Adam Solomon QC

Jason Drakeford

Senior Clerk

Email: jason@littletonchambers.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)20 7797 8623

Dan Woodbridge

Deputy Senior Clerk

Email: Dan@littletonchambers.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)20 7797 8659

Practice areas

“He’s excellent and delightful.” “A great advocate, who is punchy and charming.” (Chambers & Partners 2022)

Adam is a commercially minded trial advocate, who has appeared as lead counsel at every level, from the Commercial Court and Queen’s Bench Division to the Court of Appeal, Privy Council and Supreme Court. He is recognised in the directories in respect of all his practice areas. He is recommended in Chambers & Partners as a leading QC for Commercial Dispute Resolution, Employment and Professional Discipline, and in Legal 500 for Offshore, Employment and Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory Law. Chambers & Partners describes him as “An excellent all-rounder, who combines flair in the courtroom with diligence and perseverance.”

Adam has been instructed in some of the most significant recent cases, including:

appearing in the Supreme Court for the successful party in Egon Zehnder v Tillman (2019), the first employment competition case to reach the highest appellate level in over 100 years;
intervening in the Supreme Court for the General Pharmaceutical Council in the case of Michalak (2017), which determined the proper forum for liability of regulators in respect of discriminatory acts;
appearing for the successful appellant in the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, in Gany Holdings (2020), concerning whether a new BVI statute was of retrospective effect;
appearing for the successful respondent in the Privy Council in Adamas v Cheung, concerning variation of contract.

Adam was admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2007 and since then, as a junior and now as silk, has regularly appeared in numerous cases in the Eastern Caribbean courts. He has advised and appeared on numerous injunctive applications (for applicants and respondents) and has acted (successfully) in lengthy trial proceedings. He has appeared in various first instance courts (including but not limited to the BVI Commercial Court) and before the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. The majority of his Caribbean work involves offshore companies, investment funds or trusts, and often involves cross-border aspects of private international law. He has been admitted to the Bar of the BVI (without restriction) and St Kitts and Nevis (for specific cases). He also regularly advises and appears in arbitrations in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Adam has served as a Board Member of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) since 2015 and, before that, for over a decade, Adam was a Trustee and Director of Law for All, a charity committed to providing access to justice to all.

Recent legal directory comments include the following:

“He is considered excellent on High Court restrictive covenant injunctions”
“He is tenacious, he is hard-working, he gets to the bottom of the issues and he gets the points across suitably forcefully.”
“He is very experienced, he is great fun to work with, he puts people at their ease.”
“He’s an excellent and safe pair of hands, and he is very commercially astute.”
“His arguments are punchy and he is a real fighter”
“He chomps through the work with endless enthusiasm”
“A positive and pragmatic advocate, who is excellent with clients and on his feet”
“Always looks to get the best possible result for the client, and never distances himself from problems”
“He has a very can-do attitude”
“Handles all aspects of employment and commercial litigation”, and is “client friendly, extremely helpful and a witty advocate”
“Upbeat can-do attitude”, “very tenacious and will fight for the results it needs”
“Masters his brief well and his highly tenacious”
“He punches holes in the other side’s position…”
“Combines intelligence with humour, show great perseverance and manages to charm clients along the way”
“He is so hard-working and dedicated that even if he is super-busy he will always find a way of helping you”

Commercial

Adam’s commercial practice includes the areas of commercial fraud, breach of contract, and professional negligence. He also regularly appears in commercial cases requiring urgent injunctive relief, including obtaining or resisting freezing orders, Norwich Pharmacal relief and general restrictive covenant work. Adam also accepts instructions for arbitrations in this jurisdiction and internationally.

Adam is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands and (pro tem) in St Kitts and Nevis, and practices commercial law in those jurisdictions.

Some of his more significant cases include:

Re Corbin & King Limited King and others v Minor International PCL and others (2022): shareholders dispute in the Corbin & King restaurant group, owners of The Wolseley and other famous London restaurants. Adam acts for the founders of the group and minority shareholders against the majority shareholder/investors, the Thai-based Minor Hotels group.
Arani et al v Cordic Group Ltd [2021] EWHC 829. Adam acts for the sellers in this £25m dispute arising from allegedly fraudulent warranties given on the sale of a taxi technology company. Adam’s clients successfully applied for summary judgment, heard over three days, with judgment handed down in April 2021, in which Adam’s clients gained judgment for £2million.
Bell v Ivy Technology Ltd [2020] EWCA Civ 1563, an appeal to the Court of Appeal concerning the liability of Adam’s client as a disclosed principal in circumstances in which the contract appeared to exclude his liability. In Bell v Ivy Technology [2019] All ER (D) 78 (Sep), Adam successfully discharged the freezing order against his client
Rollingson v Hollingsworth, Gasser, Laurus et al [2020] EWHC 3568. Adam acted for the defendants in a claim alleging unlawful conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty and misuse of confidential information, and Adam successfully struck out elements of the claim.
ESL Fuels Limited v Fletcher, Prema Energy et al (2020): Adam represented the Claimant in this multi-million pound claim for breach of contract and breach of confidence, arising out of a settlement agreement compromising previous litigation (in which Adam also successfully represented the Claimant – ESL Fuels Ltd v Stephen Fletcher & Anor [2013] EWHC 3726 (Ch)).
Petroceltic Resources Limited et al v Archer [2018] EWHC 671: contested world-wide freezing order
Outlook Asset Management LP v Capstone Corporate et al (2018): a claim in the BVI by an asset management group for damages and injunctive relief based on passing off. Adam represented the claimant in a strike out hearing based on jurisdiction in the Commercial Court in March 2018, and in the appeal to the Court of Appeal in the BVI in October 2018.
Oro Agri International Limited v Vivagro Sarl: Adam was instructed in this multi-million pound commercial claim for breach of confidence and breach of contract
Lewis v dotcom Solicitors [2017] EWCA 229, concerning terms of a partnership in a firm of solicitors.
Michael Wilson & Partners Ltd v Sinclair [2017] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 136, CA and also [2017] BLR 125 and also [2015] CP Rep 45. A series of claims and applications in related litigation, in the High Court and Court of Appeal in which Adam appeared both on his own and led by Charles Samek QC, and in which Adam has appeared in the Court of Appeal three times, all successfully, since 2015.
CH Trustees SA v Omega Services Group Ltd et al 2015 [BVIHC] 0037: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Commercial Division. 5 day trial in July 2016. The claim was for relief for unfair prejudice, and for rectification of the company’s register, and was effectively a battle for control of a company group. Adam’s clients won, and Adam successfully responded to the appeal in the BVI Court of Appeal in July 2017.
ARGC Ltd v Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority [2016] EWHC 460. Adam, led by Pushpinder Saini QC, acted on behalf of the claimant (HFEA), and successfully obtained judgment and struck out a counterclaim valued at £25 million, which was upheld on appeal
Honeyrose Bakery Ltd v Lola’s Kitchen et al [2015] EWHC 1856 (QB). Adam was instructed by the defendant in this commercial claim for breach of contract. Adam successfully struck out central part of claim, and the decision was upheld on appeal to the Court of Appeal (Honeyrose Bakery Ltd v Lola’s Kitchen Ltd (t/a Lola’s Cupcakes) [2016] EWCA Civ 1205).
Munday & Munday v Hilburn & Fields [2015] BPIR 684: complex commercial litigation, involving allegations of dishonesty and fraud, and an appeal to High Court on novel points of bankruptcy law and abuse of process
Jervis v Skinner [2011] UKPC 2 in which Adam successfully represented the respondent in an appeal to the Privy Council from the Court of Appeal in Bahamas concerning a profit share from the sale of land.
Hopkin v Financial Security Assurance (UK) Ltd [2011] All ER (D) 142, in which Adam successfully represented the respondent in the Court of Appeal in a case concerning the construction of a share vesting agreement.
Glentree v Holbeton [2011] 28 E.G. 74, in which Adam was instructed on behalf of the Defendant in a claim by an estate agency for fees pursuant to the sale of a substantial property. There were a number of interlocutory applications (for freezing orders and other matters) and the claim was originally a multi-party claim, but eventually fought as between claimant and defendant. Adam successfully defended the claim, in which it was held that the Claimant was not the effective cause of sale. Adam was thereafter successful (as respondent) in the Court of Appeal.

Off-Shore Work

Business Protection

Company, partnership and shareholder disputes

Adam has significant experience advising and appearing in Court in all aspects of company and partnership disputes, including

the sale of shares and businesses,
shareholder disputes
unfair prejudice claims, and
issues as regards director and fiduciary duties.

Adam’s cases are often multi-jurisdictional, and he has litigated company and shareholder disputes both in the Courts of England and Wales and overseas.

He is experienced in all the interlocutory aspects, including obtaining or resisting injunctive relief, and has successfully litigated claims to trial.

Some of his more significant and appellate cases include:·

JTrust Asia Pte Ltd v Group Lease Holdings Pte Ltd et al [2020] SG HC 29. Adam was instructed to advise in this ongoing claim in the Singapore High Court (and in other jurisdictions), which involves allegations of fraud in obtaining control of a company. The ongoing matter has had a series of interim injunctions and hearings.
CH Trustees SA v Omega Services Group Ltd et al 2015 [BVIHC] 0037: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Commercial Division. Adam acted for the successful Claimant in a 5 day trial in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), in July 2016, and in the BVI Court of Appeal in 2017. The claim was for relief for unfair prejudice, and for rectification of the company’s register: the trial was effectively a battle for control of a company group. Adam’s clients won, and Adam successfully upheld the decision on appeal in the BVI Court of Appeal in July 2017.
Lewis v dotcom Solicitors [2017] EWCA 229. Adam appeared for the appellant in the Court of Appeal in a claim concerning terms of a partnership in a firm of solicitors.
Hopkin v Financial Security Assurance (UK) Ltd [2011] All ER (D) 142. Adam successfully represented the respondent company in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, in a case concerning the construction of a share vesting agreement.·
Re French Brothers Ltd. Adam acted for the majority shareholders of a leisure boat business in a multi-million-pound unfair prejudice petition, a claim in respect of unauthorised takings and a related partnership dispute. The claim settled just before trial.