Edward Armitage

Call: 2019

Edward is developing a thriving advocacy and advisory practice across all of Chambers’ areas of work, including in particular commercial disputes of all kinds, insolvency matters, company and partnership disputes, civil fraud, as well as disputes involving trusts. 

Edward is instructed as sole counsel and as part of a team, and regularly appears unled in the High Court and County Court. He is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands.

Edward is a member of the Attorney General’s Junior Juniors Scheme.

Edward read law at Magdalen College, Oxford. He graduated ranked second in the university, with first class marks in all nine papers, and took several prizes. Edward then completed the BPTC as a Lord Justice Holker scholar of Gray’s Inn, receiving an ‘Outstanding ’grade. Edward also holds a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours from the University of Sydney, and speaks German to a workable standard. Before coming to the Bar, Edward was a Lecturer in Law at Balliol College, Oxford, teaching the law of trusts at Balliol and Oriel colleges. 


  • Expertise

    • Commercial Litigation & Arbitration

      A large part of Edward’s practice concerns international and domestic commercial disputes.

      Notable recent instructions include:

      • Maroil Trading Inc v Cally Shipholdings Inc. Instructed (led by Thomas Grant KC and James Kinman) for the Claimants in their claim against the Novoship companies said to be worth tens of millions of pounds. One of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases” of 2022.
      • Butcher v Alacrity Capital Holdings. Instructed (led by Olivier Kalfon) for the sellers in a share sale dispute worth in excess of £8m involving allegations of fraudulent breach of warranty and misrepresentation.
      • Instructed (led by Benjamin John) in connection with a dispute between English, BVI and Bahamian parties relating to alleged breaches of an SPA worth USD 12 million.
      • Instructed (led by Olivier Kalfon) in a dispute between a boutique private equity firm and one of its investors.
      • Instructed in connection with a dispute between a London-based consultancy, a Saudi Arabian company, and the latter’s English commercial agents.
      • Instructed on behalf of a charity defending a claim to recover referral fees, raising issues of bribery and secret commissions.
    • Civil Fraud

      Many of Edward’s cases involve allegations of fraud.

      Notable recent instructions include:

      • Butcher v Alacrity Capital Holdings. Instructed (led by Olivier Kalfon) for the sellers in a share sale dispute worth in excess of £8m involving allegations of fraudulent breach of warranty and misrepresentation.
      • Instructed (led by Benjamin John) for the defendants to a claim (and parallel unfair prejudice petition) alleging that the claimant has been defrauded out of valuable London property and his stake in a company fraudulently diluted.
    • Company & Partnership

      Many of Edward’s cases concern, or raise, issues of company, LLP or partnership law.

      Notable recent instructions include:

      • Instructed (led by Olivier Kalfon) for a successful company in a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against its former CEO.
      • Instructed (led by Benjamin John) for the defendants to a claim (and parallel unfair prejudice petition) alleging that the claimant has been defrauded out of valuable London property and his stake in a company fraudulently diluted.
      • Instructed for a respondent to an unfair prejudice petition seeking a buyout in connection with the holding company of a group worth tens of millions of pounds.
      • Instructed (with David Mumford KC) to advise the retired partners of a general partnership in connection with a claim raising issues of bribery and secret commissions.
      • Instructed for a defendant and counter-claimant involved in a multi-jurisdictional dispute involving allegations of breach of confidence and wrongful expulsion from English and Guernsey entities.
    • Insolvency & Asset Recovery

      Edward is routinely instructed in corporate and individual insolvency cases, on behalf of office-holders, creditors and debtors.

      Notable recent instructions include:

      • Instructed for the foreign liquidators of a German bank to assist Rebecca Stubbs KC and Rosanna Foskett in connection with a dispute as to the ownership of EUR 40 million of funds.
      • Instructed (led by Andrew McLeod) for the foreign liquidators of a Jersey company in connection with an urgent freezing injunction to protect potential company assets in England thought to be worth in excess of USD 40 million.
    • Professional Negligence

      Notable recent instructions include:

      • Instructed (led by Thomas Grant KC) for a firm of solicitors defending allegations of negligence said to have caused the loss of three international commercial claims against Russian and Canadian defendants worth in excess of £7m.
      • Instructed for a high-net-worth individual in connection with a claim against allegedly negligent investment managers.

Awards

Lord Justice Holker Scholarship, Gray’s Inn

Martin Wronker Prize (proxime accessit), Oxford

Gibbs Book Prize (1st of 3), Oxford

Faculty Prize for Roman Law (Delict), Oxford

Demyship (Scholarship), Magdalen College