Practice overview
Tom is a commercial barrister who specialises in three areas: civil fraud; company and insolvency disputes; and construction disputes (including associated professional negligence and insurance).
Tom was junior counsel for the main defendant group in the main trial of Skatteforvaltningen (Danish Customs and Tax Authority) v Solo Capital Partners LLP & Ors, led by Nigel Jones KC, Sarah McCann, Lisa Freeman (of Furnival Chambers), Emily Betts, Miguel Henderson, and Alice Whyte. Tom’s team’s clients were a hedge fund manager, his wife, and his corporate entities, who were all alleged to have perpetrated a £1.4bn fraud against the Danish state through complex share trading. The trial ran from 9 April 2024 to 11 April 2025, which is believed to be the longest trial in the history of the commercial court. The case was listed as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2024.
Tom is equally happy acting as sole counsel. He acts unled in multi-day trials, and regularly appears in all manner of interim applications in both the High Court and County Court.
Click on the tabs at the side to see his expertise.
Prior to pupillage, Tom worked for a Legal Tech company where he taught a machine learning programme to recognise different types of contractual terms. The programme is used by M&A lawyers at leading firms to undertake due diligence more quickly and more accurately.
Tom studied Law at St Anne’s College, Oxford, where he was elected JCR President and won a college prize for his performance in finals. He was awarded an advocacy scholarship and graded Outstanding on the Bar course.
In his spare time, Tom enjoys playing, watching and talking about cricket.
Areas of expertise
- Civil fraud
Civil fraud
Recent instructions as junior counsel include:
- Junior counsel for the main defendant group in the main trial of Skatteforvaltningen (Danish Customs and Tax Authority) v Solo Capital Partners LLP & Ors, led by Nigel Jones KC, Sarah McCann, Lisa Freeman (of Furnival Chambers), Emily Betts, Miguel Henderson, and Alice Whyte. Tom’s team’s clients were a hedge fund manager, his wife and his corporate entities, who were all alleged to have perpetrated a £1.4bn fraud against the Danish state through complex share trading. The claim was in deceit, conspiracy, unjust enrichment, breach of constructive trust, dishonest assistance, and knowing receipt. The trial ran from 9 April 2024 to 11 April 2025, which is believed to be the longest trial in the history of the commercial court. The case was listed as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2024.
Recent instructions as sole counsel include:
- Acting in both interlocutory and final hearings of a building dispute where Tom’s client made three allegations of forgery in relation to: a forged contractual document; a forged expert report; and forged witness evidence from other proceedings.
- Advising and drafting in relation to a suspected ‘romance scam’. Tom’s client, a HNW individual, was suspected to have been induced by false statements to make bank transfers to a romantic partner.
- Acting for the defendant in a one-day preliminary issue trial to determine whether the claimant had forged the defendant’s signature on a trust deed, and to establish other factual matters related to the circumstances in which the deed was allegedly signed. The case settled mid-trial.
- Commercial dispute resolution
Commercial dispute resolution
Recent instructions as junior counsel include:
- Junior counsel for the main defendant group in the main trial of Skatteforvaltningen (Danish Customs and Tax Authority) v Solo Capital Partners LLP & Ors, led by Nigel Jones KC, Sarah McCann, Lisa Freeman (of Furnival Chambers), Emily Betts, Miguel Henderson, and Alice Whyte. Tom’s team’s clients were a hedge fund manager, his wife and his corporate entities, who were all alleged to have perpetrated a £1.4bn fraud against the Danish state through complex share trading. The claim was in deceit, conspiracy, unjust enrichment, breach of constructive trust, dishonest assistance, and knowing receipt. The trial ran from 9 April 2024 to 11 April 2025, which is believed to be the longest trial in the history of the commercial court. The case was listed as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2024.
- Led by David Pliener KC in a four-way dispute over the possession of a painting by Picasso.
- Assisting David Lewis KC and Charles Raffin acting for a major national franchisor in a termination dispute with former franchisee.
- (During pupillage) assisting Charles Raffin in acting for master franchisee of an international brand in a termination dispute (International Arbitration, LCIA Rules).
Recent instructions as sole counsel include:
- Advice on claiming for breach of an exclusivity agreement in an M&A transaction.
- Advising on the prospects of enforcing a business purchase agreement through specific performance.
- Acting for the claimant in a trial listed for two days to determine the effect of a clawback provision in a share purchase agreement. Tom was successful in striking out the defendant’s defence on the first morning.
- Advising on the enforceability of guarantees totalling £150,000.
- Acting in a one-day trial in relation to a disputed loan agreement.
- Acting for the claimant in a three-day trial involving a disputed loan agreement.
- Advising on the validity of a brokering agreement on an urgent basis following the collapse of a well-known energy company.
- Acting in an application for summary judgment by a major national franchisor.
- Construction & engineering
Construction & engineering
Recent instructions as sole counsel include:
- Acting for the employer in a three-day trial where both the identity of the contracting party and the value of the works were in dispute.
- Acting for the employer in a one-day trial involving allegations of poor workmanship.
- Acting in a mediation for a contractor who was being sued for poor workmanship.
- Providing urgent advice to a contractor on their right to terminate a contract.
A significant part of Tom’s practice involves settling pleadings in construction disputes, including in multi-party disputes, and he has experience in adjudication.
- Injunctions and interim applications
Injunctions and interim applications
Recent instructions as sole counsel include:
- Acting (without notice and on an urgent basis) in an injunction brought by a company to prevent an individual from holding himself out as a director, and to deliver up the access codes to the company’s Companies House web page.
- Advising on the prospects of enforcing a business purchase agreement through specific performance.
- Advising on the prospects of a freezing injunction.
- Acting in both interim and final hearings in applications for anti-social behaviour injunctions.
- Acting (including without notice and on an urgent basis) in applications for injunctions against trespassers (including against persons unknown).
- Acting for applicants for access injunctions, in both the civil and criminal courts.
- Acting in enforcement hearings for breaches of Tomlin and consent orders.
- Advising (on an urgent basis) on the prospects of an injunction to restrain a winding up petition.
- Drafting an application for specific disclosure.
- Acting in a claim to controlled goods under Part 85.
Tom regularly appears in all manner of interim applications, including applications for strike out, summary judgment, security for costs, amendment, and extensions of time.
- Insolvency, companies & partnership
Insolvency, companies & partnership
Recent instructions as junior counsel include:
- Led by Paul Strelitz in applying for permission to appeal a decision on permission to pursue a derivative claim.
- Led by Jonathan Titmuss in advising a trustee in bankruptcy on realising the assets of a limited liability partnership.
- During pupillage, assisting Emily Betts and Ryan Hocking to act for the majority shareholder of Cardiff City Football Club in the 6 day trial of a complex unfair prejudice petition (Isaac v Tan & Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Limited [2023] 1 B.C.L.C. 133)
Recent instructions as sole counsel include:
- Acting (without notice, and at the return date) in an injunction brought by a company to prevent an individual from holding himself out as a director, pending resolution of a trial on the issue.
- Drafting proceedings under Section 1096 of the Companies Act 2006 to remove filings from Companies House.
- Drafting a claim for breach of director’s duties for the assignee of a liquidator’s claims against a company’s directors.
- Advising on the prospects of, and drafting a director’s misfeasance claim worth approximately £800,000.
- Advising on the prospects of an injunction to restrain a winding up petition on an urgent basis following the collapse of a well-known energy company.
Tom also regularly appears in the High Court and County Court in bankruptcy and winding-up petitions, and related hearings.
- Professional negligence
Professional negligence
Recent instruction as junior counsel include:
- Led by Sara Ibrahim in a complex professional negligence dispute against a solicitor, valued at over £2 million. The professional negligence claim requires the reconstruction of an equal pay claim.
Seminars and articles
Thomas is a contributing author to the Practical Law Arbitration Blog. With other members of chambers, Thomas gives talks to junior solicitors on how solicitors and counsel can work together to get the best results for the client.
Please view the ‘insights’ tab for further information.
