Investor Disputes

Expert legal advice on investor disputes across the full spectrum of investment, equity, debt and asset class litigation.

Overview

Travers Smith's investment disputes practice advises on some of the largest and most complex disputes in the English courts, acting for both claimants and defendants across a broad range of investment-related matters.

Our lawyers have deep expertise in public and private equity and debt, as well as other asset classes including infrastructure, real estate and digital assets. We advise a wide range of clients - including institutional investors, funds, financial institutions and corporates - on matters that include:

  • Shareholder disputes
  • Misrepresentation and misselling claims, including those involving fraud
  • Professional negligence
  • Debt defaults and security enforcement
  • Derivatives and structured products
  • Contentious debt restructuring
  • Contentious insolvency and digital assets disputes

Selected highlights

  • Advising a private equity investor in relation to an investigation into one of its portfolio groups of companies, headquartered in Europe, in response to allegations of widespread fraud, bribery, embezzlement, false accounting and corruption across multiple jurisdictions.

  • Acing for a private equity house and its portfolio tech company in relation to a shareholder dispute involving the founder and minority shareholder of the portfolio company.

  • Advising French football club Olympique Lyonnais in defending Business and Property Court proceedings brought by US investment manager PRPF LLC arising from a disputed assignment by Brazilian club Botafogo FR of a player transfer fee to PRPF, raising complex multi-jurisdictional issues concerning conflicts of laws between FIFA/Swiss law and English law, and the interaction of FIFA Regulations with English receivables financing law.

  • Acted for Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin, and his companies in respect of nine separate claims relating to various cryptocurrency matters, including an "identity" case, i.e. a case brought by "COPA" (Crypto Open Patent Alliance) alleging that Craig is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin; two "passing-off" claims; and a number of defamation claims.

  • Advised Chrysalis on its claims against Revolution Beauty Group Plc arising from losses suffered on its purchase and sale of Revolution shares. The claims were brought under s.90A and Schedule 10A FSMA 2000 and at common law (deceit and misrepresentation), on the basis that information provided to Chrysalis during the period it held shares contained material misstatements and omissions. The matter settled on confidential terms on 31 December 2024.

key contacts

Read Rob Fell Profile
Rob Fell
Read John Lee Profile
John Lee
Read Stephanie Lee Profile
Stephanie Lee

Meet the team

Read Caroline Edwards Profile
Caroline Edwards
Read Heather Gagen Profile
Heather Gagen
Read Joseph Moore Profile
Joseph Moore

what others say

This is the best group of litigators in London for high-value or complex commercial disputes. Collegiate, efficient, commercially focused, and sophisticated, the team is rightly praised for its approach. Magic circle in every way.
Legal 500 2026
The team looking at digital assets and crypto are exceptional. They have a well-qualified and experienced team working together to support our work in the regulatory space and are always on hand for support and engagement with our other members.
Legal 500 2027
A really strong commercial fraud team with experience in handling the biggest cases in the market, such as HP v Autonomy and the DB v SHI litigation. They can manage any case filled with outstanding associates and highly experienced partners.
Legal 500 2027

Our Disputes Practice

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