Biography
Abdul has over 20 years’ experience in litigation, arbitration and contentious regulatory matters, in London and Hong Kong.
He regularly handles disputes relating to investment funds, shareholder agreements, joint ventures and M&A transactions. He also advises on a broad range of commercial disputes, including in the insolvency and insurance context, such as warranty and indemnity claims. On the financial markets side, he has advised on disputes relating to financial products and mis-selling, regulatory investigations and compliance issues, drawing on time spent on secondment to the compliance team of a wholesale bank.
Abdul is regarded as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Commercial Litigation and a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail. He is described as “highly regarded” and “an extremely experienced litigator who is utterly unflappable. Definitely someone you want in your corner in a tough spot.” Testimonials describe him as “super impressive” and “understated, authoritative, and effective“, “a clever lawyer whose quiet and calm manner inspires confidence“. Previous Guides have described Abdul as having “a grip of the big picture and the detail; very deft in client handling; tenacious and determined; swift, responsive and clear-thinking“. A commentator has noted that: “One of the best litigators I have had the privilege of working with is Abdulali Jiwaji.” He has also been praised for being “a steady hand during turbulent times”. Chambers Global has described him as a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
Experience
- Acting for members of the Barclay family in claims brought against them in the English High Court by Sir Frederick and Amanda Barclay in relation to recordings of conversations at the Ritz Hotel. The commercial dispute concerned allegations of breach of confidence, misuse of information and breach of data protection rights. Signature advised on the clients’ defence, the wider litigation strategy and confidential settlement.
- Acting for various high net worth individuals in defending claims for enforcement of personal guarantees and indemnity agreements.
- Acting for Bugsby Property LLC, a property developer and sponsor, in the 4 week trial of its c.£300m Commercial Court claim against Legal & General for breach of a contract relating to Bugsby’s bid for the purchase of Kensington Olympia.
- Acting for a substantial property company in a Commercial Court claim against a large UK based banking group following the sale of interest rate swaps. The claim is based on allegations of misselling, misrepresentation, and bad faith.
- Advising a corporate on its claims against an international banking group for alleged irregularities in the sale of various foreign exchange derivatives transactions.
- Assisting a financial institution to obtain freezing orders to preserve assets following a fraud by a former employee, including advising on civil recovery and ongoing criminal proceedings against the fraudster.
- Advising a limited partner on claims against a general partner for breach of duties under a limited partnership agreement governing an investment fund.
- Acting for a reinsurance company in an LCIA arbitration in relation to the enforcement of a multi-million dollar indemnity claim in respect of damages caused to an aircraft by a contractor.
- Acting in a £700m claim for breach of a joint venture agreement for the development of technology for electrical vehicles.
- Acting for the founders of a fintech business focussed on delivering digital banking services in a minority oppression claim brought under the SIAC Rules, with a claim value of over US$100 million.
Publications
The risks of global divergence in Libor transition – The Banker – 8 April 2021
Tough legacy contracts slow transition away from Libor – Global Risk Regulator – 8 March 2021
Europe handcuffed by current corporate liability laws; is change coming? – Compliance Week – 4 February 2021
UK’s financial regulator rapped following LCF collapse – Global Restructuring Review – 22 January 2021
Quincecare, Fraud and Insolvency – Bankers’ Duties and Deep Pockets – Lawyer Monthly – 18 December 2020
Corporate failures – can the UK’s financial regulator lead the charge? – Global Restructuring Review – 11 December 2020
Nigerian Oil Spill Ruling Shows Limits Of UK Class Actions – Law360 – 6 October 2020
JALLA V SHELL: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR REPRESENTATIVE ACTIONS? – Lawyer Monthly – 5 October 2020
A touch of class – Litigation Futures – 29 September 2020
Finding common cause for UK class actions – Energy Voice – 29 September 2020
PRIN, class actions and vulnerable customers at risk during the pandemic – Compliance Matters – 8 September 2020
Mortgage arrears-handling failures cost Lloyds dearly – Compliance Monitor – 14 July 2020
COVID-19 slows pace of existing investigations – LexisNexis – 20 April 2020
COVID-19 slows pace of existing UK investigations – Law360 – 20 April 2020
Legacy Contracts Complicate Libor Transition – Law360 – 2 March 2020
Reference in relation to Barclay brothers litigation – The Lawyer – 26 February 2020
Comments in relation to resolving disputes with banking institutions – The Times – 31 October 2019
Top UK Corporate Crime Decisions Of 2019: Mid-Year Review – Law360 – 12 August 2019
Trading Data Trips SFO Case As Rate Rigging Trials Wrap – Law360 – 5 July 2019
Making shareholder claims under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 – Thomson Reuters – 21 March 2019
Hurdles Remain As UK Pushes On With AML-Fighting Register – Law360 – 8 March 2019
Battle of forms: the construction of competing jurisdiction clauses – Compliance Monitor – 5 November 2018
Sports Direct v the FRC: what it means – economia – 9 October 2018
Court clarifies ‘fair market value’ meaning in LBI vs Raiffeisen Bank case – Global Risk Regulator – 5 July 2018
How Fair Is Fair Market Value In The UK? – Law360 – 4 June 2018
Is there now a definition for “fair market value” in the context of the Global Master Repurchase Agreement 2000 edition? – Global Banking and Finance Review – 16 May 2018
FCA Enforcement Strategy May Influence Litigation Privilege – Law360 – 29 May 2018
Article regarding the FCA Business Plan – FT Adviser – 10 May 2018
Why RBS Might Be Spared Wave Of Litigation By Small Firms – Law360 – 6 March 2018
UK banking litigation: Tale of the tape – Commercial Dispute Resolution – 5 March 2018
Areas of Expertise
Abdulali Jiwaji's Latest Published Articles

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We are pleased to announce that Ela Barda has been promoted to Counsel - many congratulations, Ela! Read more here: bit.ly/3XMqd7A #Litigation #CommercialLitigation pic.twitter.com/JxZLKh1qN2