Commercial litigation is at the heart of Littleton’s practice. Our barristers are instructed in some of the most high-profile and complex commercial disputes before the English courts, particularly in the Commercial Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, international proceedings in offshore courts and arbitral tribunals, across a wide range of industries and jurisdictions.

Our expertise spans:

  • International disputes involving conflicts of laws and jurisdiction challenges
  • Breach of warranty and other business sale disputes
  • Commercial contracts and agency disputes
  • Civil fraud and asset tracing – see our Civil Fraud page
  • Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh and other FSU-related litigation
  • Offshore commercial disputes including Caribbean courts, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, DIFC, AIFC, Hong Kong and Singapore and other jurisdictions – see our International & Offshore page
  • Commercial contracts, franchising and agency disputes
  • Shareholder and partnership disputes
  • Banking and financial services disputes
  • Sale of goods and supply chain issues
  • Breach of confidence, economic tort claims and ‘soft’ intellectual property claims
  • International and domestic commercial arbitration in a wide range of arbitral tribunals – see our Arbitration page

Barristers at Littleton are sought after for their outstanding advocacy, sharp analytical skills and commercial judgement.

In addition to trial work and appeals, members are expert at obtaining and resisting urgent interim relief, including worldwide and domestic freezing orders, search orders, proprietary injunctions, anti-suit and anti-enforcement injunctions and injunctions in support of arbitration and foreign court proceedings.

Littleton barristers regularly appear in the most significant commercial disputes of recent years, many of which are reported cases setting legal precedent.

Recent cases include

  • Secretary of State v PPE MedPro, the famous dispute involve 25 million items of PPE supplied to the Government during the Covid pandemic
  • Athena Capital Fund v Secretariat of the Holy See, the Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’ concerning the Vatican’s investment in a landmark building on Sloane Avenue in Chelsea, London
  • Servis-Terminal v Drelle, a Supreme Court appeal setting legal precedent on conflict of laws and bankruptcy
  • Gorbachev v Guriev, a Russian oligarch dispute over shareholding worth $1bn in a Russian company listed on the London Stock Exchange arising out of the Yukos investigations
  • Jinxin v Aser Media, a commercial fraud and share sale dispute on media rights in the football industry
  • Derma Med v Ally, the leading Court of Appeal authority on the duty of full and frank disclosure in injunctions
  • Mozambique v Credit Suisse, the ‘tuna bonds’ case alleging bribery and corruption in relation to sovereign bonds issues by Mozambique worth $2bn.

Our clients include multinational corporations, financial institutions, state entities, high-net-worth individuals, and SMEs involved in complex cross-border litigation.

Ranked as a leading set for commercial litigation in both Chambers UK and Legal 500, Littleton boasts a strong team of King’s Counsel and juniors who are also individually ranked. Our members are known for rigorous analysis, meticulous preparation, and persuasive advocacy.