Professor Jonathan Harris KC (Hon.) practises in all core areas of commercial and chancery litigation. He has a pre-eminent reputation in the field of private international law and specialises in cross-border disputes (particularly disputes raising issues of jurisdiction, arbitration, anti-suit injunctions, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and choice of law- both under the European legislation and the common law rules). He also specialises in offshore litigation. He has also drafted firewall and asset protection legislation for a number of offshore jurisdictions (including BVI and Gibraltar).
Jonathan is joint general editor (with Lord Collins of Mapesbury) of the leading work Dicey, Morris and Collins, The Conflict of Laws (and is also responsible for eleven chapters).
Jonathan was instructed for the successful appellant in the Privy Council in Hutcheson v Spread Trustees, a case concerning trustee exemption clauses in Guernsey. He was also instructed for the successful respondent in the landmark Supreme Court case of Granatino v Radmacher on pre-nuptial agreements.
He has been instructed in landmark offshore cases including Charman v Charman and Mubarak v Mubarak.
Jonathan also regularly provides expert opinions on English law for foreign proceedings as well as on the law of offshore jurisdictions.
Jonathan is a member of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Private International Law. He was legal advisor to the Ministry of Justice in negotiations on the EU Succession Regulation. He gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee on the implications of Brexit for cross-border dispute resolution.
He is author of The Hague Trusts Convention and co-author of International Sale of Goods in the Conflict of Laws. He has also contributed to two editions of Underhill and Hayton, Law of Trusts and Trustees and to Benjamin’s Sale of Goods (8th edition). He is co-editor of the Journal of Private International Law, joint general editor of the Oxford Private International Law Series and an editorial board member of Trusts and Trustees. He is a member of STEP and honorary member of ACTAPS.
Jonathan also holds the position of Professor of International Commercial Law at King’s College, London on a part-time basis; and is Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford and Harris Manchester College, Oxford. He has previously been Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore and Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Jonathan’s practice was the subject of a profile in the New Law Journal.
Qualified 2006, Lincoln’s Inn. Silk 2016.
French, German.
Member of LCIA; member, STEP; honorary member, ACTAPS; Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on private international law; Advisory Council, British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
Portsmouth Grammar School; Jesus College Oxford (1994 BA; 1995 BCL; 1998 MA); Birmingham University (2002 PhD); Harris Manchester College, Oxford.