Rupert Reed KC and Max Marenbon write for ThoughtLeaders4 Dispute Magazine Issue 14: ‘Attendance Orders against “officers”, how wide may the net be thrown?’

In the latest issue of ThoughtLeaders4 Disputes Magazine, Rupert Reed KC and Max Marenbon collaborate to write “Attendance Orders against ‘officers’, how wide may the net be thrown?”

Orders that a judgment debtor attend court for examination about their assets or means to satisfy an unpaid judgment debt (“Attendance Orders”) are a vital enforcement tool in many common law jurisdictions. Available in England and Wales, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, and other common law jurisdictions, Attendance Orders are of value precisely because the judgment debtor is at risk of committal for contempt if they lie or mislead, and can be cross-examined on answers that are partial or evasive. However, where the debtor is a corporate entity, although Attendance Orders are typically available against its “officers”, creditors seeking an Attendance Order can face additional challenges when seeking to enforce in an international commercial context.

The piece was first published with ThoughtLeaders4 Dipsutes Magazine.

Related Barristers

Rupert Reed KC

Call: 1996
Silk: 2014

Max Marenbon is a commercial chancery barrister specialising in civil fraud, company and insolvency disputes. He is recognised by the Legal 500 directory as a ‘Leading Junior’ at the London Bar and a ‘Rising Star’ in the Middle East.

Max has appeared as sole counsel in significant cases, including a leading authority on the English courts’ jurisdiction to grant worldwide freezing orders against third parties. He has assisted with cases at all appellate levels. His Middle East practice is centred on the courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

He is interested in how the law treats new ways of doing business, has experience of cryptocurrency-related litigation, and is growing a practice in artificial intelligence litigation. He has acted as sole advocate in AI-related cases in the UK and Middle East, including the leading ADGM authority on the use of AI-generated documents in litigation.

Appointed to the UK Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown in 2024, Max previously qualified as a solicitor at a leading City firm and served as judicial assistant to Lord Wilson at the UK Supreme Court.