OVERVIEW

Simon Bishop specialises in commercial litigation with a focus on disputes in the financial services sector.

Expertise

Simon has advised on dozens of disputes relating to banking and financial markets, including claims concerning securities issuances and trading (usually acting on behalf of groups of investors), derivatives and other financial instruments, bank support units, financial benchmark manipulation, banking fraud. Simon also acts in disputes relating to breaches of competition law and general commercial matters, and has represented clients in various Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales, including the Chancery and Queen’s Bench Divisions of the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and the Court of Appeal. He is experienced in alternative dispute resolution, particularly mediation and arbitration (under various rules).

Simon also advises on disputes relating to the environment and climate change, in both commercial and public law contexts, and has expertise in relation to claims on behalf of investors arising from issues connected to climate change and corporate reporting.

Before training as a solicitor, Simon worked in derivatives and structured products for various leading financial services institutions, including Morgan Stanley and State Street. The technical and industry knowledge gained during that time continues to benefit his clients.

Clients

His clients include institutional asset managers, publicly listed companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, global NGOs, firms of solicitors, insolvency office holders, Members of Parliament and lobbying groups.

EDUCATION

LLB (Hons) Law, University of Law
Legal Practice Course, University of Law
Graduate Diploma in Law, University of Law
BA (Hons) Philosophy and English Literature, The University of Sussex

BAR ADMISSIONS

Solicitor, England & Wales, 2013

AFFILIATIONS

Member - Financial Services Lawyers Association
Contributor - All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Chambers UK

Simon Bishop is “incredibly intelligent, has exceptional judgement and an ability to be completely on top of the details but also see the bigger picture”; “cool, calm and collected in his communication, advice and advocacy” and “he is always calm, insightful and a pleasure to work with.” - Banking Litigation, Chambers UK, 2025

Ranked 'Up and Coming' lawyer, Simon 'has highly specialised knowledge in mis-selling and derivatives” and “he is extremely good to work with, has fantastic client skills and is a formidable negotiator.' - Banking Litigation, Chambers UK, 2024

'Simon has an excellent grasp of the issues... he has an excellent understanding of client needs and is solutioned-focused.' - Banking Litigation, Chambers UK, 2023

Senior Associate Simon Bishop has a burgeoning litigation practice, with notable experience assisting with claims related to the mis-selling of financial products and benchmark manipulation. Ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’. "He is exceptionally bright, very hard-working and operates at the level you would expect for a partner. He has an exceptional eye for the granular details." "He is a very sensible and helpful associate." - Banking Litigation – Mainly Claimant, Chambers UK 2022

Legal 500 UK

Key lawyer, ‘Simon Bishop is brilliant. There were times when I needed to listen to their advice, which was given professionally, courteously and in a simple but effective way.’ and ‘Simon Bishop: technically brilliant and a great strategic brain - he is simultaneously on top of every detail of the case and also has an excellent understanding of the big picture and how the case is likely to play out. Has a skill for identifying and leveraging the other side's weaknesses. He is also a real pleasure to work with.' - Banking Litigation, Investment and Retail, 2025

'Key lawyer, Simon Bishop and the team understand the broader context and wider strategic motivations of clients.’ - Environment, 2025

'Key Lawyer, Simon Bishop is the complete package. He is very knowledgeable, an excellent technical lawyer and a great strategist. He is also a really nice person to work with.’ - Banking Litigation, 2024

‘Simon Bishop is a pleasure to work with – willing to think outside the box to find appropriate solutions.’ - Real Estate: Environment, 2024

Simon Bishop is recognised as a 'key lawyer, [he's] absolutely brilliant. Simon has excellent technical knowledge and an exceptional eye for detail, whilst also being a very strong strategist.' - Banking Litigation, 2023

Recognised as a 'key lawyer, Simon Bishop is an exceptional lawyer. He has a masterly ability to be completely on top of the details whilst also making consistently brilliant decisions and really understanding the overall direction of a case. [He] has first rate technical legal skills and commercial instinct and is a real asset to any case. He is also a delight to wok with.' - Commercial Litigation, 2023

'Simon Bishop is fantastically bright and remains the best Associate/Senior Associate that I have worked with. He has insider industry experience, having previously worked in banking, which is a real asset to claimants when litigating against banks.' - Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, 2022

'Simon Bishop: is fantastically bright. He has an unparalleled eye for detail and really gets stuck into the substance of his cases, with a degree of enthusiasm and rigour that goes well above and beyond the norm. Simon is also very business-minded and is brilliant at spotting legal trends and identifying emerging issues in litigation.' - Commercial Litigation: Premium, 2022

‘Senior associate Simon Bishop is extremely bright and has an exceptional eye for detail. He remains calm under pressure and is a real team player. He has consistently impressed me with his legal analysis and is probably the best non-partner solicitor I have ever worked with.' - Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, 2021

'Simon Bishop is a great thinker and strategist' and is 'unusually easy to deal with and always works hard.' - Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, 2021

'Has fantastic knowledge of financial products and banking processes'. - Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, 2021

Simon Bishop is recognised as a 'key member'. - Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, 2020

Lawdragon

Simon was recognised by Lawdragon in 2024 and 2025 in their list of 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers for Financial and Environmental Litigation

Experience

Commercial & Financial Disputes

Currently, he is:

Leading a group claim on behalf of institutional investors against an FCA regulated FTSE 250 company relating to a securities issuance, valued in excess of £100 million.
Leading a group action by institutional investors against an LSE listed technology company.
Acting for the claimant in a >£300 million claim against a major UK bank.
Advising global NGOs in relation to commercial and financial services litigation caused by climate change.

Previously, he acted:

For Trappit, the developer of an intelligent flight savings software, against GBT UK, American Express’ Global Travel Division, in claims alleging the misappropriation of the client’s software.
For one of the third-party funders in the high-profile RBS Rights Issue Litigation.
For the claimants in PremierMotorAuctions v PwC and Lloyds.
Flanagan v Liontrust, the leading case on the operation of the doctrine of repudiation on LLP agreements.
For various insolvency office holders in contested applications pursuant to the provisions of the Insolvency Act 1986.
In dozens of general commercial disputes relating to breaches of contract, intellectual property, partnership agreements, and various forms of finance and financial-hedging.

Competition / Antitrust

Simon leads the legal team (with Luke Streatfeild):

Representing class representative Nikki Stopford in her opt-out collective claim against Google, seeking approximately £7bn in redress on behalf of tens of millions of UK consumers.

Financial Services & Banking

Currently, Simon is:

Representing the claimant in R (on the application of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking) v The Financial Conduct Authority, in its application to challenge the lawfulness of the decision of the FCA not to establish a mechanism of redress following the exclusion of thousands of bank customers from the FCA’s compensation scheme relating interest rate swap mis-selling.
Acting for the claimant in a > £300 million claim against a major UK bank - with Lucy Pert.
Representing groups of claimants in two claims under section 90 of the Financial and Services and Markets Act 2000.
Representing claimants in a significant group action involving retail and professional users of online trading platforms.
Acting for a global NGO in connection with investor claims in the financial markets.
Representing clients who lost their businesses as a result of fraud
Acting on behalf of our client who is claiming damages as a result of forced refinancing during COVID-19.

Previously, he acted for the claimants in:

Ardeshir Nagshineh v Bank of Scotland Plc.
Stuart Wall v RBS.
Ventra Investments Limited v Bank of Scotland Plc.
Dozens of disputes relating to interest rate hedging, foreign exchange hedging, banking fraud, and banking misconduct.
Flanagan v Liontrust, relating to the LLP structure of a significant asset management organisation.

Human Rights

Simon is part of the team:

Representing up to 37 British gymnasts - including 4 Olympians - against British Gymnastics in relation to allegations of systemic physical and psychological abuse perpetrated by coaches, and other personnel employed by British Gymnastics, upon children as young as six.

Public Law

Simon is part of the team:

Representing the claimant in R (on the application of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking) v The Financial Conduct Authority, in its application to challenge the lawfulness of the decision of the FCA not to establish a mechanism of redress following the exclusion of thousands of bank customers from the FCA’s compensation scheme relating interest rate swap mis-selling.
Representing the Good Law Project in R (on the application of Good Law Project) v The Secretary of State for Social Care (with Saiger LLC as interested party), in its application to challenge the lawfulness of an award by the Government of a PPE contract for the supply of surgical gowns by a US jewellery retailer.

Environmental & Product Liability

At Hausfeld, he has:

Acted on behalf of Stand.earth in a first-of-its kind greenwashing complaint in France against Lululemon in relation to the retailer’s ‘Be Planet’ advertising campaign