M Ali Akram

Principal - Practising Solicitor (England & Wales) - Barrister (Lincoln's Inn)

Ali is the firm's Principal and has a wide breadth of experience in Civil, Commercial and Insolvency Litigation in which he advises both individual and corporate clients. Ali is a tenacious and strategic problem solver who strives to get results for his clients. He brings to the Practice his sound legal knowledge obtained through many years of legal learning and advisory experience together with his ability to put clients at ease.

Educated at the University of Leicester, University College London, the London School of Economics and the Inns of Court School of Law. Ali has both a Bachelors degree in Law and a Masters degree in the Law of International Finance and Securities Regulation (with Banking Law and Companies Law) and is called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn (Hardwicke Scholar) and admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts. He previously worked as a specialist financial services regulatory consultant at big four accountancy firm, KPMG LLP where he became a member of the Securities Institute. He then worked at leading City law firm, SJ Berwin LLP and gained extensive experience of managing and responding to high value and high profile litigation. He has worked on secondment in the Legal departments of ING Barings and Goldman Sachs International merchant banks and has advised on issues such as Fraud, Money Laundering, Insider Dealing and Regulatory Compliance.

As well as Civil, Commercial & Insolvency Litigation, Ali represents clients in: Professional Negligence matters against Solicitors (particularly for breach of warranty of authority in property fraud cases); complex MTIC VAT assessment and penalty surcharge appeals before the Tax Tribunals; and in litigation against retail banks relating to their mis-selling to SME companies of complex financial derivative products known as 'Interest Rate Swaps'.

Ali has full rights of audience before all Courts and Tribunals in England & Wales. He regularly appears as an advocate before: the Companies Court in relation to Winding Up Petitions and connected matters such as Validation Orders; the High Court and County Court in relation to commercial and civil litigation; and the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax) on behalf of Appellants in appeals against HM Revenue & Customs and in Duties based restoration/seizure disputes against the Director of Border Revenue.

Ali serves on the executive committee of the Society of Asian Lawyers and is a member of the London Solicitors Litigation Association.

Tel: 0207 1830 529

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