Practice Overview

Justin Perring is a commercial chancery barrister with particular expertise within commercial litigation, company, insolvency and property law.

Justin works with solicitors, in-house teams and teams of counsel. He is described as “approachable”, “frank and sensible with the facts”, “efficient and professional”, and “thorough and prompt” (Legal 500, 2022).

Justin appears as counsel at final and interim hearings (including freezing orders and injunctions) in the Senior Courts, County Court and specialist Tribunals. He also represents clients at ADR.

He is noted for settling “meticulous, accurate” statements of case and providing “clear, meaningful advice” (Legal 500, 2022).

Justin contributes to legal knowledge publications, law reports, and delivers seminars and training in his areas of practice. 

• Commercial Litigation

  Justin is recognised as a leading junior by the Legal 500 for commercial litigation. His practice includes:

  ·    Business disputes including contracts, framework agreements, factoring agreements, agency relationships

  ·    Banking and financial services

  ·    Investor disputes

  ·     Loans, guarantees and indemnities

  ·    Restraint of trade  

  ·     Breach of confidence and data protection

  ·     Restitutionary claims

  ·     Conflict of laws

  ·     Injunctions & freezing orders

  Recent and ongoing instructions include:

  ·     Representing the Claimant alleging breach of a property investment agreement.

  ·  Representing a Swiss leisure company defending liability for business email compromise fraud and breach of contract raising issues of estoppel, jurisdiction and choice of law.

  ·     Representing a Defendant in proceedings alleging conspiracy, breach of restrictive covenants and breach of confidence.

  ·  Representing the Claimant in obtaining pre-action disclosure in respect of a proposed breach of confidence and data protection claim.

  ·     Representing the Defendant in resisting a claim claiming breach of a guarantee and factoring agreement.

  ·     Advising on numerous schemes under a £300 million call-off agreement.

  ·     Advising on and representing Claimants in financial mis-selling claims. 

• Civil Fraud

  A significant proportion of Justin’s commercial, company and property practice includes allegations of fraud. Justin’s expertise includes:

  ·    Fraudulent misrepresentation/deceit

  ·    Conspiracy

  ·    Breach of trust/fiduciary duty

  ·    Conversion

  ·    Dishonest assistance

  ·    Knowing receipt

  ·    Restitutionary claims

  ·    Mortgage fraud

  ·    Injunctions & freezing orders

  ·    Limitation

   Recent and ongoing instructions include:

  • Obtaining judgement in the sum of £5.9 million following the wrongful granting of a freezing order.  The underlying claim sought damages for breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and restitution for financial trading losses (including cryptocurrency)
  • Representing the Claimant alleging misrepresentation in respect of a property investment scheme.
  • Representing the Claimant alleging breach of directors' duties, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, dishonest assistance and seeking restitution and  injunctive relief.
  • Representing the Defendant director and shareholder resisting a claim brought in fraudulent misrepresentation/deceit in obtaining investment funding.
  • Representing the Defendant accused of acting in breach of trust, mortgage fraud, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt of trust property.
  • Representing a Defendant in proceedings alleging conspiracy and inducing breach of contract.
  • Advising under s.32 of the Limitation Act 1980
  • Acting for an individual seeking to pierce the corporate veil by alleging fraud, conspiracy and malicious prosecution in respect of financial trading losses.

    

• Insolvency

  Justin’s insolvency practice compliments his commercial, company and property practice, and he is recognised as a leading junior in the Legal 500 in this area. Justin’s expertise includes:

  ·       Administration

  ·       Liquidation

  ·       Vesting orders

  ·       CVAs

  ·       Moratoriums

  ·      Receivership

  ·       Reviewable transactions: transactions at undervalue, preferences, extortionate credit transactions, invalid floating charges, transactions defrauding creditors, contribution from past directors and shareholders, anti-deprivation  

  ·       Bankruptcy

  Recent and ongoing instructions include:

  • Resisting a claim brought by a liquidator against a limited company and an individual involved in commercial and residential property development alleging payments at undervalue, in preference or misfeasance.
  • Acting for the liquidators dealing with a complicated inter-company position in resisting a claim brought by a bank under a series of cross-guarantees seeking contractual and insolvency set-off.
  • Acting for the respondent who set aside a statutory demand made by an insurance broker to enforce a personal guarantee of a private limited company on the basis of estoppel.
  • Acting for the applicant UAE bank who resisted an application to annul a bankruptcy.
  • Acting for the surety of an insolvent private limited company on the effect of disclaimer, the granting of a tenancy at will, and the election of the landlord in taking possession of commercial premises.
  • Acting for the leaseholders of commercial premises on the effect of the adminstration of a major retailer on their leases.
  • Acting for the petitioning creditor in resisting an application to set aside a statutory demand in respect of substantial arrears under a tenancy of a listed residential premises.
  • Advising on a dissolution of and winding up of farming partnerships.

           

    

• Company & Partnership

  Justin’s commercial practice includes company and partnership matters, and he is recognised as a leading junior in the Legal 500 in this area. Justin’s expertise includes:

   ·       Director’s duties and fiduciary duties

  ·       Boardroom disputes

  ·       Quasi-partnerships

  ·       Minority shareholder actions

  ·       Shareholder and partnership agreements

  ·      Dissolution

   Recent and ongoing instructions include:

  •  Representing the directors of a special purpose vehicle incorporated to bring proceedings against a Bulgarian property developer who resisted a hostile boardroom takeover.
  • Representing the Claimant who obtained a freezing order against a co-director and shareholder who had failed to allocate shares or pay dividends, and who threatened to phoenix the business.
  • Representing the petitioner in an unfair prejudice petition in respect of a company that runs a West London hotel.
  • Acting for a member of a partnership carrying on the business of a GP practice for breach of the partnership and seeking dissolution and winding up.
  • Representing a director and shareholder in a £1 million breach of fiduciary duty action in respect of the sale of a business. 
• Property

  Justin has experience in a broad range of property matters, for which he is recognised by the Legal 500. Justin’s expertise includes:

   ·       Real property: easements, covenants, adverse possession, land registration

  ·       Commercial landlord and tenant: 1954 Act, dilapidations, forfeiture, break clauses

  ·       Trusts of land and proprietary estoppel

  ·       Water Industry Act 1991

   Recent and ongoing instructions include:

   ·       Acting for a claimant seeking a declaration as to the interpretation of a contract for sale and TP1, rectification based on common mistake, and an easement by necessity.

  ·       Acting for a claimant who obtained judgment for breach of contract and interference with goods following the aborted sale of a £multi-million manor house.

  ·       Acting for the respondent property developer who resisted an injunction to restrain breaches of restrictive covenants.

  ·       Acting for a Part 20 Claimant in seeking declarative relief, rectification, rescission, and raising s. 2 LP(MP)A 1989 and resisting a claim for the transfer of legal and beneficial ownership of a £multi-million residential dwelling.

  ·       Representing tenants in contested lease renewals under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 under s. 30 (f) and (g) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.

  ·     Obtaining interim injunctions restoring tenants to commercial premises following peaceable re-entry by the landlord.

  ·     Advising landlords and tenants on waiver, forfeiture and relief from forfeiture, liquidated damages clauses for breach of covenants, break notices and surrender.

  ·     Advising a statutory undertaker on various aspects of the Water Industry Act 1991 including: decommission and/or remove infrastructure assets, unlawful connections, adoption and disposal under ss. 102-105, powers in relation to land, pipe-laying, and other works, compulsory purchase to install aquifer storage and recovery apparatus.

• Additional Information

  Qualifications / Education

  BA (Hons.), University College London (1st Class)

  MA, University College London

  GDL, City Law School, City University

  BPTC, BPP Law School

  
  

  Awards

  Bedingfield Scholar, The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn

  GDL Scholar, The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn

  Falcon Chambers Prize Essay (runner-up)

  
  

  Memberships

  COMBAR

  Chancery Bar Association

  Property Bar Association

  The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn

  
  

  Public Access

  Yes