Keith Thomas

Partner in the Commercial Litigation Department and Investor Protection Litigation Department, Stewarts Law LLP

• +44 (0)20 7822 8177
• kthomas@stewartslaw.com

Specialisations

Keith has acted in a wide range of commercial disputes, representing companies, banks, funds and other financial institutions, receivers, directors and high net worth individuals. He specialises in large scale, high value and complex matters with particular emphasis on matters involving:

• banking and finance
• securities litigation
• multi-jurisdictional and international disputes
• private client/trust disputes
• fraud and asset recovery
• international and domestic arbitration
• injunctions
• insurance
• IP, IT, telecoms-related and other disputes with technical subject matter

Keith has extensive knowledge of the Formula 1 industry and has represented various drivers. He also has significant experience of commercial drafting in the IP/IT/telecoms and manufacturing areas.

Past cases include:

• Lehman Brothers International, Newedge, MF Global v Genevacorp and Others / Robb Evans & Associates v Lakeshore Alternative Financial Asset and Others - successful recovery of the assets of a collapsed hedge fund on behalf of a US receiver;
• Macquarie v Glencore - strike out of an additional claim against directors brought in warranty claim litigation;
• Directors Dealing Investment Trust v Unicorn Asset Management unjust enrichment claim in relation to VAT reclaims;
• Brotech v Thermax and Others - multi jurisdictional proceedings in relation to misappropriation of confidential information in the ion exchange and adsorbtion industry;
• Commercial Court proceedings for injunction in support of arbitration proceedings concerning land transactions in Zimbabwe;
• International arbitration to enforce financing and guarantee agreements relating to the UK, US and BVI;
• Greene Wood & McLean LLP v Templeton Insurance Limited - Commercial Court proceedings concerning inter insurer liability between ATE and PI insurers and associated arbitration proceedings;
• Newsat v Zani - multi-jurisdictional proceedings concerning licensing of international satellite rights over the Seychelles;
• Living Picture v Madame Tussauds - misrepresentation case concerning ability to license rights to images of waxwork models;
• Petrol Express v Ernst & Young, Royal Bank of Scotland and Others - case concerning breach of confidence and the duties of banks and advisors in corporate transactions;
• Multi-jurisdictional proceedings in among others the BVI, the UK, Singapore, Cyprus and Switzerland concerning injunctions in support of high net worth matrimonial proceedings;
• Acting on behalf of onshore and offshore trustees in application for directions concerning Bahamian and onshore trusts in the face of beneficiary disputes;
• Harrison v Harrison - reported case concerning the threshold for setting aside financial settlements on the grounds of fraud and perjury;
• AB v CD - proceedings in the BVI concerning the obtaining of disclosure in support of Ukrainian and Austrian proceedings via Norwich Pharmacal orders;
• Shahar v Kolomoisky - proceedings concerning the alleged misappropriation of Ukrainian assets and the obtaining of orders under duress;
• Ace v Trend - alleged fraud by bloodstock insurance underwriter including search order proceedings;
• Daimler Chrysler v Stolzenberg - long running proceedings in multiple jurisdictions concerning recovery after the fraud resulting in the collapse of Castor Holdings - the Canadian real property and investment company with billions of dollars of debt;
• Arbitration proceedings between a clearing bank and one of the largest IT outsourcing companies in the world concerning its card processing operations;
• Skandia v DST International - negligence proceedings brought by fund manager against the IT supplier of its portfolio management system;
• Ceska Sporitelna v Unisys Corp - US proceedings for fraud and misrepresentation and associated European arbitration proceedings concerning the supply of a retail banking computer system, at the time the largest arbitration by value ever to have taken place in Eastern Europe;
• American Express v Johnson Controls - action for the recovery of the value of stolen travellers cheques arising from vicarious liability of employer;
• Bank of China v Turkiye IS Bankasi - dispute in relation to cross guarantees on performance bonds concerning construction project in Libya.

Professional Memberships

International Bar Association.

Career

Keith trained at CMS Cameron McKenna and worked there for a number of years on qualification. Further experience included working at a specialist US litigation firm after which he became a partner in the Commercial Litigation department at Manches LLP in 2007 before joining Stewarts Law as a partner in 2010. He originally worked in the telecommunications industry after obtaining a Masters degree in Electronic Engineering before requalifying as a lawyer.

Publications

Co-author of the UK chapter of 'International Corporate Law' (Aspatore Books).

Personal

Keith resides in London and on the South Coast and is a keen skier and sailor when his children allow him the time.