Luke Richardson

Luke advises clients across a range of sectors on complex and high-value litigation in the UK and overseas, from pre-action strategy, settlement negotiations to crisis management issues associated with potential claims. Luke’s areas of focus comprise private-client wealth disputes as well as cross-jurisdictional divorce, and complex international fraud. He also works with clients in large-scale commercial litigation and was part of the team acting for the defendant in a successful defence against breach of contract claims in financing transactions.

Luke regularly attends a drop-in legal advice clinic for residents of Tower Hamlets, advising primarily on contractual matters, debt collection and landlord/tenant disputes. He also actively participates in the Court of Appeal's pro bono advocacy scheme, representing litigants in person in applications for permission to appeal, regarding both written submissions and oral hearings.

• Advising a ultra-high-net-worth individual on a long-running, multibillion-dollar family trusts dispute, seeking to set aside Bermudian purpose trusts in order to return assets to the family heirs and pursuing related claims in a number of other jurisdictions.
• Advising a beneficiary of a trust in Jersey on potential third-party claims to the trust assets and related reputational management issues.
• Advising a major offshore trust company on a potential claim for breach of trust arising from an allegation of negligence by a beneficiary.
• Acting for a major banking institution in relation to a USD 2 billion claim arising out of a substantial land development in Dubai, which was heard over 8 weeks in the Commercial Court in late 2016.
• Representing a major banking institution on proceedings in several jurisdictions to enforce a USD 500 million judgment debt.
• Advising a human rights charity on a pro bono basis regarding assistance with a constitutional challenge against legislation in a jurisdiction in Africa.
• Acting in divorce proceedings for the beneficiary of a high-value offshore trust.
• Acting for the husband, an international businessman with complex asset structures, in multijurisdictional divorce proceedings.
• Representing a bank on a tracing claim over assets held in a Jersey trust alleged to have been obtained in a major fraud.
• Advising the BBC Trust on a wide range of public-law and editorial matters, including the handling of key editorial appeals according to the BBC's internal complaints procedures, election coverage complaints and regulatory implications of strategic matters.

• Law Society of England & Wales
• Association of Contentious Trusts & Probate Specialists
• Contentious Trusts Association