Commercial & Financial Disputes

We have a proven track record in managing complex, high value commercial and financial disputes.

Hausfeld is a leading boutique law firm specialising in commercial and financial dispute resolution. With a track record of resolving some of the world’s most complex disputes, whether acting for claimants or defendants, our experienced team guides businesses through high-stakes litigation, and international arbitration using pragmatic strategies and cost-effective solutions.

Our commercial disputes team can handle a wide range of challenges, including:

Commercial and corporate disputes
Financial services and banking disputes
Insurance
Insolvency and restructuring
Directors' duties and boardroom disputes
Aviation
Securities and shareholder litigation
Sports disputes
Professional negligence
International arbitration
Civil fraud
Representing individual directors in contentious regulatory proceedings

We are well-known for our bold and pragmatic approach to dispute resolution and claimant-friendly approach, making legal recourse more accessible.

What sets Hausfeld apart?

Conflict-free representation

We are rarely conflicted and can act against large banks, insurance companies and major corporates where other firms cannot. As a result, we are a trusted port of call for other law firms when they are conflicted or lack litigation capability.

Global reach, local expertise

With offices in the UK, continental Europe and the US as well as close relationships with select firms in other jurisdictions, we are able to assist on a global basis. Our team are multi-lingual and accustomed to the dynamics of guiding businesses from different cultures and legal systems through English proceedings.

Proven track record with leading corporate clients

Our litigation clients range from SMEs to some of the world’s largest corporates, including major airlines and giants from the construction, film and retail industries. This depth of experience highlights our ability to handle complex commercial dispute resolution effectively.

Innovative solutions

We are the team that really understands the economics. That comes alive in our flexible pricing models, our thoughtful allocation of resources and our know-how when it comes to getting complex disputes financed. As an early adopter of litigation funding, we have forged strong relationships with leading funders. We are therefore uniquely placed to advise on funding solutions and to leverage our close relationships to obtain the best litigation funding deal.

Agility and scale

Our ability to offer flexible engagement structures and willingness to share risk enables clients to pursue the claims with a level of cost risk best suited to their circumstances.

We are the bridge between the boutiques and big law. We are established enough to provide the depth of talent and scale of resources you need without being slowed down by bureaucracy.

- Acting for a leading Ukrainian pharma business in one of the first Ukrainian derivative claims.
- Acting for AQM, an Israeli company, defending a debt claim
- Acted for a former CEO in multi-million proceedings against a global energy company for repudiatory breach of a service agreement and related contracts.
- Acted for an oil trading and distribution company in relation to a dispute with a business which sources, supplies and trades in petroleum and oil products.
- Acted for New Balance Athletics in a high-profile claim against Liverpool FC arising out of a sponsorship agreement relating to the provision of playing kit and other licensed products.
- Acted for a corporate client in a dispute with a multinational commodity trading company relating to an alleged breach of an exclusivity clause in a contract
- Acted for US art lender Athena, successfully obtaining the dismissal of English proceedings against it concerning the ownership of the high value art-work “Humidity” by Jean-Michel Basquiat (reported at [2020] EWHC 3527).
- Represented Philip Evans in a collective action against six global banks seeking damages in respect of foreign exchange (FX) spot trading cartels. The case is developing the law for the UK's collective action regime and how 'carriage disputes' between competing class representatives should be decided.
- Represented the All Parliamentary Party Group on Fair Business Banking in their judicial review of the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision not to act following the outcome of the Swift Review published in December 2021. The mis-selling of interest rate hedging products by banks to business customers is one of the UK’s largest ever financial scandals as livelihoods were lost, lives were ruined and businesses destroyed.
- Advising a leading offshore bank on various legal issues with UK and US banks, including in relation to debanking and payment services issues.
- Acted for Leeds City Council and 6 other local authorities claiming rescission of various loan agreements with Barclays Bank totaling several hundred million pounds, in relation to manipulation of the LIBOR benchmark.
- Acted for Stuart Wall in a £670 million interest rate swap miss-selling claim against Royal Bank of Scotland in connection with the collapse of Opal Property Group. Recognized by The Lawyer as one of its top 20 claims of 2017.
- Acted for Graiseley Properties in a high-profile interest rate swap mis-selling claim against Barclays Bank, which was considered the leading civil claim arising from LIBOR manipulation.
- Advising a commercial property group in a dispute with its insurer relating to a business interruption insurance policy.
- Acting for corporate in medical sector in relation to claims against insurers under a seller side warranty and indemnity policy.
- Advising an Asian airline pursuing a substantial insurance claim in the Commercial Court arising from the constructive total loss of a Boeing 737 aircraft after a heavy landing.
- Acting on a number of Business Interruption insurance claims arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Acting for the liquidators of Go Science Ltd in a claim against companies in the Royal Dutch Shell group for breach of the equitable duty of confidence, breaches of duty by directors and unlawful means conspiracy.
- Acting for the liquidators of Ventra Investments Ltd in claims valued over £80 million against Bank of Scotland alleging swap mis-selling, LIBOR manipulation and intermeddling in administrative receivership.
- Retained by a leading insolvency practitioner to assist in identifying and recovering assets for creditors in a large bankruptcy.
- Acting for the claimant in proceedings against a global energy company for repudiatory breach of a service agreement and related contracts (Comberg v Vivopower International Services).
- Acting for majority shareholders in an unfair prejudice petition relating to a company that owned several of the UK’s largest hotels.
- Acting for an individual in a multimillion-pound contractual dispute with his former employer, a publicly listed specialist securities firm, relating to remuneration and bonus arrangements.
- Acting for entrepreneur business founders successfully defending substantial breach of warranty claims made by their buyers after sale of the businesses. These claims typically involve heavy accountancy evidence.
- Acting for Qatar Airways, in a strategic leadership role in its multi-billion dollar dispute with Airbus concerning its A350 and A321 Neo fleets, one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top 20 Cases’ of 2023.
- Representing a Ukrainian airline and its lessors in The Non-Russian Operator Policy Claims, pursuing total loss insurance claims of $110 million in respect of a fleet of 13 aircraft lost during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
- Acting for the funder who financed a high-value mass consumer claim against the UK’s two biggest airlines, resulting in a leading judgment on representative claims in the High Court.
- Acted for shareholders and the company in a Spanish/EU business in the transport sector after the majority shareholder left the business and commenced a petition for unfair prejudice under s. 994 of the Companies Act 2006.
- Successfully represented a Ukrainian oligarch in a dispute with two former business partners over shareholdings in multiple ventures across the energy, metals, property, and leisure sectors.
- Acted for the claimants in a shareholder dispute over the misappropriation of profits from a substantial family-owned catering business. This involved enforcing £20 million Bahraini judgments in England, securing and successfully upholding a Jersey court injunction on an English country estate, and pursuing a fraud claim leading to a mediated settlement after two decades of litigation.
- Acted for primary shareholders in relation to a dispute with minority shareholders regarding a proposed M&A transaction in the technology sector.
- Acted for primary shareholders in a claim brought by minority shareholder arising out of a large (multimillion) share purchase transaction in the education sector.
- Acted for a third-party funder in the RBS Rights Issue litigation, a multi-billion-pound claim by RBS shareholders in the High Court.
- Advising an individual on personal injury and professional negligence claims arising out of alleged negligence involving former solicitors and former multinational accountancy firm employer.
- Advising private equity firm on a claim for losses suffered due to alleged solicitor negligence in a corporate transaction.
- Advising various clients on negligence claims against PwC and other large accountancy firms.
- Acting for the joint liquidators in a multimillion fraud and professional negligence claim against PwC and Lloyds Bank (Premier Motorauctions v PwC and Lloyds Bank).
- Acting in a $80m LCIA shareholder arbitration concerning a transhipment terminal in the CIS region, involving obtaining ancillary relief in the parties’ home state and an offshore jurisdiction.
- Acting for a well-known EU cargo airline, successfully obtaining a substantial final award against one of its major customers in ICC arbitration and then dealing with enforcement in mainland China.
- Acting for a well-known private equity house, successfully obtaining a substantial final award in LCIA arbitration.
- Acted in LCIA proceedings involving a major Middle Eastern player in the aerospace industry.
- Acted as lead advocate in a Ukrainian oligarch dispute in LCIA arbitration featuring heavy witness and expert evidence.
- Represented a Chinese respondent in an arbitration concerning a multi-jurisdictional dispute following an alleged breach of a sales agreement.
- Acting for Indian private equity firm in relation to alleged fraud in connection with bridge financing provided by the client to a US media company.
- Acting for a director of a Czech private equity fund in claims brought by the fund and its other directors against a UK asset management company for fraudulent misrepresentation, conspiracy and breach of contract arising out of a currency trading joint venture.
- Acting as co-counsel in a cross-border fraud claim backed by a leading litigation funder, involving coordinating a Jersey injunction to freeze assets held in an offshore trust and commencing Chancery Division proceedings to enforce foreign judgments and unwind transfers of assets.

For additional Commercial & Financial Disputes expertise:

Belgium
France
Germany
Sweden
The Netherlands
United States

The firm quickly understands the facts in complex matters with many parties involved. The team is extremely responsive and always provides advice to the highest standard.

Chambers, UK 2025

A commercial litigation department that is growing in size, stature and confidence. It is increasingly handling high-profile, high-value matters and achieving great results.

Legal 500 UK, 2025

The team at Hausfeld’s Dispute Resolution-Commercial Litigation practice are focused on goal achievement while always maintaining the highest degrees of sensitivity, empathy and humanity to its legal solutions and client management. Beyond their impeccable ethics and apex legal knowledge, they are reliably creative and fearless when it comes to legal strategy and tactics. They are collaborative when appropriate and always transparent.

Legal 500 UK, 2024

The Hausfeld team is very bright and specialises in complex matters. They are a good, practical and effective team who remain pragmatic and goal-focused.

Chambers UK, 2024

A great and close knit unit of ex-City partners with banking experience now deployed in a crack squad to assist the investor and borrower community.' and 'Not afraid to take on difficult, interesting cases, often against the magic circle and big American firms. Hausfeld is able to hold it's own against much bigger firms and often outmanoeuvre them.

Legal 500 UK, 2023

It offers a dedicated team of litigators experienced in taking on complex commercial disputes that are often multi-jurisdictional in scope.” And “They are dedicated to their clients and are always thinking outside the box to help things along.

Chambers UK, 2023

They attract interesting, serious work, often in innovative and emerging areas of litigation, and have an impressive ability to deliver results for clients on even the most difficult of cases.

Legal 500 UK, 2023

Nimble and effective litigators with great expertise and a commitment to claimant work.

Probably the go-to firm acting on the investor/borrower side of the market: quite superb in this space.

Legal 500 UK, 2022

They stand out as being some of the most personable people I have encountered in the legal sector. They are obviously extremely bright, hardworking and knowledgeable but they are also a real pleasure to work with.' and 'Hausfeld are one of the go-to firms if you are an investor seeking to make a high-value claim against the big banks.

Legal 500 UK, 2021

The team is driven to deliver the right result,' says a source. 'The lawyers are engaging and personable, flexible and open, and their communications are top notch. and The team are highly strategic, willing to take on risks and are creative in their approach to claims, comments another client.

Chambers UK, 2021

The team which is very user-friendly and accustomed to risk in a way many firms are not, stands out for high profile disputes on behalf of claimants, and is experienced in disputes involving competition law, arbitration, fraud and insolvency.

Legal 500 UK, 2020