Stephen Moriarty has a very broad commercial litigation and advisory practice, with a particular emphasis on banking and financial services, professional negligence disputes, insurance and reinsurance disputes, aviation cases, and international commercial arbitration. . The international nature of his practice frequently involves him dealing with issues of foreign law, which have included, over the years, French, Italian, Greek, Mexican, US, Indian, Indonesian, Egyptian, Chinese, Polish and Iranian law.
Prominent work includes acting for the successful appellants in the Supreme Court cases of Angove’s v Bailey [2016] 1 WLR 3179 (concerned with the termination of agency, and constructive trusts) and The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Investment Trust Companies (In Liquidation) [2017] 2 WLR 1200 (a leading case in the law of restitution concerned with the circumstances which an unjust enrichment claim can be asserted against an indirect recipient); and appearing in a nine day hearing before the Court of Appeal in the UBS v Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig GMBH proceedings (concerned with the enforceability of a series of single tranche collateralized debt obligations).
As well as acting as counsel in many international commercial arbitrations, he also sits as an arbitrator.
Called Middle Temple 1986; QC 1999; fellow and tutor in law, Exeter College, Oxford, 1979-86; co-editor, ‘Chitty on Contracts’ (insurance chapter), 26th and 27th editions; contributor, ‘Laundering & Tracing’, OUP 1995; general editor ‘Commercial Court Procedure’ (Sweet & Maxwell).
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR); London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association; British Insurance Law Association; American Bar Association. Chairman, Commercial Bar Association 2011–13; member of Bar Council 2011–13. Bencher, Middle Temple.
Brasenose College, Oxford (1977 BA; 1978 BCL; 1978 Vinerian Scholarship; 1982 MA).
Music, opera, theatre; member of Reform Club.