Ben Harding

Practice Areas

All aspects of commercial dispute resolution: contractual disputes (including agency contracts; share and asset sale agreement disputes); company law (including shareholder disputes; director’s duties and disqualification; restrictive covenants); banking (including secured lending and guarantees); partnership; professional negligence (including claims against solicitors, accountants, surveyors, insurance brokers); insurance; consumer credit; FCA and FOS; construction; injunctions; sale of goods and supply of services; fraud; commercial torts.

Professional Memberships

Chancery Bar Association

Professional Negligence Bar Association

Northern Business & Property Bar Association

British Irish Commercial Bar Association

Publications

Calling time: the law of limitation directions – Counsel Magazine June 2017; https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/articles/calling-time

(since Jan 2023) editor of chapters on Default Judgment and Summary Judgment in Commercial Litigation – Pre-Emptive Remedies (Sweet & Maxwell)

Education

Work Highlights

- Acted for recruitment consultant in £500k claim for payment for procuring real estate solicitors team move

- Defending £6m claim in Commercial Court for breach of SPA warranty / fraud arising from sale of glazing business

- Acted for policyholder in £4M insurance policy coverage dispute in Commercial Court

- Acted for NHS England in relation to £8M claim in Commercial Court for optical services during COVID

- Unfair prejudice claim proceeding in the Isle of Man relating to 20% shareholding in fintech company potentially worth £100m

- Acted in dispute in Isle of Man over ownership of multi-£M property portfolio

- Unfair prejudice petition in the BPC in Manchester relating to potential £1m holding in claims management company

- Partnership dissolution dispute concerning prominent firm of patent attorneys (led by Mark Harper KC)

- FOS complaint against bank for breach of Quincecare duty in respect of £700k cheques presented as payable to cash and paid

- Acted for Manchester City FC, Merlin Entertainments and Bruntwood Properties to obtain anti-trespass injunctions in the High Court in Manchester and London against ‘urban explorers’ (including order in respect of premises worldwide and against ‘persons unknown’) (led by David Casement KC)

- Acted for insured in £800k professional negligence claim in High Court in Leeds (Circuit Commercial) against insurance broker to settlement at mediation

-Acted for online betting business in relation to claims by suspected gambling syndicate

Industry Sector Expertise

Ben has developed specialisms in insurance, banking and finance, insolvency, company, professional negligence and construction work.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

- England & Wales primarily

- Provides advice on English law and procedure in relation to disputes in Isle of Man and licensed from time to time to appear in Court in Isle of Man