Biography: Commercial Litigation

Simon is a qualified solicitor advocate specialising in large-scale international commercial litigation. He has wide experience in the corporate, financial services, commodities and banking sectors, and has also acted for a significant number of foreign government agencies or state-owned companies. Simon co-chairs Herbert Smith's London-based civil fraud and asset tracing practice, and has also been responsible for establishing the firm's Russian dispute resolution practice, which he leads from London.

Simon has undertaken investigations into complex, worldwide frauds, conspiracies, insolvencies, and coordinated multi-jurisdictional proceedings. He is highly experienced in obtaining, executing and advising on pre-action third party disclosure orders, freezing injunctions, and search orders.

Simon regularly advises in relation to investment banking disputes, breaches of trust and fiduciary duty, professional negligence, money laundering, bribery and corruption, shareholder disputes, as well as a wide variety of general commercial disputes. Simon has significant international arbitration experience and regularly leads teams involving members of the firm's specialist international arbitration practice.

Simon is general editor of International Fraud and Asset Tracing, a book published by European Lawyer. He is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on interim remedies and injunctions in support of cross-border cases, as well as a variety of other fraud related topics. Simon is prominent in the firm's crisis management practice.

Recent cases have included acting for Tajik Aluminium Plant in the English High Court, the BVI High Court and the London Court of International Arbitration, and acting for the Democratic Government of the Republic of Chile and the state-owned copper producer Codelco in connection with its US$170 million losses in copper and bullion futures trading on the London Metal Exchange with proceedings in London, New York, Bermuda, Cayman J Guernsey and Florida.