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 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) and "tenacious, extremely smart, and persuasive on his feet" (Legal 500, 2026). 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:

  • R (Paramount Energy & Commodities DMCC) v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (AC-2025-LON-004122): representing an commodities company in a challenge under s.38 of SAMLA to designation for alleged involvement in the "Russian energy sector" under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (with Tom Hickman KC).
  • R (Ismailov) v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2026] EWHC 1188 (Admin): 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 (with Jason Pobjoy KC).
  • LLC EuroChem North-West-2 v Tecnimont S.p.A. [2026] 1 WLR 1777: representing the Respondent in an appeal about whether the court had power under s.42 of the Arbitration Act 1996 to make an order enforcing a peremptory order of an arbitral tribunal granting anti-suit relief against a Russian fertilizer company (with Alan Maclean KC).
  • Bromcom Computers PLC v Arbor Education Partners Ltd (KB-2025-000236): representing a supplier of management information systems in an unlawful means conspiracy claim brought by a rival business that is said to arise from misrepresentations made to a third party in the course of a public procurement exercise (with James Segan KC).
  • A v B (SCC Arbitration, 2026): representing a UK company in an SCC arbitration with a Swiss commodities trading company concerning the supply of equipment to Russia and UK sanctions prohibitions.
  • R (WASPI) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (AC-2026-LON-001987): 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).
  • IA v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] 2 WLR 1001: representing the Respondent in an appeal about the Article 8 ECHR rights of a family in Gaza to enter the UK to join a family member who is a British citizen (with Sir James Eadie KC).
  • X v State Y (LCIA Arbitration, 2026): representing a Belgian company in a €57 million dispute with a foreign state arising under various promissory notes.
  • 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 (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).

Tom is a member of the Attorney General’s 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

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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.

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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.

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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.


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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 Attorney General’s B Panel.

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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.

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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 and Chambers and Partners.

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.

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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.

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Public International Law

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

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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.

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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 
  • 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 

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