Paul Lowenstein KC is a leading commercial silk with a substantial domestic and international practice spanning litigation, arbitration and appellate advocacy. He is consistently ranked in the principal directories across commercial dispute resolution, civil fraud, banking and finance, crypto and blockchain assets, information technology and telecoms, offshore, and counsel in international arbitration.
A highly experienced courtroom and arbitration advocate, he has expertise in high-profile, heavy commercial, financial and international disputes of all kinds. Acknowledged as a formidable trial, interlocutory and appellate advocate and an accomplished cross-examiner, Paul is a team player and expert strategist with a highly commercial approach.
Paul is a Neutral member of Des Veux Chambers in Hong Kong, where he accepts instructions as arbitrator and mediator alongside his established practice as Hong Kong arbitration advocate and author of expert opinions on foreign laws for the Hong Kong Courts.
He appears regularly in the Commercial Court, Chancery Division, other specialised courts, and the appellate jurisdictions in England and the Eastern Caribbean; He is also admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and to the Bar of the Cayman Islands (ad hoc) and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer before the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).
Paul is regularly instructed in complex and ground-breaking international and domestic fraud and asset-tracing cases, often involving urgent applications, including pre-emptive freezing and proprietary injunctions, equitable receivership orders, anti-suit and anti-anti-suit injunctions, search orders, imaging and password orders, property preservation and Norwich Pharmacal and other disclosure orders. He has substantial experience of litigation involving digital assets, hacking and cyber-fraud; and obtained the first worldwide proprietary injunctions and freezing orders against ‘Persons Unknown’ in the English courts.
Paul has appeared in several of the most prominent recent cases concerning jurisdiction challenges and choice of law issues.
Paul is regularly instructed in international and domestic arbitration and in English, Hong Kong (as expert) and offshore court proceedings in aid of arbitral proceedings and in connection with the enforcement of arbitration awards and foreign judgments.
He also advises overseas lawyers on issues arising in domestic and international litigation and arbitration and gives expert evidence on issues of English, BVI and Cayman law and procedure arising in foreign proceedings.
As well as joining DVC’s List of Independent Neutrals, Paul Lowenstein KC remains in practice as a barrister, arbitration advocate and arbitrator at Twenty Essex chambers, London.
International Arbitration
Paul accepts appointments as arbitrator in domestic and international arbitrations. His recent arbitration and arbitration-related work has involved disputes connected with England, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Gulf States, India, the CIS, Ukraine, the Caribbean and the USA.
Most of Paul Lowenstein KC’s arbitration practice remains confidential, but examples of his current and most recent cases include:
- AA v BB [2025] (DIAC Arbitration) – appointed as co-arbitrator in a very substantial contractual dispute between a crypto exchange and one of its clients.
- XX & others v YY and others [2026-] (HKIAC Arbitration) – representing the claimant purchasers in three consolidated Hong Kong (HKIAC) arbitrations arising from a HK$476 million acquisition of a Hong Kong medical services group, involving profit guarantee disputes under the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) (with Sik Chee Ching of the Hong Kong Bar).
- AA v BB [2026-] (SIAC Arbitration) – representing three ship purchaser companies whose specialized vessels were not delivered by the yard following the imposition of international sanctions (with James Lamming)
- (1) Tecnimont S.p.A. (2) MT Russia LlC v (1) LLC Eurochem North-West-2 (2) Eurochem Group Ag (3) Andrey Egorov [2026-] (Commercial Court) – acting for the first respondent to substantial applications for alleged contempt of court relating to alleged breaches of an Anti-Suit Injunction. Preliminary hearing regarding validity of service of contempt papers on the English legal representative of a foreign respondent in a Hague Service Convention (derogation) case [2026] EWHC 1712 (Comm).
- NordStream 2 arbitration [2024-] (LCIA) – acting for an energy major in a suite of arbitral claims concerning the financing of the stalled NordStream 2 gas pipeline (with Matthew Chan and Isabelle Winstanley).
- AA v BB [2025-26] (LMAA Arbitration) – represented the Claimant ship-owning companies at a three-week trial in their claims brought in Unlawful Means Conspiracy and otherwise against the Defendant companies, part of a state oil corporation, following the transfer of a fleet of tankers and other vessels from the Claimants to the Defendants. Substantial issues concerning security for costs (with Caley Wright, Claudia Renton and Charles Connor)
- AA v BB [2025-] (LCIA Arbitration) – representing the Claimant in a dispute over the alleged misappropriation of substantial marina, hotel and property assets in Turkey
- Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Ltd v ILLC Chlodwig Enterprises and five others [2023-25] (Court of Appeal and Commercial Court) – obtained the first-known mandatory anti-suit and anti-anti-suit injunction to prevent the continuation of substantial banking and asset-return proceedings in Russia, commenced under the umbrella of Art. 248 of the Commercial Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, and to restrain the Russian claimants from seeking anti-suit relief in Russia, where the underlying dispute was subject to an LCIA Arbitration Agreement. Several further ASI amendment orders [2023] EWHC 2816 (Comm) and [2024] EWHC 1827 (Comm). Application to extend ASIs to non-parties to the underlying arbitration agreements [2024] EWHC 2843 (Comm) and (in the CoA) [2025] EWCA Civ 369 [2025] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 518 (with, variously, Andrew Dinsmore, Edward Gilmore and Alexandros Demetriades).
- A v B [2025] – acted for a substantial digital currency mining corporation in connection with proposed anti-suit injunction proceedings to restrain high profile overseas litigation brought in the face of arbitration agreements, arising out of the collapse of a digital exchange (with Sam Goodman)
- Halimeda v Maple Ridge [2020-24] (LCIA arbitration) – acted for the claimant in its arbitral claim to recover an indebtedness of US$1.8+ billion. Anti-suit injunction application. Suite of preliminary issues tried in January 2023 including substantive issues of foreign law. Claim succeeded after the remaining defences were withdrawn (with, variously, Tony Beswetherick KC, Sarah Tresman and Sam Goodman).
- Barclays Bank v VEB.RF [2024-25] (LCIA) and (Commercial Court) – acted for a foreign financial institution in a dispute raising the impact of international sanctions on ISDA arrangements. Jurisdiction dispute under s.32 Arbitration Act before the Tribunal and in the Commercial Court. Anti-suit issues (with Matthew Chan).
- Anti-suit injunction [2022] (Commercial Court) – relating to a dispute proceeding in a foreign jurisdiction between an energy company and an oil major where the underlying agreements contain LCIA arbitration clauses (with Manuel Casas).
- A v B [2020] (Commercial Court / International Arbitration) – advised a foreign state on issues arising in Commercial Court proceedings arising out of a high-profile, ultra-high value international arbitration and foreign court proceedings (with Sam Goodman).
- Evison v Finvision [2019-20] (Commercial Court) – defended a non-party to the underlying action against committal proceedings relating to alleged breaches by a company of an English anti-suit injunction granted to protect LCIA arbitration proceedings. Judgment considering material non-disclosure on application for service-out and interplay between rules governing service by an alternative method and the requirements of the Hague Service Convention at [2020] EWHC 239 (Comm) (with Mark Tushingham).
- A v B [2022] (LCIA Arbitration and Commercial Court Appeal) – acted for a defendant to an LCIA arbitration claim for unpaid money under commercial documents and instruments. Defence that the instruments are fraudulent shams. Preliminary trial regarding issues of limitation heard in December 2019. Merits award 2021. S.68 appeals to be heard in 2022 (with, variously, Jonathan Ketcheson, Henry Byam-Cook, Belinda McRae and Andrew Dinsmore).
- A v B [2020] – provided an expert opinion on issues of English and British Virgin Islands law and procedure for use in enforcement proceedings taken in Miami, Florida, in regard to an award of a LCIA Tribunal.
- Various v A Bank and Various others [2019-20] (LCIA arbitrations) – acted for a foreign mining company in four very large and high-value, closely-related LCIA commercial, banking, guarantee and financial arbitration claims. Two of the claims were against and two were brought against Paul’s client by a one of the largest banks (and others) over the financing of and – ultimately ownership of – a CIS metal ore mine joint venture (with Tamara Oppenheimer and Mark Tushingham).
- A v B [2019-20] – acted for the claimant in an ICC arbitration concerning a dispute over the establishment of an energy production plant in the Caucuses (with Luke Pearce).
- A v Various [2019] – advised an LCIA award creditor with substantial associated litigation in India and Mauritius on availability of freezing injunction and ‘Chabra’ injunctive relief in England
Mediation
Paul Lowenstein KC is a qualified CEDR mediator. He regularly appears as an advocate and advisor in mediations, as well as supporting clients through the mediation process.
Examples of Paul’s work in this area include:
- In the matter of an Impressionist Painting [2020-23] (Ch.D) – Represented at mediation the American owner of a high-value impressionist painting by Paul Signac, which was taken from her in New York under false pretences by a fraudulent art dealer before being sold on the London art market through the second defendant art gallery to an English art collector (with, variously, Susannah Jones, Harry Martin and Courtney Grafton).
- Paul Pascoe v HBOS and Bank of Scotland [2021-22] (Ch.D) – representing the claimant at mediation in connection with his serious allegations including fraud against one of the big four UK clearing banks and others after the assets of their companies were ‘stripped’ and their business taken from them by allegedly dishonest officers of the Impaired Asset division of the bank and by ‘turnaround’ consultants imposed on his business by the Bank.
- Hotel Investment Fund / Senior Employee dispute [2020] – advised and represented, at mediation, a high-profile, regulated commercial property investment business which was in dispute with a senior employee. Serious allegations included complains about office culture, director and employee obligations, whistleblowing and the impact of relevant regulations and the Regulator.
- Joanne Dove and others v HBOS and Bank of Scotland; Gary Wells v HBOS and Bank of Scotland [2019-20] – assisted with mediation preparation and drafting on behalf of the individual claimants, having previously acted (with Luke Pearce) for them in court proceedings arising out of their serious allegations including fraud against one of the big four UK clearing banks and others after the assets of their companies were ‘stripped’ and their business taken from them by allegedly dishonest officers of the Impaired Asset division of the bank and by ‘turnaround’ consultants imposed on them by the Bank.
Earlier examples include mediations in the following disputes: Integrated Global Card Payments IT Services / Earn-out and Warranty Dispute; Taxi Despatch Software Licensing Dispute; Ecotricity Group Ltd v Tesla Motors; Tamara Ecclestone v Omar Khyami and others; the “FedEx Franchisee Litigation” and Sectrack NV v Satamatics Ltd and anor.
- Bar Disciplinary Tribunals (BTAS): Past Chairman
- Commercial Bar Association: Member
- London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association: Member
- Commercial Fraud Lawyers Association: Executive Committee Member
- Master of the Bench, Middle Temple
- Harbour Litigation Funding, Investment Committee: Member
Publications
- Co-author (with Sam Goodman) of ‘At last! A new jurisdictional gateway permitting service of third-party disclosure orders out of the jurisdiction’.
- Co-author (with Andrew Dinsmore) of ‘At your service: an outline of recent developments in the law on service’ cover article in the New Law Journal 6 November 2020 edition (2020) 170 NLJ 7909.
- Co-author (with Joshua Chu) of ‘When the Legal Industry Meets Technology’ in the Hong Kong Lawyer, January 2021 edition.
- Co-author (with Matthew McGhee) of ‘In hot pursuit: The use of flexible remedies and procedures to combat fraud’ in Harbour View Spring 2019.
- Co-author (with Matthew McGhee) of ‘Breaking new ground in fraud recovery claims in London – international pursuit of cyber fraudsters’ IBA International Litigation Newsletter (May 2018).
- Co-author of ‘Interim Injunctions’ in Cases That Changed Our Lives (2nd edn, LexisNexis 2014).
- Author of ‘Mareva Injunctions/Freezing Orders’ in Cases That Changed Our Lives (LexisNexis 2010).
Lectures / Talks
- Regular speaker on developments in fraud and commercial litigation.
- Regular speaker on the use of equitable receiverships in aid of freezing orders.
- Speaker on ‘Reimagining Freezing and Receivership Orders in the Digital Economy’ panel, Singapore International Commercial Court Seminar 2026
- Speaker on litigating in the BVI and the Cayman Islands, Shanghai, 2026
- Regular speaker on the interface between insolvency and arbitration following Sian Participation Corp. V Halimeda International.
- Regular speaker on Anti-Suit Injunctions, including at the IBA Private International law conference, Milan, 2025
- Regular speaker on the use of the Persons Unknown jurisdiction in financial and cryptocurrency and crypto asset fraud and asset tracing claims.
- Regular speaker on the use of novel IT methodologies to overcome issues encountered in the domestic and international service of proceedings, injunctions and other litigation documents.
- Panel speaker with lawyers from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia on Seizing the unseizable – crypto and NFT assets in fraud and asset recovery.
- Panel speaker with lawyers from Hong Kong and the USA considering techniques for tracing digital and crypto assets and money across jurisdictional borders:
- Ctrl +Alt + Delete: FIRE & Digital Fraud
- (webinar, September 2021)
- Speaker on the use of technology in litigation and panel member discussing litigating in the internet age: IBA 2020 Virtually Together conference (webinar, November 2020).
- Speaker and panel member on Search and Imaging Orders in the time of Covid (webinar, December 2020).
- Speaker on developments in Proprietary Freezing Orders and Worldwide Freezing Injunctions and panel member: seminar on Disruptive Developments – CIS Disputes (October 2019).
- Speaker on the enforcement of arbitral awards – using the English Court to secure assets for international enforcement and panel member at the inaugural international arbitration conference (Doha, Qatar) (October 2019).
- Speaker on injunctive and emergency relief in and for international arbitration proceedings – what to ask for in court and panel member at Twenty Essex seminar on emergency relief in arbitration (Singapore) (October 2019).
- Speaker and chairman of a panel addressing developments in preliminary freezing injunction and jurisdiction battles at the Legal Business Commercial Litigation Forum (June 2019). Individual topic: current trends in Proprietary Freezing Orders and Worldwide Freezing Injunctions.
- Speaker and panel member addressing the use of technology in litigation and other IT and technical issues at the inaugural London International Disputes Week (LIDW) (May 2019).
Adjudication, Arbitration as counsel, Arbitration as arbitrator, Enforcement of Arbitral Award, Expert Determination,, Commercial Mediation, Mediation Advocacy,, Bankers’ Duties, Credit Financing, Financial Mis-selling, Moneylenders’ Actions, Securities Law, SFC Enforcement Actions,, Contract, Conflict of Laws, Equity Tort, Unjust Enrichment,, Insurance Law, Negotiable Instruments, Partnerships, Sale of Goods,, Corporate Governance, Compliance with Listing and Other Regulatory Rules, Derivative Action, Unfair Prejudice Petition,, Bankruptcy, Restructuring, Winding-Up,, Letters of Credit, Sale and Carriage of Goods, Shipping,, Auditors’ Negligence, Disciplinary Proceedings, Solicitors’ Negligence, Surveyors’ Negligence,, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Data Technology, Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), Digital Assets,, Anton Piller Relief, Asset Tracing, Bankers’ Books Orders, Discovery, Injunction, Norwich Pharmacal Orders