Name
Philip Riches

Philip Riches has a broad commercial practice covering in particular, joint venture shareholder disputes, shipping, international trade, professional negligence, competition law, insurance and reinsurance and banking. He has experience of advocacy in particular in the Commercial Court and in ICC, LCIA and LMAA arbitrations.

Philip was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2001. Prior to this he had worked in the European and commercial fields. From 1996 to 1997 he worked in the European Commission in Brussels and at the Federal Trust, a London-based European think-tank, assessing the impact on business of the introduction of the Euro. From 1997 to 1999 Philip worked with the Swire Group in China, Japan and Hong Kong in the international commodities trade.

Education

Awards and Scholarships

Recent Work

General Commercial, Shipping and International Trade

• Tillman & others v Jersonet & others (2005)
  • US$100 million Commercial Court dispute between Ukrainian and Russian shareholders in a Ukrainian energy sector joint venture. Junior Counsel, led by Steven Gee QC, in applications for freezing injunctions against BVI shareholders and Russian interests.
• Caldwell Associates Ltd v Lloyd & Associates (2005)
  • Counsel for claimant in ongoing Commercial Court professional negligence claim. The case includes argument over the Court’s discretion to grant freezing orders as well as a disclosure application against a non-party bank for financial information.
• Sea Beam Maritime Co Ltd v Fortis Corporate Insurance NV and Others (2005)
  • Commercial Court application for interim anti-suit injunction
• Dollfus Mieg & Cie v CDW International Ltd (2004)
  • Second Junior Counsel, led by Mark Howard QC and Timothy Hill for joint venture shareholder in complex US$50 million dispute in the Commercial Court concerning textile manufacturing in China and Hong Kong, with litigation being conducted in 4 jurisdictions.
  • Sole Counsel in application for hearing of preliminary issues, in application for specific disclosure and at CMCs.
• ICC arbitration (2004)
  • ICC arbitration concerning a US$400 million claim by shareholders in an Indian mobile telecommunications joint venture.
  • As Second Junior Counsel, led by Joe Smouha QC and Akhil Shah, drafted statements of case and advised in relation to disclosure and evidence.
  • Appeared as sole Counsel in disclosure hearings in New York and London.
• Alphapoint Shipping Ltd v Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd and Ors (“Agios Dimitrios”) [2005] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 23
  • Commercial Court appeal from an arbitration award under ss.68 and 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996. Colman J. gave a leading judgment on the discretion held by the court to remit a case to the tribunal or to allow an appeal from the award and on the power of the tribunal to make findings on points not directly argued before them.
• Triton Navigation Ltd v Vitol S.A. (“The Nikmary”) [2004] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 55 (CA), [2003] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 151
  • Junior Counsel, led by Vasanti Selvaratnam QC, in Commercial Court claim and in appeal to Court of Appeal (making oral closing submissions to Court of Appeal). Principal issue concerned Charterers’ obligation to provide a cargo.
  • Counsel for Owners resisting Charterers’ application for a stay of execution of judgment at first instance.
• Re Namco UK Ltd [2003] BCLC 78
  • Companies Court application, opposing the appointment of provisional liquidators.

Competition Law

• Co-author of Vaughan, Lee, Kennelly & Riches: “General Principles of EU Competition Law” (Richmond, 2005) – a new book forming part of the Vaughan and Robertson: Law of the European Union series.
• Advise regularly on the application of competition law to the shipping industry.

Languages

• Advanced Spanish and French.
• Competent Mandarin.

Other

• Lecturer on British Council’s South West China tour October 2005. Lectured on aspects of arbitration in international trade disputes.
• Represented the Junior Bar for the British Council/Bar Council UK-Pakistan Access to Justice programme, Pakistan, February 2004.
• Member of the Great Britain-China Centre.
• Member of Combar.
• Member of the Bar European Group.
• Member of the European Circuit.