Daniel Saoul KC and Usman Roohani consider contempt of court in the latest ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE magazine
In the latest edition of ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE Magazine, 4 New Square Chambers’ Daniel Saoul…
Legal 500
“A thorough and commercially astute junior. Usman is exceptionally hardworking, bright and impressive, and his output is outstanding.”
Usman Roohani has a broad commercial and modern chancery practice with a particular focus on company and insolvency law, civil fraud and asset recovery, banking/financial services and offshore litigation. He is ranked as a Leading Junior in Commercial Litigation by the Legal 500.
Usman’s current and recent work includes:
Usman was admitted as a Barrister of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (British Virgin Islands) in 2021 and accepts instructions to act in BVI proceedings. Usman also has experience of commercial and fraud litigation in the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Usman taught property and trusts law as a Visiting Lecturer and Examiner at King’s College London and spent a year working in the Professional Indemnity Department at Linklaters.
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Usman has experience of assisting with some of the largest and most complex civil fraud matters before the English courts, including the long-running JSC BTA Bank v Ablyazov. He has worked on applications for interim relief, including freezing injunctions, search orders and Norwich Pharmacal orders. He is familiar with both the urgency and the particular sensitivities required by such applications.
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Usman has a broad range of experience in both contentious and advisory work in the areas of company and partnership law. He has worked on matters relating to public and private companies, partnerships, limited partnerships, LLPs, unregistered and overseas companies and unincorporated associations.
On the contentious side, his experience includes:
On the advisory side, his experience includes assisting in the preparation and delivery of advice given to:
Usman has considerable experience of advising on the drafting and construction of company articles, joint venture agreements, investment agreements and partnership deeds. He is often instructed to draft board minutes and written resolutions to support private company transactions, such as own-share buy backs.
Usman has also been instructed to advise on company law matters under the law of the BVI and the Cayman Islands (see the Offshore & International tab below).
Usman has considerable experience of contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring work.
Corporate Insolvency
Usman regularly appears in the Chancery Division (Insolvency and Companies List) in relation to corporate insolvency matters.
He has experience of challenging antecedent transactions and acts for both office-holders and respondents to such applications. He also has experience of a variety of other Companies Act and Insolvency Act applications including, by way of example, those relating to administration orders and officer-holder remuneration.
Usman has experience of assisting with corporate restructuring matters, including:
Usman has also been instructed to advise on corporate restructuring matters under BVI law (see the Offshore & International tab below).
Directors’ Disqualification
Usman has experience of assisting with directors’ disqualification proceedings.
Most recently, Usman appeared as sole counsel at the trial of a disqualification claim in The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy v Tarquin Charles Spencer Barnsby [2022] EWHC 971 (Ch).
Usman has also been instructed to advise on applications seeking permission to act as a director notwithstanding disqualification, and has also succeeded in an application to vary restrictions (not contested after issue).
Usman was admitted as a Barrister of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (British Virgin Islands) in 2021. He he also been instructed in relation to proceedings before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.
Featured Offshore cases
Real Assets (RA) Global Opportunity Fund I Limited (Chia Hsing Wang v Floreat Real Estate Limited) (BVI)
Usman acted for the Joint Provisional Liquidators of a BVI investment fund, representing the Joint Provisional Liquidators in proceedings challenging their appointment, led by Ben Valentin KC of Fountain Court Chambers. Usman also appeared as sole counsel at interlocutory hearings including, on occasion, appearing unled against KCs. Usman advised extensively on Fund constitutional documents and proposed inta-Fund transactions.
Principal Investing Fund I Limited, Long View II Limited, Global Fixed Income Fund I Limited (Cayman Islands)
Usman acted for the Joint Provisional Liquidators in proceedings challenging their appointment over three Cayman Islands investment funds. The challenge was recently dismissed.
Sian Participation Corp (In Liquidation) (BVI)
Usman acted for the Joint Liquidators of an intermediate holding company which indirectly owns a large stake in a strategically significant commercial port in Russia.
Usman represented the Joint Liquidators in proceedings concerning their conduct of litigation involving the company and an application for the appointment of conflict liquidators, led by David Allison KC of South Square Chambers.
Federal Republic of Nigeria v (1) Tibit Limited and (2) Justin Ickonga (BVI)
Usman assisted with an appeal being pursued to the BVI Court of Appeal by the Federal Republic of Nigeria seeking to reverse a first instance refusal to enter default judgment against a non-participating defendant.
In addition to the above examples, Usman’s experience includes:
Usman maintains a contentious and advisory practice in the areas of banking and financial services. He is also developing a practice in securities litigation and is currently instructed in one of the largest such claims presently before the High Court.
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“Usman’s intellectual capacity is extraordinary. He is an incredibly fast thinker and can focus on multiple strands of complex issues at the same time. His humble gentle manner may allow the unweary to underestimate him, which you do at your peril.” – Legal 500
Ranked as a Leading Junior in Commercial Litigation by the Legal 500, Usman has experience of a broad range of commercial disputes across a number of industry sectors, including telecoms, franchising and banking/financial services. He has been instructed in relation to commercial trials in the Commercial Court and the Chancery Division. Usman also has experience of advising on and attending mediations in commercial disputes, both as a junior and as sole counsel.
Examples of Usman’s experience can be seen in the tabs above.
Usman is frequently instructed in professional liability matters concerning claims involving a range of professionals, including solicitors, barristers, insolvency practitioners, accountants, auditors and financial advisers (including tax and pensions advisers).
Usman’s professional liability practice sees him acting for claimants and defendants in roughly equal measure. Usman also benefits from considerable unled trial experience in this area. Earlier in his practice, Usman conducted a number of trials in the County Court as sole counsel in which he represented claimants seeking damages for negligent conveyancing.
In view of his Chancery practice, Usman has a particular interest in claims alleging breach of trust or breach of fiduciary duty and claims seeking restitution, gain-based remedies or proprietary relief.
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