Gregory Denton-Cox

Notes

Gregory Denton-Cox specialises in company law, commercial litigation, civil fraud and asset recovery, corporate and personal insolvency and banking and finance. 

He is recommended in Chambers & Partners Guide to the Legal Profession in 4 practice areas:  Company,  Chancery: Commercial,  Fraud: Civil and Chancery: Treasury Counsel.  He is described in the 2010 edition as "that rare thing - a junior who has the experience and the common sense to stay on top of matters and not make mistakes in the really big litigation", as "Hugely capable and a pleasure to lead," according to one silk, he is an expert on directors' duties, derivative proceedings, shareholder disputes and directors' disqualifications", and he is praised for his "energy, vigour and diligence."

Previous editions of Chambers UK have described him as "an amazingly skilled barrister who gains the respect of the market. He is "both highly intelligent and certain to have a glittering future."" (2009 edition), "a tremendous prospect with wonderful client skills" (2008 edition) and "recommended for his brilliant legal mind and ability - he's very much a details man" (2007 edition).

 
Areas of Practice

• Commercial Litigation: commercial disputes in the Chancery Division and the Commercial Court, often with an international aspect and/or involving applications for injunctive relief or challenges to the jurisdiction of the English Court.
• Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery: experience acting both for the victims of fraud in tracing and recovering funds, and for those accused of fraud. He has represented States in major asset recovery exercises arising out of alleged corruption on the part of former leaders.
• Company Law: directors' duties, derivative claims, shareholder disputes (including petitions under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006) and other aspects of company law. Gregory has developed a particular specialism in transfers of insurance business under Part VII of FSMA.
• Insolvency: corporate and personal insolvency, public interest winding-up petitions and directors' disqualification proceedings.
• Banking and Finance: particularly in relation to issues arising under structured finance and capital market transactions.

Recent Cases

Board of Governors of the Museum of London v Prominex Ltd & others - Represented the Museum in a claim to recover the proceeds of fraud.
 
Benedetti v Sawiris & others [2009] EWHC 1330 (Ch) - led by Laurence Rabinowitz QC and Richard Hill, represented two of the defendants in a claim to a one third shareholding in the vehicle used for the acquisition of an Italian telecommunications company, raising questions of contractual construction, constructive trust and quantum meruit.

Alexiou & Ferguson v Campbell [2007] UKPC 11 - led by Robert Hildyard QC, appeal heard by the Privy Council sitting in the Bahamas in relation to the construction of consent order compromising a dispute between shareholders.

Pakistan v Zardari [2006] EWHC 2411 (Comm) - led by Robert Miles QC, jurisdiction challenge in proceedings brought on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recover property alleged to represent the proceeds of secret commissions. 

Re Eagle Star Insurance Co Ltd [2007] 1 BCLC 21; Re Pearl Assurance [2006] EWHC 2291 (Ch); Re Allied Dunbar Assurance plc [2005] 2 BCLC 200 - insurance business transfer schemes under Part VII of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Appointments

Junior Counsel to the Crown (C Panel)

Academic

LLB (Law with American Law), University of Nottingham, with a year spent at the University of Texas in Austin.  Sunley Scholar, Lincoln's Inn.

Professional

Member of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR) and Chancery Bar Association