Solicitor – Admitted 1987
Called to the Bar – Admitted 1987
Silk – 2010
Superb legal resource.
Very good with clients, extremely thorough, has a good mastery of the detail and is an accomplished advocate.
I’d like to say how much I enjoyed working with GN – very hands on, practical, commercial and needless to say great on the law.
Amazing submissions.
Overview
I’m a Barrister and Head of International Arbitration and Trade in Michelmores’ Commercial & Regulatory Disputes team. I joined Michelmores from commercial barristers’ chambers Twenty Essex, bringing many years of experience as an advocate and trusted adviser to develop the firm’s offering in international arbitration, cross-border litigation and global trade and investment work.
I help to resolve complex disputes involving Governments and State-owned entities, handling claims in contract, public law and under investment treaties. I also act in commercial disputes in regulated sectors such as energy, aviation, utilities and financial services, and advise public sector and commercial organisations businesses on regulatory best practice, business and human rights issues, international investment flows and trade in goods and services. I often work in collaboration with lawyers in other jurisdictions especially in Asia and the EU.
Much of my work is at the cutting edge of contemporary legal issues, covering areas such as intra-EU investment claims, enforcement against sovereigns, the impact of sanctions on trade, implementation of climate change policies, and post-Brexit UK-EU relations. But I always seek out the most practical and cost-effective solutions to complex problems.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators with extensive experience as counsel and arbitrator ad hoc and under the rules of the major institutions. I accept other kinds of appointment as a neutral, including as mediator (accredited by CEDR – the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution).
My career began as a commercial litigation solicitor. I practised public international law at the Council of Europe and served as UK Parliamentary Counsel before moving to the bar. As well as being a qualified as a barrister in England & Wales I am called to the Bar of Ireland. I’m a foreign member of the Dutch-speaking Brussels Bar – though my professional foreign language is French. I’m also a Registered Foreign Lawyer with the Singapore International Commercial Court.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Antitrust & Regulatory
- Banking & Finance
- Central Government
- Commercial & Regulatory Disputes
- Competition, Regulatory Compliance & Investigations
- Data Protection & Privacy
- Energy
- International
- International Arbitration
- Investigations
- Litigation Funding
- Public Procurement
- Public Sector Disputes
Recent experience
Acting for the successful respondent in a “stranded assets” claim by an oil and gas operator for alleged breach of an onshore exploration and development licence: Coastal Oil & Gas Limited and others v. The Welsh Government (award 2025 – partially in the public domain)
Acting for the claimant in R (AIMS) v. Food Standards Agency [2026] EWHC 1327 (Admin) – excessive charges levied on UK slaughterhouse operators under assimilated EU law quashed by the High Court in judicial review proceedings
Supporting the local legal team on a high-value land expropriation claim against a national Government in the Asia-PAC region
Acting for national health authorities on a series of claims relating to supply of defective Covid-19 PPE in breach of contractual standards and EU product requirements
Acting in current and recent arbitral and English Commercial Court proceedings affected by impact of EU and UK Russia sanctions on cross-border contracts
Featured commentary and insights: A collection of Gordon’s published works
Neuberger sides with Wales in claim over gas licences – Global Arbitration Review