John Reynolds

Practice Areas

John has helped clients resolve complex problems for more than three decades and is a deeply connected member of the global dispute resolution community. As a leading figure in the legal world, he has been involved in many of the landmark cases that have shaped the litigation landscape.

Over the years, John has maintained a broad practice, believing that diverse experience brings benefits in looking at most problems. His specialist areas of focus include corporate and M&A disputes, finance litigation, shareholder disputes, investigations, crisis management, fraud and competition litigation.

Career

John Reynolds is a leading international litigation and arbitration specialist. In his 35-year career, he spent over 15 years at White & Case as Head of the London Litigation Department and Global Co Head of the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice, and he was also a partner at McDermott Will & Emery and Herbert Smith.

John has helped clients resolve complex problems for more than three decades and is a deeply-connected member of the global dispute resolution community. As a leading figure in the legal world, he has been involved in many of the landmark cases that have shaped the litigation landscape.

Over the years, John has maintained a broad practice, believing that diverse experience brings benefits in looking at most problems. His specialist areas of focus include corporate and M&A disputes, finance litigation, shareholder disputes, investigations, crisis management, fraud and competition litigation.

John has been a ranked litigator in both Chambers and Legal 500 for more than 20 years. He has been described as “a titan of the London litigation landscape” in Legal 500’s 2021 Hall of Fame, an ‘esteemed litigator’ in Chambers 2021 and is ranked as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Legal // Litigation.

Work Highlights

John's key representations include:

A 13-year battle for control of a Turkish mobile telephone operator arising from financing and restructuring during the Turkish banking crisis. The principal litigation and trial was in the British Virgin Islands and involved 8 appeals to the Privy Council in London. There were related arbitration proceedings in Geneva and Vienna and litigation to enforce arbitration awards in multiple jurisdictions. The case was the first to establish the parameters of the widely-used European security-enforcement measure of appropriation.

Investigation relating to transatlantic regulatory enforcement proceedings against a global investment bank, involving anti money laundering systems and controls, arising from so-called “mirror trading” of Russian blue-chip stocks.

The first major UK case of the global financial crisis: suing the UK Government in respect of its nationalisation of Northern Rock Bank following the first UK bank run for 150 years. The case involved arguing (successfully) that the nationalisation had breached the human rights of the client, an investment fund based outside the UK which was the largest shareholder at the time of nationalisation.

Politics and intrigue in Eastern Europe: litigation in London and Luxembourg and arbitration in Vienna concerning the ownership of a strategically-important former State-owned company. In essence, the dispute concerned the enforcement of a loan facility, but it raised allegations of fraud and wider political motivations. It sucked in a bank, governmental agencies, oligarchs and investment funds.

Advising a corporate in the lead-up to one of the largest IPOs of all time, on a range of issues that had potential impact.

Advising a global consumer brand on strategic considerations affecting the potential termination of a long-term regional joint venture.

Advising an international financial institution with a complex structure on governance changes to address regulatory requirements, as well as potential legal challenges to the regulators. the issues included the need to balance action against potential reputational damage.