Banking and Financial Markets Litigation
Signature advises clients on all aspects of banking and financial markets litigation.
Our clients include banks, funds, wealth managers, private equity funds and other financial institutions, as well as high net-worth individuals. Our experience allows us to understand not only our clients’ commercial objectives, but also the sophisticated financial structures that form the basis of many disputes.
Our conflict free platform means we are unconstrained in who we can act for and against. We can therefore offer clients who are involved in disputes on both sides of the customer/institutional relationship access to high quality expertise from lawyers who have significant experience in handling such disputes.
The team has specialist experience in negligence claims, complex securities litigation, contract enforcement, as well as disputes relating to losses arising from financial products.
Signature is highly ranked in Chambers and The Legal 500 for Banking Litigation
In addition to ranking in The Legal 500, Chambers and Partners Guide ranks Signature’s founding partner, Graham Huntley, in Band 1 for Banking Litigation, and have identified his “enviable reputation” whilst describing him as “extremely tenacious.” He has previously been described as “very committed and very driven,” enjoying a “stellar reputation” for his “great knowledge and experience,” and noting that “he’s very bright, very hard-working, he’s a good tactician and he offers very sound advice.”
The Legal 500 recognises London-based partner Abdulali Jiwaji as having “an ability to analyse difficult issues and provide concise and clear advice”. In Chambers Global he has been described as being a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
In Paris, the practice is led by partner Thomas Rouhette, who is described as “an intelligent and clear-minded lawyer”, a “tough but excellent” litigator, and “a good strategist and the best trial lawyer [the client has] seen in the French court system”. He is consistently ranked in the Chambers and Legal 500 Guides for his litigation expertise and is a member of The Legal 500’s ‘Hall of Fame’ for his market leading practice.
Drawing on his prior role as General Counsel for Litigation and Investigations at Société Générale, partner Nicolas Brooke has extensive experience in banking and financial services related disputes, particularly in relation to cross-border proceedings. Recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 EMEA Guide, Nicolas is described as a “superb advocate with deep experience in the French market” and “truly first rate”.
Banking and Financial Markets Litigation Team
“There is real depth of experience in the banking litigation team.“
The Legal 500 UK 2021
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.”
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”.
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.”
Banking and Financial Markets Litigation Experience
Advising a French bank in a multimillion-euro civil liability case in defending an alleged fraud claim, consisting of forgery and misappropriation.
Representing a Russian bank in a high profile, multi-jurisdictional, matter against the bank’s former owner in the scope of enforcement proceedings involving piercing the corporate veil and attachment of assets located on the French Riviera and in the French West Indies.
Advising the fund managers of an investment fund in a €200 million dispute concerning assets held in Italy.
Advising a Russian investment bank in a £100 million dispute with an AIM-listed mining and mineral company with operations in Sierra Leone regarding a number of M&A, equity and debt transactions over a period of 4 years.
Advising authorised persons in relation to ongoing SEC, DoJ and FCA investigations concerning credit default swaps pricing.
Acting for an investment bank and monoline insurer in simultaneous proceedings in England and France to ensure continuity of service by an alternative back up service (BUS) provider to maintain the rating of a €900 million securitisation.
Acting for individual investors in the special administration of a global broking firm.
Acting for the RBoS Shareholders Action Group on behalf of institutional clients and over 35,000 individual shareholders, bringing claims in excess of £1 billion against RBS over its 2008 rights issue following the acquisition of ABN Amro.
Advising a major corporate on claims in excess of $300 million in relation to foreign exchange derivative transactions entered into with international banks, with allegations of non-compliance with Shari’a law.
Assisting the distressed assets Team of a leading French bank in connection with the recovery of a loan to a Romanian company.
Representing several investment funds in relation to contractual enforcement of an SPA.
Representing an Austrian bank in defending proceedings before the French Courts in order to obtain the cancellation, based on alleged vitiated consent and fraud, of several subscriptions of subordinated participation capital bonds, for a total notional amount of €300,000,000.
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