Year of call: 2011
Aidan Reay joined Chambers in 2013 having undertaken pupillage with Kings following completion of his legal studies at Oxford, Cambridge and Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) and having completed a five-month research traineeship at the ECJ (as it then was).
Aidan has rapidly developed his practice, specialising exclusively in commercial and chancery disputes (including insolvency).
With regular appearances in both the County Court and High Court conducting applications, CCMCs, trials and appeals, Aidan has a broad range of advocacy experience. Aidan is also often instructed in a range of advisory and drafting work.
Aidan’s practice includes the following areas:
Outside of work, Aidan is a keen cricket fan, a developing squash and tennis player and a lapsed golfer.
Having studied in Paris and worked in Luxembourg, Aidan speaks and writes excellent French.
Aidan is regularly instructed in a range of banking and finance claims. Aidan has particular expertise in secured lending and in the interrelation between secured lending and insolvency, as well as experience dealing with a range of guarantees and other debt instruments. Aidan regularly appears in both High Court and County Court in banking and finance matters and has extensive experience in drafting and advising on disputes in the financial sphere.
Aidan is also highly familiar with regulated finance work including consumer credit- and FSMA-related matters.
Tubelike Limited (in liquidation) and Others v Visitjourneys.Com Limited
Aidan is regularly instructed to represent and advise clients with commercial disputes, including the sale of goods, agency agreements and guarantees. He also provides non-contentious advice on contracts, something which businesses find particularly advantageous in advance of contract renewal discussions.
Aidan has also advised on jurisdictional issues including forum, choice of law and the enforcement of foreign judgments in England & Wales.
Aidan regularly acts in relation to company disputes including shareholder disputes, share purchase disputes and directors’ duties providing both advice and representation in the High Court.
Securing an interim injunction in an unfair prejudice petition to restore the Petitioner to a role within the company pending the determination of the petition
Advising in relation to the effects of striking off an entity incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts
Advising in relation to allegations of breach of duty by the director of a company where the director had resigned to start a competing business
Acting in relation to a share purchase dispute regarding the sale of dental practices
Advising in respect of deadlocked companies
Acting (led by Mark Harper KC) in a shareholders’ dispute heard at trial in the Chancery Division in Manchester over 7 days
Aidan is regularly instructed in respect of personal and corporate insolvency cases for office-holder, creditors, debtors and directors.
Aidan’s insolvency practice includes the contentious and the technical.
Aidan’s advice is often sought in respect of complex technical points relating to corporate and personal insolvencies and he has extensive experience in dealing with substantial misfeasance claims against directors.
Aidan also has considerable experience acting for directors in directors’ disqualification proceedings.
Aidan sits on the R3’s regional committee for the Midlands.
Aidan is regularly instructed on a range of partnership disputes and has particular experience dealing with partnership disputes arising in connection with dental practices, general medical practices and farming partnerships.
In dealing with partnership disputes, Aidan recognises that the relationships involved are often personal and always seeks to engage constructively with instructing solicitors and lay clients to look for a way through the litigation to the end solution.
Aidan is a member of Kings’ Business and Property Group with a particular interest in professional negligence. Aidan acts on behalf of claimants, defendants and insurers in professional negligence actions against a range of professionals including financial advisors, solicitors, accountants and construction professionals. With extensive experience of conducting trials and hearings in the High Court, County Court and the Court of Appeal, Aidan is regularly instructed as an advocate in professional negligence matters as well as undertaking drafting and advisory work on complex professional negligence claims.
Aidan’s real estate practice primarily focuses on cases concerning non-domestic rates (or, colloquially, business rates). He acts both for ratepayers and has experience in respect of a number of different rates mitigation schemes, including those relating to heliciculture.
Aidan’s expertise in corporate and insolvency matters of particular benefit to clients dealing with rates cases.
Aidan undertakes both Magistrates’ Court work and judicial review work in respect of rates cases.
Aidan accepts instructions with sports connections across his range of commercial, corporate and insolvency expertise.
Aidan has extensive experience dealing with a range of construction disputes from consumer contracts for domestic building work to complex disputes in respect of industry standard form contracts and relating to the enforcement of adjudication awards.
Recent instructions have included successfully opposing a CPR part 11 application to stay proceedings pursuant to the terms of an NEC3 contract where the issue was whether clause W2 had been incorporated into the contract between the parties where there was ambiguity in the drafting of the contract data.
Legal 500 2023
“Aidan has exceptional knowledge of relevant case law and attention to detail. He has a highly effective litigation strategy and he is very responsive, personable and easy to deal with.”
Chambers UK 2022
“He is excellent at responding to arguments on his feet, which is a very good asset at the Bar. He is a very straightforward and very responsive barrister.” “Aidan is very analytical and responsive, and his written advocacy is persuasive.”
Legal 500 2022
“I find Aidan particularly client-friendly. The advice Aidan gives is always commercial and measured. I would often go to London if Aidan were not available and I consider him to be one of the standout junior barristers at the commercial bar in Manchester.”
Chambers UK 2021
“He is very strong on his advice, can relate to clients very well and gets a handle on the key issues very quickly.” “He is an excellent advocate.” “He is incredibly bright and astute.”
Legal 500 2021
‘Aidan balances a commercial and practical approach with razor sharp technical skills. He is an excellent advocate, who always performs well on his feet.’
Chambers UK 2017
“He’s very personable and you’d be comfortable giving him more weighty jobs – beyond his years of call.” “Tactically astute, he is also really good on technical contractual issues, explaining them so the court can deal with the matter properly.”
