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Area of Law: Private Client Trusts and Probate
In B v B, Emma Hargreaves and Gregor Hogan act for the wife in divorce proceedings involving Portuguese property held in a Cypriot trust. The case involves complex questions of jurisdiction and trusts law, and is expected to be one of the first decisions considering the Privy Council’s decision in Webb v Webb. Judgment is expected in early 2021.
Read MoreArea of Law: Competition Law and State Subsidies
Professor Suzanne Rab represented Riverside Truck Rental in parallel proceedings in the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) and the Administrative Court for judicial review. The claim raised EU and procurement law questions arising out of the conduct of a public procurement procedure subject to the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) (PCR 2015) and related duties arising under EU law. The case raised novel issues of law including consideration of when judicial review claims can be brought where there is a statutory procedure.
Read MoreArea of Law: Insolvency
In Trafalgar v Hadley & Ors Justin Higgo QC and Jamie Randall continue to represent the liquidator of Trafalgar in multi-party proceedings in the Chancery Division to recover funds misappropriated from a Cayman Islands segregated portfolio by its fiduciaries.
Read MoreArea of Law: Company
In Re: H Limited, Timothy Collingwood QC acts for majority shareholders in BVI proceedings involving allegations against them of unfairly prejudicial conduct, where the Court has had to address the effect on the claim against the shareholders of an arbitration agreement in the company’s articles of association.
Read MoreArea of Law: Company
In Medical Imaging Partners v St Joseph’s Independent Hospital, the question arose as to whether an MRI machine and other medical equipment subject to chattel leases had become annexed to land owned by a company in administration, so that title to the equipment passed to the purchasers of the business when the company’s assets were sold by the administrators. Thomas Braithwaite acted for the purchasers.
Read MoreArea of Law: Civil Fraud
Philip Jones QC and Gareth Tilley are acting for HMRC in HMRC v IGE USA Investments Ltd, a claim arising from the Revenue’s contention that it has rescinded tax settlements with the UK Subgroup of the US conglomerate worth upwards of £650m. The trial is to take place in late 2021. An interlocutory decision of Zacaroli J reported at [2020] EWHC 2121 (Ch) permitting the Claimants to amend to allege fraud is currently on appeal to the Court of Appeal raising the question of what if any limitation period applies to equitable claims for rescission on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentation.
Read MoreArea of Law: Private Client Trusts and Probate
Dakis Hagen QC appeared for the first defendant in Geneva Trust Company (GTC) SA v IDF & Anr (21/12/2020) FSD 248 OF 2017 (IKJ) in her successful application for a stay of a claim in the Cayman Islands seeking declarations as to the validity of a Cayman Islands trust which trust was already being impugned by her in ongoing litigation in Italy. The application was met in part by the argument that the Cayman court had an exclusive statutory jurisdiction to determine such matters under s. 90 of the Cayman Trusts Law (which, it was said, in that context abrogated the power to stay on grounds of forum non conveniens); the court noted that such had been the orthodox view historically based on authorities stretching back 20 years.
Read MoreArea of Law: International and Offshore
In Basin v Rouge CFI 057/2018, James Weale appeared in the last in-person hearing in the DIFC Court before lockdown. Following a trial, James obtained judgment for the claimant in a claim under a guarantee agreement: [2018] CFI 057. The Court gave guidance on the extent to which variations to underlying obligations affect the validity of an associated guarantee. James also successfully defeated a jurisdiction challenge submitted to the Joint Judicial Committee (Cassation No. 9 of 2019).
Read MoreArea of Law: Commercial Litigation
David Drake acted for the successful defendants in SPI North Ltd v Swiss Post International (UK) Ltd [2020] EWHC 3268 (Ch), where the court had to consider the practical limits to the permission, frequently given to respondents to an amendment application, to make “consequential” amendments to their own responsive statement of case.
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