Ryan Hughes

I am a commercial disputes lawyer specialising in complex litigation with cross-jurisdictional elements. I assist clients in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, engineering, construction, aviation, energy and professional services.

My practice includes contractual disputes (such as: terms and conditions of sales and purchases in a wide range of sectors, insurance and reinsurance policies, warranty claims under SPAs, breach of employees' post-termination restrictive covenants, and bespoke and standard-form construction contracts), professional negligence, breach of directors' duties, shareholder disputes and unfair prejudice claims, competition litigation, and regulatory law issues including damages claims under Article 1 Protocol 1 of the HRA 1998.

My work often involves a significant international element and spans territories worldwide: with my recent experience involving cases with elements in the USA, France, Belgium, Russia, Ukraine, India and the UAE.

I help clients achieve cost-effective and swift resolutions and prioritise finding commercial solutions whenever possible. I have experience in many forms of ADR including mediation, adjudication and expert determination. I have also provided advice on injunctive, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings as alternate means to achieving clients' objectives.

My recent representative experience includes:

• Acting for an aircraft leasing company in the Commercial Court. The case involves highly complex case management, and significant expert and factual evidence on international geopolitical and jurisdictional matters in a claim worth approximately $700m. These cases were named by The Lawyer as one of the top 20 cases for 2024, and I was recognised by The Lawyer as one of the Associates making their names on those cases.
• Assisting a large toy manufacturer in its defence against a claim for engaging in alleged anti-competitive practices and breaches of regulatory law in a claim worth approximately £100m.
• Acting for a global professional services firm in its defence and counterclaim for breaches of post-termination restrictive covenants contained in a Nominee Deed against its former partners, with simultaneous proceedings in the USA.
• Managing several claims arising out of indemnities, breaches of warranties and post-completion accounts provided for in Share Purchase Agreements related to deals worth hundreds of £ millions, I have led on a number of these cases in the past year, one of which was referred to expert determination, and handle all dispute matter instructions from several leading clients in the manufacturing sector.
• Assisting a household-name manufacturer's subsidiary defend against multiple adjudications in a construction dispute including issues of interpretation of contracts and delay and programming.

I am a member of the Birmingham Law Society's Dispute Resolution Committee.