Tom is a leading senior junior who is instructed in some of the most complex commercial, sanctions and public law cases, often with an international element. He is recommended in Legal 500 in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Civil Fraud, Sanctions and Public Law, and has been described as "a supremely intelligent and compelling advocate" (Legal 500, 2025). He also has extensive arbitration experience under the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICSID, LMAA, AIAC and SIAC rules.

Tom's wide-ranging practice gives him an ability to grapple with complex and multi-disciplinary areas, including commercial judicial review and commercial litigation involving regulatory and sanctions issues. Tom acts as sole counsel in arbitration, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as in larger counsel teams for heavy litigation, and is used to cross-examining factual and expert witnesses.

Significant recent instructions include:

  • EuroChem v Société Générale & ING [2025] EWHC 1614 (Comm): successfully representing Tecnimont in a four-week trial of a claim by a Russian fertilizer company against a number of Banks for payment under on-demand Bonds relating to the development of an ammonia plant in Russia, giving rise to complex legal and factual issues as to ownership and control by the Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko, who is designated under the EU sanctions regime (with Alan Maclean KC).
  • R (CJSC Alfa Bank (Belarus)) v HM Treasury (AC-2024-LON-001978): representing a Belarussian bank in an application under s.38 of SAMLA to review a decision by OFSI refusing a licence application under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 that would allow the bank to return funds to non-designated customers (with Jonathan Crow KC)
  • R (Liberty) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 571: representing the Secretary of State for the Home Department in a high-profile challenge to protest regulations introduced through "Henry VIII" powers (with Sir James Eadie KC).
  • PJSC National Bank Trust v Mints (CL-2020-000432): representing the former Chairman of the Management Board of Bank Otkritie, defending claims by two state-owned Russian banks concerning allegedly harmful refinancing transactions involving the O1 Group and for the Mints Family amounting to US$600 million (with Tom Weisselberg KC).
  • Akhmedov de-designation (2025): acting for Farkhad Akhmedov in his successful application pursuant to s.23 of SAMLA for de-designation under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
  • Taxi Drivers v Uber (CL-2020-000252): representing over 13,000 black cab drivers in a high-value group action against Uber companies for an alleged unlawful means conspiracy whereby the Uber companies are said to have misled TfL as to the nature of its operations and business model to obtain a London PHVO licence (with Robert Howe KC).
  • R (WASPI) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (AC-2024-LON-000811): representing WASPI in a high-profile judicial review of the government's decision to reject the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's findings that DWP maladministration in relation to communicating changes to the State Pension age for women led to injustice and recommendations as to compensation for the affected women (with Tom Hickman KC).
  • R (Ismailov) v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (AC-2024-LON-001978): representing the Foreign Secretary in a challenge under s.38 of SAMLA to a designation on the basis of family association under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, including resisting a disclosure application under CPR rr. 79.11(5) and 79.23 ([2025] EWHC 863 (Admin)) (with Jason Pobjoy KC).
  • Secretary of State for Justice v Sneddon [2024] EWCA Civ 1258: successfully representing the Secretary of State in an appeal about the correct approach to be taken when departing from the advice of the Parole Board to the transfer prisoners to open conditions (with Sir James Eadie KC).

Tom is a member of the Attorney General’s B Panel, the Welsh Government B Panel, and the AIAC's Panel of Arbitrators. He has worked as the Judicial Assistant to Lord Mance at the Supreme Court and as a Stipendiary Lecturer in Constitutional Law in Oxford.

Experience

Shortlist

Commercial

Tom has considerable experience of commercial litigation, and is recognised in Legal 500 as a leading junior in commercial litigation and civil fraud.

Tom is also particularly known for his expertise in international arbitration, including investment treaty disputes. He has appeared as sole and junior counsel in arbitrations in London and internationally, including Singapore and Malaysia.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Arbitration

A leading junior, Tom is particularly known for his expertise in heavy and lengthy international arbitrations, including investment treaty disputes. He has appeared as sole and junior counsel in arbitrations in London and internationally, including in Singapore and Malaysia. He has extensive experience of arbitral appeals and of the LCIA, ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, AIAC, HKIAC, LMAA and GAFTA rules.

Tom was appointed to the AIAC's Panel of Arbitrators in 2021.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery & Injunctive Relief

Tom specialises in civil fraud, including injunctive relief, jurisdiction, recovery, receivership, issues of foreign law, corporate duties and insolvency. He is recognised as a leading junior in civil fraud by Legal 500 and has extensive experience working for corporate and individual clients in Russian, the Middle East, and offshore jurisdictions.


Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Public & Regulatory

Tom has taught Constitutional Law at Oxford and frequently acts, both led and unled, on wide-ranging public and regulatory matters, for companies in commercial judicial reviews, community groups, NGOs, government departments, pro bono organisations, and local authorities. He is recognised as a leading junior in public law by Legal 500.

He is a member of the Welsh Government B Panel of Junior Counsel (Public Law) and the Attorney General’s B Panel.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Financial Services & Banking

Tom has significant experience of financial services and banking disputes, including the judicial review of regulatory decisions, advising regulators, commercial proceedings, and sanctions issues.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Sanctions

Tom advises clients on a wide-range of UK and EU sanctions-related disputes (including asset-freeze and trade prohibitions) and has spent time working with the sanctions teams of large city law-firms. He is recognised as a leading junior in sanctions by Legal 500.

He has particular experience of section 38 challenges (both for and against the government), and advising clients on the implications of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, the regulations for Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen, Belarus, and Russia, sanctions against Al-Qaida, the application of UK sanctions in off-shore jurisdictions, and the UK's Magnitsky sanction regime.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Civil Liberties & Human Rights

Tom has significant experience of human rights disputes, from commercial judicial reviews raising A1P1 claims to immigration detention disputes. He has advised international organisations and accepts pro bono instructions.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Public International Law

Tom acts for clients across various areas of public international law, including investor-state disputes and human rights cases.

Cases

Grid view
List view
Shortlist

Sport

Tom acts for clubs, sporting bodies, players, regulators, managers, agents and sponsors in a wide range of agency, sponsorship, and other contractual or commercial disputes.

Cases

Grid view
List view

Achievements

Education

  • MA (Oxon) Law with Law Studies in Europe
  • Erasmus Year, European and Public International Law (Leiden) 
  • LLM (Toronto)
  • Certificate in International Investment Law and Dispute Resolution (BIICL)
  • International Law Summer Programme (Hague Academy)

Publications

  • 'Sanctions defences after Celestial Aviation: when does s 44 of SAMLA 2018 help?' (2024) 10 Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law 665. 
  • 'Regulation 7(4): When is an Entity "Controlled" by a Sanctioned Person?' (2023) 11 Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law 742. 
  • 'There are Known Unknowns: How Strict is Civil Liability for Breaches of Sanctions?' (2022) 10 Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law 651. 
  • Access to justice in the 21st century: how can it be maximised?’, winner of the Jonathan Brock Memorial Essay Competition (Runner-Up) Prize 2017.
  • Non-Disputing Parties and Human Rights in Investor-State Arbitration: Bernhard von Pezold v Republic of Zimbabwe (case comment) (2017) 18(5–6) Journal of World Investment & Trade 1062.

Appointments

  • COMBAR India Committee
  • Stipendiary Lecturer, teaching Constitutional Law at Christ Church, Oxford
  • AIAC (Asian International Arbitration Centre) Panel of Arbitrators 
  • Welsh Government's B Panel of Counsel
  • Attorney General's B Panel of Counsel
  • COMBAR Working Group on the Law Commission's Consultation Paper on the Arbitration Act 1996

Academic Awards

  • Jonathan Brock Memorial Essay Competition (Runner-Up) Prize 
  • Walter Wigglesworth Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn 
  • Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation Scholarship 
  • Lord Mansfield Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn 
  • Hardwicke Entrance Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn 
  • John V Lovitt Prize for Jurisprudence, Christ Church, University of Oxford 
  • Lovells Scholarship, Christ Church, University of Oxford 
  • Slaughter and May Prize for Constitutional Law, University of Oxford 

News

VAT registration number: 217804610

Barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board

+44 (0)207 5831770

Clerks

Staff