John Lee

Partner

John is a partner in our Dispute Resolution Department, whose practice encompasses a broad range of complex commercial disputes.

John advises and acts on a wide range of complex, high-profile and novel commercial disputes for banks, asset managers and other financial institutions, large corporates and high-net-worth individuals, most involving cross-border issues. His practice has a focus on banking and finance, derivatives and capital markets disputes and, more recently, crypto and digital assets disputes. His other strengths and experience lie in post-M&A/shareholder disputes, professional negligence and ESG/business and human rights.

John is a member of the firm's REACH (Race, Ethnicity And Cultural Heritage) Group and an active participant in Soundsmith, the firm's music society, and the firm choir.

Work highlights

Acting for Tulip Trading Limited in its claim against Bitcoin developers for the recovery of its stolen bitcoin holdings, the leading case in the English Court on the legal characterisation of crypto-assets, the nature and extent of control exercised and the legal duties owed by the developers of the associated permissionless blockchain networks and the legal remedies available to owners of those assets.

Acting for a number of investment banks, other financial institutions and corporates in banking and finance, capital markets, derivatives and structured products disputes, including valuation and other contractual disputes arising out of the close-out of the 1992 and 2002 ISDA Master Agreements and other derivatives master agreements in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.

Acting for an ultra-high-net-worth individual in High Court claims for professional negligence against a Big Four firm and its affiliate law firm in respect of negligent tax and other legal advice.

Acting for a private equity firm and its investee company in relation to claims made by the latter's founder and minority shareholder for fraud and other serious wrongdoing, and counterclaims for breach of contract, defamation and harassment.

Acting for Dr Craig Wright in the claim brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance for a negative declaration that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin, and related passing-off, database and copyright claims.

Acting for a large financial institution in a professional negligence claim brought against its Magic Circle firm of solicitors and its paying agent in relation to a series of issuances under a medium-term note programme.

Acting for the issuer of commercial mortgage backed securities in professional negligence claims in the High Court against property valuers in respect of the negligent over-valuation of a large portfolio of commercial properties.

Acting for Camellia plc and two of its English subsidiaries in two separate sets of proceedings in the High Court involving novel "parent company liability" claims concerning alleged human rights abuses in the operations of two overseas subsidiaries of the Camellia group in Kenya and Malawi respectively.

John Lee is an exceptional partner - highly intelligent, hard-working, calm, measured and practical, with excellent client-handling skills, even with the most difficult clients.

John Lee brings a very high level of technical rigour to the case; he can really engage with the detail and is clearly highly intellectual.

John Lee is a first-rate lawyer in the crypto area.