Ned Beale
OVERVIEW
Ned Beale is a leading commercial disputes lawyer who specialises in complex commercial litigation and arbitration with a domestic as well as international angle – including Ukraine and Russia. Ned was named UK's Litigator of the Year by Legal Week at their 2019 Litigation & Arbitration Awards, when his "innovation and creativity” were praised by the panel chaired by LCIA Director-General Jacomijn van Haersolte-van Hof.
Expertise
Ned has extensive experience dealing with contractual claims, including claims arising out of Covid, Brexit and Russia related disruption, shareholder disputes, warranty, earn-out and other post-M&A claims, aviation matters and disputes in the media, manufacturing, and energy sectors. He has significant experience advising on both the claimant and defendant sides.
Ned’s long track-record of acting in banking matters includes retail banking cases and structured finance disputes. These matters often have an insolvency context, including acting both for and against insolvency practitioners.
Ned regularly appears in international arbitration for international parties as counsel, advocate, and arbitrator, including before ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ad hoc tribunals. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Ned’s court work includes extensive experience in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. This encompasses both contractual claims and commercial fraud, the latter often involving interim injunctions.
Clients
Ned acts for multinational corporates, publicly funded bodies and entrepreneurs. His clients come from diverse sectors, with focuses on aviation (in which he acts both for airlines and lessors), media (especially broadcasting), automotive and energy. His banking work typically sees him acting for borrowers of all types, as well as for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking.
EDUCATION
LPC and PGDL, BPP Law School, London
BA (Hons), Durham
BAR ADMISSIONS
Solicitor, England and Wales, 2003
AFFILIATIONS
Member - London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation (LCAM) Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 Arbitrator Panel. More info.
Fellow (FCIArb) - Chartered Institute of Arbitrator
Member - LCIA
Member - CEDR Commercial Arbitrators Panel
Member and past president - the Litigation Commission of the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA)
NEWS
EVENTS
PUBLICATIONS
Ned regularly writes for leading legal publications, academic journals and The Guardian and The Times newspapers on hot legal topics. Most recently:
"Cut-Through Clauses in Aviation Insurance and Reinsurance Policies" - Air & Space Law 47, no. 1, 2022, co-authored with Ben Graham-Evans
“Common Mistake Rectification: Subjective Intentions v Objective Meaning” – LMCLQ 1, 2020 - co-authored with Professor Hugh Beale
“Judicial actions by MPs – trespassing beyond the law’s constitutional boundaries?” – The Lawyer, November 2019
“Court interventions by MPs: constitution in action, or under attack?” – New Law Journal, October 2019
“Companies should be allowed to choose how best to deliver justice” – The Times, March 2019
“Access to Financial Justice: Three Financial Services Conduct Scandals, and a Proposal for Reform" – 33 JIBLR 5, 2018
“Staggering price of civil court fees comes with a human cost” – The Guardian, February 2016
PERSPECTIVES
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Legal Week
Ned was named UK's Litigator of the Year – Private Practice at Legal Week's Litigation & Arbitration Awards 2019. He was lauded for his "innovation and creativity” by the panel chaired by LCIA Director-General Jacomijn van Aerolite-van Hof.
Legal 500 UK
"Ned Beale is an outstanding litigator. Most efficient and effective. He has excellent instincts, great judgement and knows which points to press home. One couldn’t be in better hands.” – Commercial Litigation: Premium, 2023
"Ned Beale is a first-class operator. Smooth and steely, he sets the route to victory and then delivers." – International Arbitration, 2023
In addition, in previous years:
"Extremely experienced, navigated complex negotiations calmly and precisely". – International Arbitration 2021
“An excellent all-round commercial disputes lawyer. He is wonderful to work with, charming, approachable, and commercial. He is very good with international clients. I would have no hesitation in recommending him”. – Commercial Litigation, 2021
"Fantastic". – International Arbitration, 2020
"Highly intelligent. He uses a layered approach to a case, building up each legal point over time until it becomes fortified against all attacks". – Commercial Litigation, 2020
"Flexible, realistic, hard-working and has excellent judgment". – Civil Fraud, 2020
Lawdragon
Ned was recognised by Lawdragon 2021 in their list of the world’s top 500 Global Lawyers for Litigation and International Arbitration
Experience
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Director, Asset Management FirmI just wanted to thank you for all your help: a perfect combination of technical skill, tactical thinking, and humour. You can imagine we have worked with a lot of lawyers; if only they all operated the way that you do.
Legal 500, 2023Ned Beale is an outstanding litigator. Most efficient and effective. He has excellent instincts, great judgement and knows which points to press home. One couldn’t be in better hands.
Legal 500, 2022 and 2023Ned Beale is a diligent, client-focused lawyer, with sharp legal skills. - and - A first-class operator. Smooth and steely, he sets the route to victory and then delivers.
Legal 500 UK, 2021One of London’s leading litigators, combining focused and creative strategy with a determination to win for his clients - and - A sharp and experienced lawyer.
Legal 500 UK, 2021Understands what clients want and will act proactively and appropriately to achieve this. He has good links with the Commercial Bar and so knows which counsel will be right for a given case and client.
Legal 500 UK, 2021An excellent all round commercial disputes lawyer. He is wonderful to work with, charming, approachable and commercial. He is very good with international clients. I would have no hesitation in recommending him.
Chambers UK, 2020Described by his international arbitration clients as 'fantastic' and Ned is recommended for civil fraud as 'flexible, realistic, hard-working and has excellent judgment'.
Legal 500 UK, 2020Highly intelligent. He uses a layered approach to a case, building up each legal point over time until it becomes fortified against all attacks - and - Ned Beale is a first-class operator. Smooth and steely, he sets the route to victory and then delivers.