Charles has a busy practice across all of Chambers’ core practice areas, including commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular interest in civil fraud, jurisdictional and sports law matters. He is currently instructed in several high-value commercial disputes.
After pupillage, Charles spent four months on secondment at Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP working on a range of civil fraud matters.
Before joining Chambers, Charles graduated with a first-class degree in History from the University of Cambridge, where he served as President of the Cambridge Union. After receiving a distinction in his MPhil in American History (also at the University of Cambridge), he converted across to law. He completed the GDL (placing second in his year) and the Bar Course at City, University of London. He then received a scholarship to study the BCL at the University of Oxford, which he graduated from with distinction, and taught contract law at City, University of London.
Some of his recent cases include:
- Alcatel and Nokia v Amazon (ongoing, led by Josephine Davies KC and Tom Moody-Stuart KC): acting for the claimants in proceedings brought against Amazon in the Patent Court for patent infringement, involving a FRAND defence and novel jurisdictional issues.
- Prochazka v Prochazka (led by Tony Beswetherick KC): six-day trial concerning the legal status of funds advanced to purchase London real estate, raising complex points of trust law.
- WE Hewitt & Son Limited v Tillers Turf Company Ltd & S Hutton Ltd (led by Joshua Folkard): dispute arising from the breakdown of a joint venture providing pitches to Premier League and international football clubs/stadia.
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Arbitration
- While on secondment at Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP, Charles assisted on a high-value arbitration, involving the dissolution of an investment fund.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions, in the High Court, resisting a joint s.68/s.69 appeal against an award issued by the GAFTA board of appeal.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in several LMAA arbitrations.
Civil fraud
- Lynx Golf v Woolgar (led by Sam Goodman): acting for a major British sports goods company in a civil fraud claim against its former agent, listed for a six-day Commercial Court trial in 2025.
- During his secondment at Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP, Charles assisted in a range of civil fraud matters, involving both companies and high-net-worth individuals.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the merits of an unlawful conspiracy claim against individuals involved in a major bank fraud.
Commercial litigation
- Prochazka v Prochazka (led by Tony Beswetherick KC): six-day trial concerning the legal status of funds advanced to purchase London real estate, raising complex points of trust law.
- WE Hewitt & Son Limited v Tillers Turf Company Ltd & S Hutton Ltd (led by Joshua Folkard): dispute arising from the breakdown of a joint venture providing pitches to Premier League and international football clubs/stadia.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with various aspects of the ongoing Al Sadeq and Quzmar v Dechert and others litigation. This litigation involves claims arising out of alleged torture carried out in the course of an investigation into a fraud in Ras Al Khaima.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in the drafting of pre-hearing submissions in Granville Technology Group Ltd (in liquidation) v Innolux Corp [2022] EWHC 3271 (Comm), a leading case on the criteria for granting compound interest in equity.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with the drafting of pre-hearing submissions in Normann & Steinborn v XiO (UK) LLP [2023] EWHC 2862 (Comm), an application for the summary judgment of carried interest claims, worth $38m, brought against various private equity entities by former employees.
Commodities and international trade
- Drafted (as a pupil) opening submissions in an arbitration involving the alleged termination of a contract for the sale of Covid-19 test kits.
- Prepared (as a pupil) advice on a dispute involving the alleged assignment of a contract for the sale of metals.
Company law
- Lynx Golf v Woolgar (led by Sam Goodman): acting for a major British sports goods company in a claim against its former agent, listed for a six-day Commercial Court trial in 2025.
- Assisted (led by Tony Beswetherick KC) in the preparation of an urgent injunction application, to restrain the use of assets withdrawn from an insolvent company.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with an application, brought before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, by which a potential creditor of an insolvent company sought leave to bring a proprietary claim outside of the liquidation process.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions on a director’s lack of actual authority to make certain decisions.
Insolvency & restructuring
- Assisted (led by Tony Beswetherick KC) in the preparation of an urgent injunction application to restrain the use of assets withdrawn from an insolvent company.
- During his secondment at Peters & Peters, Charles prepared advice as to whether a high-net-worth individual should/could submit a proof of debt in connected Isle of Man and English insolvency proceedings.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with an application, brought before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, by which a potential creditor of an insolvent company sought leave to bring a proprietary claim outside of the liquidation process.
Intellectual property
- Alcatel and Nokia v Amazon (ongoing, led by Josephine Davies KC and Tom Moody-Stuart KC): acting for the claimants in proceedings brought against Amazon for patent infringement, involving a FRAND defence and novel jurisdictional issues.
Public international law
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions resisting the claimant’s application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal in Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade and others [2022] EWHC 3108 (Admin).
Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement
- Alcatel and Nokia v Amazon (ongoing, led by Josephine Davies KC and Tom Moody-Stuart KC): acting for the claimants in proceedings brought against Amazon for patent infringement, involving a FRAND defence and novel jurisdictional issues.
- During his secondment at Peters & Peters, Charles prepared advice for a high-net-worth individual as to whether a Russian judgment against him, for alleged tax evasion, could be enforced in the English courts.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether an order granting permission to serve a claim form outside of the jurisdiction could be set aside.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether shipowners could obtain an anti-suit injunction, restraining cargo claimants from continuing proceedings which they had commenced before the Canadian courts.
Shipping
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the appropriate measure of damages following the late redelivery of a vessel.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in an application for an interim injunction to enforce the terms of a maritime letter of indemnity.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in a safe port dispute, arising out of the war in Ukraine.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in a dispute involving a major plastic spill off the coast of South Africa, following the collapse of a container stack.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether the high prevalence of Covid-19 in a port, at the start of the pandemic, rendered that port unsafe.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the applicability of a negotiated time-bar included in a bill of lading which also expressly incorporated the Hague Rules.
Sports law
Charles has a particular interest in sports law. Ongoing cases include:
- WE Hewitt & Son Limited v Tillers Turf Company Ltd & S Hutton Ltd (led by Joshua Folkard): dispute arising from the breakdown of a joint venture providing pitches to Premier League and international football clubs/stadia.
- Lynx Golf v Woolgar (led by Sam Goodman): acting for a major British sports goods company in a civil fraud claim against its former agent, listed for a six-day Commercial Court trial in 2025.
