Graeme McPherson QC’s practice is split primarily between domestic and international commercial litigation and arbitration, insurance litigation and arbitration, professional liability claims, and sports work.
Outside of the United Kingdom, Graeme works in the Channel Islands, the Caribbean and Gibraltar.
He is regularly appointed as an Arbitrator, including as a Rule K Arbitrator in football disputes. He is also frequently appointed to chair disciplinary and appellate committees of various sporting regulators. In 2012 Graeme was appointed as one of the specialist Advocates selected to argue cases before the ad hoc Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) during the London Olympic Games. In 2014 he performed the same role at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Prior to taking Silk in 2008 Graeme appeared for a number of years in the top tiers of leading juniors in the Chambers and Partners Guide to the Legal Profession and Legal 500 in a number of different fields. In 2005 he was short-listed for Junior of the Year at the Chambers and Partners awards.
In 2008 Graeme became the youngest member of the Bar that year to be appointed to Silk. He is now ranked in the directories as a leading silk in a wide variety of different fields across the range of his practice . In 2015 Graeme was awarded Professional Negligence Silk of the Year by Chambers and Partners. he is particularly recognized for the quality and effectiveness of his advocacy.
Quotes from the Directories include:
‘The best thing since sliced bread’; ‘A highly effective advocate’; ‘Exceptionally talented’; ‘A real star … he is just fantastic and can turn his mind to anything’; ‘His judgment is first-rate and he works like a Trojan’; ‘A fantastic courtroom presence …’; ‘An intelligent advocate and a formidable opponent … top drawer … solid, reliable and likeable …’; ‘A fearless advocate with a real instinct for running cases’; ‘… Outstanding [in professional negligence] … an invaluable and credible weapon’; ‘Has incredible judgment … a silk who looks to do things with imagination’; ‘One of the most proficient barristers I have ever worked with’; ‘Embarrassingly talented …’; ‘Fantastic on his feet … superb in front of a tribunal’; ‘‘… Robust, quick-thinking and thoroughly analytical’ … Appropriately aggressive when he needs to be… assured and unambiguous … a dream with clients …’; ‘Superb, a very good advocate … A fantastic barrister who can be ruthless when necessary … Excellent analysis and a straight forward, common sense approach … His ability to absorb vast amounts of information and recall it is legendary… expertly handles complex commercial litigation … a smooth and assured style of advocacy’.
A full CV is available on request.
Selected major reported & significant cases
- Marrache v Baker Tilly (Gibraltar) – multi-party litigation in Gibraltar arising out of the collapse of a substantial law firm
- Ackerman v Ackerman & Thornhill (Ch) – fraud/conspiracy claim arising out of the ‘carve up’ of a vast multi-jurisdictional property & business empire
- Zurich Professional Limited v Brown & Barnes (Ch) – scope of Solicitors’ Minimum Terms and Conditions
- Kidsons v Various Underwriters (Comm Ct & CA) – dispute over the effectiveness of claims arising from the mis-selling of exotic tax avoidance products
- Standard Life v Collins & others (Comm Ct) – litigation arising out of the collapse of Cattles plc
- Connaught v Capita (Comm Ct) – group litigation arising out of the collapse a significant bridging lender (Tiuta plc)
- Keydon Estates Ltd v. Eversheds (Ch) – correct measure of loss in ‘loss of profit’ cases
- Webster v Sandersons (QB & CA) – recoverability of reflective loss
- Shawton Engineering Ltd v DGP Design Ltd (TCC & CA) – dispute over whether construction work at Sellafield fell within the scope of a PII policy
- AIB v Mark Redler & Co (Ch, CA & SC) – appropriate remedies for breach of a bare trust
- Hedrich v. Standard Bank Ltd (QB & CA) – solicitor’s liability for wasted costs arising from breach of disclosure obligations
- Fulham Holdings Limited v. Nicholson Graham Jones (Ch & CA) – correct measure of loss in claim against solicitors arising from the takeover of Fulham FC
- Mengiste v EFFORT (Ch & CA) – litigation arising out of an attempt to secure English jurisdiction over an Ethiopian dispute
- Gill v Humanware Europe plc (EAT & CA) – consideration of the wasted costs jurisdiction in Employment Tribunals and the EAT
- Redstone Mortgages v B Legal Ltd (Ch) – test cases on solicitors obligations towards mortgagee client
- MEX v Hindle Campbell (Ch) – group litigation against solicitors said to have been involved in a significant conspiracy to conduct mortgage fraud
- Dewey & Lebeouf v Kerself Spa (Comm) – litigation arising out of a failed Italian bond issue
- University of Keele v PWC (Ch & CA) – liability for PRP advice
- Wey Bridging v Ernst & Young and Hacker Young (Comm Ct) – claims arising out of widespread frauds committed within a financial services company
- BHA v Al Zarooni; BHA v Butler – prosecutions for misuse of anabolic steroids in racehorses
- SIMPLE VERSE – acting for the Qatari royal family in their successful appeal to overturn the demotion of SIMPLE VERSE as winner of the St Leger
- Arachi v Fallon – a successful attempt by the owner of a racehorse to obtain a last-minute injunction to prevent a retained jockey from riding a rival horse in the English Derby
- BHA v Hughes; BHA v Swyer; BHA v Cosgrave; BHA v Havlin – applictions that substantial suspensions imposed by overseas sporting regulators should not be reciprocated in England as being in breach of natural justice
- Various high-profile Rule K Arbitrations
- Various national and international selection disputes
- Numerous disciplinary hearings before the Bar Standards Board, the FCA, the SRA, the FRC, the RCVS and other regulatory bodies
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