Overview
Alex was in a common law set before moving to Chancery Chambers and he is therefore used to taking on a variety of different types of case in the commercial and property field.
He also tackles professional negligence cases one of which, a barrister’s negligence case in which Alex is acting for the Claimant, is awaiting permission to appeal from the Supreme Court on a limitation issue upon which Alex succeeded in the Court of Appeal.
Recently he has been involved in a number of cases acting for victims of fraud claiming compensation from payment service providers and banks for losses sustained. Alex defeated a strike out application in which many of his novel legal arguments were vindicated.
Alex also does regulatory work and recently succeeded in the Court of Appeal in limiting the scope of the statutory trust following intervention in a solicitor’s practice by the Law Society.
Alex believes in a thorough and clear presentation of the evidence; his clarity frequently achieves excellent results. He is open to a variety of legal arrangements to enable clients to achieve justice in an appropriate cases including no win no fee, deferred fee arrangements or damages based agreements. He also does direct professional access as well as, on occasion, direct access.
He is a Crown Court recorder sitting in both civil and crime.
He has also written on a variety of legal subjects. He has published a book in 2015 published by Informa Law on Consumer Credit Law and Practice. One of his articles on the law of easements was approved by the House of Lords in the case of Moncrieff v Jamieson.
Commercial Litigation
Alex has been involved in a variety of commercial disputes banking, including:
- Hamblin v World First Ltd 2020 EWHC (Comm) 2383; a much discussed claim against a payment service provider to recoup monied paid into an account as part of fraudulent investment scheme.
- Aldermore Bank v Rana 2016 1 WLR 2209, Court of Appeal; the client, having applied for a mortgage, was held not liable to repay the mortgage loan in circumstances where the mortgage advance was stolen by the solicitor acting for the client and the lender.
- The law of agency was engaged in Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove v Bond 2021 EWHC 1381 (Comm); which concerned whether the Defendant was liable in a personal capacity to repay a loan in circumstances when the Defendant conducted business through a number of BVI companies
- Sony Computer Entertainments v Cinram Logistics 2009 Bus LR 529 on the measure of damages applicable to the theft of goods in transit
Property
Alex has been involved in a wide variety of property disputes.
Recent cases include:
- Heslop v Heslop 2022 WTLR 137; contested jurisdiction of the Court to hear a dispute over beneficial ownership of a property situated in Jamaica.
- Leven Holdings v Johnston 2018 EWHC 223 (Ch); whether consent to defeat a claim to a prescriptive easement.
- Dhiman v Dhiman 2016 EWLandRA 2015; disputed forgery of land transfer and role of expert evidence
Alex has also written a number of influential articles on aspects of property law. An article on the ouster principle as applied to the validity of easements was referred to with approval by the House of Lords in Moncrieff v Jamieson. An article on the impact of fraud in connection with dispositions of registered land was referred to by the High Court in Fitzwilliam v Richall Holdings Ltd.
Qualifications/Education
- MA/LLB – University of Cambridge (1975)
Professional appointments
- He was appointed a Recorder in (2005). Granted a Criminal ticket in (2009). Granted a Chancery ticket in (2010).
Memberships
- Chancery Bar Association
- Property Bar Association
What the directories say
“Excellent all-round chancery barrister, who is very persuasive in court and not afraid of a fight.”
Chambers UK Bar 2019