Stuart Sanders

Stuart has a particular interest in commercial law, having undertaken and worked on many commercial matters, including:

• Acting for claimants in a c.£9m fraud claim, involving investment into alleged concerts by Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna and others, alleged to be fraudulent, including obtaining multiple without notice freezing and proprietary injunctions (led by Jonathan Cohen KC)
• Representing a law firm in a successful application to strike out a c.£55m negligence claim made against it involving over 40 claimants (led by Jonathan Cohen KC)
• Advising a Saudi company on English law in relation to Jersey litigation concerning a c.£100m London property development, involving allegations of fraud (led by Jonathan Cohen KC)
• Acting as sole counsel at a quantum hearing in relation to breach of contract with judgment awarded for approximately £450,000.
• Successfully representing a claimant construction company as sole counsel in a two-day County Court trial regarding a dispute over a final invoice.
• Advisory and drafting work on a variety of matters including high value claims in relation to SPAs, articles of association, breach of contract, fraud, economic torts, and the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993.

Stuart regularly acts in employment matters in the High Court, across the whole range of business protection, including confidential information and post-termination restrictions. Stuart has experience across the whole life of such matters, from pre-action through to trial, and has significant experience in interim matters, both led and unled, and for both employers and employees. Stuart’s recent work in this area includes:

• Jump Trading International Ltd v Couture – acted for Verition Advisors (UK Partners) LLP in a complex and high-profile restrictive covenant case involving algorithmic trading, which settled mid-trial (led by Adam Solomon KC, alongside Charlotte Davies)
• Derma Med v Dr Zack Ally – acted for the founders, and former employees and owners of a Botox and fillers business. Successfully applied to set aside an ex parte non-compete and confidentiality injunction on the grounds of material non-disclosure (led by Adam Solomon KC)
• Churches Fire v Stride – acted as sole counsel for a former employee accused of breaching a non-dealing covenant. Proceedings settled at the door of court for the interim injunction application.

Stuart is also experienced in dealing with employment/partnership disputes litigated in the High Court and arbitration, for example:

• Acting for a banker in a High Court claim regarding bonus payments (led by Gavin Mansfield KC)
• Representing a highly successful professional in a contentious arbitration with his former LLP (led by Adam Solomon KC)
• Advising a company, as sole counsel, in relation to a complex possible claim against a former employee involving various overlapping contracts, including an employment contract, SPA, shareholders’ agreement and loan agreement

Stuart has acted in a wide variety of statutory employment law matters (usually as sole counsel), including:

• Appearing unled in the EAT on multiple occasions, including successfully resisting appeals against Registrar’s Orders in the EAT and successfully representing a previously unrepresented appellant at a Rule 3(10) in the EAT allowing her appeal to progress to a Preliminary Hearing (appearing pro bono)
• Kelly v Musicians Union [2020] EWCA Civ 736 – Appeared (led by David Reade QC) before the Court of Appeal in a case concerning the correct construction of a Trade Union’s rules;
• Regularly appearing in the ET in complex discrimination and whistleblowing, including:
  • Representing a former partner in an accountancy firm in a successful claim of direct disability discrimination against his former firm, resulting in an eventual settlement significantly in excess of six figures;
  • Successfully represented the Respondents in a 10-day discrimination claim involving 158 allegations against 8 Respondents;
  • Successfully represented the Respondent in a 5-day discrimination claim by an employee of a television channel.

Stuart is a member of Littleton’s Sports Law Group and welcomes instructions in sports law. Stuart is also an approved panel member of Sport Resolutions’ Safeguarding Case Management Programme Legal Advice Service.  Instructions in this area include:

• Representing an Olympic athlete at a UK Sport Eligibility Panel to determine whether they should lose funding due to admitting use of recreational drugs – the athlete received a warning and did not lose any funding;
• Advising a multiple Olympian on a potential appeal to CAS regarding an anti-doping matter;
• Advising a national governing body on the employment status of certain categories of players;
• Representing players in FA disciplinary hearings relating to on-field conduct;
• Advising a football agent regarding a possible contractual claim against a Premier League player;
• Advising a Premiership Rugby player and club as to an appeal against the decision of an RFU Disciplinary Panel;

Stuart read Law at the University of Oxford, graduating in 2015 with a First Class Honours, and staying on to achieve a Distinction in the BCL. Following university, Stuart worked as a Part-Time Fellow in Contract Law at UCL alongside his BPTC.

While at university, Stuart also enjoyed mooting, including successfully mooting in front of two Supreme Court judges in competition finals.

Education

2016-2017 Bar Professional Training Course: Outstanding
2015-2016 BCL at Trinity College, University of Oxford: Distinction
2012-2015 BA (Hons) in Law at Trinity College, University of Oxford: First Class

Scholarships and Prizes

• Mould Scholar, Gray’s Inn, 2018, one of four Senior Scholarships awarded to “students of exceptional merit.”
• Prince of Wales Scholar, Gray’s Inn, 2016.
• Excellence Award, BPP, 2016.
• Mitchell Scholar for BCL, Trinity College, Oxford, 2015.
• Trinity College Scholar, Trinity College, Oxford, 2013-2016.
• Bellot International Law Prize, Trinity College, Oxford, 2015.
• Lady Astbury Memorial Prize and Colin Nicholls QC Prize, Trinity College, Oxford, 2013.
• Won the Shearman & Stirling Oxford Mooting Competition 2014, mooting in front of Lord Wilson JSC.
• Won the HSF Oxford Disability Mooting Competition 2015, mooting in front of a panel led by Lord Phillips.