Hugo Plowman

Hugo is one of the UK's leading commercial litigation and civil fraud practitioners, combining an active client-facing practice with firm-wide leadership as Chair of Mishcon de Reya's Dispute Resolution department and Strategy Lead for Disputes on the Firm's Management Board.

A long‑standing member of the Firm for more than twenty years, Hugo is consistently recognised as a leader in his field across the leading legal directories. Clients describe him as someone who has "every skill you would want: judgment and leadership," who can "distil complexity into actionable advice, often in high-stakes situations," and who "strikes the right balance between technical precision and strategic foresight".

Hugo specialises in high-value commercial litigation and civil fraud, asset recovery, corporate investigations - including industrial espionage, theft of trade secrets, crypto and cyber-crime. He acts for FTSE-listed companies, governments, private equity houses, global brands and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. His cases have spanned the UK Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Commercial Court and Chancery Division, as well as arbitral tribunals and overseas jurisdictions.

Highlights include acting for Turkey's largest gold-mining company Turk Altin in a shareholder dispute, a European government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a fraud investigation, a leading online dating company in industrial espionage proceedings, and successfully defending S&P Global Platts against Fortescue Metals Group. He was shortlisted for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers: Innovative Practitioner award and, under his stewardship in 2024, the Dispute Resolution team won a clean sweep of the leading industry awards.

In his strategic role on the Management Board, Hugo leads the Firm's V2030 ambition to be a leading dispute resolution firm - an ambition already well-founded with the Firm featuring in The Lawyer's top 20 cases more than any other firm in both 2024 and 2025, holding Tier 1 rankings across seven practice areas, and as the first law firm globally to hold CREST and NCSC accreditation.

Mishcon fields one of the largest disputes teams in the UK - more than 350 lawyers across over 40 specialist services - with offices in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE, and active roles in networks such as the International Fraud Group. Hugo is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) who speaks French and Spanish.

Key Experience

• Acted for a European government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation to a fraud investigation involving grants given to a pan African organisation working for social justice and development.
• Acted for one of the world's largest online dating companies in relation to industrial espionage investigations and protection of trade secrets.
• Advised a leading NASDAQ data analytics company on cartel investigation strategies and database protection.
• Acted for investment firm in investigations and arbitral proceedings in connection with fraud and corruption in African power projects.
• Client won in the Supreme Court to dismiss a substantial part of the claim on jurisdictional grounds (Akçil v Koza Ltd [2019] UKSC 40)
• Client won in the Court of Appeal to block multi-million pound funding for an ICSID arbitration against Turkey in the Court of Appeal (Koza Ltd & Mr Ipek v Koza Altin Isletmeleri AS [2020] EWCA Civ 1018).
• Client won in the High Court to discharge an injunction wrongly obtained by Australian miner Fortescue Metals Group Ltd and successfully defended S&P Global Platts's right to publish iron ore pricing information (Fortescue Metals Group Ltd v Argus Media Limited and S&P Global Inc [2020] EWHC 1333 (Ch)).
• Client won in the Court of Appeal to discharge provisions of a worldwide freezing order that would prevent company from developing its fledgling business - Organic Grape Spirit Limited v Nueva IQT, SL [2020] EWCA Civ 999.
• Acted for the world's leading independent kids' content company in a claim against former employees who allegedly misused confidential information to divert M&A targets to launch a competitor, including orders for delivery up, evidence preservation and computer imaging (Wild Brain Family International Limited v (1) Robson & (2) Chubb [2018] EWHC 3163 (Ch)).
• Acted for Defendants in defence of a claim relating to bareboat charter agreements operating in Nigerian waters, and an application to release funds from a worldwide freezing injunctions to pay for legal advice and the early discharge of an order for contempt of court (Tidewater Marine International Inc v Phoenixtide Offshore Nigeria Ltd and others [2018] EWHC 3923 (Comm) (21 December 2018)).
• Acted for a well-known shoe brand in a fraud investigation against the former CEO, and parallel private criminal prosecution and claims against the company's former solicitors.
• Client won in the Court of Appeal to establish an implied fiduciary duty in a joint venture arrangement, including a fiduciary duty owed by the director of one of the joint venture partners to the other joint venture partner (Ross River Limited and anor v Waveley Commercial Ltd and others [2013] EWCA Civ 910).
• Acted for a high-profile banker who faced criminal investigations in other EU member states, extradition from the UK, as well as criminal restraint proceedings and large-scale commercial litigation in the civil courts.
• Acted for an investor in a property development joint venture, against well-known UK property developers for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty on the basis of diversion of funds and opportunities belonging to the joint venture.
• Investigation into a major gang of counterfeiters on behalf of a global US software manufacturer leading to multi-million dollar recoveries, following wide-ranging civil search, freezing and disclosure orders.
• Successfully represented a number of top recruitment businesses in injunctive proceedings to recover the client and candidate database and applications for pre-action disclosure, including for the first time in reported legal history an application on behalf of Hays for pre-action disclosure of documents held in a LinkedIn account as reported in the Telegraph.
• Acted for a hedge fund in an investigation into two former senior employees who allegedly downloaded financial secrets and complex trading software to set up in competition.
• Acted pro bono for a well-known charity in recovering the proceeds of a "fresh air" invoicing fraud perpetrated by a project manager in the property services division.
• Defended two businessmen associated in a multi-million dollar claim and worldwide asset freezing injunction brought against them by a British Virgin Island company owned and controlled by a Russian oligarch. The claim arose in connection with a loan agreement, personal guarantees and indemnities.
• Acted for the leading independent supplier of petrol and diesel products in the UK in a claim against a former employee who stole confidential information and sought to use it to his advantage in a competitive tender bid to win business from national supermarkets.
• Acted for a supplier of mobile phone and other telecom accessories based in the Middle East and Africa in a global investigation and subsequent multi-jurisdictional fraud claim against two former board directors and various corporate nominees.
• Acted for Pimlico Plumbers in the case reported in the Evening Standard and Daily Mail
• Successfully represented leading London estate agents Foxtons in a number of injunctions and applications for search orders, including the high profile case reported by the Evening Standard.
• Defended a claim brought by a film financing agent against a former director for wrongfully procuring a company to be put into liquidation and diverting business opportunities in breach of fiduciary duty.
• Acted for a leading fashion brand owner in a contractual claim and jurisdiction race against an Italian distributor who failed to pay royalties, and deliver a well-known underwear range on time.

Career History

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Qualified, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Trainee Solicitor, Mishcon de Reya LLP
University of Birmingham, BA (Hons) French and Spanish