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Practice Summary

Simon Gilson’s practice covers a broad spectrum of commercial work in litigation and arbitration. Simon has experience acting as part of silk-led Counsel teams in a range of complex, high-value cases including in the areas of banking and finance, energy and professional liability. In addition, he regularly advises and represents individuals and companies as sole counsel in relation to commercial and company disputes.

In litigation, Simon’s recent matters include:

  • Primeo Fund v HSBC (FSD 30/2013): Successfully defending two HSBC Group companies (led by Richard Gillis QC and others) in a 3-month trial in the Cayman Islands of c.$2bn professional negligence claims relating to the Madoff securities fraud;
  • Acting for Deutsche Bank AG (with Sonia Tolaney QC and Saul Lemer) in circa €500m litigation arising out of the collapse of Kaupthing bank;
  • Acting for a Nigerian subsidiary of a major international oil company (with David Wolfson QC) in a s.67 jurisdiction challenge in the Commercial Court; and
  • Acting for News Group Newspapers Ltd (led by Antony White QC and Anthony Hudson QC) in the Mobile Telephone Voicemail Interception Litigation, arising out of allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World.

Simon’s recent work in arbitration includes:

  • Acting for the defendant oil and gas company (with Laurence Rabinowitz QC and others) in a c.$5.5bn claim for alleged fraud and breach of warranty under an SPA (SIAC);
  • Assisting Kenneth MacLean QC in a £200m+ gas supply dispute in southeast Asia (UNCITRAL); and
  • Acting for the claimant (with Nicholas Sloboda) in claims relating to the Russian and CIS internet games market (LCIA).

Simon is proficient in French and Spanish.