Aidan is an experienced commercial litigator who works in the English Courts and in commercial arbitration. His practice includes contract, private equity, partnership, trust and professional negligence disputes.
Aidan has been named one of Legal 500’s “Next Generation” litigators each year since 2019. In 2023, Legal 500 recorded that:
‘Aidan is in total command of the details no matter how complicated. Provides strong practical advice. A formidable lawyer to have on the other side. Always available.’
Aidan qualified from Victoria University of Wellington in 2007 with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (First Class).
Before joining Quinn Emanuel, Aidan worked at one of New Zealand’s premier commercial law firms. Aidan has appeared as junior counsel in commercial cases in the New Zealand Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court, as sole counsel in the New Zealand High Court and District Courts and on procedural matters in the English Courts.
- Acts for holders of Argentina’s GDP linked warrants in a EUR 1.5 bn claim concerning Argentina’s GDP rebasing and subsequent non-payment of the warrants in 2013.
- Acts for NMC plc in its professional negligence claim against EY LLP, by which it seeks to recover losses of more than $2.5 billion.
- Acts for a private equity fund manager in respect of intra-partnership disputes following mismanagement of the partnership by its former management.
- Acts for a multinational energy company in a defence of certain contractual and tortious claims arising out of a joint venture project.
- Acted for Trustees of the Estate of Dame Zaha Hadid.
- Acted for an investor in its claim for and recovery of more than EUR 70m in connection with a failed bond investment, which included the coordination of a successful worldwide enforcement strategy.
- Acted for a pension scheme investment consultant in its defence of a claim against it for damages of more than £300m.
- Acted for a high net worth individual against the institutional clients group of a global bank in a claim for damages of more than $180m.
- Defending an inkjet printing technology company in a patent infringement claim.
- Acted for the principal investor in a series of West End musical productions in a claim concerning the repayment of shareholder loans and the operation of a shareholder agreement.
- Acted for a national television company in its defence of a claim brought by the production company of a popular and long running television show.
- Acted for a telecoms infrastructure company in connection with an inter-shareholder dispute.
- Acted for a national bank against another national bank in connection with a dispute regarding a joint venture for the sale of insurance products.
- Acted for a property investor in a dispute with a national bank regarding the sale of interest rate swaps and the provision of debt financing against a £1.5 billion portfolio of London property.
- Copyright Litigation
- Hedge Fund Litigation
- Investment Advisor & Asset Manager Litigation
- Private Equity Fund Litigation
- Representing Pension Funds, Other Managed Funds, and Government Agencies as Plaintiffs
- Entertainment & Media Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- Sovereign Litigation, Arbitration and Workouts
- International Arbitration
- Wills, Estates and Trusts Disputes
- Victoria University of Wellington
- (Bachelor of Laws, 2007)
- (Bachelor of Arts with Honours (First Class), History, 2007)
- (Bachelor of Arts, History and Political Science, 2006)
- Solicitor, The Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
- Russell McVeagh:
- 2008-2011
- Legal 500 UK Leading Partners, Commercial litigation: premium, 2025
- Legal 500 UK, Recommended Lawyer, Commercial litigation: premium, 2025
- Legal 500, “Next Generation” commercial litigator 2019
- Victoria University of Wellington, Post Graduate Scholarship Award 2006
- “Every vote counts (or not)”, New Zealand Law Journal [2015] 29
- “Legislating in the dark”, New Zealand Law Journal [2011] 324
- “Lessons from the law reform process”, New Zealand Law Journal [2011] 360