Substantial fraud proceedings seeking US$1.2bn in damages brought in the Commercial Court in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC (“ADCB”) v. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty and Ors [2022] EWHC 529 (Comm) have been stayed, and worldwide freezing orders discharged, on the basis that Abu Dhabi is clearly the appropriate forum for the determination of ADCB’s claims. The […]
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Limitation in respect of dishonest assistance claims and s.213 claims were the subject of the judgment in Bilta (UK) Ltd v Tradition Financial Services Ltd (“TFS”) [2022] EWHC 723 (Ch). The claimant companies (now in liquidation) had previously engaged in MTIC VAT fraud in the summer of 2009 in respect of the importation and onward sale of […]
On 29 March 2022 the Bermudan Supreme Court (Chief Justice Hargun) handed down judgment following the trial of the dispute between Bidzina Ivanishvili (the former Prime Minister of Georgia) and other plaintiffs and Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Limited (“CS Life”), a member of the Credit Suisse group. The claim arose out of a long-running fraud […]
On 24 March 2022, Mr Justice Nicklin handed down judgment rejecting the Defendant’s challenge to the jurisdiction of the English Court on the basis of state immunity in the case of Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Zayn v His Majesty Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón [2022] EWHC 668 (QB), which was heard on 6-7 […]
Edward Brown QC has a broad practice and acts in matters across a wide spectrum of commercial, employment, media and entertainment, VAT and judicial review disputes. Ed has acted in high value and complex disputes in a range of courts and trials. In addition to trials and heavy applications, Ed frequently acts in appeals up […]
Tim Akkouh QC is a commercial litigator, with a strong reputation for civil fraud and asset recovery. He has acted in some of the largest actions to come before the courts, such as JSC BTA Bank v Ablyazov, Pinchuk v Bogolyubov, Mezhprom v Pugachev, Republic of Djibouti v Boreh, PrivatBank v Kolomoisky, Chernukhin v Deripaska […]
Lucas Bastin QC’s practice covers a wide array of commercial and international law work, drawing especially on his expertise in international arbitration (commercial and investment), public international law, and commercial litigation relating thereto. He has acted in matters before all levels of English courts. He has been engaged in much of the recent litigation relating […]
Jeremy Brier QC’s practice specialises in complex and heavy commercial litigation, including insurance, banking and funds, all aspects of commercial fraud, shipping and international arbitration. He appears regularly in the Commercial Court and has advised and acted in numerous commercial disputes at all levels in the English courts. In 2021 Jeremy was the Junior Counsel […]
Neil Hart QC’s practice covers a hugely diverse range of commercial disputes, in UNCITRAL, ICC, SIAC, LCIA and LMAA arbitration, and hard-fought litigation in the Commercial Court and on appeal. He is currently acting for a US based internet gaming company in a high-value dispute with Russian investors over the development of, and intellectual property […]
Members and staff of Essex Court Chambers are celebrating the appointment of six new Silks today. Neil Hart, Edward Brown, Jeremy Brier, Tim Akkouh, Emily Wood and Lucas Bastin will be sworn in as Silk at a ceremony taking place today at the Palace of Westminster, following their appointment earlier this year. Senior Clerk Joe […]
In WSB v FOL [2022] EWHC 586 (Comm) Mr Justice Calver gave judgment containing authoritative guidance concerning applications under ss.67-69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 which are at first dealt with on paper and in relation to which an oral hearing is then sought. He refused the application of WSB to set aside an Order […]
Essex Court Chambers and its members have been highlighted in a recent report published by The Lawyer. The report, published in March 2022 and entitled “The Commercial Court: This is where the relationships lie” draws on data from The Lawyer’s Litigation Tracker, ranking sets and firms according to the number of concluded judgments, case days and […]