"User-friendly and practical. He doesn't just give the textbook answer but instead offers a practical solution to the problem."
Hugo practises in all areas of Chambers’ work. He appears frequently in trials and appeals in the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, and in arbitration. He acts and advises on a range of commercial issues including banking, insolvency, insurance, and the conflict of laws, and on competition and regulatory disputes ranging from follow-on damages to excessive pricing, and from pharmaceuticals regulation to State aid. Hugo is interested in asylum and refugee law, and legal responses to climate change, and acts pro bono for several NGOs in these fields.
Hugo practises in all areas of Chambers’ work. He appears frequently in trials and appeals in the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, and in arbitration. He acts and advises on a range of commercial issues including banking, insolvency, insurance, and the conflict of laws, and on competition and regulatory disputes ranging from follow-on damages to excessive pricing, and from pharmaceuticals regulation to State aid. Hugo is interested in asylum and refugee law, and legal responses to climate change, and acts pro bono for several NGOs in these fields.
Prior to transferring to the bar, Hugo was as an Associate in the London office of Dechert LLP, in the International Disputes section, with an extensive practice in complex trans-national commercial litigation and arbitration. Hugo originally qualified in Western Australia, where he regularly appeared in superior courts, including the High Court of Australia.
Hugo is a Visiting Lecturer in Transnational Litigation at King’s College London.
Hugo is regularly instructed to advise and act on EU and competition matters, contentious, regulatory and non-contentious. He has appeared in a series of heavy trials raising complex factual and legal issues, on the claimant and defendant side, and for the regulator. With Kelyn Bacon QC he is the author of the chapter “Litigating Decisions of Regulatory Authorities” in Manley and Vickers, Navigating European Pharmaceutical Law (OUP, 2015).
Notable litigation instructions include:
Hugo regularly advises on EU and Competition law issues, including pharmaceutical regulation, state aid, and the EU and UK consumer rights regimes. Recent matters include:
Hugo has broad experience of commercial litigation and arbitration and of advising on commercial matters.
He has acted in a broad range of commercial disputes including:
Hugo regularly advises on commercial law issues. Recent instructions have included advising on:
Hugo has experience in a broad range of public law matters. These include:
Professional experience
2013-14 Pupillage, Brick Court Chambers
2012-13 Associate, International Disputes, Dechert LLP (London)
2010-11 & 2007-09 Solicitor and Articled Clerk, State Solicitor’s Office of Western Australia
2005-6 Professional Research Assistant to the State Solicitor and the State Counsel for Western Australia
Education
2011-2012 BCL (Distinction), University of Oxford
2009-2010 LL.M, Yale University Fulbright Scholar
1999-2006 LL.B (Hons, 1st class), B.A. in History (Hons, 1st class), University of Western Australia
Professional qualifications
2013 Call to the Bar of England and Wales
2013 Attorney and Counselor-at-Law, State of New York
2008 Admission in Western Australia and in Australian Federal courts
Kelyn Bacon QC and Hugo Leith, “Litigating Decisions of Regulatory Authorities”, in Manley and Vickers, Navigating European Pharmaceutical Law (OUP, 2015).
"Immensely smart and hard-working; he leaves no stone unturned, but is also a real pleasure to work with." (Chambers & Partners 2021)
"Hugo is an excellent barrister: he takes a prominent role and has lots of experience." "He's excellent, hard-working and works well with others." (Chambers & Partners 2021)
"A brilliant, versatile lawyer who can turn his hand to almost everything. He has a huge range of practice in commercial law, EU law, competition law and even public law, and can bring these broad litigation skills to bear in EU law. He has a very bright future." (Legal 500 2021)
"He has excellent judgement on how to pitch written submissions. Very quick to understand facts of a case, familiar and in control of the details; excellent and quick drafting of submissions." (Legal 500 2021)
"User-friendly and practical. He doesn't just give the textbook answer but instead offers a practical solution to the problem." (Chambers & Partners UK & Global 2020)