Stephen Houseman KC

Practice Areas

A diverse range of international commercial and corporate disputes across most business and financial sectors. Focus on banking, finance, investment, shareholder and contested corporate assets including crypto and other intangible property. Many cases involve multi-jurisdictional contexts and foreign law elements. A natural leader of large multi-set teams of counsel in major complex disputes, who also acts regularly and proficiently on very urgent matters.

Specialist expertise in arbitration-related court work covering curial challenges and injunctions: a separate profile/portfolio for anti-suit and other injunctive work reflects the depth of this market-leading experience working for magic circle (e.g. Allen & Overy), American or boutique firms. RiverRock Securities v. International Bank of St. Petersburg (2020) is the leading authority on arbitrability of foreign insolvency-related claims.

Regular appearances in offshore jurisdictions including Cayman Islands, BVI, DIFC, SICC and respective appellate courts. Recent appellate work: Privy Council (Airport Authority v. Western Air in 2020), Singapore CA (Singapore Airlines v. CSDS in 2022), Eastern Caribbean CA / Privy Council (1Globe Capital v. Sinovac in 2019-2022). Extensive ‘big trial’ experience in Commercial Court and Chancery Division. Instructed by Clifford Chance in Yukos Finance v. Lynch (7 week trial in 2019); currently instructed by Hogan Lovells for 7 week trial in ENRC v. SFO (No.2) leading a team of silk/junior counsel from three sets.

Deputy Judge of the High Court since November 2019 sitting in both Commercial Court (KBD) and Chancery Division (Business List). Reported judgments such as Wang v. Darby on trusts over crypto-currency.