George Spalton KC and Mark Cullen successfully resist late application to adjourn trial of shareholder dispute in Antigua and Barbuda
On 23 June 2026, the Hon Justice Tana’ania Small refused the Second…
Legal 500
“George is the complete article. He is an astute strategist, an excellent advocate and a great team player.”
George Spalton KC is a leading commercial silk with a practice focused on complex litigation and international arbitration. He acts for multinational corporations, financial institutions, sovereign states and high-net-worth individuals in business-critical disputes, particularly those involving civil fraud, shareholder and boardroom conflicts, unfair prejudice petitions, SPA warranty and earn-out claims, joint venture disputes, sanctions and investment treaty arbitration. He is also frequently instructed in high-profile professional liability and insurance matters, with a particular focus on high value audit and actuarial work.
Known as “an exceptional advocate”, George has appeared in numerous reported decisions in recent years, including some of the largest and most high-profile disputes globally. His recent work includes a six week s. 994 CA petition in 2026, the successful 20-week Commercial Court trial in Suppipat (resulting in a judgment of approximately US$1 billion), the successful claim brought by Nissan in the BVI against its former CEO Carlos Ghosn, and a series of ongoing investment treaty arbitrations valued at over US$100 billion against Australia.
Alongside his practice as counsel, George accepts appointments as arbitrator in commercial and investment disputes, sitting as chair, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator. In 2024, he was appointed to the LCIA Court.
George has extensive experience of cross-border litigation and arbitration. He has been involved in matters across numerous offshore and international jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands (where he was called in 2015), Antigua and Barbuda (called 2025 – ad hoc), Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dubai and Hong Kong. He is also a registered advocate of the DIFC Courts.
“An exceptional advocate” and “a great modern silk”, George is ranked by the legal directories as a leading silk across multiple practice areas, including Commercial Litigation, International Arbitration, Civil Fraud, Offshore, Insurance and Professional Negligence. He was named in The Lawyer‘s Hot 100 for 2026 and was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year by both The Lawyer and Legal Business in 2024.
George is regularly asked to speak at leading litigation and arbitration conferences and other events.
George was previously one of the four co-editors of Sweet & Maxwell’s Encyclopaedia of Financial Services Law giving him additional expertise in both financial services and regulatory issues.
Memberships and appointments
Education
Appointments
Memberships
Memberships: COMBAR, LCIA, ChBA, PNBA, TECBAR.
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“George is as charming as he is bright. Extremely accessible and combines prodigious legal skill with pragmatism and common sense. The epitome of a role-your-sleeves-up modern barrister who leads by example.” (Legal 500)
George is ranked as a top silk for commercial litigation. He acts in high profile matters across an extremely broad range of commercial disputes, including conflicts of law/jurisdictional issues, enforcement, asset tracing, shareholder disputes (with particular expertise in unfair prejudice petitions, SPA related matters and Earn Out disputes), sanctions, insurance and reinsurance, commodities and civil fraud.
George has particular expertise of disputes in the corporate and offshore context, including civil fraud claims and minority shareholder disputes and warranty claims. He has acted in a number of warranty claims arising out of SPAs which tie in with his accountancy related professional liability experience. His practice also encompasses sports disputes and banking and finance litigation acting for Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in recent years.
He regularly represents clients in complex, high value disputes – both in the Commercial and Chancery Courts as well as abroad, being instructed on disputes in a wide range of jurisdictions including Dubai, Oman, Singapore, Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, BVI and the Channel Islands.
See also his Civil Fraud, International Arbitration and Offshore tabs.
Featured Commercial Litigation cases
George appears in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations and is regularly instructed in disputes involving states, state entities and multinational corporations. His recent work includes treaty claims worth in excess of US$100 billion.
As well as his work as counsel in arbitrations, he also regularly handles related claims involving anti-suit injunctions and applications under the Arbitration Act to stay proceedings (s9), seeking injunctive relief and anti-enforcement injunctions (s44) as well as challenges to awards (ss67-69).
He has acted as counsel and arbitrator in numerous arbitrations in a range of jurisdictions such as Dubai, Zurich, Paris, Hong Kong, Moscow, Singapore and Egypt, as well as acting for and against nation states. George also appears as an expert on English law in international arbitration proceedings.
He is ranked as a top international arbitration silk by the legal directories who refer to the fact that he is a “silk on the rise and rise”, “immaculately polished and has this combination of extreme intellect, married with lashings of charm.”
He also accepts instructions to sit as arbitrator and has sat as sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator. George was appointed to the LCIA Court in 2024 and was a Vice President of the European Users’ Council of the LCIA from 2020 to 2026; and in 2022 was appointed as one of the UK delegates to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. He is a member of a number of arbitration related bodies and lectures/writes regularly on this subject.
Featured International Arbitration work
George acts in major civil fraud litigation and arbitrations both in the UK and internationally. His experience includes claims involving dishonest assistance, knowing receipt, conspiracy, breaches of directors’ duties and asset recovery, including fraud disputes in offshore jurisdictions.
Ranked as a leading silk by the legal directories for civil fraud, he is noted as being “a highly skilled advocate” who is “strategic and forceful in cross-examination, managing to draw devastating concessions from otherwise uncooperative and evasive witnesses.”
He is a highly experienced advocate, well regarded for his cross-examination, and approach to preparation for trial, paying very close attention to the underlying factual narrative and detail.
Featured Civil Fraud cases
George has substantial experience of offshore commercial litigation and arbitration, particularly involving civil fraud, shareholder disputes, professional liability and disputes involving funds and financial institutions.
He is ranked for offshore work in the directories which mention that he is “always on top of the strategy and details, clients love him.”
He is called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (British Virgin Islands); Antigua and Barbuda (2025 – ad hoc) and has been instructed in cases heard in BVI, Antigua, St Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad and Cayman Islands.
Featured Offshore cases
George’s reputation as a leading commercial silk is increasingly involving him in sanctions related issues.
He is currently acting and advising in litigation and arbitration where issues relating tointernational sanctions involving both individuals and multi-nationals are a major factor.
George’s sanctions related work is highly confidential so please contact the clerks for further information.
George has extensive experience of professional liability claims, both in terms of claims involving different professions and in respect of the value and type of claims. He is recommended by both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
George has particular experience of acting for and against accountants and auditors, financial services professionals, insurance brokers & agents, actuaries, barristers, solicitors and surveyors.
His professional liability expertise often involves him in offshore work focused on claims involving accountants, auditors and actuaries, for example in the Cayman Islands, BVI and Trinidad & Tobago.
George also has extensive experience of costs related matters on behalf of lawyers, such as wasted costs applications, security for costs in the context of ATE and non-party costs orders.
George is an editor of “Jackson & Powell on Professional Liability.”
Featured Professional Liability cases
George has considerable experience of insurance claims, whether advising on questions of policy construction and coverage; non-disclosure and avoidance issues or fighting disputes on behalf of both insurers and insureds at trial.
In the context of professional indemnity insurance, George has experience of issues relating to the Minimum Terms and Conditions for solicitors and has particular experience of acting in coverage arbitrations.
Featured Insurance cases
George handles professional discipline and regulatory work. He has acted on a regular basis as prosecutor and defendant before a number of different tribunals. For example, he appears before the Taxation and Disciplinary Board as Prosecutor for the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the Association of Taxation Technicians and the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal. He has also acted in a number of complaints brought by the ICAEW and ACCA against individuals and firms, as well as in high profile proceedings brought by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
Legal 500 ranks him as a leading silk in the area.
Featured Professional Discipline & Regulatory cases
Education
Appointments
Memberships
Memberships: COMBAR, LCIA, ChBA, PNBA, TECBAR.
On 23 June 2026, the Hon Justice Tana’ania Small refused the Second…
1st June 2026 - 5th June 2026
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