Alan Roxburgh’s Full CV

Qualifications

MA (Oxon)

Diploma in Law (City University)

Barrister, Middle Temple

Pupillage at Brick Court Chambers

Practice Profile

Alan Roxburgh has a general commercial practice in which, among other matters, he has recently been extensively advising defendants in a series of actions brought in the British Virgin Islands by the largest of the Madoff feeder funds, now in liquidation, seeking to recover redemption payments from former registered shareholders. He has also recently been acting for a multinational pharmaceutical company in proceedings against its IT infrastructure provider, and advising on a number of energy contracts, and disputes about share options and rights of indemnity.

Alan Roxburgh acted as counsel to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry from shortly after it was established in 1998 until its conclusion twelve years later. He was involved throughout in advising and assisting the Tribunal chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, and took a major part in the hearings in Northern Ireland and in London. The Inquiry was of unprecedented length and complexity, and received the written or oral evidence of more than 2,400 witnesses. The ten volumes of the Tribunal's report were published on 15 June 2010.

Before the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, Alan Roxburgh had appeared in the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation, in which he acted for the defendants at the trial of the lead actions in the largest occupational disease group litigation ever conducted in England. He had also represented the first defendants in one of the longest trials held in the Commercial Court, Nederlandse Reassurantie Groep Holding NV v Bacon & Woodrow, a professional negligence claim relating to the acquisition of a reinsurance company.

Important Cases

AstraZeneca UK Ltd v International Business Machines Corporation [2011] EWHC 306 (TCC) (issues of construction arising in connection with termination of master agreement for provision of global IT infrastructure services); [2011] EWHC 3373 (TCC) (exercise of discretion to award costs on indemnity basis to reflect contractual entitlement)

The Bloody Sunday Inquiry

R (A) v Lord Saville of Newdigate (No. 2) [2001] EWHC Admin 888; [2001] EWCA Civ 2048 [2002] 1 WLR 1249 CA (principles applicable to tribunal's determination of venue for oral evidence in case of alleged risk to life)

R v Lord Saville of Newdigate, ex parte A [1999] EWHC Admin 556; [1999] EWCA Civ 3012 [2000] 1 WLR 1855 CA (whether refusal by tribunal of inquiry to grant anonymity unfair or unreasonable)

R v Lord Saville of Newdigate, ex parte B [1999] EWHC Admin 232; [1999] EWCA Civ 1136 (effect of previous grant of anonymity on a subsequent public inquiry)

British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation (Turner J, 23 January 1998)

Republic of India v India Steamship Co Ltd, The Indian Endurance and Indian Grace (No. 2) [1994] 2 Lloyd's Rep 331 Adm Ct; [1997] 2 WLR 538 CA; [1998] AC 878 HL (effect of s 34, Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982 in Admiralty action in rem)

Mahkutai (Owners of cargo lately laden on board) v Mahkutai (Owners), The Mahkutai [1996] AC 650 PC (whether shipowners entitled to rely on exclusive jurisdiction clause in charterers' bill of lading)

Camdex International Ltd v Bank of Zambia [1997] EWCA Civ 798 (whether foreign exchange control legislation enforceable in England)

Nederlandse Reassurantie Groep Holding NV v Bacon & Woodrow [1995] 2 Lloyd's Rep 404 Com Ct (admissibility of contents of witness statement no longer remembered by the witness at time of trial); [1997] LRLR 678 Com Ct (trial of major professional negligence action against consulting actuaries in respect of advice given to purchaser of reinsurance company)

Seaconsar Far East Ltd v Bank Markazi Jomhouri Islami Iran [1994] 1 AC 438 HL (rejection of documents under letter of credit / test for grant of leave to serve out of the jurisdiction)

Legal Directory Comments

"extremely hard-working" (Legal 500, 2005)

"excellent advocate" (Legal 500, 2007)