• Art, Cultural Property & Media

  Harry has experience (during pupillage) of a claim involving the investment in and sale of a painting by a world-renowned artist. The claim touched on issues of ownership, civil fraud and asset recovery. He is actively looking to build his art and media law practice and would welcome instructions either as sole counsel or as part of a team.

• Aviation

  Harry has a wide range of experience of aviation disputes, including:

  • Acting for an airline defending a claim under EU Regulation 261/2004 for flight delay.
  • Advising the owners of commercial aircraft on contractual remedies following the insolvency of an airline management company (during pupillage).
  • A claim against an airline for failing to pay software charges in breach of contract (during pupillage).
  • An application to amend an airline’s defence and counterclaim in a claim for breach of an aircraft storage agreement (during pupillage).
  • Several claims by aircraft leasing companies against airlines for breach of lease agreement (during pupillage).
• Banking and Financial Services

  Harry has experience of:

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

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

  • Acting, as sole counsel, for disgruntled beneficiaries in a breach of trust claim involving allegations of forgery and fraud.
  • 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)) (during pupillage).
  • A claim involving rescission for fraudulent misrepresentation (during pupillage).
  • A counterclaim to assert an interest in a painting at the centre of an elaborate fraud by an art dealer (during pupillage).
• Commercial Litigation

  Harry has a rapidly developing commercial disputes practice.

  In addition to the cases listed below, Harry has a particular interest in ESG-related litigation, and has recently written (with Edward Cumming QC) in the Journal of International Banking and Financial Law about the prospect of commercial litigation arising from new environmental disclosure obligations (Seeing the world differently: litigation arising from ESG-related disclosure (2022) 3 JIBFL 150).

  Examples of his experience both during pupillage and in sole practice include:

  • Acting for dissenting shareholders in complex share value appraisal proceedings in the Cayman Islands.
  • As sole counsel, acting on behalf of a judgment creditor seeking enforcement of a contractual debt in the County Court.
  • As sole counsel, acting on behalf of the lessee of a property seeking to recover rent which had been erroneously collected by a third party.
  • Acting in a complex, multi-billion dollar oil and gas claim under the Arbitration Act.
  • Assisting in advising a luxury car manufacturer on a claim for breach of contract and breach of agency agreement (during pupillage).
  • 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 (during pupillage).
  • Assisting in advising an offshore company on the construction of a shareholders’ agreement and the validity of share options (during pupillage).
  • A claim by a manufacturer of luxury perfumes seeking declarations that its distribution agreements with certain of its distributors had been validly terminated (during pupillage).
  • A claim for the non-payment of several million pounds in relation to a series of luxury watches (during pupillage).
  • A defence and counterclaim in the County Court seeking damages or rescission for misrepresentation in relation to an alleged breach of a publishing contract (during pupillage).
  • A claim in an offshore jurisdiction to enforce a Russian judgment debt (during pupillage).
• Company

  Both during pupillage and as sole counsel, Harry has gained experience of the following:

  • Advising, as sole counsel, on unfair prejudice proceedings involving a multi-million dollar company in the High Court of Singapore.
  • Acting, as sole counsel, on several winding-up petitions in the High Court.
  • Acting, as sole counsel, on an application to set aside a statutory demand.
  • Assisting in advising a board of directors on unpaid dividends and a potential unfair prejudice petition (during pupillage).
  • Assisting in advising an offshore company on the construction of a shareholders’ agreement and the validity of a share option agreement (during pupillage).
  • Defending against a claim that a director had breached his fiduciary duties against his company (during pupillage).
  • Assisting on an appeal involving the disclosure of information by a company to its shareholders (during pupillage).
  • As sole counsel, advising on an oppression action (unfair prejudice petition) in relation to a multi-million pound company in Singapore (during pupillage).
• 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

  Harry has a wide range of experience of insolvency work, including:

  • Acting as sole counsel for petitioning creditors on numerous winding-up petitions and bankruptcy petitions.
  • Acting, as sole counsel, on an application to set aside a statutory demand.
  • An application to restrain presentation of a winding up petition (during pupillage).
  • Advising on the effect of creditors’ voluntary liquidation on contractual claims against a company (during pupillage).
  • The presentation of a contested bankruptcy petition (during pupillage).
  • An appeal in the High Court against the making of a bankruptcy order (during pupillage).
• International & Offshore

  Harry has 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.

  • Acting for dissenting shareholders in a complex share value appraisal proceedings in the Cayman Islands.
  • Advising the trustees of a large family trust on applications for directions in multiple jurisdictions (led by Elspeth Talbot Rice QC and Andrew Holden).
  • Advising, as sole counsel, on unfair prejudice proceedings involving a multi-million dollar company in the High Court of Singapore.

  Furthermore, as a pupil, Harry gained experience of the following:

  • 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.

  As a tenant, Harry has acted as sole counsel in multiple sets of possession proceedings and business tenancy renewal proceedings before the County Court.

• 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 has a wide range of experience in trusts, probate and estates litigation, including:

  • Advising the trustees of a large family trust on applications for directions in multiple jurisdictions (led by Elspeth Talbot Rice QC and Andrew Holden).
  • As sole counsel, advising a beneficiary on the prospects of successfully defending a claim against the validity of a will on the grounds of lack of capacity, want of knowledge and approval, and undue influence.
  • Acting for a personal representative defending claims against the estate in contract.
  • Acting for disgruntled beneficiaries in a claim for breach of trust and the taking of accounts against the trustees of a significant family trust.

  Furthermore, as a pupil, Harry gained experience of the following:

  • 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 of an employee benefit trust on a planned distribution, 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)
  • 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)
• Publications
  • Seeing the world differently: litigation arising from ESG-related disclosure (2022) 3 JIBFL 150
• Languages

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

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