Robert Anderson QC

Robert Anderson has been involved in most of the high profile commercial fraud cases of recent years.  He regularly obtains pre-emptive relief for putative claimants in both the Queen’s Bench and Chancery Divisions.

He also increasingly acts in cases involving allegedly unlawful competition by former employees (in particular, directors and other senior employees and officers). As such, Robert frequently obtains or opposes injunctive relief (including “springboard” relief and injunctions to enforce restrictive covenants).

Robert is also very experienced in general commercial work. His practice has a distinctly international flavour.

Professional negligence:

Robert has considerable experience in this field and is instructed by insurers’ "panel solicitors" in respect of a variety of professional negligence matters. He has represented a wide variety of assureds; including solicitors, accountants, brokers, barristers, surveyors, valuers, architects, engineers and project managers. He was involved in the successful defence of the largest professional negligence claim brought against a well known firm of accountants.

Insurance and Reinsurance:

Robert was heavily involved in the Lloyd’s litigation. In addition, he advised the PSL and E&O markets in respect of Reconstruction and Renewal.

He continues to be involved in heavy insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitrations.

His recent and ongoing general commercial cases include:

• Weavering Capital v Peterson [2012] EWHC 1480 (Ch)
  Acting for Administrators of UK based Fund Manager which acted as investment adviser to a very substantial hedge fund based in the Cayman Islands which collapsed in 2009. Claim involved serious allegations of fraud against the former MD of the Fund Manager arising out of huge losses sustained in derivatives trading. In April 2009, successfully obtained (and retained) worldwide freezing order in the sum of US $475,000,000 (one of the largest freezing orders ever granted by the UK Courts) and ancillary relief. Successfully obtained judgment for US $450,000,000 in May 2012, following an 8 week trial before Proudman J in October-December 2011.
• Khalilif Amilienstiftung v Farbod (2012-)
  Acting for Claimant family trust (owner of world’s largest and most important collection of Islamic Art) in a claim against former adviser. Circa $50 million in issue. Claim raises interesting and unusual allegations of duress. Trial listed to be heard in October 2013. 
• Safeway Stores Ltd and others v Twigger and others [2010] EWHC 11 (Comm)
  Acting for Safeway in an action to recover damages from former directors and employees for actions which led Safeway to incur a penalty imposed by the OFT. Important first instance and CA (reported) judgment on application of ex tupri causa principle to companies.
• Zeid v Credit Suisse
  Acting for very wealthy Egyptian energy and shipping magnate's family in claim against Swiss private bank involving mis-selling of highly leveraged structured notes and unlawful margin call in sum of US $80,000,000.  Appeal currently listed for 3 days in July 2012.
• Amadeo Hotels v Zaman
  Acted for Prince Jefri’s former legal advisers in successful application to discharge worldwide freezing order granted in aid of New York proceedings.
• Rosen v AIG
  Acting for former directors and employees of AIG in claim for unpaid bonuses. Settled prior to jurisdiction challenge in Commercial Court in November 2011.
• Navigator Finance Ltd v Karchava
  Obtained and retained freezing order in aid of Swiss proceedings relating to fraud arising from major development in Georgia.
• Madoff Conflict Advice
  Advised on potential conflicts of interest arising from the Madoff litigation worlwide.
• Standard Bank plc v Sheikh Mohammed Al Jaber
  Obtained and retained on discharge application a freezing order arising from failure to repay global finance facilities. Order for cross-examination of defendant made in Commercial Court.
• NBGI v ITP
  Acted for private equity arm of the National Bank of Greece in an international arbitration against Cypriot and Bulgarian entities arising from investment in Bulgarian company through Cypriot SPV. Allegations of fraud against defendants involving wrongful attempts to obtain control of SPV. Arbitration in Vienna, but coordinated obtaining of interim relief in Cypriot and Bulgarian Courts. Successful final award.
• Slocom v Tatik
  Acting for major Russian energy company in successful application to discharge a worldwide freezing order over extensive assets in France.  Trial in 2012.
• Delagio v Maxwell
  Successfully discharged worldwide freezing order against English agents relating to major property developments in Bulgaria.
• Spring Finance v HS Real
  Successfully opposed application for summary judgment on a guarantee relating to the sale of a short term finance house. Trial heard in late 2010. Permission to appeal granted.
• Capital Hotels v Snell
  Acted for Bahamian company managing offshore investment fund for the purchase of European hotels. Allegations of breach of fiduciary duty against former director in claim worth several million Euros. Settled at trial.
• Credit Suisse v Goldance
  Acted for international investment company in dispute with its former bankers and financial advisers arising from the leveraged purchase of Structured Financial Notes.
• Caparo v GMD
  Acted for major industrial group in dispute with Gordon Murray Design relating to a new city concept car. Case settled at trial in 2010.
• Benourad v Compass
  Acted for major catering company in dispute with alleged former agent relating to contracts to feed the US and UK troops in Kuwait and Iraq. Successful trial in 2010.
• Albon v Naza Motors
  Acting for claimant in proceedings in the Chancery Division arising from a failed joint venture in Malaysia. Successfully obtained an anti-suit injunction to restrain an arbitration in Malaysia, and upheld that injunction in the Court of Appeal. Also successfully opposed challenge to the jurisdiction and subsequent “Barrell” application: Albon (trading as N A Carriage Co) v Naza Motor Trading Sdn Bhd and anr (No 4) [2007] EWCA Civ 1124, [2008] 1 Lloyd's Rep 1, [2008] 1 All ER (Comm) 351.
• Re Landsbanki
  Advised former Deputy Chairman and major shareholders in failed Icelandic bank arising from imposition of freezing order by HM Government following collapse of Landsbanki.
• Datum Finance v Mulligan
  Acted for finance house providing short term funding to the construction industry. Claim for £20,000,000+ against former directors and administrators. Obtained (and retained) without notice order for access to respondents’ premises in order to image their computers.
• Duckett v Favonius Ventures
  Acted for investment advisers in Commercial Court proceedings against their former employer in a dispute arising out of a major European Investment Fund. Successfully opposed application for a stay of proceedings in favour of international arbitration, and forced other side to withdraw its application for summary judgment. 
• Brimko v Eastman Kodak
  Successfully defended Eastman Kodak against a £50+ million claim brought in the Chancery Division arising from a failed joint venture in Shanghai, China.
• CBR v Segafredo
  Acted for Segafredo (the Italian Coffee chain) and their English subsidiary in proceedings arising from the failure of a franchising venture in Northern England. Case settled at trial following Robert’s cross-examination of the other side’s principal witness.
• World Duty Free v Kirk
  Acted for major subsidiary of BAA responsible for sale of duty free products at all major UK airports. Claim involving allegations of fraud against former employees, consultants and advisers. Successfully obtained and retained injunctive relief and search orders.
• Tadco v Levene
  Acted for Jersey-based company in claim against former investment adviser for misappropriation of shares. Obtained (and retained) worldwide freezing order and ancillary relief, including a passport order.

 His recent and ongoing insurance and reinsurance cases include:

• Charman v GIO [2002] EWHC 2290 (Comm); [2002] All ER (D) 69, which culminated in a two month trial in the Commercial Court in 2002 and, in October 2003, a successful appeal to the Court of Appeal.
• Bonner v Cox [2005] Lloyd’s Rep IR 569; [2004] All ER (D) 360 (the “Aon 77” litigation), a US$100 million reinsurance dispute which culminated in a highly successful six month trial in the Commercial Court. The Court of Appeal dismissed the Defendants’ appeal following a three day hearing in November 2005.
• Equitas v Horace Holman
  Acted for the Defendant brokers in claim brought by Equitas on behalf of certain Lloyd’s syndicates for an account of monies allegedly due from reinsurance recoveries.
• ANZEF v ECGD
  Successfully acted for the Government’s Export Credits Guarantee Department in relation to a political insurance claim by several international banks arising from the alleged expropriation of a major power station project in India.

Robert's sports law practice has included acting for and against Premiership and Football League clubs, players and players’ agents. He has also undertaken cases concerned with cricket, rugby union, tennis, world rallying, horse racing and formula one racing. He has appeared in F.A. arbitrations, and before the Premier League and Football League Appeals Committees.

Robert is a member of the Committee for the Bar Sports Law Group.

• Confidential
  Advising owners of major football club in relation to a potential sale. 
• Brady v Birmingham City FC
  Acting for Karen Brady in her dispute with Birmingham City Football Club. 
• Portsmouth City FC v HMRC
  Acted for Portsmouth City Football Club in its dispute with HMRC over unpaid VAT. 
• Reebok v Liverpool FC
  Acted for Liverpool Football Club in a multi-million pound dispute with its kit manufacturer, Reebok. 
• BCCI
  Advising licensee of the global television rights to coverage of Indian Test Cricket in respect of a dispute with its sub-licensee for the United States.
• Chelsea FC v Mutu
  Represented Adrian Mutu in his dispute with Chelsea Football Club.
• Re Obi Mikel
  Acted for the Player’s Agents in dispute between Chelsea and Manchester United over young Nigerian midfielder, John Obi Mikel.
• Racing UK v ATR/SIS
  Acted for SIS/At the Races in dispute about the intellectual property rights to on-course horse racing data.
• Mooney v FA
  Acted for photography company in its dispute with the FA following the termination of its retainer to take match pictures and “behind the scenes” photographs of the England team. 

Robert acts for artists, recording and publishing companies. He has been involved in cases concerning amongst others Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Seal, the Sex Pistols, Motown Records and Live Aid. He also increasingly undertakes television, film and other media work.

• Channel 4 v Eckoh Technologies
  Acting for Channel 4 in claim against former telephony services provider arising from £1 million penalty imposed by Ofcom for breaches of Ofcom Code in relation to phone-in competition on the Richard & Judy Show
• BCCI
  Advising licensee of the global television rights to coverage of Indian Test Cricket in respect of a dispute with its sub-licensee for the United States.
• Kahn v BBC Worldwide
  Acted for BBC Video in claim arising out of the demise the Woolworths Group, concerning its joint venture with BBC Worldwide for the exploitation of BBC programmes on video: Butters & anr v BBC Worldwide Ltd & anr [2009] EWHC 1954 (Ch); [2009] All ER (D) 171 (Aug), 20 August 2009.
• T-Mobile v Ofcom
  Instructed by Ofcom in respect of judicial review challenge by T-Mobile and O2 relating to the proposed auction of the new 2.6 Gigahertz spectrum.
• Advised major mobile telephony company on impact of the Commercial Agents Regulations in respect of the launch of new product ranges.
• Cassidy v Hot Records
  Took evidence from directors of Hot Records, Eva Cassidy’s UK record company, for the purposes of pending proceedings in California arising out of the exploitation of her work (including the No. 1 album “Songbird”) by her US label.
• Acted for well known photographic artist in dispute with the Saatchi Gallery.
• Acted for Doris Salcedo in dispute with the Tate Modern over staging of the installation Shibboleth
• Advised owners of the Dusseldorf Book Fair in respect of a dispute in respect of the rights to stage the annual London Book Fair.

VAT registration number:  494754008