The Legal Business Awards > Categories > Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

At a glance

2019 Winner

  • Simmons & Simmons/Travers Smith

2019 Shortlisted

  • Hogan Lovells - HIGHLY COMMENDED | Michael Roberts
  • Charles Russell Speechlys | Stewart Hey
  • Clyde & Co/Fountain Court Chambers/Leigh Day | Fergal Cathie, Patricia Robertson QC, Frances Swaine
  • Gowling WLG | Andrew Smith
  • RPC | Tom Hibbert, Andy McGregor

Previous Years

Select a year below to download a .pdf of the previous winners and nominees.

Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

This category identifies one outstanding piece of commercial litigation work undertaken by the winning team. The key requirement is not necessarily a substantial award of damages but rather an impressive result for the client, which could include an important out-of-court settlement or avoiding a costly appeals process.

2019 Winner

Simmons & Simmons/Travers Smith

Ian Hammond, Stephen Paget-Brown

Successfully defending Grant Thornton and Kaupthing against claims brought by the Tchenguiz brothers. The high-profile litigation, concerning alleged professional misconduct during the SFO’s investigation into the collapse of Kaupthing and the brothers’ 2011 arrest, was abandoned three days into what was set to be a 12-week trial.

Shortlisted

Hogan Lovells - HIGHLY COMMENDED


Michael Roberts

Successfully representing ENRC in its appeal against the Serious Fraud Office over legal professional privilege. The SFO had brought civil proceedings to enforce ENRC to share the findings of an internal enquiry, despite claims of legal privilege, and ENRC’s victory will have a major impact on how companies prepare internal investigations in future.

Charles Russell Speechlys


Stewart Hey

Successfully representing the joint liquidators of six Cayman Islands-registered companies of Awal Bank against claims brought Ahmad Hamad Al-Gosaibi & Brothers (AHAB). This followed the collapse of the AHAB and the Saad Group and formed a crucial part of one of the world’s largest-ever fraud trials.

Clyde & Co/Fountain Court Chambers/Leigh Day


Fergal Cathie, Patricia Robertson QC, Frances Swaine

Successfully defending the longest-running disciplinary prosecution brought by the SRA, involving allegations of professional misconduct against Leigh Day and three of its lawyers in representing Iraqi individuals alleging torture and unlawful killing by the British Army. Following a seven-week trial under intense press scrutiny, the prosecution was defeated, as was its subsequent appeal.

Gowling WLG


Andrew Smith

Successfully representing the Candy brothers in their high-profile defence of a £132m claim brought by former business associate Mark Holyoake. In the midst of the media storm, the legal team managed to prove the claimant’s lack of credibility and all of the claims, and subsequent appeal, were eventually dismissed.

RPC


Tom Hibbert, Andy McGregor

Representing Bank of St Petersburg in its dispute with the oligarch Vitaly Arkhangelsky concerning defaulted loans to one of his companies, Oslo Marine Group, which he had guaranteed. After a two-year wait for judgment, the bank won on all counts, including Arkhangelsky’s counterclaim.