Commercial Chancery

Robin's practice encompasses virtually all aspects of contentious work in the Chancery Division, with a particular emphasis on company and insolvency law (both corporate and individual), and extends to non-contentious advisory work in company and insolvency law.

Chambers UK Bar & Chambers Global 2015

Robin has acted in a stream of high-profile company cases in England, the Caribbean and Hong Kong (see further below), particularly the recent lengthy, complex high profile Caldero v Beppler shareholders’ dispute case over an English Company with a Montenegrin operation subsidiary worth several $million, culminating in final victory in the CoA [2014]. There were innumerable interim hearings, latterly over the removal of the provisional liquidators and costs, involving virtually every judge of the Chancery Division. The case received wide coverage in the national press.

"He is very steady and solid, and knows the law so comprehensively"
Chambers UK Bar & Chambers Global 2015

Robin was brought in to appear recently in the Court of Appeal in a dispute arising out of a transfer of a minority shareholding: Blindley Heath Investments Ltd. v. Bass.

Robin is a well-respected leading Silk advocate who specialises in the field of corporate and personal insolvency cases.

He has developed a particular specialisation in the field of shareholders' disputes and is the author of the leading textbook in this field 'Hollington on Shareholders' Rights' (Sweet & Maxwell), 1st (1990) to 8th (2016) editions.

Robin is ranked as a "Star Individual’" in Chambers UK Bar.

"The leading expert in shareholder disputes."
"What he doesn't know about Company law, you can write on the back of a stamp."

Chambers UK Bar 2017 - Company

"An exemplary Chancery Silk"
Legal 500 2016 - Company & Partnership

"He is Mr Shareholder Disputes" and "I regard him as being pre-eminent in the area of minority shareholder rights; his knowledge of the law and practice on that topic is encyclopaedic"

"He turned around the instructions very quickly and provided very thorough advice"
Chambers UK Bar 2015 – Company

Noteworthy cases include:

• O’Neill v Phillips [1999] 1 WLR 1092, [1999] 2 BCLC1. A ground breaking case dispute between quasi-partners who fell out over the management of an asbestos-removal business. Case heard at the House of Lords.
• Cream Holdings v Davenport [2012] 1 BCLC 365, [2011] EWCA Civ 1287, [2011] All ER (D) 59 (Nov). A successful Company case in which Robin resisted an appeal against an order appointing an expert to value shares under pre-emption provisions.

Robin also recently acted for a number of companies controlled by one of the Tchenguiz brothers in resisting attempts by RBS to gain administration orders against them.

Robin has also contributed to

• 'Directors' Duties & Shareholder Litigation in the Wake of the Financial Crisis' - Chapter 6
• 'Recent cases on the winding-up of hedge funds on treasure islands' (Edward Elgar, 2012) and
• The ICSA Directors Handbook 'Shareholder Remedies' (ICSA, 2009) - Chapter 15

Robin is a well-respected leading Silk advocate who specialises in the field of corporate and personal insolvency cases. He has developed a particular specialisation in the field of shareholders’ disputes and is the author of the leading textbook in this field ‘Hollington on Shareholders’ Rights’ (Sweet Maxwell), 1^st (1990) to 8^th ( 2016) editions.

Robin is ranked as a "Star individual"  in Chambers UK Bar.

"He is extremely authoritative in his responses, you get a great level of comfort when he's on board. I'd recommend him for particularly complex questions and for precedent-setting disputes that will change the law."
Chambers UK Bar 2017 - Restructuring/Insolvency

Noteworthy cases include:

• O’Neill v Phillips [1999] 1 WLR 1092, [1999] 2 BCLC1. A ground breaking case dispute between quasi-partners who fell out over the management of an asbestos-removal business. Case heard at the House of Lords.
• Cream Holdings v Davenport [2012] 1 BCLC 365, [2011] EWCA Civ 1287, [2011] All ER (D) 59 (Nov). A successful Company case in which Robin resisted an appeal against an order appointing an expert to value shares under pre-emption provisions.

 Robin also recently acted for a number of companies controlled by one of the Tchenguiz brothers in resisting attempts by RBS to gain administration orders against them.

Robin has also contributed to:

• 'Directors' Duties & Shareholder Litigation in the Wake of the Financial Crisis' - Chapter 6
• 'Recent cases on the winding-up of hedge funds on treasure islands' (Edward Elgar, 2012) and
• The ICSA Directors Handbook 'Shareholder Remedies' (ICSA, 2009) - Chapter 15

Robin has an extensive and long-standing offshore practice.  

"He literally wrote the book on shareholder disputes and is someone judges listen to."
Chambers UK Bar & Chambers Global 2017 - Offshore

"He is very steady and solid and knows he law so comprehensively"
Chambers UK Bar & Chambers Global 2015 - Offshore

He "Has built a truly global insolvency practice'"
Chambers Global 2013

"Has great experience of litigating in the BVI and Cayman Islands’"
Chambers UK Bar 2012 - Offshore

Notable cases include:

• Pioneer Iron & Steel - The removal of liquidators of BVI company (with interests in China) in voluntary creditor’s liquidation. Heard at the High Court BVI.
• Dragon Capital Group Ltd - A current major ongoing case for Robin dealing with unfair prejudice for one of the two major shareholders in fund managers in Vietnam and the Far East. Proceedings have been issued in the BVI.

Robin recently acted in a Cayman Islands case concerning the provisional liquidation of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange after its listing had been suspended due to alleged mismanagement.

Robin is also regularly instructed as an expert witness abroad on UK, BVI, Cayman Islands and Hong Kong company and insolvency law. Most recently Robin has been retained in the USA for advice on English law  concerning derivative claims arising out of oil pollution by UK-based companies and in Hong Kong concerning distributions made by BVI-based companies.

“On nobody’s side”

An experienced High Court and overseas litigator and Deputy High Court Judge and Recorder, Robin has conducted numerous mediations since accreditation by the ADR Group. He has expertise in the field of company and insolvency law, particularly in the field of shareholders’ and partners’ disputes.   He is the author of “Shareholders’ Rights”, due to appear in its 9^th Edition later this year.

Robin, after almost 40 years’ practice at the commercial Chancery Bar and over 15 years as a part-time judge in civil cases, is keen to help resolve disputes rather than fight them in the highly pressurised atmosphere of the courts. He has come more and more to regard litigation as a lottery and luxury to be avoided if at all possible.

Robin sees that senior and experienced practitioners like him are able to perform a wide variety of roles in resolving disputes away from the courts.  Robin believes that shareholders’ disputes, or corporate divorces as they are sometimes called, are peculiarly amenable to alternative dispute resolution and ill-suited to litigation. And as an experienced practitioner in the field, he believes that he knows where the impediments to settlement lie and how they can be addressed and overcome.

The role will be tailored to the circumstances of the dispute and might be one or a combination of the following:

• Mediation
• Neutral evaluation
• Non-binding adjudication
• “MOT” – a second opinion, “playing devil’s advocate”
• Arbitration