Ruihan Liu

Ruihan is developing a broad practice across Chambers’ key areas, with a focus on commercial litigation, banking and finance, civil fraud, group actions , and energy. She is regularly instructed in factually and legally complex, and high value claims. She also has experience working in different forums, including the High Court (led and unled), arbitrations (LCIA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAK) and the courts in the Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda. Ruihan also has experience in insolvency and company law, contempt applications, jurisdiction, and professional negligence. She is a contributor to the Journal of International Banking & Financial Law.

Before coming to the Bar, Ruihan qualified as a solicitor in 2022 and worked as an associate at an American law firm in London where her experience included group actions in the High Court (including s90 and 90A FSMA claims), LCIA and ICC arbitrations.

Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, Ruihan worked as a research assistant at the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, where her work focused on investor state arbitration. She continues to maintain an interest in international investment law and is one of the founding members of the Young Investment Treaty Forum.

Ruihan coached the LSE Vis Moot team from 2020 to 2023. The best result the team achieved was top 8 in the world.

Examples of Ruihan's notable cases include: 

• Confidential LCIA Arbitration: A multi-party contractual dispute arising out of an agreement for the sale and purchase of a US$ 1 billion interest in an offshore oilfield. Led by Kenneth MacLean KC and Tamara Kagan and instructed on behalf of the Claimant private equity fund.
• Confidential LCIA Arbitration: Instructed on behalf of a state-owned entity in a US$ 100 million contractual claim relating to an LNG terminal in a South Asian country. Led by James Macdonald KC. The claim raised issues of bad faith, arbitrability and public policy.
• Veranova v Johnson Matthey: Ruihan acted for the defendant in a USD 136 million claim for fraudulent breach of warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation following an M&A transaction. The five-week trial in this case concluded in December 2025 and the parties are awaiting judgment. Led by Simon Rainey KC and David Caplan.
• VTB Capital PLC v Citigroup Global Markets Limited: The dispute concerns the close-out of equity derivatives (futures and options) following the imposition of sanctions in February 2022 in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ruihan acts for the defendant, led by Sandy Phipps.
• Contempt proceedings in Bermuda: Acted for the alleged contemnors in contempt applications brought in the BVI. The contempt applications arose out of a claim relating to business rescue proceedings of a distressed mining company in South Africa. Led by David Caplan. 
• Advisory (BVI): Advised with Camilla Bingham KC on a fair value appraisal under s179 of the BVI Business Companies Act 2004 following the exercise of dissent rights by minority shareholders. 
• Expert evidence (Cayman Islands): Assisted Camilla Bingham KC in producing an expert opinion on the law relating to directors’ fiduciary duties in the Cayman Islands.

During Pupillage, Ruihan assisted on the following notable cases: 

• Municipio de Mariana v BHP Group: A c.£33 billion claim arising out of Brazil’s worst ever environmental disaster, the collapse of the Fundao tailings dam in 2015. Assisted Nicholas Sloboda KC and Tamara Kagan.
• Alimov v Mirakhmedov and others: Assisted Neil Kitchener KC and David Caplan in a successful jurisdictional challenge in a claim that arises out of a bitcoin mining business in Kazakhstan.
• Bourlakova v Bourlakov: A $3 billion claim by a Russian billionaire’s wife and daughter against their late husband and father and a network of his relatives, associates, and their corporate entities. Assisted Neil Kitchener KC and Patrick Harty.
• The Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan and others: This was one of the Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2025 and was brought by the Kuwaiti pension and social security fund against its former Director General, Fahad Al Rajaan, and other financial institutions. Assisted Camilla Bingham KC.