Following pupillage at 3 Verulam Buildings and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), John has been instructed in matters of contract, shipping law, commercial law, chancery, Trust, tort, human rights, public law, regulatory law, fraud (criminal), fraud (civil) competition law, extradition, family/child custody, political asylum and immigration cases. He also has extensive experience in admiralty (salvage law).

He is the leading authority in the UK on cartel crime under the common law having written the only published academic article on the subject, and having participated in the only two such cases in English legal history, on one occasion for the defence and on the other for the SFO.

John’s unusually wide experience in commercial banking, investment banking and asset management has given him a particular advantage in analysing a variety of complex banking cases. His expertise and direct experience in the shipping industry is likewise useful.

As a consequence of his publication in February and March 2005 with Sir Jeremy Lever QC of a two part article in the European Competition Law Review entitled “Cartel agreements, conspiracy to defraud and ‘the statutory offence’ ”, he was instructed by a leading New York law firm in the high profile extradition case ‘The Government of the United States v Norris’, which was the first time that the issue of cartel crime has been tested in an English court. The article formed the basis of the US government’s case as presented by David Perry QC and was extensively quoted by the judge in his judgment; John was led by Alan Jones QC.

He also handled an important and complex Trust case covering new and difficult areas of Trust, human rights law and comity on behalf of a well known northern business family in respect of a disputed Bermudan Trust settlement. Also in chancery he has experience in partnership disputes and wills, notably on the legal issue of ‘donatio mortis causa’ (deathbed gifts).

John has experience in commercial and regulatory litigation in public law. He is a mediator and is on the panel of ACI-ADR and Resolex has received several mediation instructions based on administrative law from The Financial Services Authority when he acted as junior to leading QCs, including Presley Baxendale QC (Blackstone chambers).

For 25 years John worked in most areas of commercial and investment banking and was latterly Director and Head of economic and investment research with Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. He also worked for some years in the shipping industry, as a shipping company executive, in the merchant Navy service and as a specialised ship mortgage financier. He is now actively advising hedge funds, asset managers and banks on legal and business issues involved in joint ventures and new business.

From 2000-2001 he was a consultant to the US Navy War Academy/National Security Council as a Far Eastern economic specialist and he has advised a number of third world governments on shipping policy.

Recent articles:

• In February and March 2005 in the European Competition Law Review “Cartel agreements, conspiracy to defraud and ‘the cartel offence’ ” with Sir Jeremy Lever QC.

Forthcoming articles:

• Article entitled “Jack up and semi-submersible oil rigs under tow; command at sea, liability and causation”.