Areas Of Practice
Sharif is recommended in Chambers & Partners UK 2007 for Commercial Dispute Resolution
(Solicitors on the lookout for new talent have seized upon Sharif Shivji...He provides "terrific service" in disputes with a substantial financial markets component) and Company Law (Sharif Shivji joins the rankings this year on account of his "genuine promise"). He is also recommended in the Legal 500 2007 for Company Law and Insolvency Law. Sharif was also a member of the Lawyer's Hot 100 for 2007 for his work on the bankruptcy scheme, PILARS.
Company Law
This is the backbone of Chambers' work and Sharif has acted in and advised on numerous company law disputes raising questions of directors' duties, directors' disqualification, shareholder rights and company dissolution and revival. He also regularly advises on company constitutional issues (including in relation to Community Amateur Sports Clubs).Corporate & Personal Insolvency
Considerable experience in making and defending applications under the Insolvency Act 1986 relating to insolvency, administration and voluntary arrangements. Sharif has acted for both creditors and debtors alike and regularly advises liquidators and trustees in bankruptcy. He also has specific expertise in cross-border insolvency including UNCITRAL and the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006.Banking / Financial Services
Sharif worked as an investment banker before becoming a barrister. He has a degree in Economics and has specialist knowledge of the financial markets (in particular, trading on international stock-exchanges, foreign exchange trading and derivatives trading: including financial and commodity futures, options, CFDs, and complex derivatives) and corporate finance. Sharif frequently gives advice on regulatory matters under FSMA 2000 and the FSA rules and on claims for financial product mis-selling, in particular in relation to endowment mortgages, pensions and split capital investment trusts. He is also instructed in stockbroking, commodity broking / trading and financial spread betting disputes.Commercial Fraud and Asset Recovery
Sharif has experience and detailed knowledge of many aspects of commercial fraud litigation, including freezing and proprietary injunctions and search and disclosure orders. Sharif's masters thesis was on the topic of international asset recovery.Cases Of Interest
Revenue & Customs v Richard Alan Crossman [2008] 1 All ER 483: public law issues in bankruptcy proceedings.
Re: Smart-Tel Ltd [2007] BCC 896: discontinuance in disqualification proceedings.
N2J Limited, Ace Telecom Limited [2007] All ER (D) 169: contested application for administration order.
Secretary of State for Trade & Industry v Jonkler [2006] 1 WLR 3433: leading case on applications to vary disqualification undertakings pursuant to section 8A of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
Stone & Rolls v MCI [2005] All ER (D) 156: consequences of cross-undertaking in damages under a freezing injunction.
Daraydan & others v Solland International & others [2005] Ch 119: bribery, conspiracy to defraud, international asset tracing.
Giles v Rhind [2003] Ch 618 : Court of Appeal, claim for breach of shareholder agreement, reflective losses.
H v L [2003] EWHC 499 (Ch), LTL 14/3/03 : professional negligence, strike-out application where claim was fanciful and an abuse of process.
Publications
With Malcolm Davis-White QC and Paul Greenwood: Atkins' Court Forms: Insolvency Volumes 9(2) to 9(4).
"The Cross Border Insolvency Regulations 2006" (2007) 23(2) IL&P 37.
Contributor to Annotated Companies Acts, Oxford.
Tolley's Company Law: Company Investigations and Inspections.
Academic
BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. MA in Law from City University (thesis on Equitable Tracing). Wolfson Scholar, Lincoln's Inn and Sir Walter Wigglesworth Scholar, Lincoln's Inn.
Notes
Whilst at the LSE, Sharif worked as a research assistant for Professor Tim Congdon (a member of the Monetary Policy Committee) and as an intern in the equity research department at Kleinwort Benson.
From 1997 to 1999, Sharif worked as a derivatives trader at a leading swaps house, Fuji Capital Markets Corporation (FCMC), in both London and Hong Kong. During this period, Sharif dealt in Yen Interest Rate Swaps, Short-Term Interest Rate Futures, Bond Futures, Government Bonds and other complex derivative products. As a result, he has a specialist knowledge of the financial markets.