Ian Bergson

Barrister specialising in commercial litigation and arbitration, civil fraud, banking and financial services, insurance and aviation. Ian’s practice frequently involves conflict of laws issues and he has authored a number of publications on private international law.

Ian has acted in numerous substantial claims, including the Russian Aircraft Litigation, SKAT, Tchenguiz Slater and Gordon and VTB Capital v Republic of Mozambique and ors. He has also acted on significant Supreme Court and Court of Appeal appeals, including the recent landmark decision in Philipp v Barclays on APP fraud and the One Step case on negotiating damages.

His recent highlights include:

• Russian Aircraft Litigation [2025] EWHC 1430 (Comm): Acting for Lloyds Insurance Company S.A. and others in their capacity as war risks insurers in the largest aviation insurance claims in history, arising following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (led by David Railton KC, Simon Atrill KC and others).

• Philipp v Barclays Bank UK plc [2024] AC 346: Acting for Barclays Bank in their successful appeal to the Supreme Court concerning whether banks owe a duty of care to their customers in respect of authorised push payment fraud. The Supreme Court recast the Quincecare duty, and rationalised it by reference to agency principles (led by Patrick Goodall KC).

• SKAT v Solo Capital Partners and others [2025] EWHC 2364 (Comm): Acting for certain defendants in claims for >£1.5 billion brought by the Kingdom of Denmark relating to dividend arbitrage and cum ex trading and allegations of fraudulent withholding tax reclaim applications. The case is one of the largest fraud claims to have been brought in the English courts in recent years, involving up to thirty separate legal teams and was the subject of a significant judgments on the revenue rule in April 2021 and February 2022 (led by Adam Zellick KC and as sole counsel).

• Tchenguiz v Grant Thornton: Acting for the claimants in unlawful means conspiracy and malicious prosecution claims arising from an SFO investigation. 12-week Commercial Court trial and one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top Cases’ of 2018. A settlement was reached with a related party once the case had been opened (led by Stephen Rubin KC and Charles Béar KC).

• One Step v Morris Garner [2019] AC 649: Acting for the successful appellants in their Supreme Court appeal in a substantial restrictive covenant dispute. The decision is a leading authority on the law of damages, concerning Wrotham Park / negotiating damages for breach of contract (led by Charles Béar KC).

Called 2015; Inner Temple

Former Solicitor specialising in Dispute Resolution; Associate (2012 – 2015) and Trainee Solicitor (2010 – 2012) at Linklaters LLP.

COMBAR

Chapter on ‘Godard v Gray and Schibsby v Westernholz’ Merrett and Day (ed.), ‘Landmark Cases on Private International Law’; ‘Chapter on ‘Good arguable case’, Worthington and Day (ed.) ‘Challenging Private Law: Lord Sumption on the Supreme Court; ‘Service out in the Supreme Court (again)’ (2022) 138 L.Q.R. 199; ‘A new frontier for Brussels I – private law remedies for breach of the Regulation? [2017] 13 Journal of Private International Law 356.