Ben is a commercial litigation lawyer with specific expertise in commercial disputes and debt and asset recovery and extensive experience in property and insolvency matters. He also deals with non-contentious and contentious construction and development issues.
Ben acts for a variety of business and companies both in the UK and internationally. He also advises private high-net-worth individuals and family offices, foreign lawyers, and lending institutions.
Ben’s experience includes claims and disputes concerning commercial contracts, sale of goods, provision of services, professional negligence, property disputes, insolvency, asset tracing, debt recovery for creditors and debtors, shareholder and other corporate disputes.
Expertise
- Commercial litigation
- Debt recovery and asset tracing and recovery
- Insolvency
- Professional negligence claims and disputes
- Company acquisitions and associated claims
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Breach of contract, trust and fiduciary duties
- Freezing and search orders
- Partner/director/shareholder/fiduciary duty disputes
- Development projects, acting for funder, developer and employers on professional team appointments, collateral warranties, bonds and guarantees, and dispute resolution including arbitration, adjudication, mediation and litigation
- Property and boundary and party wall advice, disputes and injunctions, and the recovery of property assets and related monies
Experience
Commercial Litigation and Insolvency
- Advised a large multi-jurisdiction arbitration in respect of a major pollution incident in West Africa, attending criminal trials in a foreign jurisdiction and liaising with teams of lawyers based in a number of jurisdictions.
- Advised a shareholder dispute regarding the valuation of shareholding and unfair prejudice.
- Advised on a claim regarding the recovery of a family trust and associated properties and offshore companies.
- Advised on a claim for copyright infringement claim in respect of “Shape of You”.
- Advised on a claim for copyright infringement against members of Rudimental.
- Advised on a creditor’s bankruptcy petition in respect of an unpaid loan.
- Advised on a creditor’s winding up petition in respect of unpaid monies to a roofing subcontractor by a developer.
- Managed the debt book of a FTSE 250 Recruiter pursuing unpaid fees in the UK, USA and Canada.
- Advised on a creditor’s winding up petition to restore a company and wind it up simultaneously.
- Advised on a debtor’s bankruptcy petition in respect of an unpaid loan.
- Advised a clothing manufacturer in respect of the administration of one of its customers and the recovery of goods.
- Advised on a claim against an individual and associated companies in respect of monies had and received for the purchase of a Bentley, Maybach and a Brabus.
- Pursued monies owed in respect of a yacht mortgage where the borrower has absconded to Bulgaria.
- Pursued monies owed in respect of a yacht mortgage where the borrower has absconded and not responded to proceedings in Spain.
- Provided advice on various commercial litigation aspects on a subrogated claim against a sub-contractor for negligence in the supply and installation of bespoke decorative wooden panels for a display at a nature centre in Norway
- Provided advice on various commercial litigation aspects to a foreign royal family member (identity confidential) in respect of a serious personal injury allegation made by an ex-employee at their UK residence.
- Provided advice on commercial litigation to L’Occitane Limited, after one of client’s contractors entered liquidation and a dispute then arose with the liquidators regarding what mutual credits and debits were owed by the parties
Construction & Development
- Advised on a trial in the TCC in a professional negligence claim against a consulting engineer in respect of the redevelopment of a site into a shopping centre.
- Advised on a claim against consulting engineers in respect of the design and construction of a Wembley stadium.
- Advised on a claim against a contractor in respect of a waste treatment plant.
- Advised on a claim against consulting engineers in respect of the soil nailing of a railway embankment.
- Advised on a claim against surveyors/project management in respect of the construction of a contemporary art gallery.
- Advised on an injunction against a developer for breaching a party wall agreement.
- Advised on an adjudication for a subcontractor in respect of a variation account.
- Advised on an adjudication for a subcontractor in respect of a final account valuation and contractors’ pay less notice.
- Advised on a County Court claim in respect of the defective works of a subcontractor.
- Advised on a claim against a surveyor in respect of a measured building survey, with the dispute settling at mediation.
- Advised on the administrator of a leading contractor in closing out several claims against former retail and other clients for a total sum in excess of £4m.
- Advised on a TCC Trial in respect of an EPC Contract for a renewable energy plant.
- Drafted appointments and warranties in respect of the conversion from an office into apartments.
- Drafted appointments and warranties in respect of the renovation of a property in Mayfair.
- Drafted and amended JCT contracts and associated disputes.
- Advised on a claim regarding the close-out of a utilities framework contract involving a pre-action protocol claim and a number of adjudications.
- Provided advice on various Construction and Commercial law aspects to insurer of Home appliances on cases relating to fires from dish washer appliances, in particular in relation to whether Standstill agreement had expired
Property
- Advised on an arbitration claim in respect of the cost and specification of a penthouse apartment.
- Advised on a claim in respect of an extension at a residential property.
- Advised on a claim in respect of a tenant’s deposit retention due to damage to a HNW individual’s property in Mayfair.
- Advised on a claim in respect of boundaries and access to a property.
- Advised on an insurance claim in respect of damage to a property following a fire.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2016, Ben worked at the following firms:
- Systech Solicitors
- Fishburns