Stone Chambers | Barristers | Vasanti Selvaratnam QC

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC practices in all aspects of international commercial litigation and arbitration, including shipping (wet and dry), commodities, banking and finance, conflict of law and jurisdiction disputes, all forms of interim urgent relief including freezing orders and anti-suit injunctions, and civil fraud.

She is particularly noted for her user friendly "hands on" approach to cases and for her ability quickly to get to grips with disputes raising complex factual and technical issues which require a sound grasp of expert evidence and mastery of detail.

Clients include the major P&I clubs, shipowners, charterers and salvors as well as large commercial organisations involved in commercial court litigation or international commercial arbitration in non shipping matters.

Reported leading cases include: The Starsin (2003, House of Lords, commerical litigation, shipping); Arkin v Borchard Lines and ors (2003/04, Court of Appeal, commercial litigation; shipping; competition law); Noga v Abacha Defendants (2007, commercial litigation, civil fraud), Front Ace c/w Vicky 1 (2008, Court of Appeal, shipping), The Wadi Sudr (2009/10, Court of Appeal, commercial litigation, EU jurisdiction dispute post West Tankers); Rimpacific v Daehan Shipbuilding, Madoff Securities International Ltd (in liquidation) v Yacht Bull Corporation (2009, Anti suit injunction, jurisdiction dispute); (2010, Conflict of laws, inter-relationship between EC Insolvency Regulation and Judgments Regulation).

Vasanti Selvaratnam's practice embraces all aspects of:

International commercial litigation, including:
- Energy
- International Sale of Goods
- Documentary credits
- Enforceability of guarantees
- Insurance
- Conflict of laws, jurisdiction disputes
- All forms of interlocutory relief, including worldwide freezing orders and anti-suit injunctions
International arbitration
Civil fraud
Shipping, transport and commodities

Particular specialism in cases requiring technical expertise. Vasanti is recommended as a leading silk in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 and is noted for being a "poised and highly measured advocate".

Vasanti also sits as an arbitrator in international commercial disputes.

> Click to view Vasanti's full commercial profile

> Click to view Vasanti's full shipping & international trade profile

> Click to view Vasanti's arbitrator profile

LLB (Hons), LLM (1st Class, King's College, London)

Other Professional Affiliations and Memberships:

Member of ICC's Banking and Finance Committee, COMBAR, BMLA, LMAA, LSLC, Bar European Group, European Circuit; Law Society European Group, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Accredited mediator.

Career:

Called to the Bar 1983: LLM 1984; in practice 1985 to date; Assistant Recorder 1999; Recorder 2000; Queen's Counsel 2001; Bencher of Middle Temple 2011, one of the founding Members of Stone Chambers 2001. Accepts appointments as arbitrator in a wide range of commercial disputes.

Rights of Audience

England and Wales (1983)

Dubai International Financial Centre Courts (2008)

Recommendations

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC is recommended as a leading silk for Shipping law in Chambers & Partners, the Legal 500 and Legal Experts.

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC's skills in cross-examinations are highly rated: "She comes across as incredibly calm and considered but leaves a trail of destruction in her wake."(Chambers & Partners 2012)

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC is known for her tenacity and recently acted in the 'Wadi Sudr' case, which has become the leading case on the enforcement of a foreign judgment in the UK that is in breach of the EU Judgments Regulation. (Chambers & Partners 2011)

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC's shipping work centres on multimillion-pound disputes, and recently included acting in APL Panama, which resulted in the largest Lloyd's Open Form award seen in the market to date. (Legal 500 2010)

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC has a similarly wide-ranging commercial litigation practice. On the shipping front, she is especially famed for her track record on complex salvage cases. (Chambers & Partners 2010)

'A poised and highly measured advocate'.
(Chambers & Partners 2009)

Vasanti Selvaratnam QC is well-regarded for high-level shipping and international trade disputes, and acted on The Front Ace case, one of the few references to the Admiralty Registrar that has gone to the Court of Appeal on points of principle in recent years. (Legal 500 2009)