"Raj is excellent. He knows the law inside out, he's easy to work with and he works well with clients. He's also a very good advocate."

Raj has a busy offshore practice and is experienced in dealing with contentious and non-contentious complex offshore and domestic trusts matters including:

• Advising the limited partners of a Guernsey limited partnership (a close private equity fund) on their potential remedies in a substantial dispute with the general partner.
• Investec Trust (Guernsey) Limited v Glenalla Properties Limited & Ors (Royal Court of Guernsey) – acted for the former trustees in breach of trust proceedings arising out of the failure of Kaupthing Bank, both at first instance and in the Guernsey Court of Appeal.
• Carlyle Capital Corporation v. Conway (Royal Court of Guernsey) – assisted the liquidators in preparation for the first instance trial concerning the collapse of a fund investing in collateralised loan obligations during the 2008 financial crash.
• Bordeaux Services (Guernsey) Limited & others v. GFSC (Royal Court of Guernsey) – successfully acted for the Company and its officers on an appeal in respect of the length of prohibitions and the level of fines imposed on them by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission in relation to issues arising from the administration of a Guernsey company connected to the Arch Cru investment fund.
• Kilpatrick v. Kilpatrick & others (Royal Court of Guernsey) – advised the defendant settlors and trustee in relation to a claim for misrepresentation, negligence and mistake brought by a beneficiary
• B v. Sovereign Trust (Guernsey) Limited (Royal Court of Guernsey) – acted for the trustees of a Major Airline’s employee income protection scheme in a claim brought by a former pilot following the trustees’ rejection of the pilot’s claim after a heart attack.
• Acted for the beneficiaries under an allegedly ineffective Deed of Appointment in relation to the trustees’ application to the Royal Court of Guernsey for directions as to the objects of the trust.
• Acted for a trustee bank in a £20 million dispute with a potential beneficiary, including defending an application for a prospective costs order and making a Public Trustee v. Cooper-type application.
• Regularly advises on the validity and construction of trust instruments, on trustees’ duties and beneficiaries’ rights, on constructive and resulting trusts and on conflicts of interest.
• Advised a trust company on its potential liability in negligence for having failed to obtain tax advice before implementing a PAYE umbrella scheme upon the instructions of the settlor.

Raj advises and appears for clients on all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency. Highlights include:

• Re Sriram [2024] EWHC 853 (Ch) – successfully acting for a petitioning creditor opposing an annulment application in an exceptional case where the debtor was found to have lacked capacity when the petition was served and the bankruptcy order was made, but the Court in its discretion refused to annul.
• Re a Company (2024) – successfully obtaining an administration order at very short notice on the application of the directors.
• Manolete Partners plc v. Coombes (2024) – successfully acted for the claimant to secure judgment of £650,000 against two directors of a company for breach of duties.
• BetIndex Limited v. Index Labs Limited (2023) – acting for the liquidators of an online sports betting platform on a multi-million pound cross-jurisdiction claim regarding administration expenses.
• Stephen Hunt v. Freakley & others (2023) – successfully acted for the liquidator in proceedings to obtain freezing injunctions to stop directors dissipating assets to family members before trial.
• Manolete Partners plc v. Rahman (2023) – successfully acted for the claimant in proceedings against a company director for breach of duties, securing judgment of £900,000
• Bartletts Hi-Fi Limited (2023) – acting for the Secretary of State in directors disqualification proceedings involving a multi-million pound MTIC fraud.
• Team Property Management Limited (2023) – acting for the Secretary of State in directors disqualification proceedings against a director of a property management company.
• Pure Zanzibar Limited [2022] EWHC 971 (Ch) and [2023] EWHC 2284 (Ch) –acting for the Secretary of State in directors disqualification proceedings seeking one of the first ever compensation orders against a director.
• HMRC v. Ozcal Limited [2020] EWHC 3771 (Ch) – acted for HMRC on the first reported case of a winding up order being made on the basis of an unpaid Accelerated Payment Notice (APN).
• Peover Inns Limited (2020) – acted for a CVL liquidator on a contested directions application under rule 12.64, IR 2016 as to the validity of his appointment
• Stephen Hunt & System Building Services Ltd v. Michie [2020] EWHC 54 (Ch) – landmark decision on the continuance of directors’ fiduciary duties into administration and CVL. Successfully acted for the Liquidator in a 3-day trial involving constructive trust and misfeasance claims against the director.
• Re Transworld Payment Solutions UK Limited [2020] EWHC 115 (Ch) – acted for the Official Receiver on a heavily contested public examination application under s.133(2), IA 1986.
• Refined UK Limited – Currently acting for Liquidators in relation to substantial claims for unpaid vendor’s liens, unjust enrichment, conspiracy, dishonest assistance and transactions defrauding creditors against a former director and associates. (Led by Peter Shaw KC).
• Acting for secured lenders AIB Group (UK) PLC on an application by the administrators of 7 companies to dispose of property which is subject to security under para 71 of Sch B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986.
• Standard Gas Engineering Limited v. JE Baring & Co – acted for joint liquidators on a claim under s.236, Insolvency Act 1986 for information and documents from the Company’s former solicitors.
• Vieira v. HMRC [2017] 4 WLR 86 – Successfully acted for HMRC defending an appeal against a Registrar’s refusal to set aside a statutory demand. The case is a leading recent authority on the function and status of statutory demands and on the Court’s discretion to adjourn set aside applications.
• Emmanuel v. HMRC [2017] BPIR 1182 – Successfully acted for HMRC defending an appeal against the dismissal of a bankruptcy annulment application on the grounds that HMRC had met its obligations as to service of the bankruptcy petition where it could not realistically have known that the taxpayer was living at a different address.
• Budniok v. The Adjudicator, Insolvency Service (22 February 2017) – advised and represented the Adjudicator in the leading authority on appeals under the new debtor’s bankruptcy regime under ss. 263H-O, Insolvency Act 1986.
• Frosdick v. Secretary of State for BEIS & the Official Receiver [2016] EWHC 3008 (Ch) – acted for the Secretary of State for BEIS and the Official Receiver on a successful strike out application of a claim for negligence and breach of statutory duty.
• Raj regularly acts for HMRC on the Companies Winding-Up List in the Insolvency and Companies Court.
• Koumettou v. Bolton Hall Senior Living Ltd [2016] EWHC 2046 (Ch) – acted for an administrator on an application for directions as to the validity and enforceability of a legal charge.
• Hunt & another v. Bridgegate Communications Ltd [2016] EWHC 2085 (Ch) – acted for a liquidator in a misfeasance claim against a former director.
• Zelouf v. Khanna [2016] EWHC 205 (Ch) – acted for a creditor on an appeal in proceedings challenging an IVA under s.262, Insolvency Act 1986.
• Schrade v. Sparkasse Ludenscheid [2014] EWHC 1049 (Ch) – acted for a debtor on an appeal against the dismissal of a bankruptcy petition by a German national on the grounds that his COMI was not in England.

Raj advises on all aspects of Company Law, including in relation to shareholder disputes, directors’ duties, reductions and reorganisations of capital and conduct of meetings. Recent experience includes:

• Advising HM Treasury (led by Charles Banner KC) on company law matters arising on the application of the Libya (EU Financial Sanctions) Regulations 2016 to complex corporate structures.
• Advising the Secretary of State for BEIS on the application of streamlined energy and carbon reporting (SECR) regulations to complex corporate structures.
• Regularly advises and represents the Registrar of Companies and private parties on company restoration and rectification of register matters.
• Advising shareholders of a company in relation to an unfair prejudice claim.
• Successfully representing a group of members of a company limited by guarantee who contested the legitimacy of board elections.
• Currently acting for a company in a dispute concerning a share purchase agreement.
• Regularly advises companies and creditors on administration applications.
• Regularly appears (for the Secretary of State or for directors) in disqualification proceedings.
• Acted for the administrators of an estate in relation to a dispute concerning ownership of a company’s shares, including defending a summary judgment application involving questions of res judicata from previous decisions in parallel foreign proceedings.

Raj has extensive experience of Commercial Disputes, including applications for injunctive relief, with his recent experience including:

• Advising on a dispute in relation to a multi-billion pound contract for the production and supply of complex air defence systems.
• Advising HM Treasury (led by Charles Banner KC) on company law matters arising on the application of the Libya (EU Financial Sanctions) Regulations 2016 to complex corporate structures.
• Seddon v. Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency [2019] EWCA 14 – Successfully acted for the DVLA in the Court of Appeal and at first instance (both as sole counsel) on a preliminary issues trial concerning whether DVLA owed a duty of care to prospective purchasers of vintage motor vehicles.
• Blade Motor Group Ltd v. Reynolds & Reynolds Ltd [2018] EWHC 497 (Ch) – acted for a motor retailer in proceedings concerning breach of a software licensing agreement.
• Trinity Logistics USA Inc. v. Goonewardena & others [2017] EWHC 2353 (Comm) – Successfully acted for an individual in a 7-day trial defending proceedings for alleged conspiracy, misrepresentation and fraud in relation to bills of lading arising from international freight forwarding contracts.
•  Acted for a major international logistics provider in arbitration proceedings under CIArb rules against a major UK food supplier (Jan 2019).
• Stenningford Ltd v. CPT Global Ltd – acted for the claimant software consultancy in a claim for unpaid invoices. The defendant counterclaimed for alleged overcharging based upon an ‘hours cap’ clause within the consultancy agreement in circumstances where it was said the defendant asked the claimant to undertake extra hours.
• Choudhury & others v. Alam & others (16 May 2018) (Ch) – Successfully acted for the claimants in an acrimonious dispute involving two rival boards, each alleging to have been validly appointed. Obtained an injunction before Newey J to prevent the defendants from interfering in the management of the company. Successfully argued before Rachel Agnello KC that the parties had entered into a binding compromise.
• JSC Bank of Moscow v. JFC Group Holding (BVI) Ltd & others – acted for a Russian businessman in relation to a Worldwide Freezing Injunction. The case concerned whether an individual was a de factor director of 3 respondent companies and should therefore also be included on the penal notice to the Injunction (Led by Michael Ashe KC)
•  Provided a legal opinion on the validity of a Guarantee and Indemnity under English law for Russian litigation.
•  Successfully acted for an English company seeking to recover a loan from a Cypriot borrower and to enforce an equitable charge over the borrower’s property in London. Included advising on issues of service out of the jurisdiction.
• Aarena Associates Ltd v. Pluckrose [2013] EWHC 4216 (Ch) – acted for a property development company in a dispute concerning a joint venture agreement relating to the development of a block of flats.
•  Prepared a legal opinion for a South African bank concerning the validity of a guarantee given in relation to bulk imports of South African wine by an English company.
•  Regularly acts for lenders and receivers bringing and defending proceedings against borrowers in relation to residential and commercial mortgages.
•  (As a solicitor) Acted for Rabobank Nederland in its $200 million claim against NatWest Bank plc for fraud, misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty in the Commercial Court, culminating in a 53-day Commercial Court trial.

Raj is a member of the Chancery Bar Association, the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association, the Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA) and the Denning Society (Lincoln’s Inn).

• Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge (April 2024)
• Attorney General’s ‘B’ Panel of Counsel (September 2020)

• Tolley’s Insolvency Law Service – contributing editor (Taxation of Insolvent Companies, Bankruptcy and Litigation, and Administration of a Bankrupt’s Estate chapters
• Atkins Court Forms, Vol. 4 (Agency) – contributing editon
• Atkins Court Forms, Vol. 21(2) (Highways) – contributing editor
• Application of director disqualification legislation to LLP members – Re Bell Pottinger LLP v. Geoghegan (Lexis Nexis)
• Excessive pension contribution recovery in bankruptcy (Practice note for Lexis Nexis)
• Non-party disclosure orders against trustees based outside England and Wales: Gorbachev v. Guriev [2022] EWCA Civ 1270 – Trusts & Estates, November 2022
• Discretion and the Insolvency Act 1986 – Trusts & Estates, September 2023
• Non-party disclosure orders against trustees based outside England and Wales – Trusts & Estates, October 2022
• Expiry of limitation periods in trusts litigation: Matthew v. Sedman [2021] UKSC 19 – Trusts & Estates, July 2021

Raj read law at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2008.
Raj is a keen musician (trumpet), having undertaken a postgraduate performance diploma (graduating with distinction) at the Royal Academy of Music after university. Raj is a trustee of NMC Recordings, a music charity devoted to recording the works of British contemporary classical music.

Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholarship
Felicitas Trust scholarship
Levitt Scholar (Lincoln’s Inn)

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