Alexander Georgiou
Barrister
Call 2021
Alex has a broad commercial practise spanning all areas of Chambers' work, with a particular focus on banking and finance litigation, civil fraud, and disputes with an international aspect. Alongside a wide variety of high-value led instructions, Alex is also regularly instructed as sole counsel in both County Court and High Court proceedings.
In addition to his practice at the Bar, Alex is an established academic lawyer. He is a Prize Fellow of All Souls College (University of Oxford) and an Academic Fellow at the National University of Singapore. His published work spans private law generally, with a particular focus on the law of remedies and on unjust enrichment/restitution.
Examples of notable recent instructions include:
- Ricardo Benjamin Salinas Pliego v Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Acting (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) for the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth defendants to defend a claim alleging stock-based lending fraud valued at over USD 300m. The case raises novel questions relating to abuse of process following a covert operation by the claimants to obtain privileged information from the defendants’ former solicitors: [2025] EWHC 1968 (Comm) and [2026] EWCA Civ 940. Appeared as sole counsel at the consequentials hearing following the first instance decision: [2025] EWHC 3124 (Comm). The dispute also involves parallel contempt proceedings relating to alleged breaches of freezing injunctions.
- LLC EuroChem North-West-2 v ING Bank NV: Instructed (with Neil Kitchener KC, James Weale, and Rob Harris) in relation to a potential post-judgment anti-suit injunction, in a claim worth over €200m, to restrain a collateral attack through foreign proceedings. The underlying trial was named one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of 2025”.
- 260–266 Balham High Road LLP v Thames Water Utilities Ltd: Acted as sole counsel in a c. £10m High Court dispute between a property developer and a utilities company, in which it is alleged that the defendant utilities company negligently and in breach of contract failed to identify the location of some of its physical infrastructure in reports obtained for the claimant developer.
- Ahmed v Anstock: Acting as sole counsel for the defendants in substantial fraud proceedings in the Circuit Commercial Court involving allegations of misuse of funds deposited by the claimants with companies associated with the defendants.
- The Racing Partnership Ltd v William Hill Organization Ltd: Acting (with Sandy Phipps) for the claimants in a claim for unpaid invoices where payment was diverted by a fraudster in a business email compromise fraud. The case involves significant legal issues regarding apparent authority in the context of email-hacking impersonation.
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Examples of Recent Cases
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Banking and Financial Services
- Instructed as sole counsel in a potential negligence claim against an investment manager. The case involves a potential High Court application for pre-action disclosure.
- Styczen v Altery Ltd: Acted as sole counsel to defend a claim against a first generation recipient payment services provider to recover funds paid away by the claimant due to an authorised push payment fraud.
- Tich Ltd v National Westminster Bank plc: Acted (with Andrew McLeod) to defend a claim, brought against the defendant bank, in which the claimant sought to recover from the bank money which it had paid away from its account with the bank due to an authorised push payment fraud.
- Instructed (with Nehali Shah) in a high-value international dispute concerned with the entitlement to possession of title deeds deposited by way of security under foreign currency facility agreements.
- Advised an investment fund on issues relating to abuse of process, cause of action estoppel, and limitation periods in the context of a professional negligence claim (with Sam O’Leary).
- Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Ivanishvili [2025] UKPC 53: Assisted Sebastian Isaac KC during pupillage with a Privy Council appeal which raised questions relating to the duties of Quistclose trustees and the relationship between concurrent contractual and fiduciary duties.
- Jefferies International Ltd v Ashenden Finance S.A. [2025] EWHC 1441: Assisted Sandy Phipps during pupillage resisting a jurisdiction challenge which raised the question whether a jurisdiction clause in standard Terms of Business had been incorporated into the parties’ contract.
- Fir Tree Capital Opportunity Master Fund LP v SBB Treasury Oyj: Assisted Orlando Gledhill KC and Eleanor Campbell during pupillage with a €50 million test case concerning EMTN programme noteholders’ right to accelerated repayment. The case affected noteholders of over €1 billion of SBB’s debt.
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Civil Fraud and Investigations
- Ricardo Benjamin Salinas Pliego v Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Acting (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) for the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth defendants to defend a claim alleging stock-based lending fraud valued at over USD 300m. The case raises novel questions relating to abuse of process following a covert operation by the claimants to obtain privileged information from the defendants’ former solicitors: [2025] EWHC 1968 (Comm) and [2026] EWCA Civ 940. Appeared as sole counsel at the consequentials hearing following the first instance decision: [2025] EWHC 3124 (Comm). The dispute also involves parallel contempt proceedings relating to alleged breaches of freezing injunctions.
- Ahmed v Anstock: Acting as sole counsel for the defendants in substantial fraud proceedings in the Circuit Commercial Court involving allegations of misuse of funds deposited by the claimants with companies associated with the defendants.
- The Racing Partnership Ltd v William Hill Organization Ltd: Acting (with Sandy Phipps) for the claimants in a claim for unpaid invoices where payment was diverted by a fraudster in a business email compromise fraud. The case involves significant legal issues regarding apparent authority in the context of email-hacking impersonation.
- Styczen v Altery Ltd: Acted as sole counsel to defend a claim against a first generation recipient payment services provider to recover funds paid away by the claimant due to an authorised push payment fraud.
- Tich Ltd v National Westminster Bank plc: Acted (with Andrew McLeod) to defend a claim, brought against the defendant bank, in which the claimant sought to recover from the bank money which it had paid away from its account with the bank due to an authorised push payment fraud.
- Bilta (UK) Ltd v Tradition Financial Services Ltd [2025] UKSC 18: Assisted Laurence Emmett KC during pupillage with a Supreme Court appeal which raised questions relating to (i) the scope of the Insolvency Act 1968, s. 213; and (ii) what knowledge is to be attributed to a company which was struck off the Register, and then subsequently restored thereto, during the period in which the company was struck off.
- Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd v Ivanishvili [2025] UKPC 53: Assisted Sebastian Isaac KC during pupillage with a Privy Council appeal which raised questions relating to the duties of Quistclose trustees and the relationship between concurrent contractual and fiduciary duties.
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Commercial Litigation
- CSC Computer Sciences Ltd v Hughes: Acting (with Nehali Shah KC) in Part 8 proceedings relating to the construction of an earnout revenue provision in a share purchase agreement.
- Wong Wen Young v Grand View Private Trust Co Ltd: Instructed (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) in Bermudan proceedings relating to the validity of various charitable trusts. The case, which involves assets of around USD 14b (and is one of the largest private wealth disputes ever tried), raises novel legal questions about sub-trusts and formalities for the disposition of equitable interests.
- Instructed as sole counsel in a potential negligence claim against an investment manager. The case involves a potential High Court application for pre-action disclosure.
- Advised on the enforceability of English law security over shares situated abroad.
- 260–266 Balham High Road LLP v Thames Water Utilities Ltd: Acted as sole counsel in a c. £10m dispute between a property developer and a utilities company, in which it is alleged that the defendant utilities company negligently and in breach of contract failed to identify the location of some of its physical infrastructure in reports obtained for the claimant developer.
- Instructed (with Nehali Shah) in a high-value international dispute concerned with the entitlement to possession of title deeds deposited by way of security under foreign currency facility agreements.
- LLC EuroChem North-West-2 v ING Bank NV: Instructed (with Neil Kitchener KC, James Weale, and Rob Harris) in relation to a potential post-judgment anti-suit injunction, in a claim worth over €200m, to restrain a collateral attack through foreign proceedings. The underlying trial was named one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of 2025”.
- The Racing Partnership Ltd v William Hill Organization Ltd: Acting (with Sandy Phipps) for the claimants in a claim for unpaid invoices where payment was diverted by a fraudster in a business email compromise fraud. The case involves significant legal issues regarding apparent authority in the context of email-hacking impersonation.
- Advised an investment fund on issues relating to abuse of process, cause of action estoppel, and limitation periods in the context of a professional negligence claim (with Sam O’Leary).
- Aguiar v Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A: Acted for the successful defendant challenging jurisdiction on the basis of forum non coveniens in a case which also raised novel legal issues regarding the interaction between the Montreal Convention 1999 and Regulation (EC) 261/2006 post-Brexit.
- Jefferies International Ltd v Ashenden Finance S.A. [2025] EWHC 1441: Assisted Sandy Phipps during pupillage with resisting a jurisdiction challenge which raised the question whether a jurisdiction clause in standard Terms of Business had been incorporated into the parties’ contract.
- Fir Tree Capital Opportunity Master Fund LP v SBB Treasury Oyj: Assisted Orlando Gledhill KC and Eleanor Campbell with a €50 million test case concerning EMTN programme noteholders’ right to accelerated repayment. The case affected noteholders of over €1 billion of SBB’s debt.
- Access Bank plc v Orjiako BVIHC (COM) 0282/2023: Assisted Neil Kitchener KC and Eleanor Campbell during pupillage with an application in the BVI to discharge freezing injunctions and the appointment of receivers for, inter alia, failures of full and frank disclosure.
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Company and Insolvency
- Instructed as sole counsel for the respondent firm of solicitors to applications to (i) restrain the presentation of a winding up petition and (ii) set aside a statutory demand based on a claim for unpaid fees.
- Soundwave Studios Music Group Ltd v Visage Group Management Ltd [2026] EWHC 1068 (Ch): Acted as sole counsel for the respondent to an application to restrain the presentation of winding up petitions based on a claim to recover money paid for a consideration which had totally failed. The case raised novel questions about the relationship between restitution and insolvency law.
- Brittain v Uddin: Acted pro bono as sole counsel in bankruptcy proceedings which concerned whether the bankrupt’s family home was held on common intention constructive trust.
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Competition and Group Litigation
- Instructed (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) in relation to potential representative proceedings regarding breaches of data privacy. The case raises unsettled questions about the recovery of non-compensatory damages in representative proceedings, as well as pre-action disclosure of documents situated abroad.
- Gormsen v Meta Platforms Inc: Instructed (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) to advise on issues relating to the recovery of user damages for abuses of dominant position.
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Contempt of Court
- Ricardo Benjamin Salinas Pliego v Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Acting (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) for the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth defendants to defend a claim alleging stock-based lending fraud valued at over USD 300m. The case raises novel questions relating to abuse of process following a covert operation by the claimants to obtain privileged information from the defendants’ former solicitors: [2025] EWHC 1968 (Comm) and [2026] EWCA Civ 940. Appeared as sole counsel at the consequentials hearing following the first instance decision: [2025] EWHC 3124 (Comm). The dispute also involves parallel contempt proceedings relating to alleged breaches of freezing injunctions.
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Jurisdiction and Conflict of Laws
- Instructed (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) in relation to potential representative proceedings regarding breaches of data privacy. The case raises unsettled questions about the recovery of non-compensatory damages in representative proceedings, as well as pre-action disclosure of documents situated abroad.
- Advised on the enforceability of English law security over shares situated abroad.
- Aguiar v Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A: Acted for the successful defendant challenging jurisdiction on the basis of forum non coveniens in a case which also raised novel legal issues regarding the interaction between the Montreal Convention 1999 and Regulation (EC) 261/2006 post-Brexit.
- Jefferies International Ltd v Ashenden Finance S.A. [2025] EWHC 1441: Assisted Sandy Phipps during pupillage with resisting a jurisdiction challenge which raised the question whether a jurisdiction clause in standard Terms of Business had been incorporated into the parties’ contract.
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Injunctions and Interim Applications
- Ricardo Benjamin Salinas Pliego v Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Acting (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) for the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth defendants to defend a claim alleging stock-based lending fraud valued at over USD 300m. The case raises novel questions relating to abuse of process following a covert operation by the claimants to obtain privileged information from the defendants’ former solicitors: [2025] EWHC 1968 (Comm) and [2026] EWCA Civ 940. Appeared as sole counsel at the consequentials hearing following the first instance decision: [2025] EWHC 3124 (Comm). The dispute also involves parallel contempt proceedings relating to alleged breaches of freezing injunctions.
- Instructed as sole counsel in a potential negligence claim against an investment manager. The case involves a potential High Court application for pre-action disclosure.
- Instructed (with Niranjan Venkatesan KC) in relation to potential representative proceedings regarding breaches of data privacy. The case raises unsettled questions about the recovery of non-compensatory damages in representative proceedings, as well as pre-action disclosure of documents situated abroad.
- LLC EuroChem North-West-2 v ING Bank NV: Instructed (with Neil Kitchener KC, James Weale, and Rob Harris) in relation to a potential post-judgment anti-suit injunction, in a claim worth over €200m, to restrain a collateral attack through foreign proceedings. The underlying trial was named one of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of 2025”.
- Access Bank plc v Orjiako BVIHC (COM) 0282/2023: Assisted Neil Kitchener KC and Eleanor Campbell during pupillage with an application in the BVI to discharge freezing injunctions and the appointment of receivers for, inter alia, failures of full and frank disclosure.
- SFL Ace 2 Co Inc v DCW Management Ltd (formerly Allseas Global Management Ltd) [2024] EWHC 3074: Assisted Eleanor Campbell during pupillage with resisting an application for a non-party costs order.
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Restitution
- Yip v Bush: Acting as sole counsel in County Court proceedings in a claim for restitution and relief from forfeiture arising out of an aborted property transaction.
- Advised a local council on the recovery of misappropriated care payments in a case raising issues relating to knowing receipt, unjust enrichment against indirect recipients, and subrogation.
- Soundwave Studios Music Group Ltd v Visage Group Management Ltd [2026] EWHC 1068 (Ch): Acted as sole counsel for the respondent to an application to restrain the presentation of winding up petitions based on a claim to recover money paid for a consideration which had totally failed. The case raised novel questions about the relationship between restitution and insolvency law.
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Education
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Law — All Souls College, University of Oxford (2020–2024)
- Thesis title: ‘Private Law Remedies: Why and how private law responds to wrongdoing’.
- Examined by the Honourable Justice James Edelman (High Court of Australia) and Professor Charlie Webb (London School of Economics).
Bar Professional Training Course — BPP London (2019–2020)
Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) — Brasenose College, University of Oxford (2018–2019)
- Distinction.
- Temple Chambers (Hong Kong) scholarship.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Jurisprudence — Brasenose College, University of Oxford (2014–2017)
- First Class Honours.
- Martin Wronker Prize for best overall performance (received jointly).
- Gibbs Prize (Proxime Accessit) for second-best overall performance in the Contract, Tort, Trusts, and Land papers (received jointly).
- 3 Verulam Buildings Prize for best performance in the Commercial Law paper.
- White & Case Prize for best performance in the Comparative Private Law paper.
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Previous Employment
Prize Fellow — All Souls College, University of Oxford (2019–present)
- Gave undergraduate tutorials in contract, tort, trusts, and land law at various colleges.
- Gave masters (BCL/MJur) tutorials and seminars in commercial remedies and restitution of unjust enrichment.
- Gave lectures on declarations of trust, formalities, and constitution; and on termination and frustration for breach of contract.
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Publications and Lectures
Books
- Substitutive Remedies: Performance-Based Awards in English law (under contract with Hart Publishing).
Chapters
- ‘Statutory trusts and co-ownership’ in Martin Dixon and Emma Lees (eds), Modern Studies in Property Law vol. 13 Pt. 2 (Hart Publishing 2026) (with Professor William Swadling).
- ‘Remedies and the public interest’ in Andrew Robertson and Jason Neyers (eds), Private Law and the State (Hart Publishing 2024) (with Professor Sandy Steel).
Articles
- ‘Two conceptions of consideration’ (2025) 55 Hong Kong Law Journal 460.
- ‘Hollander orders: more questions than answers?’ (2025) 44 Civil Justice Quarterly 179.
- ‘Are equitable remedies discretionary?’ (2025) 18 Journal of Equity 246 (with Dr Timothy Liau).
- ‘Making contract-breakers pay’ (2025) 141 Law Quarterly Review 104.
- ‘Mistaken payments, quasi-contracts, and the “justice” of unjust enrichment’ (2022) 42 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 606.
- ‘Taking trusts seriously’ (2021) 137 Law Quarterly Review 305.
Case notes
- ‘The role of intention in cost of cure damages revisited’ [2026] Singapore Journal of Legal Studies 171.
- ‘The market rule and late performance’ [2025] Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly 423.
- ‘Property damage, remoteness, and consequential contractual liabilities’ [2024] Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly 386.
- ‘Knowing receipt: continuing trusts and conscionability’ (2022) 86 Modern Law Review 276.
- ‘Between rocks and hard places: limitation, privilege, and mistakes of law’ (2022) 138 Law Quarterly Review 535 (with Emma Rawkins)
- ‘Interest and enrichment, again’ (2022) 138 Law Quarterly Review 186 (with Emma Rawkins).
- ‘What’s “unjust” about unjust enrichment: an answer at last?’ [2021] Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly 63 (cited in Banca Intesa Sanpaolo SpA v Comune di Venezia [2022] EWHC 2586).
- ‘In defence of Sempra’ [2019] Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly 38 (cited in Gray v Lavan (a firm) [2025] HCA 42).
- ‘Marr v Collie: The ballooning of the common intention constructive trust’ (2019) 82 Modern Law Review 145.
Book reviews
- ‘Review of Standing in Private Law: Powers of Enforcement in the Law of Obligations and Trusts by Timothy Liau’ (2024) 83 Cambridge Law Journal 184.
Conference presentations, public lectures, etc.
- ‘Two conceptions of consideration’ (London School of Economics Private Law Research Group, London, 2 May 2024).
- ‘Statutory trusts and co-ownership’ (15th Modern Studies in Property Law conference, Cambridge, 25–28 March 2024).
- ‘Two conceptions of consideration’ (Hong Kong University ‘Private Law and Theory Speaker Series’, Hong Kong, 11–15 March 2024).
- ‘Making contract-breakers pay’ (Hong Kong University ‘Private Law and Theory Speaker Series’, Hong Kong, 11–15 March 2024).
- ‘Making contract-breakers pay’ (Global Seminars in Private Law Theory, online, 23 November 2023).
- ‘Remedies and the public interest’ (Obligations X conference, Banff, 11–14 July 2023) (with Professor Sandy Steel).
- ‘Remedies and the public interest’ (Oxford Private Law Research Group workshop, Oxford, 20 June 2022) (with Professor Sandy Steel).
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Scholarships and Awards
- Pro Bono Recognition List 2026
- Academic Fellowship at the EW Barker Centre for Law and Business, National University of Singapore (2024–present).
- Prize Fellowship at All Souls College, University of Oxford (2019–present).
- Temple Chambers (Hong Kong) BCL scholarship, University of Oxford (2018).
- Martin Wronker Prize for best overall performance in BA (Jurisprudence), University of Oxford (2017).
- Gibbs Prize (Proxime Accessit) for second-best overall performance in the Contract, Tort, Trusts, and Land papers during BA (Jurisprudence), University of Oxford (2017).
- 3 Verulam Buildings Prize for best performance in the BA (Jurisprudence) Commercial Law paper, University of Oxford (2017).
- White & Case Prize for best performance in the BA (Jurisprudence) Comparative Private Law paper, University of Oxford (2017).
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Languages
Alex is conversational in both Mandarin and Cantonese, with equivalent proficiency reading and writing.