Tony is widely recognised as one of the leading juniors at the Commercial Bar.  He was awarded “Commercial Litigation Junior of the Year” at the Chambers Bar Awards in 2014.  He is recommended in the legal directories as a leading junior in a number of commercial fields: Banking and Finance, Civil Fraud, Commercial Litigation, Insurance and Reinsurance, and Professional Negligence. 

Tony is regularly instructed as a member of large teams in heavyweight litigation and arbitration and he has been led (by silks within and outside Brick Court) in a number of high profile disputes in recent years.  In addition, Tony has considerable experience of appearing as sole counsel in the High Court and before arbitral tribunals.

His notable cases in particular fields are listed below, but his general commercial (including conflict of laws) cases include the following:

• ENRC v Dechert [2016] EWCA Civ 375 - Court of Appeal case concerning implied waiver of privilege and the principle of open justice
• Eclairs Group v JKX Oil & Gas plc [2015] UKSC 71 - Supreme Court appeal concerning the duties of company directors and the proper purposes doctrine in the context of an attempted "corporate raid" by shareholders
• Winkler v Shamoon and others [2016] EWHC 217 (Ch) - successful jurisdiction challenge on behalf of the widow and daughter of the late Israeli billionaire, Sami Shamoon, raising issues of domicile and succession under the Judgments Regulation 
• The Alexandros T [2013] UKSC 70 - Supreme Court appeal concerning Articles 27 and 28 of the Judgments Regulation
• VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5 - Supreme Court appeal concerning the common law principles of jurisdiction and piercing the corporate veil
• Michael Cherney v Oleg Deripaska - $4 billion Commercial Court claim relating to a disputed shareholding in Rusal, listed for 3 month trial in 2012
• Norgine BV v Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc - acting for the Claimant in a substantial pharmaceuticals licensing dispute in the Commercial Court
• Nomihold Securities v Mobile Telesystems Finance [2012] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 6 and [2011] EWHC 2143 (Comm) - Commercial Court proceedings to enforce a $200 million LCIA arbitration award
• ITV v Scottish Television - £30 million contractual licensing dispute relating to the Channel 3 television network
• Bloomsbury International v Holyoake [2010] EWHC 1150 (Ch) - application to remove administrators on the basis of a conflict of interest
• Skype v Joltid [2009] EWHC 2783 (Ch) - multi-billion pound licensing dispute against the founders of Skype, including a successful application for an anti-suit injunction to restrain Californian proceedings
• Barclays Bank v The Guardian [2009] EWHC 591 (QB) - obtaining an injunction on behalf of Barclays Bank against The Guardian newspaper, prohibiting the publication of confidential tax documents
• Stanford v Digicel - multi-million dollar dispute over the sponsorship rights for the Stanford 20/20 for 20 cricket series in the West Indies

Tony is widely recognised as one of the leading juniors at the Commercial Bar.  He was awarded “Commercial Litigation Junior of the Year” at the Chambers Bar Awards in 2014.   He is recommended in the legal directories as a leading junior in a number of commercial fields: Banking and Finance, Civil Fraud, Commercial Litigation, Insurance and Reinsurance, and Professional Negligence. 

Tony is regularly instructed as a member of large teams in heavyweight litigation and arbitration and he has been led (by silks within and outside Brick Court) in a number of high profile disputes in recent years.  In addition, Tony has considerable experience of appearing as sole counsel in the High Court and before arbitral tribunals.

In recent years Tony has appeared in a large number of confidential arbitrations under LCIA, ICC, and other rules.  By way of example, Tony's recent international arbitration experience includes Republic of Djibouti v DP World ($2 billion arbitration involving allegations of bribery and corruption in Africa). 

Tony also frequently appears in arbitration-related applications in the High Court.  For example he appeared in the long-running Nomihold Securities v Mobile Telesystems Finance dispute, which involved an application to set aside registration of a $200 million LCIA arbitration award on the basis of fraud and an appeal to the Court of Appeal on the scope of the ordinary course of business exception in a worldwide freezing order granted post-award.

• The Lloyds/HBOS Litigation - [2015] EWHC 2681 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 2685 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 3007 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 3219 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 3220 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 4873 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 4874 (Ch), [2016] EWHC 412 (Ch), [2016] EWHC 776 (Ch), [2017] EWHC B17 (Ch), [2017] EWHC 141 (Ch), [2017] EWHC 3390 (Ch) - acting for Lloyds Banking Group in numerous interim applications and a 5 month trial of claims brought by over 6,000 shareholders arising out of its acquisition of HBOS
• Rowe v Ingenious Media - acting for Ingenious Media in defence of group litigation brought by hundreds of investors in its film finance investment schemes
• Terra Firma v Citibank - $2 billion claim by Terra Firma against Citibank arising out of Terra Firma’s acquisition of EMI in 2007
• Acting for leading investment bank in a very substantial High Court claim to recover payment of tax
• Acting for private equity firm in High Court claim concerning property development finance
• Acting for private equity firm in very substantial claim concerning improper financial accounting
• Acting for the Libyan Investment Authority in successful application for the appointment of receivers to manage $3.3 billion of litigation against Goldman Sachs and Societe Generale
• Bank of Moscow v JFC Group - Commercial Court proceedings concerning a $150 million loan facility agreement and related guarantees
• Belltrey Corporation v Newcote International [2013] EWHC 3500 (Ch) - Chancery Division trial concerning the validity of a demand for security in respect of a £200 million loan
• VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5 - Supreme Court appeal concerning a £200 million loan facility agreement
• Habib Bank v Citibank - acting for Citibank in successfully resisting an application for Norwich Pharmacal / Bankers Trust relief arising out of the administration of Lehman Brothers
• Salkeld Investments Ltd v West One Loans Ltd [2012] EWHC 2701 (QB) - claim against a bridging finance company to recover losses suffered as a result of a mortgage fraud

• Republic of Djibouti v DP World - acting for DP World in successful defence of a  $2 billion claim involving allegations of bribery and corruption in Africa
• Bank of Moscow v JFC Group - $150 million fraud claim and related committal proceedings arising out of a worldwide freezing order
• Terra Firma v Citibank - $2 billion fraud claim against Citibank arising out of Terra Firma’s acquisition of EMI in 2007
• VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5 - Supreme Court appeal concerning jurisdiction in respect of fraud claims, piercing the corporate veil, and the discharge of a worldwide freezing order on the basis of material non-disclosure
• Nomihold Securities v Mobile Telesystems Finance [2012] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 6 and [2011] EWHC 2143 (Comm) - application to set aside registration of a $200 million LCIA arbitration award on the basis of fraud and an appeal to the Court of Appeal on the scope of the ordinary course of business exception in worldwide freezing orders
• Bloomsbury International v Holyoake [2010] EWHC 1150 (Ch) - £200 million fraud proceedings arising out of the collapse of the British Seafood group, including an application for fortification of a cross-undertaking in damages

Tony is widely recognised as one of the leading juniors at the Competition Bar.  He has been nominated by Chambers & Partners for Competition Junior of the Year in 2018.  Tony has extensive experience of all forms of competition litigation and has acted in some of the largest cases to come before the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, and the European Courts in recent years. He is frequently led by silks within and outside Brick Court and is also regularly instructed as sole counsel in cartel damages actions. Notable cases include:

• Walter Hugh Merricks v Mastercard - acting for Mastercard in defence of a £14 billion claim on behalf of UK consumers in the Competition Appeal Tribunal
• The Trucks Litigation - acting for Iveco in defence of follow-on claims estimated to be worth over £1 billion
• Apple v Qualcomm - acting for Qualcomm in a multi-billion dollar claim by Apple concerning Qualcomm's patent licensing and chipset supply arrangements
• iiyama Benelux BV v Schott AG and others - acting for Samsung in Court of Appeal case concerning the territorial scope of EU competition law 
• Peugeot SA v NSK and others - cartel damages claim relating to the supply of automotive bearings 
• Media-Saturn-Holding v Toshiba and others - cartel damages claim relating to the supply of cathode ray tubes
• Vodafone v Infineon and others - cartel damages claim relating to the supply of smart card chips
• The Air Cargo Litigation - acting for Asiana Airlines in a multi-billion pound cartel damages claim relating to the air cargo sector
• Acting for Rolls-Royce in defending a stand-alone Article 102 claim in the Chancery Division relating to the supply of spare parts
• Acting for an Italian airport in LCIA arbitration concerning State aid
• Acting in the first ever appeal to the Competition Markets Authority against Ofgem's price controls for electricity distribution companies
• WM Morrison Supermarkets plc and others v MasterCard Incorporated and others [2013] EWHC 1071 (Comm), [2013] EWHC 3082 (Comm), and [2014] EWHC 2921 (Comm) - acting in High Court damages claim concerning the MasterCard multi-lateral interchange fee
• Hanson Quarry Products Europe Limited v Competition Commission [2013] CAT 7 - acting for Hanson in relation to the Competition Commission’s market investigation into aggregates, cement, and ready-mix concrete
• Advising in relation to the OFT’s investigation into the electronic platform services market
• Imperial Tobacco v OFT [2011] CAT 41 - successful appeal against £100 million fine for retail pricing practices in the tobacco industry, the highest ever fine imposed upon a single firm by the OFT
• Case T-286/09 Intel v Commission - appeal before the General Court against €1 billion fine for infringement of Article 102 in the supply of computer chips, the highest ever fine imposed upon a single firm by the European Commission
• Boliden AB v IMI plc and others - cartel damages claim relating to copper tubes
• WH Newson v IMI plc and others - cartel damages claim relating to copper fittings
• Sony v AU Optronics and others - cartel damages claim relating to liquid crystal displays
• Nokia v AU Optronics and others [2012] EWHC 731 (Ch) - cartel damages claim relating to liquid crystal displays
• Nokia v Tatung and others - cartel damages claim relating to cathode ray tubes
• Honda v Asahi and others - cartel damages claim relating to carglass
• Durkan Holdings v OFT [2011] CAT 6, Crest Nicholson v OFT and ISG Pearce v OFT [2011] CAT 10, Quarmby Construction Company v OFT [2011] CAT 11, and GMI Construction v OFT [2011] CAT 12 - acted in 5 appeals against the OFT's infringement decision in respect of cover pricing in the construction industry
• Durkan Holdings v OFT [2010] CAT 12 - disclosure application raising issues of when the OFT can rely upon fresh evidence in the CAT
• Case T-448/07 YKK v Commission - appeal against €150 million fine for participation in the zip fasteners cartel
• Case T-112/07 Hitachi v Commission - appeal before the General Court against €50 million fine for participation in the gas insulated switchgear cartel
• Virgin Media v BSkyB - Article 102 claim relating to the supply of pay TV channels
• Vtesse Networks v Valuation Officer [2010] EWCA Civ 16 - Court of Appeal case concerning State aid and the principle of equal treatment in the telecommunications sector
• Tonstate v South Somerset DC [2009] EWHC 3308 (Ch) - competition law claim raising questions of issue estoppel and abuse of process

• Acting in $1 billion Commercial Court claim concerning a mobile offshore production unit and storage tank in the Yme oil field in the North Sea
• Acting for Talisman Energy in Commercial Court proceedings concerning the interpretation of a Joint Operating Agreement
• Advising in relation to Ofgem's RIIO-ED1 price control decision for electricity distribution companies
• LCIA arbitration concerning a production sharing contract and joint operating agreement entered into by joint venture partners in an oil and gas development project in Algeria
• CGGVeritas v Dominion Energy - Commercial Court claim for payment arising out of the processing and acquisition of seismic data in Tunisia
• Lahyani v Benedetti - Commercial Court claim concerning investments made in a number of oil exploration and production companies
• Advising BP on the interpretation of various acquisition and processing agreements

• Single Buoy Moorings Inc v Zurich Insurance plc and others - acting for the primary layer insurers in a $1 billion coverage dispute concerning damage to a platform in the North Sea
• Crowden v QBE Insurance - acting for QBE in a Court of Appeal case concerning the interpretation of a professional liability insurance policy in the context of a claim for misselling of financial instruments
• Acting for a major accounting firm in ARIAS arbitration concerning the interpretation of professional indemnity policies
• The Alexandros T [2012] 1 Lloyd's Rep 162, [2013] 1 Lloyd's Rep 217, [2013] UKSC 70, [2014] EWHC 712 (Comm), [2014] EWHC 1029 (Comm), [2014] EWCA Civ 1010, and [2014] EWHC 3068 (Comm) - acting for the Companies Market insurers in the long-running insurance litigation arising out of the loss of the “Alexandros T”, which has resulted in a successful appeal to the Supreme Court on jurisdiction issues, successful  contempt of court proceedings resulting in the imposition of substantial fines, and a summary judgment against the insureds upheld by the Court of Appeal
• Compagnie Generale De Location SA v AXA Corporate Solutions Assurance SA – representing AXA in a multi-million coverage dispute arising out of the sinking of a vessel
• New Proton Bank v Brit UW Limited - marine insurance claim following the loss of the “Elli”
• Ad hoc arbitration concerning alleged breaches of an underwriting agency agreement
• AXA Seguros v Allianz Insurance [2011] EWHC 268 (Comm) - reinsurance claim arising out of hurricane damage to Mexico’s highway structure

• NRAM v Eversheds - acting for Northern Rock in a £100 million negligence claim based on legal advice given by Eversheds concerning consumer credit legislation
• Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith v Deloitte - defending Deloitte against a multi-million claim arising out of allegedly negligent tax advice
• Defending one of the "big four" accounting firms against a $600 million auditors' negligence claim
• Manchester Building Society v Grant Thornton - defending Grant Thornton against a £50 million negligence claim arising out of the accounting treatment of interest rate swaps
• Acting for a number of accountancy firms in FRC Disciplinary Tribunal proceedings
• Defending a leading tax and advisory firm against a negligence claim arising out of a multi-million corporate finance transaction
• Defending a leading accountancy firm against a negligence claim arising out of an allegedly deficient audit
• Defending a leading City law firm against a multi-million pound negligence claim concerning its conduct of litigation
• Acting for liquidators in a negligence claim worth approximately £100 million against the former auditors of an international collective investment scheme
• Defending a West End firm of solicitors against a multi-million negligence claim concerning its conduct of litigation

• "A very strong lawyer." "An extremely bright, very skilled junior. He has a terrific manner with clients." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "Very clever, very feisty and a very good advocate. He has got good judgement, is very persuasive and is highly effective." "Everything the modern barrister should be: clever, responsive and thoughtful." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "He is really good at looking at the issues from a client's perspective." "He is very bright with excellent drafting skills." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "A very strong lawyer with good tactical sense." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "He's got very good analytical skills, and he's a pragmatic adviser." "He's good at strategic planning, good at advising the client and always available." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "Very bright, quite understated and a pleasure to work with." "He is prodigiously hard-working and if you ask him a question you get back a long and thoughtful answer." (Chambers & Partners 2018)
• "A very impressive individual and a good draftsman." (Legal 500 2017)
• "An exceptional junior with real intellectual horsepower." (Legal 500 2017)
• "He is easy to deal with, and gives assured and clear-thinking advice." (Legal 500 2017)
• "He's absolutely fantastic and no doubt destined for great things. He is very hard-working, incredibly clear in his advice, very efficient, and has seriously impressed when on his feet in court." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "An outstanding junior who is extremely responsive, very bright and very good on tactics." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He is a top-class junior." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "Has a growing reputation as a top commercial junior." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He has an extremely impressive personality and exudes confidence." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He gives the confidence that he absolutely believes in his case. He knows his own mind, fights his corner and is a good, strong advocate." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "Very impressive. He is hard-working, intelligent and has a bright future ahead of him." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He is very good at client service and is responsive - he is very effective." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "Industrious and clever, he is a team player." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He's a very good commercial barrister." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "His drafting is frequently praised by instructing solicitors as being of the highest standard." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He is attentive to detail and produces really good work." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "He has very good analytical skills and is a pragmatic adviser." (Chambers & Partners 2017)
• "A robust and thoughtful junior with an unfussy, practical and elegant approach." (Legal 500 2016)
• "Very user-friendly." (Legal 500 2016)
• "Has an increasingly strong reputation as a junior of choice for many leading silks and solicitors. He has appeared in a number of the most high-profile proceedings of recent years, including those in relation to banking, directorial duties and media and entertainment." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "Extremely calm and very impressive on his feet. He has done a terrific job." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "Works incredibly hard, shows tremendous attention to detail, is hugely bright, and is very personable.  He's just a delight to work with." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "Has been involved in a whole host of high-profile cases of late and has marked himself out as one of the younger breed that is destined for great things." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "He's really good, knows the law, gets into the detail very quickly and will come up with good ideas. He showed very good judgement in how he presented the legal arguments and the facts and got things across perfectly." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "A very promising junior who is very bright and has excellent drafting skills." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "Tony is hard-working, intelligent and has an excellent grasp of detail." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "A commercial junior with an impressively broad practice. He is gaining respect in the area for his advocacy and dexterous handling of high profile shareholder disputes and cases relating to corporate finance acquisitions." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "A tenacious advocate with good judgement. He's effective, hard-working and good to deal with." (Chambers & Partners 2016)
• "Incredibly bright" (Legal 500 2015)
• "A good up-and-coming junior" (Legal 500 2015)
• "Effective, hardworking and good to deal with when it comes to pleadings" (Legal 500 2015)
• "One of the brightest and most promising juniors around. He drafts documents excellently, and is also a calm, confident and eloquent advocate.” (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "A gifted junior with a quality commercial practice. One solicitor who regularly instructs him says: 'Not only is he an excellent barrister academically, but he is also a pleasure to work with on a practical and personal level.'" (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "'Frustratingly brilliant', 'he is also a very nice man' who is 'very highly thought of by many people senior to him.'” (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "Tipped as a future star, he is already gaining significant recognition from top clients." (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "He has a voracious appetite for work, good judgement and terrific brainpower as well." (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "Tony is very approachable, good on his feet, and excellent if you require practical and commercial advice." (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "An impressive and active junior, with a broad practice encompassing insurance, energy, civil fraud and professional negligence cases. Solicitors appreciate his user-friendliness and strong work ethic." (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "He has a very good grasp of the issues and puts a lot of effort into knowing everything about the case. Very easy to work with, he has no airs and graces." (Chambers & Partners 2015)
• "A real star for the future. He does an excellent job every time, and works at a level well beyond his year of call." (Chambers & Partners 2014)
• "A fast-emerging talent in commercial and competition law, who continues to receive plaudits for his broad expertise as a commercial litigator." (Chambers & Partners 2014)
• "He drafts well and has a very high work quality." (Chambers & Partners 2014)
• "Gains favour among solicitors and clients in the entertainment industry due to his accomplished handling of contract, licensing and database rights disputes." (Chambers & Partners 2014)
• "'standout junior' Tony Singla, who has 'a fantastic legal brain'" (Legal 500 2013)
• "future star" (Legal 500 2013)
• "Brick Court Chambers’ Tony Singla has rapidly established himself as a junior of choice for commercial litigation and competition law issues. He is 'very bright and mature beyond his years, and he has a gravitas that is well beyond his year of call'. He is 'highly commercial with his advice', and 'is very quick to grasp both the detail and the key arguments of a matter'. He delights clients with his application, 'devoting every hour and even weekends to getting the hard work shifted'. One instructing solicitor who used him said that 'for a case of the magnitude we were handling, to have operated as the only junior, that in itself is testament to his considerable abilities.'  He recently acted for the Israeli entrepreneur Michael Cherney in a $4 billion claim bought against Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska concerning shares in Rusal, a Russian aluminium company.  He also acted for ITV in a high-profile USD30 million contractual licensing dispute with Scottish Television concerning the Channel 3 network." (Chambers & Partners 2013, Stars at the Bar: 5 Years' Call and Under)
• "an impressive level of market attention, considering his comparative youth" (Chambers & Partners 2013)
• "Praise also falls on Tony Singla, who sources say is 'great for commercial work with a competition angle'" (Chambers & Partners 2013)
• "praised as a 'junior of choice' as a result of his 'ability to take complex problems and make them sound simple'" (Chambers & Partners 2013)
• "quick, efficient and not afraid to make his views known" (Legal 500 2012)
• "Tony Singla is fast establishing an excellent reputation for commercial disputes and is widely acknowledged as an 'excellent up-and-comer' at the set." (Chambers & Partners 2012)
• "a bright, young barrister with a tremendous future ahead of him" (Chambers & Partners 2011)

Education

Winchester College (1996 - 2001)

Pembroke College, Oxford University (2002 - 2006)

Inns of Court School of Law (2006 - 2007)

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Jurisprudence (2005) (First Class)

Bachelor of Civil Law (2006) (Distinction)

Bar Vocational Course (2007) (Outstanding)

Scholarships & Prizes

Oxford University

• Proxime Accessit to the Gibbs Prize (for best performance in Contract, Land, Tort, and Trusts Finals Papers)
• Norton Rose Prize (for best performance in Company Law Finals Paper)
• Distinction in Law Moderations

Pembroke College, Oxford

• Domus Scholarship
• Sir Roger Bannister Scholarship
• Crystal Prize for Law
• Farthing Prize for Constitutional Law

Lincoln’s Inn

• Buchanan Prize
• Megarry Scholarship
• Lord Mansfield Scholarship
• Hardwicke Entrance Award

Co-author (with Simon Salzedo QC) of "Accountants’ Negligence and Liability" (Bloomsbury, 2016) 

Contributing author of "Competition Litigation: UK Practice and Procedure" (OUP, 2010)

"No restitutionary remedies for cartel victims", Solicitors Journal (November 2008)

"The remedies (not) available for breaches of Article 81 EC", (2008) European Competition Law Review 201 - 205

"Procedural aspects of unfair prejudice and the re-use of company names", (2008) Company Lawyer 214 - 216

"The fiduciary duties of resigning directors", (2007) Company Lawyer 275 - 276

"Unfair prejudice in the Privy Council", (2007) Law Quarterly Review 542 - 546