Alexander Halban

Practice Areas

Alexander practises in a broad range of commercial and civil fraud disputes – including commercial contracts, shareholders’ disputes, insolvency, civil fraud and asset tracing, and international arbitration.

Many of Alexander’s cases have an international element, involving jurisdiction challenges, conflicts of laws issues, and claims brought under foreign law. He regularly appears in applications for freezing orders and other injunctive relief. He also has experiences in disputes involving cryptocurrency.

Alexander is a fluent Russian speaker and has a particular expertise in Russian and CIS disputes, along with litigation in many other jurisdictions, especially the major offshore centres – the BVI, Cyprus, the DIFC and Singapore. He also speaks fluent French.

Recent cases include Gorbachev v Guriev, a civil fraud claim to recover assets worth US$1 billion in a Russian business listed on the London Stock Exchange and Al-Subaihi v Al-Sanea, a £16 million claim arising out of the collapse of the Saad business group in Saudi Arabia.

Career

Called to the Bar 2009

MA (Oxon), First Class Honours, Modern History and Russian, St John’s College, University of Oxford

Graduate Diploma in Law and Bar Vocational Course, City Law School

Professional Memberships

Commercial Bar Association; Commercial Fraud Lawyers’ Association; Russia and CIS Arbitration Network

Personal

Fluent Russian (including study at St Petersburg State University, Russia)

Fluent French