Charles is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ core specialisms, including commercial litigation, international arbitration, conflict of laws, and public international law.
Before joining Chambers, Charles taught contract law at City, University of London.
Charles graduated with a first-class degree in History from the University of Cambridge, where he served as President of the Cambridge Union. After receiving a distinction in his MPhil in American History (also at the University of Cambridge), he converted across to law. He completed the GDL (placing second in his year) and the Bar Course at City, University of London. He then received a scholarship to study the BCL at the University of Oxford, which he graduated from with distinction.
Arbitration
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions, in the High Court, resisting a joint s.68/s.69 appeal against an award issued by the GAFTA board of appeal.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in a number of LMAA arbitrations.
Banking and financial services
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the merits of an unlawful conspiracy claim against individuals involved in a major bank fraud.
Civil fraud
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the merits of an unlawful conspiracy claim against individuals involved in a major bank fraud.
Commercial litigation
- Assisted (as a pupil) with various aspects of the ongoing Al Sadeq and Quzmar v Dechert and others litigation. This litigation involves claims arising out of alleged torture carried out in the course of an investigation into a fraud in Ras Al Khaima.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in the drafting of pre-hearing submissions in Granville Technology Group Ltd (in liquidation) v Innolux Corp [2022] EWHC 3271 (Comm), an important case on the criteria for granting compound interest in equity.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with an application for the strike out of claims brought against various private equity entities by former employees. Those employees sought, through their claims, to recover carried interest which they alleged was due to them.
Commodities and international trade
- Drafted (as a pupil) opening submissions in an arbitration involving the alleged termination of a contract for the sale of Covid-19 test kits.
- Prepared (as a pupil) advice on a dispute involving the alleged assignment of a contract for the sale of metals.
Company law
- Assisted (as a pupil) with an application, brought before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, by which a potential creditor of an insolvent company sought leave to bring a proprietary claim outside of the liquidation process.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions on a director’s lack of actual authority to make certain decisions.
Energy and infrastructure
- Drafted (as a pupil) a memorial in an arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules 2021, involving a dispute over the terms of an investment in a Norwegian oil/gas field.
Public international law
- Assisted (as a pupil) in drafting submissions resisting the claimant’s application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal in Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade and others [2022] EWHC 3108 (Admin).
Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether an order granting permission to serve a claim form outside of the jurisdiction could be set aside.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether shipowners could obtain an anti-suit injunction, restraining cargo claimants from continuing proceedings which they had commenced before the Canadian courts.
Shipping
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the appropriate measure of damages following the late redelivery of a vessel.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in an application for an interim injunction to enforce the terms of a maritime letter of indemnity.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in a safe port dispute, arising out of the war in Ukraine.
- Drafted pleadings (as a pupil) in a dispute involving a major plastic spill off the coast of South Africa, following the collapse of a container stack.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on whether the high prevalence of Covid-19 in a port, at the start of the pandemic, rendered that port unsafe.
- Prepared advice (as a pupil) on the applicability of a negotiated time-bar included in a bill of lading which also expressly incorporated the Hague Rules.
