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The Lawyer Top 20 Cases of 2019

One Essex Court is delighted that 10 members of chambers are instructed in cases which feature in The Lawyer’s recently published Top 20 Cases of 2019.

In March, Laurence Rabinowitz QC, Conall Patton and Emma Jones will form part of the counsel team representing Hewlett Packard/Autonomy in the largest fraud claim ever levelled at individuals in the English courts. The proceedings brought against Michael Lynch and Sushovan Hussain are due to last 29 weeks and flow from the $11bn sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011.

Clare Reffin will form part of the counsel team representing the third defendant, India, in High Commissioner for Pakistan in the UK v NatWest Bank PLC, a three-week trial in the Business & Property Court in June, which could conclude this seven-decade long dispute in relation to a sum of £1m being transferred from the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad’s account to the then high commissioner for Pakistan in the UK during a short military campaign that saw India annex the region of Hyderabad.

Also in June, Sebastian Isaac and Abra Bompas will both appear in Yukos Finance B.V. & Ors v Stephen Lynch & Ors, when this six-week trial reaches the Commercial Court. The dispute, which arises out of allegations that the five defendants conspired with the Russian government to auction off subsidiaries of the Claimant’s former business, will see Sebastian Isaac instructed for the fourth defendant, whilst Abra Bompas will be one of the counsel representing the fifth defendant.

Later in the year, David Wolfson QC, Sebastian Isaac and Henry Hoskins represent the first and third defendants in Avonwick Holdings Limited v Azitio Holdings Limited, Dargamo Holdings Limited, Oleg Mkrtchan and Sergiy Taruta. This dispute arises out of the sale of an interest in the Industrial Union of Donbass by Avonwick, one of the largest transactions in Ukrainian history, which Avonwick alleges included fraudulent misrepresentations. The defendants deny all charges, and the case will be heard in a four-week Commercial Court trial, scheduled for October.

In addition, Alexander Polley and Oliver Butler will form part of the counsel team representing Barclays Bank PLC in (1) PCP Capital Partners LLP & (2) PCP International Finance Limited v Barclays Bank PLC, a dispute which flows from an £11.8bn fundraising completed in 2008 in the midst of the global financial crisis. This highly anticipated case, which has already been postponed to avoid prejudicing a related criminal case, is due to commence on 1 October in an eight-week Commercial Court trial.

The full article can be viewed here.