James Woolrich

Notable cases include:

• Transworld Payment Solutions UK Ltd (in liq) v FCIB & Deuss: Acting (with Christopher Parker KC and Caley Wright) in a c.£280 million claim relating to MTIC fraud.
• Okoye v Aluko: Acted (as sole counsel) in successful defence of a challenge to the English court’s jurisdiction.
• Confidential: Advised (as sole counsel) on a c.£1m contractual dispute between a software development company and gas distribution network
• Confidential: Acted (as sole counsel) for a high-performance racing car engine manufacturer in its claim under an engine lease agreement in the London Circuit Commercial Court.
• Confidential: Advised (as sole counsel) a technology company in relation to its claim under a contract for the development of a scalable distributed ledger system in the London Circuit Commercial Court.
• Confidential: Acted (with Stephen Auld KC) for the claimant bank in CPR Part 8 proceedings in the Commercial Court for non-disclosure and ancillary orders in support of proceedings in the British Virgin Islands under s.25 Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982.
• Haskell Elias v David Mamistvalov & Soda Holdings Ltd (2021): Acted (as sole counsel) for the defendant in interlocutory High Court proceedings concerning a dispute between 2 individuals in relation to ownership and control of an English limited company.

Notable cases include:

• Cruz City v Unitech & Ors: Advising Cruz City (with Simon Colton KC and Nehali Shah) in ongoing proceedings in aid of enforcement of LCIA arbitration awards worth US$500m. Includes, in the Isle of Man, successfully resisting an application to strike out and for summary judgment in respect of Cruz City’s application for declaratory relief, and successfully resisting an application to set aside a Chabra freezing order.
• The Republic of Sierra Leone v SL Mining Ltd (2021): Acted (as sole counsel) for the Republic of Sierra Leone in proceedings in the Commercial Court relating to a US$1.9bn ICC arbitration, in relation to applications for (a) security for costs, and (b) costs ([2021] EWHC 929 (Comm)). 
• Confidential: Advised (with David Lord KC) in relation to the scope of an arbitration clause in articles of association for the purposes of US (SDNY) proceedings.
• Confidential (2021): Advising an investor in relation to claims in public international law, including under the Energy Charter Treaty, and certain BITs.

Notable cases include: 

• Arnage & Ors v Walkers (A firm): Cayman – Advising (with Mark Simpson KC and Nico Leslie) the defendant firm in a $490 million professional negligence claim in the Cayman Islands arising out of the uncovering of alleged frauds in a major Brazilian bank.
• Re Seahawk China Dynamic Fund: Cayman – assisting Appleby in its representation of the petitioner in a just and equitable winding up petition and application to appoint provisional liquidators in respect of an investment fund worth over US$400m.
• Multibank litigation: Advised the defendant bank in connection with ongoing proceedings concerning a claim to set aside a Tomlin Order for fraud and unlawful means conspiracy, including in relation to a return date application for a WWFO and an application to challenge the BVI court’s jurisdiction.
• Confidential: Bahamas/Cayman – Advising in relation to questions of jurisdiction regarding allegations of a complex large scale (US$400m) civil fraud.
• Briefline Assets Ltd v Falin & Anor (2021): BVI – Advised (with John Carrington KC) the claimant/respondent in relation to an application to continue and cross-application to discharge an ex parte WWFO.
• Re a Cayman Islands Trust (2020): Cayman – Junior counsel in a team advising a Cayman Islands trustee of a £20m trust in relation to allegations of breach of trust and gross negligence. The case also involved allegations of undue influence, lack of capacity, proprietary estoppel and conspiracy.