3 Verulam Buildings

Michael's practice includes most areas of domestic and international commercial and business litigation and arbitration with particular emphasis on IT/Telecoms, banking/finance disputes and fraud.

Michael has extensive experience of trial, pre-trial and appellate advocacy. He represented the second defendant in the ground-breaking VTB Capital v Nuritek and others in 2011 and 2012, successfully arguing against the extension of the corporate veil piercing doctrine to impose contractual liability on non-parties on behalf of all the defendants in the Chancery Division, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the only advocate in the case who addressed the court on the substantive issues at all three levels.

In the IT/telecoms fields, Michael is frequently instructed to advise on and conduct disputes concerning systems and software supply, development, outsourcing and licensing. His specialist banking & finance expertise includes documentary credits, guarantees and similar instruments, asset finance, commercial and sovereign loans and other capital raising transactions.

More generally, Michael has considerable experience of commercial fraud, share and asset sale disputes, sale and supply of goods and services, financial services including group misselling claims, professional negligence, breach of confidence and joint ventures. He has appeared in cases in the Privy Council in a number of fields including commercial law, constitutional law, land law and taxation.

COMBAR, LCLCBA

Haberdashers’ Aske’s School Elstree, Trinity Hall Cambridge.