Year of call: 2021
Ben was called to the bar in March 2021 and runs a thriving business and property practice.
Ben’s practice covers four main areas; general commercial litigation, insolvency (both personal and corporate), banking and finance and company. Ben is regularly instructed in each of the aforementioned sectors to provide written advisory and drafting work, and to attend court at all stages of proceedings, from interlocutory hearings to trials (be they single or multi-day).
As well as contentious court work, Ben also has extensive experience of alternative dispute resolution, having successfully represented multiple clients in mediation.
Prior to coming to the bar, Ben worked in the office of general counsel of a “big four” accountancy firm and in the banking and finance team of a major Northern Irish law firm. These experiences have shaped his practice.
Ben is regularly instructed in complex and high value commercial litigation matters. His instructions commonly come in the form of contract claims, company and partnership disputes and guarantee claims.
Notable cases:
Ben is frequently instructed to handle a variety of Insolvency Act matters and applications, in both the personal and corporate insolvency contexts.
Ben has spoken at insolvency conferences, including the R3 Northern Forum, where he provided a mock-trial demonstration for a wide selection of insolvency practitioner delegates.
Notable cases:
Ben, building on his experience, prior to commencing practice, in one of Northern Ireland’s largest transactional banking legal teams, is frequently instructed to advise and attend court on matters that have, at their heart, a banking and finance focus.
Notable cases:
Ben’s strong insolvency practice is bolstered by his company practice which runs alongside it.
Notable cases:
Ben acted for the proposed administrators of a company in circumstances where the court was faced with a competing choice of office holder. The appointment of Ben’s client as administrator was opposed by purported creditors averring to be owed circa £2-6m from the relevant company. Ben ensured the appointment of his client. The case was reported in the insolvency insider, which can be read here (https://insolvency-insider.co.uk/p/sandstone-legal-case-update )
Ben acted in a high court appeal to challenge the basis on which the court at first instance found there to be a liquidated debt. Ben argued that the court below had been wrong to transfer a liquidated debt from a primary obligor to a guarantor, where the guarantee itself did not sound in debt. The court agreed Ben was correct as to that proposition of law and the point was conceded by the Respondent. The case has been included in the most recent edition of Muir Hunter on Personal Insolvency.
