Signature Litigation LLP

Signature Litigation is a specialist commercial and financial market litigation firm, recognised for its distinctive “all member” economic structure. Established in 2012 by senior lawyers with extensive experience in leading international practices, the firm focuses exclusively on high-value commercial litigation and international arbitration, including both commercial and investment treaty disputes. Headquartered in London, Signature maintains additional offices in Paris, Frankfurt, and Gibraltar, providing dedicated support for complex cases where a niche specialist approach delivers optimal results.

The firm operates without a transactional practice, minimising conflicts of interest and avoiding the distractions common to multi-practice law firms with offices in multiple jurisdictions. Signature Litigation’s unique economic model transfers ownership and profit-sharing to all members of the firm, implementing a fully transparent, non-discretionary structure. This approach ensures that all members share in the firm’s success while maintaining its distinctive culture and focus on client service.

Signature Litigation’s practice spans commercial litigation, international arbitration, regulatory disputes, and complex multi-party cases that may affect clients’ commercial and reputational interests. The firm has acted for high-profile clients in some of the most significant recent disputes, including representation of Privinvest in US$2 billion claims related to Mozambique’s supply agreements and financial instruments, investors in Barclays Bank pursuing losses exceeding £550 million, and Commission Recovery Limited in a groundbreaking representative action regarding secret commissions. In international arbitration, Signature represents Discovery Global LLC in a USD500 million ICSID claim against Slovakia arising from alleged interference by state authorities in oil and gas exploration activities.

The firm continues to expand its capabilities, with recent strategic developments including the opening of its Frankfurt office in July 2024, led by partners Ulrich Helm and Dr Jan Kraayvanger, and partner appointments such as Kate Gee in October 2023, specialising in commercial fraud and crypto litigation, and Philipp Kurek in September 2023, focusing on international investment arbitration.

Signature Litigation’s services cover a broad range of complex legal areas. Its International Arbitration team has extensive experience under institutional rules including LCIA, ICC, DIS, ICSID, UNCITRAL, SCC, DIAC, HKIAC, SIAC, and CIETAC. The firm’s insurance and reinsurance practice handles high-value disputes globally, while its contentious trusts and fund management work addresses both formal and informal trust structures, particularly in London and Gibraltar. Product liability matters are led from Paris, insolvency litigation covers creditors, investors, debtors, and officeholders, and regulatory disputes include investigations by the FCA, SFO, Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, and France’s AFA. The firm also has considerable expertise in international construction disputes, encompassing litigation, arbitration, mediation, and dispute adjudication boards.

Clients served by Signature Litigation include investment and commercial banks, funds and asset managers, large corporations, private equity and venture capital houses, hedge funds, professional advisers, and private clients. Across all offices, the firm leverages technology and outsourcing to provide efficient and high-quality legal outcomes.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Greek, Russian, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Japanese, Turkish, Korean, Swedish, Polish, Amharic, Czech, Slovak, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese

Staffing: 25 partners; 32 other UK fee-earners