The Lawyer Reveals its ‘Top 20 Cases’ of 2020

4 February, 2020

Five cases involving members of Essex Court Chambers are featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases with proceedings set to be heard in court during 2020. The list includes cases with the most significant sums in dispute as well as disputes involving high profile parties or issues. The cases involving members of Essex Court Chambers are as follows:

  • Tyndaris v  VWM Limited
    First major UK case involving artificial intelligence. Investment manager Tyndaris is claiming for $3m in unpaid fees after providing VWM with an AI-powered account, leading VWM’s investments to reach $2.5bn quickly followed by losses of $22m. Listed for a four week trial in the High Court starting on 27 April 2020. Joe Smouha QC and Jeremy Brier act for the defendant instructed by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Oliver Glynn-Jones.
  • PCP Capital Partners LLP, PCP International Finance Limited v Barclays Bank plc
    PCP Capital Partners brings a £1.2bn claim against Barclays Bank plc relating to the $3bn loan Barclays received from Qatar during the 2008 financial crisis. The case is set to be one of the most fiercely contested pieces of litigation in 2020. Listed for an eight week trial in the High Court starting on 2 June. Joe Smouha QC and James Sheehan are for the claimants alongside Robert Weekes, instructed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partners Richard East and Khaled Khatoun.
  • Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) v Asia Coal Energy Ventures Ltd and Ashurst LLP
    Damages claim of $70m against Asia Coal Energy Ventures, which is alleged to have breached an agreement to purchase various loans from RBI. ACE denies this and instead argues that RBI made false representations around the security being sold with the loans. Listed for a 10 day trial in the High Court in July 2020. Emily Wood acts for the claimant, instructed by Stephenson Harwood partner Richard Gwynne.
  • Benyatov v Credit Suisse
    High Court set to consider whether Credit Suisse should have done more to protect an investment banker when sending him to work in a high-risk country. Awaiting date in 2020. Charles Ciumei QC, Andrew Legg and Naomi Hart are for the claimant instructed by Scott+Scott partner Tom Southwell.
  • Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait v Man Group PLC plus 37 other defendants
    Large-scale fraud with allegations of bribery and corruption spanning three decades, this case will be one of the largest disputes ever heard in the Commercial Court. It concerns a lawsuit launched by the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) in Kuwait who allege it is owed $836.8bn (£639.5bn). James Willan acts for the second defendant, Muna Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Wazzan, David Davies acts for the defendant Thierry Fauchier, Nathan Pillow QC and Tom Ford act for the defendant Luc Argand Magnan.

The full list of featured cases can be seen here.