Stuart Sanders

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

• Bestolov v Povarenkin [2019] EWHC 1992 (Comm) – Represented the successful Claimant (led by Rupert D’Cruz) in a three-week Commercial Court trial between two Russian businessmen, with judgment of over $7.5m.
• Domestic & General Group Ltd et al. v Bank of Scotland plc [2018] 12 WLUK 68 – acting as sole counsel in a successful application for a Norwich Pharmacal order against a bank relating to the identification of a suspected rogue trader. This was part of a series of actions against rogue traders reported on in the Evening Standard (link) – Stuart is instructed on a number of these actions.
• Acting as sole counsel at a quantum hearing in relation to breach of contract with judgment awarded for approximately £450,000.
• Drafting unfair prejudice petitions, pleadings and witness statements on a variety of matters including the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 and in relation to a dispute between members of the family of an oligarch over ownership of an art collection.
• Advising on a wide variety of company and commercial claims, including high value claims in relation to SPAs, articles of association, breach of contract, fraud, and economic torts.

Stuart has been involved in a variety of employment law matters, including:

• Kelly v Musicians Union [2020] EWCA Civ 736 – Appeared (led by David Reade KC) before the Court of Appeal in a case concerning the correct construction of a Trade Union’s rules in relation to its disciplinary processes;
• Regularly appearing in the ET at preliminary hearings and trials on a variety of matters, including, unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing and unpaid wages claims;
• Drafting a high-value Employment Tribunal discrimination claim (led by David Reade KC) in a hedge fund context;
• Advising on High Court restrictive covenant claims, acting for both employer and employee in relation to senior employees and directors, across a variety of sectors.

Stuart is a member of Littleton’s Sports Law Group and welcomes instructions in sports law. Recent 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 Premiership Rugby player and club as to an appeal against the decision of an RFU Disciplinary Panel;
• Representing Super League at a successful winding up petition against a commercial partner.

During pupillage, he worked on QPR v The EFL (assisting Victoria Wakefield), working on aspects of QPR’s intended appeal in relation to the Financial Fair Play rules.

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 KC 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.