Jonathan Speed

I am Co-Head of our London Dispute Resolution team with extensive experience advising clients on complex commercial disputes often with a cross border element.

I advise on disputes across a number of the firm's core sectors with a particular focus on disputes in the technology and communications sector. My work in this area includes acting for customers and suppliers on disputes relating to software licensing issues, the implementation of complex technology systems, the outsourcing of core business functions and communications and network issues. I am also involved in advising clients on risk management issues on major projects working in conjunction with colleagues in my commercial team where the objective is often to keep a project which has run into difficulty on track.

In the media, entertainment and sports sector, I advise in collaboration with our commercial lawyers on disputes in connection with sports media rights. As a sport fan all my life it has, for as long as I can remember, been fascinating to work with clients and colleagues in this area.

In the automotive sector, we advise regularly on international supply chain disputes as well on liability issues at the interface between the technology and automotive sector including in relation to autonomous vehicles. Product liability and product safety are important areas in the automotive sector and I regularly advise on these issues pursuant to the General Product Safety Directive and other sector specific regulations across all the firm's sectors.

I also collaborate closely with the competition team acting for claimants and defendants in relation to competition follow on damages claims which is an interesting and fast developing area of the law.

In the energy sector, I have advised on disputes under EPC contracts relating to renewable energy including disputes relating to performance bonds and applications for injunctive relief.

My practice also includes corporate disputes across these sectors (and beyond) including high value claims under share purchase agreements (both contractual and where fraud is alleged), joint venture disputes and minority shareholder actions.

My contentious practice covers litigation in the English High Court and appeal courts and international arbitration under the auspices of the AAA, ICC, SCC and LCIA as well as ad hoc arbitration, including appeals to the High Court from arbitration awards. I have also successfully resolved disputes by mediation and expert determination and am an advocate of resolving disputes outside of court where this is possible.

• Acting for co-licensors of chemical engineering technology in a trade secrets claim against a Chinese state owned enterprise in an SCC arbitration seated in Stockholm and governed by English law. After a two week hearing in 2017 our client was awarded in excess of US$100m in damages, interest and costs.
• Advising Polar Air Cargo LLC, a Part 20 Defendant in the Emerald v. BA air cargo competition damages claim, including in successful appeals to the Court of Appeal.
• Acting for a UK mobile network operator in a dispute in the technology and construction court (TCC) with its network infrastructure provider (Arqiva v Everything Everywhere Limited and ors ( [2011] EWHC 1411)) and on a separate dispute in the TCC with one of its MVNO customers.
• Acting for a US mobile services aggregator in a US$20m dispute with a European content provider which was successfully resolved in our client's favour after a confidential two week ad hoc arbitration.
• Application dealing with test for insolvency in connection with security for costs application as part of a wider technology dispute (Eagle Ltd v Falcon Ltd [2012] EWHC 2261 (TCC)).