Matthew enjoys a broad commercial practice. Clients instruct him to advise or act in national and international litigation and arbitrations across Chambers’ practice areas. Recent cases have had a particular focus on disputes concerning civil fraud, shipping and commodities, and company and insolvency matters.
He regularly appears in the county courts and all divisions of the High Court. Matthew is familiar with using interim relief to protect his clients’ positions and has frequently been instructed to obtain or resist emergency relief, often on short notice. This emergency relief has included freezing orders, disclosure orders, interim declarations and other bespoke injunctions.
As well as acting as sole counsel, Matthew has extensive experience of being instructed as part of a team in a number of large and complex commercial disputes. He understands and enjoys the different demands of these cases and the need to work efficiently and effectively with legal and other professionals.
Matthew also accepts instructions to act on a direct access basis, or to provide advice in non-contentious situations. In addition, he has provided opinions for use in foreign jurisdictions or by way of early neutral evaluation.
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Example cases
- CMOC v Persons Unknown and others [2018] EWHC 2230 (Comm): claim in the Commercial Court to trace and recover US$8 million of funds that were stolen in a ‘business email compromise’ fraud (led by Paul Lowenstein QC). This case is notable as being the first-known occasion that a worldwide freezing injunction has been granted against ‘persons unknown’; it also explores how current interim relief and causes of action are to be applied in an era of cyberfraud.
- Libyan Investment Authority v Société Générale and others (claim no: CL-2014-000144): US$2.1 billion claim in the Commercial Court in which the sovereign wealth fund sought rescission of a number of derivative options and other investments on the grounds of fraud and illegality on the part of the international investment bank (led by Mark Howard QC). Prior to settlement, this was named as one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2017.
- Sino Channel v Dana Shipping [2018] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 17: Court of Appeal case concerning the validity of an arbitration that had been commenced by serving notices on an apparent agent of the contract of affreightment counterparty (led by Duncan Matthews QC).
- Banque Internationale de Commerce v Alaghband and others (claim no: CL-2019-000090): US$3.7 million claim in the Commercial Court in which the bank brings a number of claims arising out of an apparent fraud perpetrated against it by its former customer, now in administration and the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation.
- FSL-25 v Torm Singapore (claim no. CL-2018-000741): US$1.9 million claim in the Commercial Court for wasted cost and lost profits following an allegedly defective redelivery of a vessel following a bareboat charterparty.
- Currently instructed in a US$42 million ICC arbitration between shareholders in relation to the delayed construction of a shipping port (led by Philip Edey QC).
- Currently instructed in a €24 million LCIA matter concerning a shipbuilding contract and cross-border insolvency issues.
- Currently instructed in a US$10 million London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) arbitration in respect of the duties owed by certain brokers in a broking chain which fixed certain long-term charters (led by Christopher Hancock QC).
- Currently instructed in a US$2 million arbitration between shareholders in a joint venture company, where one shareholder is alleging breach of contract, breach of director’s duties and fraud as against the other shareholder.
Arbitration
- Sino Channel v Dana Shipping [2018] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 17: Court of Appeal case concerning the validity of an arbitration that had been commenced by serving notices on an apparent agent of the contract of affreightment counterparty (led by Duncan Matthews QC).
Banking and financial services
- Libyan Investment Authority v Société Générale and others (claim no: CL-2014-000144): US$2.1 billion claim in the Commercial Court in which the sovereign wealth fund sought rescission of a number of derivative options and other investments on the grounds of fraud and illegality on the part of the international investment bank (led by Mark Howard QC). Prior to settlement, this was named as one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2017.
- Banque Internationale de Commerce v. Alaghband and others (claim no: CL-2019-000090): US$3.7 million claim in the Commercial Court in which the bank brings a number of claims arising out of an apparent fraud perpetrated against it by its former customer, now in administration and the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation.
- Previously acted as tribunal secretary (to Julian Lew QC) in a US$6 million ad hoc arbitration under UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules concerning the construction of a joint venture and financing agreement in relation to oil and gas exploration.
- Previously instructed by a leading international bank in relation to the FCA review of the misselling of interest rate hedging products (IRHPs).
Civil fraud and asset tracing
- CMOC v Persons Unknown and others [2018] EWHC 2230 (Comm): claim in the Commercial Court to trace and recover US$8 million of funds that were stolen in a ‘business email compromise’ fraud (led by Paul Lowenstein QC). This case is notable as being the first-known occasion that a worldwide freezing injunction has been granted against ‘persons unknown’; it also explores how current interim relief and causes of action are to be applied in an era of cyberfraud.
- Libyan Investment Authority v Société Générale and others (claim no: CL-2014-000144): US$2.1 billion claim in the Commercial Court in which the sovereign wealth fund sought rescission of a number of derivative options and other investments on the grounds of fraud and illegality on the part of the international investment bank (led by Mark Howard QC). Prior to settlement, this was named as one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2017.
- Banque Internationale de Commerce v. Alaghband and others (claim no: CL-2019-000090): US$3.7 million claim in the Commercial Court in which the bank brings a number of claims arising out of an apparent fraud perpetrated against it by its former customer, now in administration and the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation.
- Currently instructed in a London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) US$2 million arbitration between shareholders in a joint venture company, where one shareholder is alleging breach of contract, breach of director’s duties and fraud as against the other shareholder.
Commodities and international trade
- Banque Internationale de Commerce v. Alaghband and others (claim no: CL-2019-000090): US$3.7 million claim in the Commercial Court in which the bank claims in respect of an apparent commodities trading fraud perpetrated against it by its former customer.
- Currently instructed in a US$1.7 million London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) arbitration concerning the misdelivery into storage then to purported receivers of a cargo (led by David Lewis QC).
- Previously instructed in a US$3.2 million International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration regarding off-specification acetone that was said to have deteriorated in storage.
Company law
- Currently instructed in a US$2 million London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) arbitration between shareholders in a joint venture company, where one shareholder is alleging breach of contract, breach of director’s duties and fraud as against the other shareholder.
Energy and infrastructure
- Currently instructed in a US$42 million International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration between shareholders in relation to the delayed construction of a shipping port (led by Philip Edey QC).
- Previously acted as tribunal secretary (to Julian Lew QC) in a US$6 million ad hoc arbitration under UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules concerning the construction of a joint venture and financing agreement in relation to oil and gas exploration.
Insolvency and restructuring
- Re Michael John Stanley, Re Layezy Limited and others (claim nos: BR-2019-000453, CR-2019-001703, CR-2019-001704, CR-2019-001706 & CR-2019-001795): Acting for the trustees-in-bankruptcy and liquidators investigating the insolvency of an individual and certain associated companies, which together operated a betting syndicate for members but where the syndicate has been alleged to have been a vehicle for fraud.
- Currently acting as sole counsel in a €24 million London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) matter concerning a shipbuilding contract and cross-border insolvency issues.
Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement
- Unwired Planet v Huawei [2017] EWHC 2831 (Pat): claim in Chancery Division concerning certain mobile communication patents. Previously instructed to obtain an anti-suit injunction to restrain litigation in the courts of the People’s Republic of China (led by Thomas Raphael QC).
Shipping
- FSL-25 v Torm Singapore (claim no. CL-2018-000741): US$1.9 million claim in the Commercial Court for wasted cost and lost profits following an allegedly defective redelivery of a vessel following a bareboat charterparty.
- Currently acting as sole counsel in a €24 million London Court of International Arbitration matter concerning a shipbuilding contract and cross-border insolvency issues.
- Currently instructed in a US$10 million London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) arbitration in respect of the duties owed by certain brokers in a broking chain which fixed certain long-term charters (led by Christopher Hancock QC).
- Previously instructed in a US$3 million London Maritime Arbitrator’s Association (LMAA) arbitration in respect of an investment in a chartering business (led by Timothy Hill QC).
- Previously seconded to a Norwegian Defence Club.
Technology, media and telecoms
- CMOC v Persons Unknown and others [2018] EWHC 2230 (Comm): claim in the Commercial Court to trace and recover US$8 million of funds that were stolen in a ‘business email compromise’ fraud (led by Paul Lowenstein QC). This case is notable as being the first-known occasion that a worldwide freezing injunction has been granted against ‘persons unknown’; it also explores how current interim relief and causes of action are to be applied in an era of cyberfraud.
