Paul Adams

Paul is an established and well-regarded company litigation specialist and is consistently recognised in the legal directories in this field. Paul has particular experience of director duty claims, derivative claims and unfair prejudice actions. Paul has acted in substantial company cases in several overseas jurisdictions including BVI, Jersey and Gibraltar.

Recent Cases

• Culgoa Ltd v Basement Investments Ltd (2025-ongoing) – Acting for the claimant in a claim arising out of a transfer of certain investments from one company to another.
• DUK v UGX & Ors (2024-2025) – Acting for two proposed defendants to a derivative claim on behalf of two BVI companies. These substantial proceedings have so far included disputes over freezing and proprietary injunctions, joinder of proposed defendants to the claimant’s application for permission to bring derivative claims, disclosure, and the permission application itself.
• L v F & Ors (2024-ongoing) – Acting for two defendants in this claim alleging wrongful trading and deceit in respect of the financial soundness of a company.
• Re O Ltd (2024) – Acted for two respondents to an unfair prejudice petition who were directors but not shareholders of the company concerned.
• Harrington & Charles Trading Co Ltd & Ors v Mehta & Ors [2022] EWHC 1810 (Ch); [2022] EWHC 2960 (Ch); [2023] EWHC 307 (Ch); [2023] EWHC 609 (Ch); [2023] EWHC 998 (Ch); [2023] EWHC 2420 (Ch) – Acted for the First to Fourth Defendants in this c. $1 billion civil fraud claim in which the claimants were companies in liquidation (and their liquidators) and the claims included various company law claims, including for breach of director duties and under sections 212 and 213 of the Insolvency Act 1986. Paul appeared as sole or junior counsel at several substantial hearings, including relating to freezing injunctions, a jurisdiction dispute, a contested consolidation application, and strike out and summary judgment applications.
• Glenn & Anor v Watson & Ors [2018] EWHC 2016 (Ch); [2018] EWHC 2483 (Ch); [2019] EWCA Civ 1759; [2023] EWHC 1830 (Ch) – Represented the claimants in this substantial piece of litigation, which included various interlocutory hearings during 2016 and 2017, a three-month trial before Nugee J between May and July 2017, an appeal to the Court of Appeal and numerous further hearings concerning the implementation and enforcement of the claimants’ judgment during 2018-2023. The case related to a joint venture, Project Spartan, which was pursued through a BVI company. Nugee J delivered a 187-page trial judgment in favour of the second claimant, holding that the first defendant had procured the execution of the Project Spartan agreements by deceit, breach of fiduciary duty and the offering of inducements to the second claimant’s director. The judge also held that the second claimant’s director had lacked authority to commit the second claimant to certain loan agreements.
• Kea Investments Ltd v Spartan Capital Ltd & Anor (2015-2017) – Acted for the petitioner in this just and equitable winding up application in the Companies Court. This aspect of the dispute settled during trial.
• Novatrust Ltd v Kea Investments Ltd & Ors [2014] EWHC 4061 (Ch) – Acted for the defendants in these proceedings relating to a BVI investment joint venture company. The claimant commenced proceedings in England, seeking to advance personal claims and also derivative claims on behalf of the joint venture company. The defendants successfully challenged jurisdiction – HHJ Pelling QC accepted that by reason of section 184C of the BVI Business Companies Act 2004 the claimant required the permission of the BVI court to commence a derivative claim on behalf of a BVI company. He also held that the claimant’s personal damages claims were barred by the ‘no reflective loss’ rule and that the claimant’s claims for declarations were unreal or served no practical purpose. The claimant appealed to the Court of Appeal but the appeal was compromised during the appeal hearing. The proceedings then continued to trial and settled during trial.
• Sukhoruchkin & Others v Van Bekestein & Others [2013] EWHC 1993 (Ch); [2014] EWCA Civ 399 – Acted for the defendants in this substantial dispute over a Cayman investment fund. The litigation raised issues concerning the reflective loss principle and double derivative claims.
• Apex Global Management Limited v Fi Call Limited (2012-2013) – Acted for one of the shareholders in Fi Call Limited in this case involving two unfair prejudice petitions (a petition and a cross-petition), with allegations of serious wrongdoing on both sides. The case raised issues as to, among other things, (i) the extent to which relief can be sought by an unfair prejudice petition against a person who is neither a shareholder nor a director of the relevant company (see [2014] BCC 286), (ii) whether hearings may be held in private where a party alleges that the proceedings represent an attempt at extortion through adverse publicity (see [2013] EWHC 223 (Ch); [2013] 1 WLR 2993 (CA)), and (iii) the extent to which members of the family of a ruling monarch are entitled to assert sovereign immunity (see [2013] EWHC 587 (Ch); [2014] 1 WLR 492 (CA)).