Patrick Swain

Partner / London

Patrick Swain is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and leads the Commercial Litigation team in London.

  • Full Bio

    Mr. Swain’s practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, including M&A-related and shareholder disputes, commercial fraud claims, professional negligence litigation, insurance litigation, contentious insolvency matters and disputes involving the Art, Entertainment and Sports sectors.

    With extensive international experience, Mr. Swain has practised in London, New York, and Hong Kong, advising clients on high-profile, cross-border disputes. He has had supervisory responsibility for clients over disputes in a number of offshore jurisdictions including the Cayman Islands, BVI, Jersey, DIFC and ADGM.  He is recognised for his strategic insight and ability to navigate the most challenging cases with precision and confidence.

    Mr. Swain is ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global (2024), Chambers Europe (2024), and Chambers UK (2025), where he is described as “one of a kind,” “a complete master of litigation strategy,” and “top-notch.” He is also acknowledged as a Leading Individual by The Legal 500 UK (2025), praised for being “very experienced; strategically brilliant,” and for his “flair to run very complex cases with ease.”

    He also serves on the City of London Litigation Sub-Committee, contributing to the development of civil litigation practice and procedure.

  • Representative Experience

    • Defended a FTSE-250 company in a fraud claim for approximately $1 billion brought by an oligarch. The defence was successful, with the court striking out the claim at the start of trial.
    • Successfully acted for a Middle East sovereign investor in defending claims brought by a well-known property tycoon for breach of alleged oral agreements.
    • Acted for the lender to an existing shareholder in litigation arising from the takeover of a leading Premier League football club. The loan was conditional on a sale of the club by a specified date; when the existing shareholder sought to block the agreed sale at the last minute by alleging fraud and conspiracy, successfully obtained injunction relief to allow the sale to proceed and subsequently secured summary judgment dismissing the underlying claim.
    • Acting for international arbitral award holders in successful enforcement claims against a European sovereign state.
    • Represented the majority shareholders of an Asian business in a bet-the-company shareholder dispute over management control of a conglomerate with Asian operations but incorporated in the Cayman Islands, involving 11 years of litigation across the Cayman Islands, the BVI, Taiwan and Samoa. The clients succeeded in retaining control and preserving the company’s viability, and the matter ultimately concluded with the other shareholder being bought out following the litigation.
    • Defended a major auction house in multiple claims relating to antiquities, mediaeval manuscripts and Impressionist paintings, primarily concerning title, provenance and cultural property export issues.
    • Acted for an aircraft manufacturer in disputes arising from supply agreements.
    • Acted for a world-leading professional services firm in confidential litigation and investigations arising across multiple European jurisdictions, relating to allegations concerning audit work for several collapsed or distressed European banks.
    • Acting for a leading entrepreneur in a dispute concerning a ground-breaking virtual concert residency.

  • Bar Admissions

    England

  • Education

    Undergraduate
    • BA Hons (First Class) in Jurisprudence, Corpus Christi College, Oxford

  • Memberships

    City of London Law Society

  • Recognitions


    Chambers UK, Commercial and Corporate Litigation (2025)
    The Legal 500 UK, Leading Individual – Commercial Litigation (2025)
    Chambers Global, Commercial and Corporate Litigation (2024)
    Chambers Europe, Commercial and Corporate Litigation (2024)

  • SGR Publications

  • Press