Tim Shepherd

Tim’s experience includes:

• Defending a significant number of claims brought against pension scheme consultants, administrators and actuaries by scheme principal employers and trustees.  These claims have arisen from (among other things) the implementation of changes to benefit structures; the drafting of pension payment increase provisions; equalisation liabilities; and the administration of scheme benefits.
• Defending High Court proceedings brought against a firm of accountants, arising from the drafting of an agreement for the sharing of certain tax benefits.  These proceedings were defended up until being discontinued before trial, and a substantial costs recovery was achieved.
• Defending a high profile, high value claim brought against the former administrators of a property company, arising from the alleged sale at an undervalue of a large real estate development site in London.
• Defending proceedings brought against a firm of insolvency practitioners in relation to alleged breaches of the Insolvency Act 1986 by a director of a company in liquidation. 
• Defending a variety of claims, brought against both legal and accountancy advisers, arising in connection with the operation of complex international trust structures and tax avoidance schemes.
• “The Alexandros T” [2013] UKSC 70; Starlight Shipping Co v Allianz Marine & Aviation Versicherungs AG [2014] EWHC 3068 (Comm):  The successful pursuit of a claim, on behalf of a UK law firm, for declarations, damages and indemnities in response to Greek proceedings commenced in breach of settlement and exclusive jurisdiction agreements.  The matter was heard before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
• Defending a claim against a large UK firm of solicitors arising from a complex share sale transaction, which involved the effecting of securities over interest rate hedging products.
• The defence of formal proceedings brought against a leading international law firm, arising from the privatisation of the maintenance of the London Underground.
• The defence of High Court proceedings commenced against a law firm in relation to the sub-sale of a real estate asset.
• Defending a claim against an offshore firm of solicitors and a professional trustee company in connection with the administration of the affairs of a number of property-holding trusts in Gibraltar.
• Defending a claim for misrepresentation brought against a director of a Gibraltar investment fund by a number of fund investors, following the failure of investments in oil fields in Louisiana.
• Assisting the professional trustee of a Guernsey trust structure in connection with potential disputes with beneficiaries, following an inadvertent exposure of trust assets to French tax liabilities.
• Defending proceedings brought against a Magic Circle law firm in connection with a high value property development project in Mayfair.
• Securing the strike out of a number of formal proceedings commenced against a Magic Circle law firm by a vexatious litigant.
• Advising both legal and accountancy advisers in connection with regulatory inquiries and investigations pursued against them by both domestic and international regulatory bodies, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, the Serious Fraud Office, and (in the US) the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Nottingham Law School, Post-Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course

Exeter University, LLB, Honours, Law

• England and Wales

Court

• Solicitor Advocate with Higher Rights of Audience (Civil)