Amit Karia

Amit is regularly instructed in complex domestic and international civil fraud disputes, often involving urgent injunctive relief, cross-border enforcement and asset recovery.

He is particularly experienced in coordinating litigation strategy across multiple jurisdictions and working closely with foreign lawyers, investigators and insolvency practitioners. His matters frequently involve freezing injunctions, disclosure applications and enforcement against evasive defendants.

He has developed a niche on brining and defending contempt proceedings.

Recent representative instructions include:

• Acting for a pool of US investors pursuing recovery arising from a fraudulent FX investment scheme from ex parte freezing injunction through to judgment and international enforcement.
• Defending a prominent Singaporean family in conspiracy proceedings valued at approximately USD30 million.
• Obtaining freezing and passport orders against Middle Eastern defendants in support of contempt and enforcement proceedings.
• Acting in contempt proceedings by an Iranian oil sanctions breacher for breaches of freezing injunctions.
• Obtaining judgment after trial against a Mayfair asset manager and former directors in proceedings involving forged cheques, breaches of mandate and conversion claims.
• Pursuing enforcement against the organisers of large-scale boiler-room fraud across multiple jurisdictions.
• Successfully defending a 3 day committal trial for breaches of a freezing injunction.
• Advising on civil and criminal bribery and negotiating a multi-jurisdictional settlement agreement for parties operating in the defence sector.
• Obtaining a passport order (Bayer AG v Winter order) in support of contempt and post judgment enforcement against a foot-loose Middle-Eastern business man.
• Representing a South-African in contempt proceedings, include his detention after fleeing the UK.
• Obtaining a freezing order on behalf a Monaco based family against Bulgarian fraudsters.
• Defending a deceit claim by an acquiring company against the CEO of crypto asset manager

Amit acts in a broad range of high-value commercial disputes in the High Court and in international arbitration (both ad hoc and via various arbitral bodies including LCIA, ICC and Swiss Rules).

His practice has a strong international dimension, with particular experience in disputes involving the defence sector, aviation, technology, shareholder disputes and financial services, and is regularly instructed in matters involving jurisdiction disputes, conflicts of law, sanctions issues, enforcement of foreign judgments and disputes concerning offshore corporate structures.

Recent representative instructions include:

• LCIA Arbitration in respect of the implementation of energy infrastructure in Central Asia.
• Leading counsel in a Swiss Rules arbitration concerning two Boeing 737 aircraft detained within a European MRO dispute.
• Acting for the principal of a Dubai-based venture capital fund in disputes concerning investments into a Gibraltar digital asset business through Luxembourg investment structures.
• ICC arbitration concerning the supply of oil extraction equipment from the US to West Africa.
• Bringing claims concerning defence procurement contracts and supply arrangements connected to the war in Ukraine.
• Advising and acting for a US virtual reality systems developer in claims against a UK hardware manufacturer concerning defective supplied systems and infrastructure.
• Bringing a claim for the failure to deliver defense systems on behalf of a prominent Egyptian former colonel.
• Bringing a claim against a UK company for breach of consortium agreement to supply arms funding by the MoD to Ukraine.
• Led on defending a claim by a Cypriot company against a Libyan individual, Jersey trust and BVI company in respect of a £10m loan/investment.
• Acting for a pool of professional service providers employed to assist in a £1bn group action, to recover their unpaid fees.
• TCC claim defending a website developer against a claim for losses arising out of a purportedly defective back-end system.
• Representing an introducer in a multiparty claim concerning a failed Bulgarian solar panel farm both in the Chancery Division and Court of Appeal.
• Seizing and enforcement a debt against a USD 90m yacht.
• Representing a Russian PEP in respect of claim for against an Italian supplier.
• LCIA arbitration alleging breaches of a Polish distribution agreement.
• Led on a complex group litigation against former solicitors and others for fees of c.£20m.
• Defending an IFA in a Commercial Court claim concerning regulatory breaches.
• Led on a claim by an inter-dealer broker against an IT provider for defective bespoke communication and database systems created.
• Led on a group litigation (c.200 claimants) against a major financial institution concerning the legality and enforceability of lending agreements to fund Spanish timeshare contracts.
• Advising on a dispute concerning the regulatory status and legality of an investment fund “introducer” when introducing a prominent pension fund to a secondary real estate fund.

Amit has a wide breath of experience in both corporate and personal insolvency disputes, regularly acting for insolvency practitioners, directors, creditors and investors.

While his practice includes the full array of office holder claims, CVA/IVA challenges, asset recovery and insolvency-related fraud claims; he is also experienced in complex restructuring issues, bespoke distribution schemes and matters involving regulatory or criminal overlap.

Recent representative instructions include:

• Bringing claims exceeding £20 million on behalf of joint administrators for preferences and misfeasance.
• Acting for the trustee in bankruptcy of an individual linked to the former Syrian regime in proceedings involving international asset recovery and fraud allegations.
• Successfully challenging a prominent real estate development financier’s CVA on behalf of investors.
• Advising administrators concerning the distribution of a £15 million settlement fund arising from defective construction works affecting residential developments.
• Acting in criminal restraint and confiscation proceedings linked to insolvency and alleged VAT fraud.
• Opposing an administration application by a pool of investors into park homes sites for which FCA alleged the same was an unregulated and fraudulent collective investment scheme.
• Challenging an ad hoc scheme formed by administrator of an escrow provider to deal with client monies.
• Formulating an ad hoc scheme on behalf of administrators to distribute pools of funds held by an insurance intermediary of behalf of underwriters.
• Representing a Monaco based former CEO in respect of a misfeasance and directors loan account for c.£2m by a former LSE listed international mining company.
• Advising the directors which were the operating companies for collective investments in real estate in Romania.

Amit advises and acts in shareholder, partnership and joint venture disputes, often involving allegations of unfair prejudice, breaches of fiduciary duty, misuse of company assets and disputes concerning corporate control.

His work frequently involves family businesses, investment structures, offshore entities and high-value property holding companies. Amit is regularly instructed in disputes requiring urgent injunctive relief or strategic advice concerning governance, deadlock and shareholder exits.

Recent representative instructions include:

• Advising and pursuing a double derivative claim concerning a £50 million family property portfolio.
• Advising majority shareholders in an Eastern European technology company on the removal of a director/shareholder under bad leaver provisions.
• Shareholder dispute concerning the beneficial ownership of shares in a substantial hospitality business, including interim injunction proceedings and trial.
• Advising an ATE provider and insurance manager in a shareholder dispute concerning a litigation funding business.
• Acting as part of the counsel team for the interveners in the Supreme Court appeal in Sevilleja v Marex [2020] UKSC 31 concerning the rule against reflective loss.
• Advising and obtaining a just and equitable winding up of  a prominent but deadlock fashion company.
• Led on a dispute over the beneficial owner of shares that would give 1 side of warring factions beneficial ownership of restaurant business, including an interim injunction and a 3 day trial.
• Advising on a shareholder dispute concerning a company that owns and manages around £15m of property and development land in London.
• Defending a partnership claim concerning an algorithmic crypto trading business.
• Advising corporate solicitors on breach of the Take Over Code concerning the acquisition of a toy company by a fund.

Amit is frequently instructed in disputes that are either substantial or entirely international or offshore and regularly works alongside foreign lawyers, investigators and insolvency practitioners across the Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and offshore jurisdictions.

His experience includes disputes involving entities and assets located in UAE, Monaco, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland, Lichenstein, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the BVI, Luxembourg and Central Asia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Europe, Egypt, etc.

Many of his matters concern offshore corporate structures, international enforcement strategies, sanctions-related issues, politically exposed persons and parallel proceedings in multiple jurisdictions.

Recent representative instructions include:

• Defending a Swiss lawyer and arbitrator in proceedings alleging that a Swiss ad hoc arbitration was a sham.
• Representing a Channel Island utility provider in respect of a claim by their IT managed service provider.
• Acting in proceedings involving an IoM trusts and companies, international asset structures connected to alleged investment frauds.
• Opposing recognition and enforcement of a Maltese judgment in the aviation sector.
• Advising on multi-jurisdictional claims arising from a de-SPAC NASDAQ listing involving Delaware, Singaporean and English legal teams.
• Acting in claims involving politically exposed persons from North Africa and Middle East concerning investments in the defence sector which included sanctions issues and international enforcement.

• BSc in Psychology and Criminology (2:1)
• Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction)
• Bar Professional Training Course (Outstanding)

• Gray’s Inn Internship Scholarship (2014)

• Commercial Bar Association
• Chancery Bar Association

•  Gujarati (conversational)