Areas of Practice

Litigation and advice in the fields of Company Law, Corporate Fraud, Insolvency,
Shareholder Disputes, Commercial Litigation, Public Law.
Adam's recent experience includes:

Company Law

• Advising and acting (with George Bompas QC) in British Virgin Island litigation in relation to shareholder disputes concerning issues of alleged unfair prejudice, oppression and breach of directors' duties arising out of a joint venture.
• Advising on directors' rights to access company documents in the context of alleged improper purposes (a discrete point in a large arbitration with a counsel team led by John Brisby QC).
• Advising (with Robert Miles QC) and acting in a shareholder dispute between international parties focussed on an issue of
  shares alleged to have been made improperly, being one element of a multi-national dispute between shareholder factions interested in numerous companies.
• Advising and acting (with Robert Hildyard QC and Orlando Fraser) in a dispute involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty by a director of a substantial property investment company.

Adam has advised on a variety of Company law issues with leaders and alone including shareholder disputes, lifting the corporate veil, shareholder agreements and share issues and redemptions.

Commercial Litigation

• Advising on the effect of a business sale agreement on the payment of profits under an earn-out provision in the context of the transfer of a recruitment business.
• Advising (with Hermann Boeddinghaus) on defending multiple claims for breach of duty against companies and individuals offering business services to consultants.
• Advising a commercial agent selling goods on behalf of its principal to the garment industry in relation to The Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993.
• Advising (with Richard Hill and Gregory Denton-Cox) on documentary disclosure in a case concerning a takeover of a European telecommunications company.

Adam has advised and acted with leaders and alone in a number of commercial disputes including a dispute between a commercial tourist coach provider and a tour operator, for a Middle East cigarette distributor against a major tobacco manufacturer in a Commercial Court action and in a dispute concerning jurisdiction in a case to determine ownership of shares in a major Russian aluminium company. Adam has also advised in connection with the preparation of expert evidence on various commercial aspects of English law for international proceedings.

Insolvency

• Advising a liquidator in relation to claims against directors of a company for misfeasance and in respect of void payments and transfers at undervalue.
• Advising and appearing on an application by an administrator under the old regime for permission to make a distribution to creditors prior to the commencement of liquidation.

Adam has regularly appeared and advised in relation to a variety of corporate and personal insolvency matters including: winding-up petitions and connected issues such as restraining the presentation of petitions and supervening applications for administration orders; and advising and acting for creditors and debtors in bankruptcy proceedings including applications for annulment and for the possession and sale of the family home.

Public Law

Adam has been instructed by the government in matters concerning serious allegations of torture, extraordinary rendition and detainee mistreatment:

• In relation to the provision of material to the ‘Detainee Inquiry', chaired by Sir Peter Gibson which was intended to look at whether Britain was implicated in the improper treatment or rendition of detainees held by other countries in the aftermath of 9/11.
• As part of the defence team in an action claiming damages for alleged complicity in the rendition to and detention in Guantanamo Bay of terrorism suspects.

Other

Adam has appeared regularly on directions hearings, case management conferences and applications including to strike out and for summary judgement.

Reported Cases of Interest

• Re Transocean Equipment Manufacturing and Trading Ltd, Carman v The Cronos Group SA
  and Others [2006] EWHC 1324 (Ch);
• Cherney v Deripaska [2007] EWHC 965 (Comm).

Overseas Qualifications

Called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands.

Publications

Contributor to ‘Annotated Companies Legislation' (published by OUP and edited by Professor John Birds, Nigel Boardman, Mr Justice Hildyard & Robert Miles QC). Topics include the registrar of companies, financial assistance and the redenomination of share capital.

Academic

LLB King's College, London.
BCL St John's College, Oxford.
Lincoln's Inn: Buchanan Prize, Shelford Scholarship, Lord Denning Scholarship and
Hardwicke Scholarship.
King's College London: Strand Trust Prize, Prize in Jurisprudence, and Helen Gibbons prize
in Commercial Law.

Professional

Member of the Commercial Bar Association, Chancery Bar Association.