Dispute Resolution

Our litigation team assists clients in resolving disputes at all stages initial dispute to mediation, arbitration and litigation.

We devote much of our experience and skills to keeping disputes out of the courts by reaching a commercial settlement early on, but where it is appropriate to pursue or defend formal proceedings we have a good record in litigating matters through a number of courts and tribunals.

We have been involved in cases in all domestic fora from Employment Tribunals to High Court, Commercial Court, Court of Appeal and the House of Lords. We are accustomed to complex cross-border disputes recently advising in connection with overseas cases in the USA, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France and Germany.

Current litigation and arbitration involves a wide range of matters including:

• Contractual claims
• Insolvency
• Shareholder disputes
• Banking and Finance disputes
• Competition Law
• Health & Safety
• A substantial volume of Landlord & Tenant disputes
• International shipping (carriage of goods/charterparty) disputes/arbitration (incl. LMAA and LCIA)
• Employment Tribunals
• Anti-bribery
• Restitution of property in Eastern Europe

We are also experienced in confidential injunctive proceedings as our most recent case shows where we represented the majority shareholders of the UK holding company of a major southern hemisphere located tourist attraction and successfully overturned an interim injunction delaying the consummation of a $100 million share sale agreement (A Co v B Co & C Shareholder (Commercial Court, 2008)).

Reported/Notable Cases include:

• Menzies Distribution v WH Smiths and others HQ 0006601 distribution of magazines case.
• European Commission v John Menzies plc and others (Article 81 re distribution of Nintendo game consoles) case no COMP/C-3/35.587, COMP/C-3/35.706 and COMP/C-3/36.321
• Re Namco UK [2003] EWHC 989; [2003] 2 B.C.L.C. 78; [2003]
• MV Zacharias – (High Court proceedings in South Africa), B.P.I.R. 1170 [2004]
• World Fuels v Artico and Cockett Marine Oil 2008 (HQ08X00372)
• Lloyds Investment (Scandinavia) v Christen Ager-Hanssen [2003] EWHC 1740 (Ch)
• FA Premier League football case (acting for ntl) – Article 81 EC Treaty
• UEFA Champions League football case (acting for ntl) – Article 81 EC Treaty
• DTT multiplex licensing (acting for ntl) – Articles 81 and 82 EC Treaty
• DTT multiplex relicensing case – Competition Act