Callum Close

Callum is a Managing Associate in the Dispute Resolution Department, with a particular focus on civil fraud, investigations, injunctive relief, and commercial litigation. He provides his clients with solution focused commercial advice and specialises in leveraging his clients' position in litigation, in both preventative and post-event driven ways. 

He has particular expertise in global injunctive relief (including freezing orders, search orders, and disclosure orders) as part of international asset recovery, and also works regularly on asset protection, and judgment/arbitral award enforcement.

Callum has experience of working for both individuals and corporate clients across a wide range of complex, high value, multi-jurisdictional disputes. Callum has acted in claims involving allegations of conspiracy, dishonesty, breach of fiduciary and director duties, misappropriation of funds and confidential information, breach of restrictive covenants and shareholder/partnership disputes.  He has litigated and obtained injunctions in a number of overseas jurisdictions, including the Cayman Islands, BVI, Mauritius, Malta, Canada, Hong Kong, and the United States.  Most recently Callum has been involved in proceedings heavily impacted by opponents operating under sanction related licences, including in England and Switzerland.

Callum also has significant recent trial experience, having taken three proceedings from pleadings to trial in the last three years, in the Chancery Division, London Circuit Commercial Court, and the Commercial Court.  He has also represented clients in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Callum leads the firm's training for Trainee Solicitors on injunctions, as well as being involved in a number of the firm's AI initiatives. He is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association. 

Callum is listed in Legal 500 as a Key Lawyer in the Civil Fraud team at the Firm.

Key Experience

• Successfully representing a defendant in Magomedov & others –v- TPG & others, involving 32-parties across two unlawful means conspiracy claims valued at $14 billion, challenges to the jurisdiction over a combined three-week hearing, and applications for freezing injunction relief. The claim is understood to be the largest in the Commercial Court outside of class actions.
• Successful representing Petraco Oil Company SA against ABFA Commodities Trading Limited (formerly VTB Commodities) in relation to its enforcement of a cross-undertaking in damages of $30 million regarding its intervention in litigation regarding an alleged wrongly obtained freezing injunction. Petraco also successfully defended a counterclaim involving allegations of fraud and dishonesty.
• Acting for China Evergrande Group (in liquidation) in respect of its $6billion claim against former directors, involving proceedings and injunctive relief obtained in England and Hong Kong.
• Acted for ArcelorMittal in relation to a multi-jurisdictional $1.5 billion conspiracy claim in the Commercial Court, including obtaining a variety of injunctive relief including freezing orders (in England and elsewhere) in support of enforcement of an arbitral award.
• Acting for a group of petitioners in a s.994 unfair prejudice petition in relation to allegations of misappropriation of shares.
• Representing appellants in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in an appeal from the BVI, regarding the Duomatic principle.
• Represented Katra Holdings Limited in its appeal in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in January 2024, relating to issues of illegality and enforcement of financial agreements regarding Indian and Mauritian law.
• Representing and advising an algorithmic crypto trader in respect of a Letter of Request pursuant to the Evidence (Proceedings in Other Jurisdictions) Act 1975, including applications dealing with threats of committal, security for costs, and an expedited appeal hearing.
• Acting for Tecnimont Arabia Limited against NatWest in relation to a $5m authorised push payment scheme fraud in High Court litigation.
• Representing White Lantern Film (Britannica) Limited and SMC Speciality Finance LLC in their dispute with actress Eva Green in relation to the collapse of the film 'A Patriot'.
• Acting for Raiffeisen Bank in relation to multi-jurisdictional litigation involving a multi-million-pound fraud relating to non-performing loans and asset dissipation, including successfully obtaining an anti-suit injunction.
• Successfully represented employers in retrieving confidential information taken by former employees.
• Represented Cayman based companies in High Court litigation who were victims of a Ponzi-style fraudulent trading scheme, including experience in successfully obtaining 28 USC §1782 in a number of US states for disclosure in support of foreign proceedings.
• Advising in relation to interim prohibitory injunctions regarding breaches of the UK Competition Act.
• Advising in relation to the execution of search order injunctions, including obtaining passport delivery up orders and seeking bench warrants against a respondent who was evading service.

Career History

Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Trainee Solicitor, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Northumbria University, Legal Practice Course
Durham University, LLB Law