Middleton, Oliver

Oliver Middleton

Partner

oliver.middleton@lw.com
    Middleton, Oliver

    Oliver Middleton

    Partner

    oliver.middleton@lw.com
    "He is absolutely excellent at seeing the strategic points and ensuring the client sees all the steps ahead."

    Chambers UK 2023

    "Oliver is really strong on very strategic big commercial cases."

    Chambers UK 2023

    "A real street fighter when he needs to be, totally committed to securing the best tactical outcome."

    The Legal 500 UK 2023

    Profile

    Oliver Middleton, Co-Chair of the London Litigation & Trial Department, acts for clients in all manner of commercial disputes, with a particular focus on complex, high-profile commercial litigation including financial, corporate, and shareholder claims. He draws on successful experience with some of the most significant class actions in the UK.

    Mr. Middleton has experience across a wide range of commercial litigation matters and regulatory investigations, including:

    • Financial litigation
    • Complex contractual claims
    • Shareholder actions (including s.90/s.90A FSMA and unfair prejudice claims)
    • Bondholder disputes
    • Trust litigation
    • Economic tort claims
    • Insurance disputes
    • Data privacy
    • Breaches of confidence
    • Defamation claims
    • Intellectual property litigation

    He represents clients in the banking and financial services, insurance, private equity, media, and technology industries.

    Mr. Middleton is uniquely positioned to understand significant claims from both claimant and defendant perspectives, as he was previously at a well-known claimant litigation firm. He leverages a sophisticated understanding of claimants’ goals, tactics, and issues — such as book building, working with litigation funders, shareholder class action trends, and settlement strategies. In particular, he draws on insights from his work acting in the RBS Rights Issue Litigation, one of the largest cases before the English Courts and the seminal s.90 FSMA case.

    Accolades

    • Featured in the Hot 100 list
      The Lawyer Magazine 2021
    • Shortlisted in the “Litigation Rising Star” category at the British Legal Awards 2020
    • Named a recommended litigator within the Commercial Litigation category
      Legal 500 2018

    Experience

    Mr. Middleton’s experience includes advising:

    • Barclays in a group claim by more than 100 claimants under ss.90 and 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). The threatened claim relates to allegedly untrue or misleading statements and/or omissions made by the bank in the period regarding its “dark pool” trading system
    • A syndicate of banks in an LCIA arbitration enforcing equity support and completion guarantees provided in a complex Islamic project financing transaction in the renewable energy sector
    • Meta and numerous other technology clients on data privacy investigations
    • A communications company on a high value insurance related contractual dispute
    • Koza Ltd in a complex global dispute between the Ipek family and the Republic of Turkey, following the expropriation of all of the families’ assets including a multi-billion dollar corporate enterprise
    • Barclays in claims brought by more than 190 investors in the High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, regarding allegations of conspiring to manipulate the foreign exchange market
    • An international central bank in investigations regarding that country’s most prominent banking institution
    • Awaze Limited in a contractual indemnity claim in the Commercial Court worth over £33 million, arising out of the approximately US$1.3 billion acquisition of the Awaze Group from Wyndham Destinations
    • One Equity Partners, Platinum Equity, and numerous other private equity clients and portfolio companies on contractual claims arising post-completion — with a particular focus on SPA warranty claims
    • A worldwide provider of telecommunication services on a tax related dispute, raising novel points of European law
    • Various Miramax companies in relation to claims arising out of alleged misconduct of Harvey Weinstein
    • Legal & General, Standard Life, The Prudential, Aviva, and USS in their claims against RBS arising out of a 2008 £12 billion rights issue, resulting in the seminal s.90 FSMA case — one of the largest claims ever to go before the English Courts — that set precedent for dealing with the liability of issuers of securities*
    • Rothschild and an international conglomerate regarding matters in Africa, the Middle East, London and related proceedings in Guernsey, involving Beddoes applications and advice as to duties and role of trustees*
    • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars) in relation to hundreds of claims against infringements of its intellectual property in the UK*
    • A representative noteholder in respect of the Gemini (Eclipse 2006-3) CMBS in relation to an important point of construction in the securities transaction documents*
    • News International in relation to civil claims brought against the News of the World regarding the voicemail interception scandal*
    • Titanium Resources Group on a multi-million pound insurance claim against its insurers regarding a mining accident*

    *Matter handled prior to joining Latham

    Qualifications

    Bar Qualification

    • England and Wales (Solicitor)

    Education

    • LPC, Oxford Institute of Legal Practice
    • MA (Oxon) in Jurisprudence, Worcester College, Oxford

    Practices

    Industries

    Recognition

    News & Insights

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