Biography
Tom has nearly 20 years’ experience in complex and high value commercial litigation and arbitration, spanning many business sectors and often involving multiple jurisdictions.
Prior to joining Signature Litigation, Tom was Head of the Commercial Disputes Group at Freshfields. He has a wide-ranging practice based on managing high value, commercial disputes in sectors such as consumer products and retail. He has represented clients in high-profile, strategic negotiations, successfully managed their most reputationally sensitive risk issues and litigation, and run complex disputes in the UK’s senior appellate courts and the CJEU.
Tom is an expert at predicting when problems are likely to come to the boil and using innovative and legal tech solutions to solve them when they do. He is a market leader in applying e-disclosure to complex commercial litigation, having trained a group of High Court judges on this issue.
He has recently advised on managing cyber security risks and the impacts of Brexit. He has sat on the Brexit Law Committee, which the Lord Chancellor established to develop, with the UK Government, strategies for maintaining and enhancing the utilisation after Brexit of English law and the UK Courts.
Tom has advised a number of multinationals and private equity houses on litigation and risk issues in deal contexts.
Tom also specialises in advising on complex, contentious regulatory issues for high net worth individuals and corporates, and challenging EU and national laws.
Tom is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2021 for his Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation expertise. The Guide notes he “has a breadth of litigation and contentious regulatory experience including in the banking and financial services sector” and “adds experience in private equity, consumer products and retail sector disputes”.
Highly ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for his commercial litigation expertise, Tom has been described 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”.
In 2015, he was invited by the Commercial Court to sit on the Court’s Users’ Committee. Since then, Tom has played an active role in discussions around procedural reforms and the potential impacts on the UK Courts of Brexit.
Tom is also well-known for his longstanding commitment to pro bono work, having represented Save the Children, someone seriously injured in the London 7/7 bombings and the family of one of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing victims. In 2016, Tom brought a successful intervention in the UK Supreme Court on behalf of both the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
Experience
Commercial Litigation
- Advising a worldwide automotive manufacturer on emissions issues in the UK.
- Advising a California-based tech company on a potential dispute with a developer of one of the top ten most popular entertainment apps in the US.
- Advising Cargill in its long running dispute against one of the largest steel manufacturers in India. In 2019, Tom successfully obtained summary judgment in favour of Cargill and an award of default compensation at a rate of LIBOR plus 12%. This was one of the first cases to apply the UK Supreme Court’s seminal decision in Cavendish Square v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67, which redefined English law as to when contractual obligations are an unenforceable penalty.
- Acting for a major bank in one of the most significant pieces of post-credit crunch litigation in the English Courts and then obtaining one of the largest non-party costs orders ever made. To enforce the resulting judgment debt, Tom successfully had equitable receivers appointed and defeated a subsequent attempt to set aside their appointment. Related proceedings include obtaining Norwich Pharmacal relief in England and Wales and Guernsey, litigation in the Turks and Caicos Islands, proceedings in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales determining the UK’s contempt of court jurisdiction against foreign defendants, successful enforcement action in the Norwegian Supreme Court (leading to the sale of a key asset in 2020), and a US trial in late 2019.
- Acting for Deutsche Bank in its dispute with Unitech, one of the first cases to consider the civil consequences of alleged LIBOR manipulation. This case had been to the Court of Appeal on a number of interlocutory points (including LIBOR) and at trial in 2019, the Court entered judgment (on the first day of the trial) against Unitech for approximately USD $315m.
- Advising Accenture in its multi-million pound dispute with Centrica (British Gas) over the design and implementation of the largest billing system ever installed for a major utility company.
- Acting for Hutchison 3G in a dispute with its network software supplier concerning delays in production and quality.
- Representing a multinational in its successful defence of English High Court group litigation proceedings brought by a group of landowners, claiming for environmental damage allegedly caused by the construction of an oil pipeline.
- Acting for a global feed business on litigation strategy issues in the context of a potential dispute with a leading private equity house.
EU Law and Judicial Review
- Advising a high profile body in the insurance sector in connection with public law issues engaged by the UK Government’s position on a contentious EU directive and in connection with potential UK Supreme Court proceedings and related contribution claims.
- Obtaining a reference from the English High Court and then bringing proceedings in the CJEU to challenge the legality of the EU’s revised Tobacco Products Directive.
- Bringing judicial review/constitutional challenge proceedings in the English High Court, Court of Appeal, the UK Supreme Court, the Australian High Court and the Irish Courts against bans on the branding of certain consumer products.
- Acting for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants in the 2016 UK Supreme Court hearing of R (on the application of MM (Lebanon) v Secretary of State for the Home Department.
- Advising a global product manufacturer on complex challenges to UK and EU food law.
International Arbitration, Civil Fraud and Risk Management
- Representing Privinvest in connection with a US$2bn claim brought against Credit Suisse by the Republic of Mozambique. The claim relates to supply agreements and supporting financial instruments and guarantees entered into by state-owned enterprises dedicated to the development of Mozambique’s offshore Exclusive Economic Zone and supporting international investment into its oil and gas reserves. The claim engages allegations of bribery of Mozambican government officials. Tom acted for Privinvest companies in their successful March 2021 appeal of the question of whether claims against them were in the scope of arbitration agreements.
- Advising a major multinational in relation to complex and high value ICC arbitration proceedings involving a six-week hearing in 2019.
- Advising a UK plc in the energy sector in connection with complex LCIA arbitration proceedings.
- Leading a team advising in complex cross border litigation involving allegations of fraud, conspiracy and breach of directors’ duties. The litigation involved freezing and asset disclosure injunctions being granted in favour of an entity connected to an ultra high net worth individual and a related jurisdictional dispute being appealed to the UK Supreme Court and a successful preliminary reference to the CJEU.
- Advising manufacturers and retailers of food, feed and consumer products in connection with numerous safety issues, including global product recalls and an investigation into the cause of a multi-million dollar food contamination crisis.
- Advising a leading manufacturer of consumer products on data integrity and disclosure risk management in the context of a global migration to Microsoft Cloud.
- Advising clients on appearances before UK Parliamentary Select Committees.
Press Coverage
Swiss arbitration stalls Mozambique’s Tuna Bonds bribery claim against Privinvest – Global Investigations Review – 11 March 2021
Shipbuilder wins stay of Mozambique bribery suit – Global Arbitration Review – 11 March 2021
Privinvest Forces $2B Mozambique Fraud Suit To Arbitration – Law360 – 11 March 2021
Wex Deal Leaves Questions On UK Approach To M&A Suits – Law360 – 21 December 2020
Auditor regulation and litigation – down to the wire(card)? – Finance Digest – 6 August 2020
Mortgage arrears-handling failures cost Lloyds dearly – Compliance Monitor – July 2020
Warranty Claims Litigation May Surge Due To COVID-19, Brexit – Law360 – 31 July 2020
The UK Government Has Refused to Compensate Dealers Affected by Its Ivory-Trading Ban. Here’s Why That Has Big Implications – Artnet – 24 July 2020
Auditor regulation and litigation – down to the wire(card)? – Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence – 16 July 2020
Deloitte faces record £15m fine for Autonomy audit failings – London Loves Business – 10 July 2020
The Angelic Grace of judicial pragmatism – Litigation Futures – 15 June 2020
Witness statements – evolving or endangered? – The Law Society Gazette – 15 June 2020
FCA fines Lloyds $80M for mistreating mortgage customers – Compliance Week – 12 June 1010
Priti Patel insists ‘it’s not MY plan’ after Ryanair boss vows to ‘block travel quarantine’ by the end of THIS WEEK as airlines and businesses join legal fight – Daily Mail – 8 June 2020
Comments in relation to UK airlines calling for a judicial review of Government COVID-19 quarantine rules for international arrivals to the UK – The New York Times – 8 June 2020
Comments in relation to UK airlines calling for a judicial review of Government COVID-19 quarantine rules for international arrivals to the UK – Reuters – 8 June 2020
APPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK – TOM SNELLING AT SIGNATURE LITIGATION – Edward Fennell’s Legal Diary – 4 June 2020
Signature Litigation snaps up Snelling – New Law Journal – 31 May 2020
Signature signs up Snelling – CDR – 28 May 2020
Areas of Expertise
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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, he engages in complex contentious and non-contentious corporate and commercial matters, with a particular expertise on insolvency, restructuring and regulatory mandates. Steven is ranked in the Chambers Global 2021 and Chambers Europe 2021 Guides for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution. He is described as an “insightful, dedicated lawyer with great attention to detail” and Chambers 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 insurance and notes she is “very renowned in the insurance sector“. The Legal 500 also ranks the insurance and reinsurance litigation practice very highly in Paris, and also notes the department “unites an impressive bench of stellar litigators“.
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. Elliott is also recognised as one of the world’s leading private client lawyers and trusts and estates litigators, and is 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.” A referee in the 2021 Guide praises Elliott as “an accomplished litigator, highly experienced, knowledgeable and great to have on your side.“
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 2021 Guide ranks Flore as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution and has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ lawyer for International Arbitration. Flore has been praised for her “extensive expertise in international arbitration” and described as “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 has also been 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.
