Biography
With over 20 years of experience in international dispute resolution, Jamie represents clients across a wide range of complex, commercial litigation, arbitration, investigation, and contentious regulatory matters.
Described by clients in Legal 500 as “an excellent and incisive team leader, who brings a refreshing approach to litigation problems” and “a seasoned, commercial and all round excellent litigator”, Jamie is also noted in Chambers & Partners for being “technically very strong and a shrewd tactician”. Sources in the Global Arbitration Review 100 described him as “truly a breath of fresh air with his non-confrontational approach and talent for refining strategy on the trot”.
Jamie has also been named among The Lawyer’s Hot 100, specifically noting his work on “one of the most significant Islamic finance cases to come before the English courts to date” (Dana Gas PJSC v Dana Gas Sukuk Ltd & Ors).
His notable cases include acting for Microsoft in its challenge before the Competition Appeal Tribunal to the CMA’s prohibition of its $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. He also acted for Littlewoods in its £1.25 billion claim against the UK tax authorities, including before the Supreme Court. The case was widely reported in the press and earned the team plaudits including “Dispute Resolution Team of the Year” at the Legal Business Awards, “European Tax Disputes Firm of the Year” at the International Tax Review European Tax Awards, and “Standout” firm at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards.
Representative matters include acting for:
- Microsoft in its challenge before the Competition Appeal Tribunal to the CMA’s prohibition of its $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc.
- The joint administrators of VTB Capital plc in its $1 billion claim against the Republic of Mozambique
- Petropavlovsk Plc, on a variety of contentious matters
- A major US manufacturer, in a confidential M&A dispute
- Asia Research and Capital Management, in its opposition to Premier Oil Plc’s proposed schemes of arrangement
- A corporate client, on a confidential investigation concerning corporate governance and directors’ duties
- An ad hoc group of noteholders, including BlackRock Global Allocation Fund, in its claim concerning the validity of a purchase undertaking entered into by Dana Gas PJSC
- The joint official liquidators of ABRAAJ Investment Management Limited in connection with claims arising in the liquidation of the Abraaj Group
- 1Malaysia Development Berhad, in its $6.5 billion arbitration with IPIC under LCIA rules and seated in London
- A leading global private equity house, in an ad hoc arbitration in London under UNCITRAL rules, and parallel High Court proceedings concerning an investment in communication networks in Africa
- Littlewoods, in its £1.25 billion claim in respect of compound interest on overpaid tax before the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court
- The special administrators of MF Global UK Ltd, on a variety of contentious matters concerning the estate over the past decade, including litigation concerning the proper interpretation of a GMRA contract, the nature of the special administration regime, and the ambit of section 236 of the Insolvency Act 1986
- Jinpeng Group, in multiple disputes concerning the Aman Resorts group of companies, including in Hong Kong arbitration proceedings under HKIAC Rules
- A major international chemical engineering business, in its claim against a Chinese SOE for breach of a confidentiality agreement, in arbitration in Singapore under SIAC rules
- Blackstone/GSO, as collateral manager, in a High Court claim to determine whether reinvestment criteria had been met
- Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, in defence of High Court claims against them personally in the context of the Maybourne hotel group dispute
- A Lehman entity, in LCIA arbitrations in London and Mumbai against Indian counterparties to ISDA derivative transactions
- A hedge fund administrator, in the defence of a claim arising from the collapse of a client fund, in LCIA arbitration in London
- A Lehman entity, in Commercial Court proceedings against Calyon under a letter of credit
- Kaupthing Bank Hf, in a dispute against a borrower in respect of the enforcement of its security rights in proceedings in the BVI, including obtaining receivership orders, and in the Chancery Division
- Kaupthing Bank Hf, in a judicial review of HM Treasury’s decision to transfer its Kaupthing Edge deposit book to ING in October 2008
- A BVI investment company in the long-running multi-billion dollar dispute over the ownership of a 25% stake in the Russian telecoms company, Megafon, in ad hoc arbitration in Zurich and ICC arbitration in Geneva
- A telecoms infrastructure contractor in a dispute concerning the construction of a 3G mobile network in Australia, in ICC arbitration in Singapore under Singaporean law
Firm News & Announcements, Awards and Recognition, Latest Thinking
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Named a Top Investigations Firm by Global Investigations Review in 2023 Firm Announcement — December 01, 2023
- Weil Helps Earn Global Regulatory Approval for Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Deal Brief — October 13, 2023
Awards and Recognition
- Jamie Maples Named Among 40 Under 40 for Legal Services Award Brief — Financial News
Latest Thinking
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Explainer: obtaining evidence from the US and/or England & Wales, for use in foreign civil proceedings
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jamie Maples,
Craig Watson and
Katie Williams
— September 24, 2024
2023-2024 was another record year for the London Commercial Court with 64% of litigants who appeared before the court hailing from jurisdictions outside of the UK.[1] Even ostensibly domestic civil disputes are now likely to possess multiple international elements or touch points. This can include witnesses and documentary evidence (held physically or in data centres) ...
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Opt-out, opt-out: Exploring the rise of UK collective actions against big tech
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jenine Hulsmann,
Jamie Maples,
Bella Spring,
Matthew Gibbon and
Charlotte de Vitry
— July 22, 2024
Developments over the past decade have led to a surge in opt-out collective proceedings in the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, increasingly against tech companies. In this post, we explore the factors fuelling this trend and the future developments likely to continue to fan the flames. ...
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Qualifying for Investment Treaty Protection: Satisfying “Substantial Business Activities”
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jamie Maples and
Rhys Williams
— June 25, 2024
Investment treaties are agreements between two or more states that seek to promote and protect foreign investments. Typically, investment treaties afford protection to foreign investments made by an investor of one signatory state (“foreign investors”) into the territory of another signatory state (“host state”). Common examples of investment treaty protections include: Companies constituted under the ...
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Third party litigation funding – back on track or forging a new path?
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jamie Maples,
Craig Watson and
Charlotte de Vitry
— June 10, 2024
Having overcome initial scepticism and historic public policy concerns, third party litigation funding has emerged in England as an increasingly popular vehicle through which parties opt to finance and manage risks arising from legal disputes. The involvement of litigation funding in recent headline cases, such as the Post Office/Horizon scandal and Mariana Dam litigation, as ...
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New movements in climate change litigation
Blog Post — European Disputes Blog
— By
Jamie Maples,
Sarah Chaplin and
Katie Williams
— May 16, 2024
Whilst there is no universally agreed scope or definition of climate change litigation, it is clear that over the last few decades, there has been an upsurge in litigation relating to climate change either directly or indirectly. The ‘first wave’ of domestic cases began in the early 2000s, and were increasing prior to the ratification ...