Richard Farnhill
Partner
London
Richard Farnhill
Partner
London
Contact Details
Richard specialises in litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution, with particular experience in complex contractual disputes and disputes involving structured financial products and derivatives. He continues to be regarded as a rising star in the field of insurance, particularly in relation to the energy and utilities and financial services sectors. He formerly taught the law of contract on a part-time basis at the University of London. Richard is qualified in England and New York and has also spent time in Allen & Overy’s Hong Kong arbitration team.
Posts on Compact Contract a blog focused on English contract law and the most up to date news and cases.
Legal 500 2018 praises Richard’s “very inventive legal mind which finds solutions to problems that most others would overlook.”
Expertise
Practices
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted to the bar, State of New York, USA, 1999
Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 1999
Academic
LLB, Law, University of Bristol, 1995
BCL, University of Oxford, 1997
Related articles
Publications: 21 December 2020
Mamma Mia! What's up with virtual hearings?
Virtual hearings are so much easier than ones that take place in person – no hassle of getting to court (or even the office), no delays at security, ready access to whatever you need. Or at least,…
Blog Post: 15 July 2020
Money down the drain? How to avoid damages being sunk by remoteness.
Publications: 27 March 2020
Covid-19 coronavirus: are you protected under your Business Interruption Policy?
Blog Post: 14 March 2019
What you don’t know can help you - contracts and rights of third parties
Experience highlights
Advising a major bank in the successful defence of a High Court claim brought against it by a company owned by an ultra-high net worth individual relating to the purchase of structured products. Following a full trial, the bank obtained judgment in its favour.
Advising a major chemicals company on a contractual dispute arising out of a failure, by its software supplier, to supply research software.
Advising a major bank on recovering under its policy of civil liability insurance for settlements of U.S. investor claim actions seeking billions of dollars in damages and associated defence costs. The claim gave rise to complex issues as to the scope of coverage, public policy and choice of law.
Advising an aerospace and defence company on its product liability insurance claim against an insurer. Our client's successful claim related to damages that it had been obliged to pay to a third party, for defective valves supplied by a subsidiary of our client which damaged the third party's satellite.
Expertise
Practices
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Admitted to the bar, State of New York, USA, 1999
Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 1999
Academic
LLB, Law, University of Bristol, 1995
BCL, University of Oxford, 1997
Other noteworthy experience
Advising:
- Atlantic Methanol Product Company, a multinational oil company, in proceedings before the English High Court which dismissed in favour of the US courts, resulting in the client making a full recovery of its property damage and business interruption coverage for losses suffered at a methanol plant in Equatorial Guinea.
- A UK power company in achieving a 100% recovery on a property damage and business interruption claim against insurers for losses suffered to a twin-turbine closed cycle gas power station in the west of England. The claim totalled over GBP80m.
- A client based in the Middle East on a successful recovery under its property damage and delay in start up insurance arising out of a turbine failure at a chemical plant.
- A fixed income portfolio manager on claims of mismanagement made by a pension fund.
- An international oil and gas major and its Indian joint venture partner in arbitration proceedings commenced against the Government of India under the UNCITRAL Rules.
- The dispute arises from oil and gas production sharing contracts (PSCs) which are governed by Indian law. The dispute concerns the interpretation of the PSCs, including the ability of the operators to recover development costs. The sum in dispute potentially exceeds USD600m.
Pro bono
- The Board of Trustees of the Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre, a charity in Tower Hamlets providing outdoor activities and training for people from the local area, along with a base for the local sailing and canoeing clubs. Richard attended monthly Trustee meetings, as well as providing advice on legal questions involving contract, tort, trusts, charities and the fiduciary obligations of the Centre’s directors. 2005-2013.
- Kigali in Rwanda giving training on English contract and commercial law to the local judiciary, Ministry of Justice and Commercial Bar Association. As part of the process of reconstruction following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has sought to align its economy and legal system more closely with those of its most important trading partners in East Africa, many of which have common law based systems. This involved working with USAid, the US government agency responsible for overseas aid, to provide training to support that process. The training was given in English and French. 2010 & 2011.
- Richard is a legal advisor at the Royal Courts of Justice CAB, where unrepresented parties can come for free advice on all aspects of their claim, defence or appeal.
Published work
Richard Farnhill, 2018, “Don’t quote me on this”, Commercial Litigation JournalRichard Farnhill, 2018, “Privileged upbringing”, Commercial Litigation Journal
Richard Farnhill, 2018, “The law’s great schism: privilege and the rules of attribution”, Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law
Richard Farnhill, 2018, “What divides us”, Commercial Litigation Journal
Recognition
Very inventive legal mind which finds solutions to problems that most others would overlook.
Legal 500, 2018
