Key Experience

Commercial Litigation

  • We act for a number of Asian institutional investors in both the RBS and Tesco securities litigation in the English Courts.
  • We represented a Chinese automotive manufacturer in its defence of claims arising out of a failed joint venture valued in excess of US$700m.
  • We acted in English High Court litigation arising out of an LCIA arbitral award and managed enforcement and related proceedings in China, Hong Kong and the Marshall Islands.
  • We acted for Huawei on French regulatory defence IT issues.
  • We acted for a Chinese SOE in its successful defence of a US$120 million claim in the Commercial Court in London concerning an alleged conspiracy relating to the global oil tanker charterparty market.

 

Read more about our Commercial Litigation team here.

 

Competition Litigation

  • We act for a Japanese electronics company in its two High Court claims for substantial damages arising out of worldwide cartels in the manufacture of CRT and LCD components for computer monitors.

 

Read more about our Competition Litigation team here.

 

Aviation

  • We were instructed by a large number of families of victims of Air Asia Flight 8501 which crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board in December 2014. The claim involved understanding local limits of liability and negotiating compensation for families which reflected local compensation levels as well as risks of US and French jurisdiction.
  • We are representing Indonesian and Australian families of victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared while en route from Malaysia to China in 2014. The accident is one of the great mysteries of aviation, with the aircraft still not located many years later and attempts to locate it having now ceased. The claim presented unique evidential challenges.
  • We were instructed by over 175 passengers on board Qantas Airline Flight QF72 from Singapore to Perth in 2008. The flight computers on board QF72 forced the aircraft into an uncommanded dive owing to data mix-up by the air data inertial reference unit. The dive sent passengers into the ceiling of the cabin suffering injury and distress. Claims were successfully brought in the US against Airbus and others and resolved at appropriate compensation levels.

 

Read more about our Aviation team here.

 

International Arbitration

We regularly work across jurisdictions with local counsel and experts. Our conflict-free position means we can act when other law firms cannot. Our independent model enables us to work hand-in-glove with our clients’ existing advisers and any law firm in the jurisdiction best suited to help. Combined with our unrivalled capacity to enter into innovative costs arrangements, this allows our clients to arbitrate from a position of strength.

We have successfully represented states, companies and individuals across many sectors including oil and gas, shipping, banking, energy, mining, construction, retail and leisure. Our work covers all international commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration and arbitration-related litigation.

Our team’s experience includes advising:

  • the Republic of India before the English courts in defending challenge proceedings brought in connection with an UNCITRAL arbitral award under the India-France bilateral investment treaty.
  • a Pakistani-listed gas company in an ICC arbitration with a US-controlled power plant seated in Singapore, arising out of a dispute under a gas sales and purchase agreement (GSPA) connected with the provision of contractual commitments of gas pipeline and force majeure issues.
  • a state-owned insurer in a Swiss-seated arbitration related to a trade credit claim arising out of the supply of steel to an Indian entity.
  • a Nepalese airline in a long-running arbitration concerning its sales and finance functions.
  • a client in a wide-ranging arbitral dispute regarding the allocation and control of business and property assets in the UAE, India and Europe over a five-year period.
  • an Indian trading company in an ad hoc arbitration against a Swiss counterpart concerning shipments of coal and non-payment issues.
  • in the place of a liquidator in connection with a dispute involving the import of commodities from India and trade finance fraud via an Asian intermediary.
  • an exploration and production company in respect of claims against a Chinese ship manufacturer, subject to LCIA arbitration arising from alleged defects in an oil tanker.
  • British and US investors in respect of potential bilateral investment treaty claims against Mongolia, in connection with licences for the mining of natural resources.
  • an Indian airline in a dispute in relation to leasing issues and forfeiture of aircraft for non-payment of sums due under leasing and maintenance agreements.
  • a US OTC-listed company on structuring future investments in an Asian state.

Read more about our International Arbitration team here.

International Injury

  • We acted for the family of the Formula 1 racing driver, Jules Bianchi, in taking legal action relating to the fatal head injuries he sustained in a collision with a mobile crane at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka in 2014.
  • We acted for two Australian nationals who sustained injuries in a serious safari jeep crash in Kenya, in 2015.
  • We settled a claim for a British national who suffered physical and psychiatric injures in a parasailing accident whilst staying at a luxury hotel resort in Vietnam. The hotel formed part of a Singapore incorporated international chain, with commercial interests throughout South East Asia.

 

Read more about our International Injury team here.

 

Divorce and Family

  • We have particular expertise in cases with an international element since many of our clients have connections to multiple jurisdictions, including across Asia. In international cases, family situations often develop that require immediate and urgent action; knowledge, experience and the ability to act swiftly can often be critical to the outcome of a case. Our large and vastly experienced team, of whom six partners are fellows of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and two of our lawyers have previously practiced in Hong Kong, is ideally placed to deal with the most complex of cases, whether these involve the resolution of financial claims on divorce, the international relocation of children, applications to the English Court for financial settlement following divorce proceedings overseas, or jurisdiction disputes. We offer a fast turnaround and a supportive approach to our clients, irrespective of where they are based. We have an extensive global network, and work closely with our affiliates across the globe with speed and efficiency, with the aim of achieving the best possible outcome for our clients.
  • On the non-contentious side, we regularly act for parties entering into marital agreements to protect their assets in the event of relationship breakdown. For global families either based in or with connections to the UK, it will often be sensible to put in place pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements in different countries. We have the requisite expertise to advise on how to implement these agreements, taking into consideration the impact of any country-specific laws and where necessary co-ordinating with lawyers in other jurisdictions with whom we have long-standing and strategic partnerships. Our aim is to protect our clients’ property and interests wherever they are located and ensure that future litigation can be avoided.

 

Read more about our Divorce and Family team here.

If you require assistance, please contact us or request a call from one of our lawyers.

Meet the Asia team

Our team has great experience dealing with disputes in Asia. 

We are highly ranked in the UK by Chambers and The Legal 500.

Mo-Bhaskaran, Head of Fraud and Head of Commercial Litigation