Cooperative Insurance and Reinsurance Company.
  • Mediation in a dispute regarding coverage under a crime and civil liability insurance policy.
  • Advice on the application of the Bermudan Segregated Accounts Companies Act 2000 to a reinsurance policy.
  • Advice on whether an insurer could retrospectively reallocate losses under a tower of excess of loss contracts.
  • Advice on the operation of a trends clause in a Covid BI Policy.

 

Offshore Litigation

During pupillage, Yanni gained exposure to a number of offshore matters, including:

  • An appeal to the Privy Council against a judgment of the Bermudan Court of Appeal on claims arising out of the investment of substantial funds in an insurance policy investment structure: Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Bidzina Ivanishvili and others.
  • Various matters involving Bermudan law, and, in particular, the Bermudan Segregated Accounts Companies Act 2000.
  • Drafting an Answer to a claim against a bank for alleged breach of a Quincecare duty in the Royal Court of Jersey.
Unjust enrichment & restitution claims

Yanni has a particular interest in unjust enrichment, having studied the subject on the BCL at the University of Oxford.

During pupillage, Yanni gained exposure to a number of unjust enrichment matters, including:

  • Drafting a skeleton argument in a jurisdiction challenge in an unjust enrichment claim in the Commercial Court.
  • Advising on the merits of an unjust enrichment claim.

Yanni has also been instructed on significant restitution claims in Australia, including ConnectEast Pty Ltd v CityLink Melbourne Limited where he acted for CityLink Melbourne Limited in defending a claim for restitution of a roaming fee allegedly in excess of a statutory cap in the Supreme Court of Victoria (led by Jeffery Gleeson KC and Albert Dinelli KC).