Joe Young

Career

2023 - Present: Legal Director, Astraea Group Limited, London: Joe leads on several complex and high value commercial litigation cases. Typically, Joe advises clients on breach of contract, tortious actions, corporate disputes, and civil fraud. Joe has extensive experience of achieving successful outcomes for clients via alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation.

Joe is the Lead Lawyer regarding Knowledge and Innovation at Astraea and is the driving force behind technology adoption, process improvements and efficiencies at the firm, including the increased use of AI. Joe is the firm’s Lead Lawyer for training and in the past year has been responsible for re-working the firm’s internal appraisal process and reviewing the firm’s overall training requirements; he is Training Principal for juniors.

2012-2023: Pinsent Masons LLP, London: Joe trained at Pinsent Masons. In 2014, he then qualified into their Commercial Litigation and International Arbitration team. Joe advised on many high value and international disputes. Joe focused on commercial and corporate disputes, as well as Civil Fraud and Asset Recovery. Joe also specialised in Pensions and Investments Litigation and worked closely with Pinsent Masons’ Pensions Litigation Team.

2005-2012: Prior to law, Joe taught maths in secondary schools in Yorkshire and London. Joe then worked at a claims management firm immediately prior to his Training Contract.

Languages Spoken

English, Spanish (advanced)

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation, Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery, Arbitration, Risk and Regulatory Compliance.

Professional Memberships

Law Society of England and Wales

International Bar Association

Personal

Aside from his fee earning work, Joe is a leading advocate and commentator on Shared Parental Leave policies. Joe helped develop Pinsent Masons’ Global Parental Leave policies allowing all new parents 16 weeks of fully paid leave. Joe has written a blog for working parents www.dadonspl.com to help explain and chart the course for parents looking to take shared Parental Leave (Joe wrote the blog whilst taking 6 months of Shared Parental Leave with his baby in 2019). Joe’s partner (also a leading lawyer) worked full time throughout Joe’s leave. Known for his forward-thinking views on shared parenting, Joe was invited to speak to Vodafone UK’s entire UK workforce when it launched its “Parent Support Network”. Joe also interviewed several leading professionals who had taken Shared Parental Leave. Since returning to work, Joe continues to split childcare responsibilities equally with his partner and is highly supportive of flexible working.

Music: guitar and bass in various bands music projects (including “Law Rocks” bands).

Sport: running (marathon PB 2h59m; half-marathon PB 1h26m), rugby and snowboarding / skiing.

Education

Industry Sector Expertise

Joe has significant experience in the Professional Services sector - advising on Professional Negligence claims against solicitors firms, pension administrators, and professional trustees.

Joe has advised on a number of high value claims in the aviation sector and in the wider transprot sector generally.

Joe's work at Astraea has included a large amount of instructions from HNWIs and family offices.

Work Highlights

Leading on a £112 million claim for contractor in the North Sea oil services industry against a multinational. Joe and team achieved a successful outcome at mediation including a significant cash settlement and renegotiation of the existing contract. Client feedback:

"With your expert advice and assistance, we managed to get through a very complex and stressful commercial dispute ending with a favourable outcome where we will go back to work with the customer and hopefully have a long standing relationship with them."

Joe co-led the successful Pinsent Masons team in the high-value case of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada v SpiceJet (case value $42 million); Joe’s team were successful at first instance and before the Court of Appeal. The team deployed novel arguments at first instance and on appeal (see appeal judgment and below). Joe instructed Jasbir Dhillon KC and Tom Wood, both of Brick Court. At first instance, the court decided for the first time, post-Makdessi, that it was possible for the court to order, on a summary basis, that a liquidated damages clause was not a penalty. On appeal, the case was important because the Court of Appeal’s judgment gave useful procedural guidance on its jurisdiction to impose conditions on an appeal under CPR 52.18. Notwithstanding the requirements of CPR52.18 (which were not met on the facts), the court held that it could exercise its discretion to impose conditions where there was a subsequent material change in circumstances (which there had been on the facts of the case).

At Pinsent Masons, Joe also advised on one of the largest civil fraud cases in history (the £1.4 billion Danish Tax case) though is restricted from commenting further.

• Joe led on several complex multi-million Pensions Litigation cases, acting for one of the UK’s largest Pension Scheme Consultants and Administrators. The combined value of three different pension cases amounted to over £40million. The cases involved alleged professional negligence regarding complex issues of e.g. pensions equalisation, RPI vs CPI inflation, claims arising out of the LDI crisis, and the breaking of final salary links.

• Joe also advised a leading independent trustee firm (that was on the Pensions Regulator’s panel for appointments to failing schemes) throughout his time at Pinsent Masons. Joe acted on a number of pensions liberalisation cases and other scams. For example, Joe advised for several years on the Ark Pension Schemes. The case has been debated in parliament (see link) and has received significant media attention over the years.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

England and Wales