Rupert Reed

International & Offshore CV

Rupert has a significant practice in the Middle East, advising clients acros the MENA region and acting both in arbitrations and in proceedings in the DIFC Courts.  Much of his work in the Middle East, and in serving Arab clients in London, relates to banking, finance and property matters.  Rupert speaks functional Arabic, and is able to work with Arabic documents.  He has also done a significant amount of work of clients in Asia, and Hong Kong and Singapore in particular.

Recent cases include:

• With Jonathan Acton Davis QC, acting for a British banker based in Bahrain in successfully resisting summary judgment in the English Commercial Court on guarantees given in a rescheduling agreement made with the Dubai Islamic Bank, and advising generally on strategy across proceedings in England, Dubai and Bahrain (Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC v. PSI Energy Holding Co BSC & Ors [2011] EWHC 2718 (Comm)).
  
  
• Advising a major Lebanese bank in respect of the effect of worldwide freezing injunctions obtained in England and Jersey against a Syrian client, and in particular as to whether it could continue to operate credit facilities granted to him by various European subsidiaries of the Lebanese bank (Cargill Africa Investments Limited & Ors v. Mohammed Najeb al Assaf & Ors [2011]).
  
  
• Acting successfully in the DIFC Court for the former Managing Director of DIFC Investments, ultimately owned by the Dubai Government, in defending claims made against him in fraud and breach of fiduciary duty and in procuring the settlement of the Claimant's claims for unpaid salary and other benefits (Barazi v. DIFC Investments LLC [2011]).
  
  
• Acting for the owner of a hedge fund based in Lebanon on claims brought by him in the DIFC Courts against a property company owned by the Dubai Government for breaches of a reservation agreement arising out of delays in issuing a sale and purchase agreement said to be in accordance with accepted market practice in Dubai and the DIFC and defects in the quality and finish of property which the developer was seeking to hand over to the Claimant (Dorsey v. Union Properties PJSC [2011]).
  
  
• Acting for the former Middle East HR director of Morgan Stanley in pursuing claims in the DIFC Courts arising out of the management structure of Morgan Stanley in the wider EMEA area and the Claimant's involvement in a joint venture between Morgan Stanley and a Saudi investment bank [2011].
  
  
• Acting successfully for a major Lebanese bank in obtaining an Order for the return of USD 11 million in deposits under Islamic finance contracts with a Kuwaiti bank, and advising with Craig Orr QC in respect of the Bank's entitlements pursuant to a restructuring of the Defendant's liabilities under the Kuwaiti Financial Stability Law (BLOM v. The Investment Dar Co [2009] EWHC 3545 (Ch)).
  
  
• With Jules Sher QC, advising Deutsche Bank in its defence in the Singaporean Courts of claims relating to its exercise of security over shares in an Indonesian mining company (Beckkett Pte Ltd v. Deutsche Bank & Anor [2009] SGCA 18).