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  • Overview

    Justin practices across a wide range of commercial chancery work and is consistently recommended for commercial litigation (including trusts), civil fraud, company law, and insolvency work.

    He is an experienced High Court advocate, where he appears as counsel at trial and at heavy or urgent applications in the Chancery Division and the Commercial Court, including those concerning urgent interim remedies and freezing injunctions.

    An all-rounder, the legal directories have noted him as having an “exceptionally analytical brain”, for providing “clear, meaningful” and “comprehensive advice”, for producing “meticulous, accurate” pleadings, and for being “good in persuading judges”. User-friendly, he has also been noted for being “approachable, thorough and prompt”, “efficient and friendly”, whilst being “sensible and frank”.

    Justin is instructed by solicitors and in-house teams, and is instructed both as sole counsel and as part of a team. His practice includes domestic disputes as well as those with an international element.

    Justin contributes to Lexis PSL, law reports, and delivers seminars and training. He has chaired Chambers’ Company, Insolvency and Commercial Practice Group.

  • Civil Fraud

    A significant proportion of Justin’s practice includes allegations of fraud, whether in a commercial, company and insolvency, property, or trust context.

    His practice includes:

    • Misrepresentation/deceit
    • Conspiracy
    • Breach of trust/fiduciary duty
    • Constructive trusts
    • Undue influence
    • Conversion
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Dishonest assistance
    • Knowing receipt
    • Economic torts
    • Equitable remedies
    • Email fraud
    • Limitation
    • Mortgage fraud
    • Enforcing foreign judgments
    • Jurisdiction and conflict of laws
    • Interim remedies: security for costs, injunctions & freezing orders etc.

    Recent and ongoing instructions include:

    • Representing the defendants in a two-week re-trial heard 13 years after the original trial following the original judgment being set aside as it had been procured by fraud, alleging undue influence, unconscionable bargain, deceit, conspiracy and breach of trust in respect of various investment properties, giving rise to complicated limitation, estoppel and witness immunity issues.
    • Obtaining judgment in the sum of £5.9 million following the wrongful granting of a freezing order. The underlying claim sought damages for breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and restitution for financial trading losses (including cryptocurrency).
    • Representing one of 13 defendants resisting a worldwide freezing order sought by claimants alleging misrepresentations that induced entry into a £multi-million collective investment scheme.
    • Representing the Claimant in proceeding alleging breach of Quistclose trust, deceit, and conspiracy relating to the procurement of monies from a Middle Eastern citizen.
    • Proceedings alleging misrepresentation to induce investment in a manufacturing company.
    • Proceedings alleging breach of trust, mortgage fraud, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt of trust property.
    • Representing a consultant in proceedings alleging conspiracy, breach of restrictive covenants and breach of confidence.
    • Dispute alleging breach of fiduciary duty and inducing breach of contract in respect of the sale of a technology and publishing company.
    • Acting for an individual seeking to pierce the corporate veil by alleging conspiracy, and malicious prosecution in respect of financial trading losses.
    • Representing a Swiss leisure company defending liability for business email compromise fraud.
  • Commercial Litigation

    Justin has a broad commercial practice.

    His expertise includes:

    • Contracts
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Framework agreements
    • Factoring agreements
    • Agency
    • Commissions
    • LME contracts
    • Banking and financial services
    • Investor disputes
    • Loans, guarantees and indemnities
    • Restraint of trade
    • Equitable remedies
    • Breach of confidence and data protection
    • Unjust enrichment
    • Trusts
    • Economic torts
    • Enforcing foreign judgments
    • Jurisdiction and conflict of laws
    • Interim remedies: security for costs, injunctions & freezing orders etc.

    Recent and ongoing instructions include:

    • Defending a £multi-million claim in the Commercial Court brought against a Middle Eastern company alleging breach of a hedging contract linked to the LME.
    • Acting for a UAE company pursing claims for breach of contract for failure to deliver agricultural produce.
    • Representing the Claimant in £multi-million proceedings relating to the loan of monies and seeking common law remedies (based on breach of contract), and equitable remedies (based on breach of trust).
    • Representing a statutory undertaker defending a claim for negligent misstatement for the accuracy of CON29DW search at a major property development.
    • Advising a South-East Asian company in respect of Commercial Court claims worth c. $30 million relating to energy infrastructure assets in North Africa and associated leases, contracts and guarantees.
    • Representing the Claimant in Commercial Court proceedings seeking repayment of a property investment loan advanced to develop a high-end London property.
    • Defending a £multi-million claim against a former senior employee for breach of contract, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, and resisting a freezing order and a delivery up order.
    • Obtaining pre-action disclosure in respect of a proposed breach of confidence and data protection claim.
    • Proceedings challenging the entitlement to an agent’s commission.
    • Acting for the Defendant resisting the enforceability of a guarantee and factoring agreement.
    • Advising on numerous contentious schemes under a £300 million call-off contract.
    • Proceedings concerning the enforceability of loans, mis-selling and unfair relationships.
    • Resisting referrals to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
  • Company & Partnership

    Justin undertakes a broad range of contentious and non-contentious company & partnership work.

    His expertise includes:

    • Auditors
    • Director’s duties and fiduciary duties
    • Boardroom disputes
    • Quasi-partnerships, traditional partnerships and LLPs
    • Minority shareholder actions
    • Shareholder, partnership and LLP agreements
    • Share schemes
    • Share capital reduction
    • Dissolution and winding up
    • Restoration, bona vacantia, escheat and vesting orders
    • Company & partnership property including leases and trusts
    • Director disqualifications
    • Jurisdiction and conflict of laws
    • Interim remedies: security for costs, injunctions & freezing orders etc.

    Recent and ongoing instructions include:

    • Advising the incoming Sporting Director of a Premier League Football Club on the share scheme provisions of his services contract.
    • Representing the directors of a special purpose vehicle incorporated to bring proceedings against a Bulgarian property developer who resisted a hostile boardroom takeover.
    • Acting for a national auditor in respect of its resignation from an audit.
    • Representing the director of a property development company resisting a derivative claim.
    • Representing the Petitioner in an unfair prejudice petition in respect of a company that runs a West London hotel.
    • Representing a substantial accountancy LLP seeking to remove a member.
    • Advising the outgoing partner of a London law firm on retirement.
    • Advising a law firm on their conversion from a traditional partnership to an LLP.
    • Acting for a member of a partnership carrying on the business of a GP practice for breach of the partnership agreement and seeking dissolution and winding up.
    • Representing a director and shareholder resisting claims of breach of fiduciary duty and director’s duties action in respect of the sale of a business.
    • Acting for the Applicant in a claim to rectify the Register of Companies following a mistaken application by the Company’s accountant to strike it off.
    • Advising a care home provider on an employee benefit scheme to undo a defective flowering share scheme.
    • Obtaining a freezing order against a co-director and shareholder who had failed to allocate shares or pay dividends, and who threatened to phoenix the business.
  • Insolvency

    Justin undertakes a broad range of personal and corporate insolvency work.  

    His expertise includes:

    • Administration
    • Liquidation
    • Vesting orders
    • CVAs
    • Moratoriums
    • Receivership
    • Reviewable transactions
    • Bankruptcy petitions
    • Winding-up petitions
    • Suspension of discharge
    • Annulment
    • Insolvent estates
    • Leases
    • Cross-border
    • Injunctions

    Recent and ongoing instructions include:

    • Resisting a claim brought by a liquidator against a limited company and an individual involved in commercial and residential property development alleging payments at undervalue, in preference or misfeasance.
    • Acting for the administrators in respect of a remuneration application complicated by the heavy involvement of the FCA, various European banks, hostile creditors and former directors, associated companies, and mixed funds.
    • Acting for the administrator of a property development company pursuing a misfeasance claim and an unlawful dividend claim.
    • Acting for the Applicant in seeking to restrain advertisement of a winding-up petition on the basis of a conspiracy by the Petitioner company (part of a complicated group of companies ultimately controlled by a former director of the Applicant).
    • Acting for the liquidators dealing with a complicated inter-company position in resisting a claim brought by a bank under a series of cross-guarantees seeking contractual and insolvency set-off.
    • Proceedings resisting the suspension of a debtor’s bankruptcy involving a complicated inter-company position and offshore assets.
    • Acting for the Petitioner in obtaining permissions to serve out to Peru.
    • Acting for the Respondent who set aside a statutory demand made by an insurance broker to enforce a personal guarantee of a private limited company on the basis of an estoppel.
    • Acting for the applicant UAE bank who resisted an application to annul a bankruptcy.
    • Acting for a TV personality in annulling her bankruptcy and setting aside the petition.
    • Acting for the surety of an insolvent private limited company on the effect of disclaimer, the granting of a tenancy at will, and the election of the landlord in taking possession of commercial premises.
    • Acting for the leaseholders of commercial premises on the effect of the administration of a major retailer on their leases.
    • Challenging the insolvency of an estate and whether the trustee and personal representative had acted in breach of trust or committed devastavit and whether assets were held on constructive trust.
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

    Justin frequently acts as advocate in mediations and advises on all forms of ADR. 

  • Qualifications / Education

    • BA (Hons.), University College London (1st Class)
    • MA, University College London
    • GDL, City Law School, City University
    • BPTC, BPP Law School
  • Awards

    • Bedingfield Scholar, The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
    • GDL Scholar, The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
    • Falcon Chambers Prize Essay (runner-up)
  • Memberships

    • COMBAR
    • Chancery Bar Association
    • Property Bar Association
    • The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn
  • What the directories say

    Justin has been recommended by the Legal 500 since 2020. Select quotes include:

    Justin has an exceptionally analytical brain, is good in persuading judges, and provides comprehensive advice.”

    Legal 500 UK Bar 2024

    “Justin is sensible and frank with the facts. He is very approachable and provides clear, meaningful advice.”

    Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

    “Justin is extremely efficient and professional. Pleadings are meticulous, accurate and succinct where required. He provides sound legal advice.”

    Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

    “Justin is approachable, thorough and prompt. He has a meticulous eye.”

    Legal 500 UK Bar 2022

    “A rising star for commercial work.”

    Legal 500 UK Bar 2021

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