Ben Davies - Partner

Expertise

Ben Davies is a partner in the civil litigation team.  He works principally on high value, complex fraud claims in the Commercial Court, which often involve ancillary proceedings in other jurisdictions. He has particular experience in the obtaining, policing and discharging of freezing orders.

Ben is ranked as a leading civil fraud lawyer in the current edition of the Chambers & Partners guide to the UK legal profession, which describes him as “brilliant” and “very knowledgeable about freezing orders”. He is also recommended as an asset recovery specialist by Who’s Who Legal, which describes him as “a skilled civil litigator who sources consider ‘a real star’ and ‘a measured, balanced and fair opponent’”. Ben is a solicitor-advocate and holds rights of audience in both the civil and criminal higher courts

Notable experience

• Defending a former director and major shareholder of a Russian bank against claims of fraud and breach of duty, brought by the bank in the English Commercial Court. The case is worth in excess of US$800 million and involves ancillary proceedings in Russia, Switzerland and Cyprus.
• Settling a US$30 million Commercial Court fraud dispute for investors in a collapsed oil and gas joint venture. The case was linked to civil and criminal proceedings in Germany and Luxembourg, as well as mutual legal assistance requests between EU states.
• Acting for businessman and chairman of the Djibouti Free Zone Abdourahman Boreh, in his successful discharge of a freezing order and defence of Commercial Court proceedings worth in excess of US$130 million. The proceedings were brought by the Republic of Djibouti and involved ancillary proceedings in multiple jurisdictions – including Singapore, the BVI, France, the UAE and Djibouti.
• Acting for Indonesia’s Humpuss Group in the successful discharge of a US$75 million freezing order and defeat of attempts to pierce the corporate veil – in connection with claims brought by various ship owners in the English Commercial Court.
• Cross-border litigation worth $60 million against former managers of an oil distribution company, concerning the dishonest appropriation of business and assets. The case saw freezing and receivership orders obtained in multiple jurisdictions, including Singapore and the BVI.
• Acting for a Greek shipping billionaire against JP MorganChase, in a $40 million English Commercial Court claim concerning the miss-selling of derivatives linked to Russian sovereign debt.

Background

Ben graduated from Kings College London with a degree in ancient history in 1998, following which he worked in public relations for BP plc. He went on to complete the PGDL and the LPC at the University of East Anglia and College of Law respectively, before training as a solicitor with the London office of Dechert LLP. Ben joined Byrne and Partners on qualification in 2004 and was promoted to partner in 2014. 

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