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Practice Summary

Dan’s practice covers the full range of commercial litigation, arbitration, and advisory work. He specialises in complex, high-value disputes, particularly those with international elements. He often appears unled in High Court proceedings and has full rights of audience in the courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Before joining chambers, Dan was an associate in the litigation and arbitration group of White & Case (London). While there, he acted in LCIA and ICC arbitrations across the energy, commerial real estate, and telecommunications sectors. Before that, he completed the Oxford BCL, achieving first place in all four of his subjects.  He also completed a training contract with the leading Australian firm King & Wood Mallesons, focusing on disputes and transactional work across the energy and construction sectors.

Of Dan’s led work, recent highlights include:  

  • Bourlakova v Bourlakov (ChD)
    Acting for the claimant in proceedings against her former husband and his associates to unravel their efforts to put more than a billion pounds of assets beyond her reach in Monegasque matrimonial proceedings. The claim involves allegations of deceit, forgery, offshore asset misappropriation and the deliberate destruction of evidence. In late 2021, Dan was heavily involved in successfully resisting a series of jurisdiction challenges at a five-day hearing: [2022] EWHC 1269 (Ch).
  • Honeycomb.TV Limited v Ad Signal Limited (ChD)
    Acting for the claimant in proceedings against a former employee and a former contractor for copyright infringement, breach of confidence and various breaches of contract in relation to the individuals’ use of the claimant’s source code and other confidential information to establish a competing business.
  • Sterritt v Investec Wealth & Investment Limited (Comm)
    Acting for an individual claiming millions of pounds after his asset manager lost the share certificate for most of his shares in an AIM-listed company. The loss of the certificate prevented the claimant from selling the shares before substantial falls in the company’s share price.
  • UNCITRAL arbitration
    Defending a consumer goods business from claims for tens of millions of pounds under the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993. The case involved novel legal issues as to whether those regulations applied to the parties’ cost-sharing arrangement, and detailed quantum issues as to the sharing of costs and liabilities as that arrangement was wound down.
  • StormHarbour Securities LP v Noor Bank PJSC (DIFC)
    Defending a bank from claims for amounts allegedly due from an aviation finance transaction. The case involves issues of contract interpretation and rectification against the background of a complex sukuk structure.  Dan was the advocate for the CMC and was heavily involved in disclosure and trial preparation until the case settled.
  • SPIE UK Limited v Garside (Comm)
    Successfully defending the former owner of a construction business from claims for repayment of an earn-out under the sale and purchase agreement. The case involved legal issues as to whether the earn-out accounts could be re-opened, factual issues as to the buyer’s awareness of certain liabilities of the business, and accountancy issues as to the proper treatment of those liabilities in the earn-out accounts. After the Claimant discontinued its claim, Dan was the advocate for a successful application for indemnity costs.
  • Cosmetic Warriors Limited v Lush Handmade Cosmetics Limited (ChD)
    Acting for the claimant in proceedings to recover the internet domain name “lush.com” for the benefit of the well-known cosmetics brand. Dan was the advocate for the first CCMC, dealing mostly with issues under the disclosure pilot scheme. The case later settled before trial.
  • Parsadoust v Hanging Gardens Limited [2021] EWHC 1594 (Comm)
    Acting for the successful claimant in proceedings to enforce a call option in respect of shares in Babylon Health, the digital healthcare provider. Dan was heavily involved from pre-action through to obtaining summary judgment. The case involved issues about a disputed oral agreement, alleged implied terms, the penalty doctrine, and relief from forfeiture.
  • Sogexia SAS v R Raphael & Sons Limited (ChD)
    Defending a former bank from claims for breach of two BIN sponsorship and card services agreements. Dan was heavily involved in successfully resisting an application for an injunction that would have prevented the bank from making a dividend to its shareholder and entering members’ voluntary liquidation. He was also involved in successfully obtaining a substantial security for costs order at the first CCMC, after which the case settled.
  • Omers Administration Corporation v Tesco plc (ChD)
    Acting for institutional investors claiming hundreds of millions of pounds in respect of the profit overstatement that Tesco revealed in autumn 2014. Until the claim settled shortly before trial, it would have been the first under FSMA section 90A to proceed to trial. It alleged fraudulent misrepresentations by Tesco to the knowledge of senior management.
  • BGC Brokers LP v Tradition (UK) Ltd (QBD)
    Defending Tradition, one of the City’s main inter-dealer brokerage firms, from high-value and bitterly fought claims by one of its main competitors. The claimants alleged breaches of confidence and an unlawful “team move” of brokers. Dan was heavily involved in a string of successful pre-trial hearings and appeals, preparing factual and expert evidence, and then the trial in late 2019. The case settled during cross-examination of the claimants’ key witnesses.
  • Rosdale Pte Limited v Degevol UK Limited (Comm)
    Acting for companies that sought to recover Kazakh mining assets that had been misappropriated by the companies’ former directors and controllers. Dan was heavily involved in case strategy, drafting particulars of claim, and preparing an application for permission to serve defendants outside the jurisdiction. The case settled shortly thereafter.

And as sole counsel:

  • Oceana GZ Trading Ltd v Herrco Cosmetics Ltd (Comm)
    Defending a cosmetics manufacturer from claims by a former client in relation to alleged delays in designing and developing new products.
  • The Air Ambulance Service v Specialist Aviation Services Limited (Comm)
    Defending rebate claims under a contract for the provision of air ambulance helicopters. The case involves legal issues as to the interpretation of force majeure and rebate provisions, and detailed factual issues as to historic service levels.
  • Pixdene Limited v Paddington and Company Ltd (IPEC)
    Acting for the claimant in proceedings to enforce an audit clause in a royalty distribution agreement in relation to merchandising income from the Paddington Bear character.
  • Ahsan v Khan (ChD)
    Acting for an individual bringing claims against his former solicitor and the solicitor’s family to recover funds stolen from the client account. The case involved applications for Bankers Trust orders and for permission to serve a defendant out of the jurisdiction and by alternative methods. The solicitor was later struck off the roll. 
  • Hayes v Goodwin
    Acting for the claimant in a five-day trial of claims between investors in a residential property development. The case involved issues as to the disputed terms of an oral contract, the ownership of the development site, alleged misuse of project money, the parties’ respective contributions to the project and the division of the overall loss on the development.
  • ICC arbitration
    Defending claims under a contract for the sale of aluminium fluoride. Dan was the advocate for two CMCs and was to conduct the four-day main hearing until the case settled at the last minute. The case involved allegations of forgery, expert evidence on foreign law and a successful application to preserve the confidentiality of the proceedings.
  • Kirk v Letschew (ChD)
    Acting for the successful claimant in contribution proceedings arising out of a judgment against a company and its shareholders for software copyright infringement. Dan was the advocate for all three hearings in the case, including successfully resisting a jurisdiction challenge (full-day hearing) and obtaining summary judgment (half-day hearing).
  • RateSetter Trustee Services Limited v Purvis (Comm)
    Defending a former company director from claims under his personal guarantee of a loan made to the company. Dan was the advocate for the CCMC, dealing with disclosure issues and costs budgeting.
  • Norwich Craft Beer Company Limited v Evans (ChD)
    Defending a majority shareholder and former director in proceedings against a minority shareholder for control of the Bullards brands of beer and gin. Dan drafted several pleadings and successfully obtained security for costs at the first CCMC.