Based in London, Damien helps banking sector clients resolve or navigate major disputes. Damien led our multi-award winning global disputes practice from 2018 to 2023 and is now co-head of the firm's crisis management practice where we are the only firm ranked Band 1 in both UK and global Chambers guides.
Damien specialises in providing advice on high-value, contentious issues facing domestic and international banks, investment funds, private equity houses and other financial institutions. These include disputes about corporate finance transactions, investment advice, fund management, securities trading, project finance, private equity investment, enforcement of security and structured finance.
He has helped clients with company and commercial disputes in London and Asia across a wide range of industries, in both High Court litigation and international arbitration.
Damien is ranked in the Hall of Fame in Legal 500 UK 2024 for Commercial Litigation: Premium and Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail. He is also listed as a Band 1 individual in Chambers UK 2024 for Banking Litigation, where he is commended for being "incredibly experienced and knowledgeable" and "a fantastic lawyer with brilliant experience." He has also previously been praised for being "widely regarded as one of the finest litigators in the banking and finance arena." Damien was named as the Dispute Resolution Individual of the Year (London) in the Legal 500 UK 2019 awards.
Background
Damien has an M.A. in history from Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales (1993) and Hong Kong (1998).
Damien trained with Herbert Smith in London and spent five years in the firm’s Hong Kong office in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. He was promoted to partner in 2000.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
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Goldman Sachs in a US$1.2 billion claim brought by the Libyan Investment Authority in relation to a series of leveraged derivatives transactions, featuring allegations of undue influence and unconscionable bargain
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Lloyds Banking Group and its former directors on a shareholder claim (by way of a group litigation order) arising from the acquisition of HBOS in 2008, alleging misstatement negligence and breach of fiduciary duties
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Credit Suisse in its successful defence of a claim over the sale of an interest in an oil field in Azerbaijan
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Pioneer in its successful appeal to the Court of Appeal over the correct interpretation of clause 2(a) (iii) of the ISDA Master Agreement
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UBS in relation to the regulatory and criminal proceedings following the Kweku Adoboli rogue trading incident in 2011
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Goldman Sachs in its successful defence of a claim by IFE, a mezzanine investor fund, alleging misrepresentation in relation to the information memorandum issued on syndication of the investment
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