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 commercial disputes involving 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 ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation. The Guide notes he “is always on the ball and has a good tactical brain” and recognises he “has always provided sound and very considered advice”. Abdul is also 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 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 minority shareholder on remedies arising under a partnership agreement and a related shareholders’ agreement.
- 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.
- Representing an investment fund in High Court professional negligence proceedings against a major international law firm arising out of French restructuring advice given in respect of a €20 million distressed loan.
- Advising a limited partner on claims against a general partner for breach of duties under a limited partnership agreement governing an investment fund.
- Advising an asset manager in defending a regulatory investigation into alleged improper market impact caused by end of day trading activity.
Press Coverage
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
Brown Rudnick and Signature act in “vexed” litigation between Barclay family – The Lawyer – 26 February 2020
Lawyers ‘blocking war on banks’ – 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
What to expect next from FCA – 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
@SignatureLitLLP
Paul Brehony, Abdulali Jiwaji, @jdshearman, and Ligia Bob examine in PLC Magazine the transition from #LIBOR to alternatives and how businesses must act now to reduce risks and exposure in relation to potential LIBOR-related #litigation bit.ly/3uw5ohQ pic.twitter.com/GPVNPMXKNb
Signature Partners
Ioannis Alexopoulos
Ioannis is ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for international arbitration and is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2021 as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for international arbitration. He is praised as a “brilliant advocate” and the Guide also notes that he is “is experienced in cases involving Greece, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia, the Middle East, Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa“. Ioannis is also ranked in Chambers Global for his international arbitration practice. He has been commended for his ability to “see right to the heart of sprawling banking disputes.”
Paul Brehony
Paul is recognised as a “notable practitioner” in banking litigation by The Legal 500 UK Guide and is also “highly recommended” for commercial litigation expertise. He is further described as “charming, well organised and a pleasure to litigate with.”
Nicolas Brooke
Nicolas has deep experience in the management of complex and international high stakes litigations. He receives high praise within the industry; his team at Société Générale was awarded the “Trophée d’or Direction Juridique Contentieux” by Décideurs/Leaders League and most recently Nicolas won the “Outstanding In-house Counsel” award at the Global Investigations Review Awards in 2018. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Nicolas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for compliance, and notes he has “outstanding professional skills and shows a good sense of strategy.”
Natalia Chumak
Natalia is ranked in the Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK Guides for her International Arbitration expertise. She has previously been praised by The Legal 500 and Chambers UK for her “fantastic experience and responsiveness“, for being an “extremely good tactical mind“, a “steely litigator with excellent litigation instincts” and she has been praised for her ability to “remain incredibly calm under pressure“.
Julian Connerty
Julian has been ranked in Chambers for Civil Fraud and the Guide notes he “has considerable expertise in international fraud cases.” Julian is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his civil fraud and banking litigation expertise. The Legal 500 notes that Julian is an “extremely experienced practitioner” and “a specialist in international fraud and asset recovery actions”. Julian is also described as “subtle and meticulous” and “inspires great confidence in all around him”.
Steven De Lara
Steven practices in both London and Gibraltar. A multi-faceted lawyer, Steven is used to concurrently manage complex contentious and non-contentious commercial, corporate and regulatory mandates. He enjoys a wide corporate and commercial practice, often acting on joint venture and shareholder disputes, contentious asset management, professional negligence claims and Fintech claims. Steven is ranked in the Chambers Global 2021 and Chambers Europe 2020 Guides for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution. He is described as an “insightful, dedicated lawyer with great attention to detail” and adds that Steven is “extremely hard-working, client-focused and very knowledgeable.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide also recognises Steven as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar.
Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Sylvie is described by Who’s Who Legal as a “dynamic and determined litigator“, who is “a firm favourite among clients” as “she always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes” and is “analytical, intelligent and responsive“. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Sylvie as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for Product Liability Litigation in France and she is recognised for her work on “high-profile toxic tort and product liability cases, handing a number of asbestos claims.”
Graham Huntley
Graham is consistently recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers as one of the UK’s highest ranked commercial and banking litigators and has been involved in some of the most significant cases of recent years. Chambers UK describes him as “an intense and effective solicitor with an incredibly client-focused approach” and he has previously been described as “very bright, very hard-working, a good tactician” and “very committed and driven”. The Legal 500 recognises Graham for being a “a leading figure in commercial dispute resolution and widely regarded as a rainmaker.”
Abdulali Jiwaji
Abdul is regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation. The Guide notes he “is always on the ball and has a good tactical brain” and recognises he “has always provided sound and very considered advice”. Abdul is also 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”.
Emmanuèle Lutfalla
Emmanuèle is recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s France 2020 Guide. She is also ranked as both a ‘National’ (in France) and ‘Global’ Leader for Product Liability Defence in Who’s Who Legal. The Guide notes Emmanuèle “excels in handling disputes at the intersection of product liability and insurance matters, representing clients from the life sciences sector in litigation and product risk management.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Emmanuèle as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for commercial litigation.
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice. Hermès is ranked as a Band 3 expert in Chambers Global 2021 and Chambers Latin America 2021 for his Insurance expertise in the region.
Elliott Phillips
Elliott is an internationally recognised barrister and specialises in global commercial litigation and international contentious trusts disputes. He has been recognised in The Legal 500 for his experience in dispute resolution work and is also ranked as a Band 2 individual in both Chambers Global and Chambers Europe for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution — Gibraltar. In 2019 Elliott was recognised as one of the world’s leading private client lawyers and trusts and estates litigators, and was listed in the Private Client Global Elite community. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Elliott as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar, and notes he “is a specialist in international trusts and estates disputes.”
Flore Poloni
Ranked in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration – Future Leaders, Flore is described as “the most dynamic young arbitration practitioner in Paris“, “a very dynamic and multi-skilled lawyer” and praised for her “excellent communication skills and perfect knowledge of arbitration“. The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 Guide ranks Flore as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in France and a ‘Rising Star’ lawyer for International Arbitration, recognising her “extensive expertise in international arbitration” and “extremely capable”.
Thomas Rouhette
Thomas is ranked Band 2 by both Chambers Global and Europe for his litigation and aviation law expertise, with sources praising him for his “invaluable” advice, experience and knowledge. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide consistently recognises Thomas as a ‘Leading Individual’ for his aviation and commercial litigation practices. Who’s Who Legal regards Thomas as the “finest product liability lawyer in the country and one of the very best on the continent.”
Tom Snelling
Highly ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for his commercial litigation expertise, Tom Snelling is described in the 2020 Guide as “extraordinarily good” and an “utter pleasure to work with and enormously talented, with a sixth sense for where a case is going and very sound judgement”. The Guides have also noted that Tom is “amazingly dedicated with strong credentials in international litigation” and that he is both “practical and commercial”. Tom is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation expertise.
Daniel Spendlove
The Legal 500 UK Guide describes Daniel as “an exceptionally committed, exceptionally hard working lawyer, with a careful and thorough approach to issues” and “a really effective litigator“. He has also been described as “very smart, client focused and details-oriented” and “excellent, with great attention to detail, wide experience and excellent client care’“. He has also been praised as “highly professional”, and “a strategic thinker” who “brings real energy to cases”. He is highly ranked across the Commercial Litigation, International Arbitration and Professional Negligence categories. He was recently described, by Commercial Dispute Resolution magazine, as “one of a new breed of independent and forceful commercial litigation partners”.
Josh Wong
Josh is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his international arbitration expertise, and the Guide notes that he is “an expert in security, asset tracing and enforcement actions involving multiple jurisdictions”. He is also ranked in Chambers Global as a ‘Foreign Expert Based in UK’ for his Chinese dispute resolution, arbitration expertise, and as a ‘Foreign Expert for China’ for UK dispute resolution.
