Patrick Swain

A leading, seasoned litigator in the London market with a reputation for success at trial for his clients, Patrick Swain leads our Commercial Litigation team in London.  A client recently commented that “Patrick has the rare skill of predicting accurately what a Court will and will not be willing to accept – it has proved invaluable.”

Patrick’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, Patrick 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 several 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.

Patrick 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.”

Patrick is most appreciated by his clients through combining a willingness to be in the trenches with them during a case, while maintaining sufficient balance to offer calm and critical advice as a trusted consiglieri.  When not litigating he can occasionally be found at rugby and cricket grounds around the world and dealing with the onerous task of managing his wine cellar. 

Patrick's Practice

Representative Matters

• 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.