Matthew specialises in commercial and commercial chancery litigation and arbitration. He is ranked by the legal directories as a leading junior in the fields of commercial disputes, commercial chancery, company and product liability law.
Further areas of focus include civil fraud, offshore work and professional negligence disputes. He has a particular interest and significant experience in economic torts and conspiracy claims. Much of his work is international in nature, often involving conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues. Commendations from commentators in the legal directories include:
Advocacy – “an excellent advocate who knows how to read a courtroom”; “a superb cross-examiner”; “an eloquent advocate and fierce in cross examination”; “good on his feet and very engaging”; “nothing less than superman in cross-examination and mediation”; “An assassin in cross-examination and clearly bound for the very highest echelons of the Bar”.
Analysis – “technically very strong”; “His advice is absolutely brilliant. You can give him a very complicated set of facts and he just takes control and guides you through what you need to do”; “innovative with his ideas” ; “strong on paper with an eye for detail”; “demonstrates excellent commercial know-how”.
Paperwork – “a wordsmith, both in settling pleadings and penning correspondence”; “an excellent junior, whose advice is amazingly coherent and concise”; “turns stuff around really, really quickly and his paperwork is great.”
Working Style – “a pleasure to work with”; “a really responsive, affable barrister who’s commercial in his outlook, and who will bend over backwards to get things done.”; “impresses with his enthusiasm and his willingness to go the extra mile.”; “Extremely user friendly and very much works in partnership with the instructing solicitor”; “excellent sense of humour.”; “Friendly, approachable and easy to speak to”.
He relishes trials and has extensive trial advocacy experience as sole counsel. He also acts in a variety of mediations and other forms of ADR. He is regularly instructed, often at short notice, to deal with applications for interim relief such as freezing injunctions and Norwich Pharmacal orders. He speaks French, German and Spanish.
The following cases provide a flavour of his most recent practice:
- Sytner & Ors v Vaughan [2020] (Chan Div) – successful strike out of c. £5m claim (fraudulent breach of fiduciary duty etc.) against investment manager; resisting Norwich Pharmacal relief; indemnity costs.
- Numerous ongoing unfair prejudice petitions under the Companies Act 2006.
- Vale v Steinmetz & Ors [2020] (Comm Ct) – acting for defendant to US$1.8 billion claim by Brazilian mining company re joint venture in Guinea (on-going – bribery, deceit, unlawful means conspiracy, proprietary claims, freezing injunctions).
- Ang v Reliantco Investments Ltd [2019] 3 WLR 161 – jurisdiction challenge under Brussels regime; consumer status under Art.17. 2020 Commercial Court trial of claim and counterclaim (defence of deceit and claim to set aside previous judgment for fraud).
- Acting for well-known German manufacturer in ongoing multimillion pound dispute concerning defective supply of oil isolation valves for use in domestic boilers.
- Grantham Capital v Langham & Ors [2020] (Comm Ct) – acting for defendants in c.£8m claim for fraudulent breach of warranty arising out of the sale of a company (on-going).
- ICC mediation (202o) – international sale of goods dispute in energy sector.
- Palmer Birch v Lloyd & Anr [2018] 4 WLR 164; [2018] 180 ConLR 50; [2018] BLR 722 – successfully representing claimant in economic torts trial (procuring breach of contract, unlawful means conspiracy). Significant decision: economic torts overcame effects of a company insolvency.
- Syndicate Bank v Dansingani & Ors [2019] EWHC 3439 (Ch) – successful undue influence defence; rescission of personal guarantee and mortgage entered into 13 years apart; indemnity costs (2020).
- Goknur v Organic Village Ltd [2019] EWHC 2201 – defending Turkish company at trial of claim re adulterated fruit juice: claim in deceit defeated; no substantive damages awarded to claimant.
- Naqvi v Harris Cartier & Ors [2019] EWHC 3042 (QB) – successful summary judgment application for solicitors facing £10.2 million claim for allegedly negligent conduct of litigation.
- LCIA arbitration in Russian oil and gas sector – arguments as to force majeure and the effects of “take or pay” obligations.
- Kupeli & Ors v (1) Kibris Turk Hava Yollari Sirketi [2016] EWHC 930 (QB), [2016] 4 Costs LR 747 – representing as sole counsel 837 claimants in trial of test claims for breach of contract against Turkish airline. Costs appeal in Court of Appeal, reported at [2018] 4 All ER 434; [2019] 1 WLR 1235.
- Multi-Jurisdictional trusts dispute re BVI/Cayman/Curaçao trust companies, worth many millions. Questions of foreign law, fraud, conspiracy, dishonest assistance, knowing receipt & double derivative actions.
- Pilgrim Rock Ltd v Iwaniuk [2019] GCCR 17013; [2019] E.C.C. 8; [2019] C.T.L.C. 96 – successfully appearing in appeal against unfair relationship challenge under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 in which the trial judge re-wrote a loan agreement, relieving Matthew’s client of some £1.3m in interest.
- Combination Hip Prosthesis Litigation – Defending consultant surgeons alleged to have become a “producer” of metal-on-metal hip implants within the meaning of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
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