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Commercial litigation lawyers

With highly skilled commercial litigation lawyers across Europe, Asia Pacific, the US and the Caribbean, we assist with complex, multi-jurisdictional cases of all kinds. Whether you are an investor, business or brand, our creative solutions will get results.

We combine local and international litigation experience with strategic and commercial advice to achieve the best outcome for you or your business.

Our aim is to defend the interests of individuals, businesses and brands, and we do not shy away from taking on major institutions to achieve that, pursuing them aggressively where necessary.

Experience to solve all of your disputes

Our global team of litigation lawyers serve a broad range of domestic and international commercial and individual clients, from family offices and high-net-worth individuals to large corporate entities. As a law firm. we are experienced in almost all areas of litigation, including asset recovery and enforcement, contract and company disputes, financial services disputes, fraud, white collar defense and investigations, professional negligence, insurance and restructuring and insolvency. Where necessary, we are also experienced in challenging decisions by bringing claims for judicial review.

With litigation solicitors spread across the world’s key dispute resolution centers from New York to Hong Kong, we work together as a single team to help you protect your interests domestically and globally. Our commercial litigation lawyers deal with matters swiftly and efficiently, which is key in complex and large-scale international disputes.

We also offer a number of specific teams, including handling tax controversy, media, privacy and reputation management, commercial arbitration and litigation within the worlds of art, luxury assets including jet and yachts and sport, where we are ideally placed to respond to cross-border issues.

Global advice, wherever you are

With offices worldwide, we are an international litigation law firm comprising talented lawyers that can guide you through your dispute process and help you make informed and appropriate decisions. Our European litigation team is known for taking on major fraud, asset recovery, enforcement and financial services disputes – and, unlike other firms, we act in disputes against major banks.

In the US, we have a wide range of experience across commercial matters, pursuing settlements, litigation, trials and appeals aggressively, with an excellent success rate. We have one of the largest dispute resolution teams in Singapore, called on for complex and cross-border commercial disputes and acclaimed for work in high-value insurance and professional liability matters.

We also have a team of commercial litigation solicitors in Hong Kong who are experienced in complex corporate disputes, joint venture and shareholders’ disputes, and insolvency. We have represented clients involved in litigation before Hong Kong courts and in mainland China (with local counsels).

In addition, our experienced offshore team of litigation lawyers in the BVI is frequently called upon to assist foreign investors in asset recovery and seeking and resisting applications for injunctive relief before the BVI courts.

Funding your dispute

Should you need help covering the costs of your dispute, our litigation lawyers will advise on various options for funding. These include obtaining external funding for significant cases, insurance, conditional fee agreements, and fixed or capped fees in appropriate cases.

Track record

Burgess and Broadcasting Investment Group

Our clients were seeking to enforce an oral agreement, where various co-venturers agreed to transfer shares in technology companies to a single company that would act as a parent for the group. It later emerged that certain shares were never properly transferred to the putative parent company. The claim was initally struck out on the basis that it was barred, because it was purely reflective of a loss suffered by the company in which it is a shareholder. We successfully overturned the decision on appeal - a decision that will have wide-ranging consequences for investors seeking relief in circumstances where their own losses may overlap with those of the companies in which they have invested.

Defending PR firm, Metigen, and their client in breach of confidence claim with Credit Suisse

We acted for Metigen, a PR firm which created a campaign group to expose allegations of misconduct by Credit Suisse on behalf of its victims (including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former PM of Georgia). We successfully obtained a release from an injunction Credit Suisse had obtained to restrain Metigen from publicising the findings of a report prepared by Swiss regulators (FINMA) following an investigation into a fraud committed by a former employee of Credit Suisse.

Successful discharge of receivership order in BVI

We acted for an Anguillan company whose asset, a BVI company, was the subject of a receivership order obtained by VTB Bank. VTB is attempting to enforce Russian judgments against a Russian individual via BVI companies, which VTB claims are ultimately owned by the Russian individual. The receivership order was successfully discharged. Click here to read the Judgment.

Trustees of two BVI Trusts

We are instructed by the trustees of two BVI trusts worth in excess of US$400 million, who are currently undergoing a restructuring exercise involving assets in multiple jurisdictions. Recent issues relating to this matter have involved a discussion of parental rights in the BVI.

Claims of misrepresentation and conspiracy

Represented a shareholder of an international logistics company in claims of misrepresentation and conspiracy against its former parent company which is a public listed company in Malaysia and other subsidiaries in Singapore and Malaysia.

Dispute involving fraud carried out by the Wirecard entities

Represented Delphinium Capital PLC in relation to a dispute involving the Wirecard entities. This matter is closely monitored given the ongoing investigations in Germany and Singapore involving the fraud carried out by the Wirecard entities which is estimated to be in excess of Euro 1.5 billion.  

Fraud and conspiracy involving 4 jurisdictions

Represented 4 Cypriot companies in proceedings based on fraud and conspiracy commenced by the Singapore-based investment arm of a Japanese public listed company. 

One of the biggest cases of corruption involving Singapore's largest oil rig builders

Represented a client in Operation Car Wash – an ongoing criminal investigation being carried out in Brazil involving allegations of corruption between a state-controlled oil company, Petrobras, and construction firms.

China Environmental Technology Holdings Limited

Represented China Environmental Technology Holdings Limited on the dispute between its board of directors. We advised the company on the relevant disclosure requirements and handled a number of enquiries raised by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Shareholder dispute

Successfully representing the shareholders of a company at trial, in which allegations of fraud were made on both sides. The case involved a London property and parties located around the globe.

Global enforcement of a £450million English court judgment

Leading the global enforcement strategy on behalf of Mrs Akhmedova for the enforcement of a financial order of the English family court worth £450 million over various luxury assets and bank accounts located around the world, including Marshall Islands, Dubai, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Russia and England.

Litigation against former business partner in Vietnam

Represented the court-appointed administrator of an estate in litigation against the decedent’s former business partner in Vietnam. We brought a derivative action on behalf of an entity the decedent co-owned with his business partner, obtained a preliminary ruling transferring half a million dollars from the entity to the estate, and ultimately settled the case.

Landmark stamp duty decision on in the High Court of Singapore

We successfully represented our client in Zhao Hui Fang and another in a case that challenged the application of stamp duty to a residential purchase by a charity. The High Court of Singapore ruled that the additional buyer’s stamp duties regime does not apply to residential property purchased by a charity. The landmark decision had wide-ranging impact on charities and the non-profit sector in Singapore.

LG Electronics Inc

Our Singapore team successfully acted for LG Electronics Inc. in a trade mark opposition filed by headphones manufacturer Beats Electronics, LLC against the registration of the mark 'QuadBeat' before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, securing a favourable decision.

Complex dispute with a financial consulting firm

Withers represented an individual in a dispute involving a successful limited liability company that provided global financial consulting and advisory services. Withers successfully avoided a public lawsuit and negotiated a successful resolution. This complex matter involved parties in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Belize.

International bank mandate fraud

When our client suffered a bank mandate fraud, it severely affected his art dealership business. We put a team in London and Hong Kong into action to freeze the stolen funds, held in a Hong Kong bank, and were able to retrieve them for our client.

Multi-national investment dispute in Ethiopia

Our US team represented an investment fund and its principals in a multi-national dispute concerning investments in Ethiopia, we successfully dismissed all of the claims against our clients.

Heritage Travel and Tourism Limited

In this complex case involving questions over economic duress and penalty issues, we successfully obtained a €172 million judgment on behalf of our client against the businessman, Lars Windhorst, and the Tennor Group. The judgment stemmed from a debt that arose out of Repo Transactions and a settlement agreement, the terms of which the Defendants failed to honour. 

Global enforcement of a £450million English court judgment

Leading the global enforcement strategy on behalf of Mrs Akhmedova for the enforcement of a financial order of the English family court worth £450 million over various luxury assets and bank accounts located around the world, including Marshall Islands, Dubai, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Russia and England.

Piercing the corporate veil of a Liechtenstein corporate cipher

Withers achieved a rare success by successfully piercing the corporate veil of a Liechtenstein company set up as a sham by the judgment debtor for the purposes of hiding assets.

Potential claim by the Italian State on the ownership of a Roman marble relief

We acted for the trustees of an estate in advising on a potential claim by the Italian State to the ownership of a Roman era fragment marble relief. The relief was purchased in the 1960s in Switzerland and passed to the state following the death of the purchaser. Having been put up for sale by the trustees, it was spotted at an art fair as being linked to a number of other reliefs that had been seized by the Italian authorities having been illegally excavated in the early 2000s. Withers assisted the trustees in bringing about the restitution of the relief to Italy.

The return of artworks to the estate of a renowned European artist

We represented the estate of a renowned European contemporary artist in seeking to bring about the return of numerous artworks that had not been returned by a German gallery following the artist's death in the mid-2000s.

Italian Brazilian speedboat case

Our client was an Italian company which supplied customised speedboats for use by the Brazilian Police Force. We represented our client in the recovery of a debt owed by a Brazilian company involved in the transaction.

Litigation with five Italian banks

We are representing five Italian banks in a jurisdictional challenge to the English courts based on the place where payment had to be made under a confirmed letter of credit.

Defending Greek company in Jordan

The termination of a 10-year worldwide agency and distribution agreement led to us representing a Greek company in a dispute with a Jordanian state owned enterprise.

Greek national basketball team

Represented Greek national basketball team in defending federal claims. Case successfully resolved with full dismissal of claims against the team.

Greek TV merger leads to arbitration

A proposed merger in the Pay TV market in Greece led to a dispute in which we represented Greek clients in a substantial LCIA arbitration.

Acting in recognition and enforcement proceedings in the DIFC and Dubai local courts

When the defendant took his £350 million mega yacht to Dubai, Withers used the DIFC Court as a conduit through which to get an order for enforcement from the Dubai local courts. The case was heard by both the DIFC Court of Appeal and the Joint Judicial Committee.

Global enforcement of a £450million English court judgment

Leading the global enforcement strategy on behalf of Mrs Akhmedova for the enforcement of a financial order of the English family court worth £450 million over various luxury assets and bank accounts located around the world, including Marshall Islands, Dubai, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Russia and England.

Saudi Arabian contemporary artist in a claim against an auction house and a Dubai based gallery

We represented one of Saudi Arabia's leading contemporary artists in a multi-jurisdictional claim against an auction house and a Dubai based gallery. The claim derived from the unauthorized selling of one of the artist's own artworks by the Dubai gallery at an auction. The matter was successfully settled.

Defending Greek company in Jordan

The termination of a 10-year worldwide agency and distribution agreement led to us representing a Greek company in a dispute with a Jordanian state owned enterprise.

Foreign-based seller of NY property

Represented a foreign-based seller of NY property, whose lawyer stole the proceeds of the sale. In addition to partial recovery from the Lawyers' Fund, we were able to recover a substantial amount of the uncovered losses.

Conservatorship petition

Obtained dismissal of a conservatorship petition without the need for discovery or trial.

Defending the holders of USD$200 million in bonds

We successfully represented the holders of US bonds to the value of USD$200 million in lawsuits against a rating agency and an indenture trustee of a private placement.

Heirs to pharmaceutical company fortune

Represented heirs to the fortune from a pharmaceutical company in a dispute concerning control of the family office and competing claims of breach of fiduciary duty. After completing all pre-trial discovery and motion practice, Withers successfully negotiated a settlement for the heirs without the need for a costly and public trial in California state court.

Individual lender based in Russian Federation

Withers successfully obtained judgment against a debtor based in California on behalf of an individual lender based in the Russian Federation. The debtor, a prominent dance event organizer, failed to repay funds lent to him to further his dance business.

Major US accountancy firm in insurance claims

Our US team represented one of the major accounting firms against primary and secondary insurers to recover for claims based on accounting firm's financial audits

Multi-national investment dispute in Ethiopia

Our US team represented an investment fund and its principals in a multi-national dispute concerning investments in Ethiopia, we successfully dismissed all of the claims against our clients.

The Romanian State

Our team represented the Romanian State in connection with the enforcement of a foreign judgment in the US, with the State receiving 100% of the judgment amount.

Shareholder’s dispute in Cyprus

We are coordinating litigation arising from a shareholder’s dispute in Cyprus, Anguilla and Belize on behalf of Russian shareholders in a global financial business.

Complex dispute with a financial consulting firm

Withers represented an individual in a dispute involving a successful limited liability company that provided global financial consulting and advisory services. Withers successfully avoided a public lawsuit and negotiated a successful resolution. This complex matter involved parties in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Belize.

Global enforcement of a £450million English court judgment

Leading the global enforcement strategy on behalf of Mrs Akhmedova for the enforcement of a financial order of the English family court worth £450 million over various luxury assets and bank accounts located around the world, including Marshall Islands, Dubai, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Russia and England.

Individual lender based in Russian Federation

Withers successfully obtained judgment against a debtor based in California on behalf of an individual lender based in the Russian Federation. The debtor, a prominent dance event organizer, failed to repay funds lent to him to further his dance business.

Litigation advice for the Ukranian government

We act for the Ukrainian government in relation to a variety of commercial disputes.

Cypriot company in a USD$72 million arbitration

Acting for a Cypriot company with Russian connections in an arbitration claim challenging a USD$72 million London Court of International Arbitration Award.

Salim Shalabayev

We successfully represented Salim Shalabayev, a Kazakhstani citizen, on an Appeal of a Final Charging Order over his property in London.

Shareholder’s dispute in Cyprus

We are coordinating litigation arising from a shareholder’s dispute in Cyprus, Anguilla and Belize on behalf of Russian shareholders in a global financial business.

US$150 million Russian dispute

Advised a Russian corporation in a dispute to a value of over US$150 million in relation to cancelled Credit Linked Notes

Belarus $1.6m business dispute

In a complex international dispute involving one of the oldest multi-sectorial brands in Belarus (our client), we defended a $1.6m claim brought by a Ukrainian-owned company, relating to company officers' authority to conclude contracts.

Russian real estate project in LCIA arbitration

In an LCIA arbitration concerning a high profile real estate project in Moscow, worth $160m, and involving complex issues of fraud, illegality and a combination of Russian, Kazakh and BVI law, we have taken an innovative approach to calculating the damages at stake.

Ecuador v Colombia ICJ case

Our litigation team acted in Ecuador v Colombia (Aerial Herbicide Spraying) Counsel of Colombia, in an ICJ case involving issues of international environmental law.

Italian Brazilian speedboat case

Our client was an Italian company which supplied customised speedboats for use by the Brazilian Police Force. We represented our client in the recovery of a debt owed by a Brazilian company involved in the transaction.

Our team

Christopher N. LaVigne

Christopher N. LaVigne

Partner | New York

Christopher N. LaVigne

Partner | New York

Litigation and arbitration

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Joseph Chu

Joseph Chu

Partner | Hong Kong

Joseph Chu

Partner | Hong Kong

Litigation and arbitration

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Matilde Rota

Matilde Rota

Partner | Milan

Matilde Rota

Partner | Milan

Litigation and arbitration

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Peter Wood

Peter Wood

Partner | London

Peter Wood

Partner | London

Litigation and arbitration

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Sara-Jane Knock

Sara-Jane Knock

Partner | British Virgin Islands

Sara-Jane Knock

Partner | British Virgin Islands

Litigation

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Shashi Nathan

Shashi Nathan

Partner | Singapore

Shashi Nathan

Partner | Singapore

White collar defense and investigations

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Stephen Ross

Stephen Ross

Partner | London

Stephen Ross

Partner | London

Litigation and arbitration

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Typical clients and industries include

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Art

We represent many of the world’s top art collectors, museums and institutions. Our long history enables us to offer advice on everything from structuring transactions to challenging fraud. Find Out More
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Luxury brands

Our global team has helped many of the world's finest luxury brands build their businesses and maintain their credibility long-term. Find Out More
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Sports, talent and entertainment

Withers’ global multidisciplinary sports, talent & entertainment practice focuses on representing the interests of professional athletes, artists, entertainers, sports and entertainment businesses, investors, and organizations on a full range of legal services. Find Out More

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