• Art, Cultural Property & Media

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of a claim involving the investment in and sale of a painting. The claim touched on issues of ownership, civil fraud and asset recovery.

• Aviation

  During pupillage, Harry gained a wide range of experience of aviation disputes, including:

  • Advising the owners of commercial aircraft on contractual remedies following the insolvency of an airline management company.
  • A claim against an airline for failing to pay software charges in breach of contract.
  • An application to amend an airline’s defence and counterclaim in a claim for breach of an aircraft storage agreement.
  • Several claims by aircraft leasing companies against airlines for breach of lease agreement.
• Banking and Financial Services

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of:

  • A claim involving interest rate swaps and the manipulation of LIBOR.
  • A claim involving the fraudulent mis-selling of financial services.
  • A claim involving the alleged manipulation of currency prices.
  • A multi-jurisdictional matter advising trustees of their regulatory duties following an offshore securities investigation.
• Civil Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery

  During pupillage, Harry gained a range of experience of civil fraud and asset tracing cases. These included:

  • Assisting Erin Hitchens with a three-week trial involving claims of fraud and the subsequent tracing of nearly $500million (Akhmedova v Akhmedov [2021] EWHC 545 (Fam)).
  • A claim involving rescission for fraudulent misrepresentation.
  • A counterclaim to assert an interest in a painting at the centre of an elaborate fraud by an art dealer.
• Commercial Litigation

  Harry gained a wide range of experience of commercial disputes in both the County Courts and the High Court during his pupillage. Examples of his experience include:

  • Assisting in advising a luxury car manufacturer on a claim for breach of contract and breach of agency agreement.
  • Assisting in advising on and defending a claim concerning the assignment of royalty rights arising from a complex series of North Sea oil and gas contracts.
  • Assisting in advising an offshore company on the construction of a shareholders’ agreement and the validity of share options.
  • A claim by a manufacturer of luxury perfumes seeking declarations that its distribution agreements with certain of its distributors had been validly terminated.
  • A claim for the non-payment of several million pounds in relation to a series of luxury watches.
  • A defence and counterclaim in the County Court seeking damages or rescission for misrepresentation in relation to an alleged breach of a publishing contract.
  • A claim in an offshore jurisdiction to enforce a Russian judgment debt.
  • A claim for damages for conversion and breach of contract in respect of office equipment.
• Company

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of:

  • Assisting in advising a board of directors on unpaid dividends and a potential unfair prejudice petition.
  • Assisting in advising an offshore company on the construction of a shareholders’ agreement and the validity of a share option agreement.
  • Defending against a claim that a director had breached his fiduciary duties against his company.
  • Assisting on an appeal involving the disclosure of information by a company to its shareholders.
• Court of Protection

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of:

  • Assisting in advising on a potential challenge to a lasting power of attorney on the grounds of lack of capacity.
  • Assisting in advising on the merits of making an application for the appointment of a deputy.
  • Assisting in drafting an order in an offshore jurisdiction replicating the safeguards and supervision present in England and Wales over deputies.
• Insolvency

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of:

  • An application to restrain presentation of a winding up petition.
  • Advising on the effect of creditors’ voluntary liquidation on contractual claims against a company.
  • The presentation of a contested bankruptcy petition.
  • An appeal in the High Court against the making of a bankruptcy order.
• International & Offshore

  During pupillage, Harry gained wide experience of offshore work and international law. He has assisted in drafting and advising on claims and defences in all the major offshore centres, including the BVI, the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and the Channel Islands.

  • Advising Guernsey trustees on prospects of successfully defending against a restitution and breach of contract claim against the trust.
  • Advising trustees on their regulatory obligations and fiduciary duties following a securities investigation into the settlors.
  • Assisting in responding to an appeal by a Cayman company against a disclosure order.
  • Assisting with an application to remove trustees in The Bahamas.
  • Helping draft a claim to enforce a Russian judgment in the British Virgin Islands.
  • Defending a domestic claim by contesting jurisdiction under the Brussels Recast regulation.
  • An application to extend time and amend statements of case in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court arising from claims of unfair prejudice and misappropriation of funds.
  • Advising solicitors in an offshore jurisdiction about the safeguards present in English law as regards the appointment of deputies.
  • A claim in the Cayman Islands concerning the validity of a share option agreement.
  • A claim in the Turks and Caicos Islands concerning the replacement of trustees of a family trust.
• Mediation

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of mediation in a probate context, assisting in the mediation of a potential claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

• Real Estate Litigation

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience of a complex real estate dispute concerning the beneficial ownership of land in light of the interaction of a lease with an Agricultural Holdings Act tenancy.

• Sport

  During pupillage, Harry gained experience in a number of sport disputes, including:

  • A dispute between a sponsor, a racing driver, and a racing team involving allegations of fraud and unlawful means conspiracy.
  • Assisting in advising the directors of a rugby club on dividend payments and a potential unfair prejudice petition.
• Trusts, Probate & Estates

  Harry gained a wide range of experience in trusts, probate and estates litigation during pupillage, including:

  • Assisting in advising on multiple claims against the validity of wills, on grounds of lack of capacity, want of knowledge and approval, and undue influence.
  • Drafting pleadings for a claim against the administrator of an estate on the grounds of breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraudulent obtention of letters of administration.
  • Drafting applications to replace trustees and protectors in offshore trusts.
  • Drafting multiple applications for directions from the court on behalf of trustees.
  • Advising the beneficiaries on a planned distribution from a large trust, including complex questions of construction in light of the Human Rights Act 1998.
  • Advising Guernsey trustees on prospects of successfully defending against a restitution and breach of contract claim against the trust.
  • Advising trustees on their regulatory obligations and fiduciary duties following a securities investigation into the settlors.

Other information

• Academic History
  • BA Classics (First Class, 5th in year), New College, Oxford (2014-2018)
  • Graduate Diploma in Law, City University of London (2018-2019)
  • LLM Bar Professional Training (Distinction, 1st in year), City University of London (2019-2020)
• Scholarships and Prizes
  • Arden Scholarship (Gray’s Inn’s top pupillage prize, 2021)
  • Norman Tapp Memorial Prize for Mooting (Gray’s Inn, 2021)
  • Dean’s Award (only student in the school’s history to obtain the top grade in all core Bar exams plus a distinction on the extra LLM component, City University of London, 2021)
  • Scarman Prize (City University of London, 2021)
  • OUP Prize for Excellence in Advocacy and Procedure (City University of London, 2021)
  • Henderson Prize for Best Dissertation (City University of London, 2021)
  • Bedingfield Scholarship (Gray’s Inn’s top Bar Course award, 2019)
  • David Karmel Scholarship (Gray’s Inn’s top GDL award, 2018)
  • Benefactors’ Prize (New College, Oxford, 2018)
• Languages

  French (good); Spanish (moderate); Italian (moderate)

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