Tom Laidler

Tom's representative experience includes:

Commercial litigation

• Acting for the fiduciary services arm of a major international bank, defending a GBP300m claim for conspiracy in the English High Court, including ancillary freezing order relief and proceedings before the Guernsey Courts.
• Acting for a FTSE 100 business on its successful application for an anti-suit injunction restraining Delaware proceedings, protecting the client's jurisdictional and contractual position in a complex cross-border dispute.
• Advising a large cap private equity firm on litigation risk relating to the acquisition of certain hospitality and leisure assets.
• Acting for a large legal services business operating via an ABS structure in connection with governance matters and disputes arising following the exit of its founder.
• Acting for a private equity backed banking group on its defence of a USD200m claim concerning alleged breaches of a share purchase agreement in respect of a Zambian bank, culminating in a 4-week trial before the English High Court and the dismissal of all claims.
• Acting for a major oil company in a USD380m complex cross-border fraud claim brought in the English High Court against four high-net-worth individuals, including ancillary freezing order relief.
• Acting for the majority shareholder in the world’s second largest razorblade manufacturer in a complex boardroom dispute with a private equity investor. The dispute involved expedited high value claims in the English High Court, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, and India; and criminal proceedings in Dubai.

Financial restructuring / Insolvency litigation

• Advising on various contentious restructurings, including for the Aggregate plan company on its successful and heavily contested EUR1 billion debt restructuring under Part 26A Companies Act 2006.
• Acting for GLAS, as facility agent and security trustee under certain secured financing arrangements, in its defence of English High Court proceedings arising out of the collapse of Debenhams PLC.
• Acting for Oceanwood Opportunities Master Fund, as the majority holder of EUR290m senior secured notes issued by the Norske Skog group, in expedited proceedings before the English High Court for declaratory relief regarding a contested enforcement sale process for a global paper manufacturer. The matter included defending a connected English High Court claim for breach of a derivative contract, involving complex issues of valuation and market abuse.
• Acting for Deloitte, as administrators of African Minerals Limited, an AIM-listed company with debts of over USD1bn whose principal asset was an iron ore mine in Sierra Leone, in connection with its scheme of arrangement and claims against the Shandong Iron & Steel Group with a value in excess of USD220m.
• Acting for Fairhold Securitisation Limited (the issuer of approximately GBP440m secured notes) in expedited proceedings before the English High Court for declaratory and injunctive relief regarding the wrongful appointment of administrators and attempted pre-pack sale.
• Acting for Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc on its insolvency, particularly regarding its interests in its European subsidiary’s GBP7bn administration surplus, including the Waterfall I and Waterfall II applications.
• Acting for KPMG, as the administrators of MF Global UK, a global commodities brokerage with debts in excess of USD5bn, including with regard to the shortfall, client money, resolution and pensions applications, as well as various creditor claims.