Jonathan Addo is the global head of Contentious Regulatory and a partner in our Litigation & Insolvency practice group based in the BVI office.

Jonathan has built a leading Contentious Regulatory practice in which his team advise and represent in court, financial services institutions, licensees and fiduciaries on their regulatory obligations and in respect of regulatory investigations; and mutual legal assistance requests.

He was BVI counsel in the pioneering case of Friar Tuck et al v International Tax Authority BVIHC2015/0339 & 0340 which established basic procedural rights for recipients of tax information requests. This case led to significant changes in practice by competent authorities both in the BVI and elsewhere. In addition, Jonathan successfully challenged enforcement notices under the AML & TF Code before the BVI Financial Services Appeal Tribunal, a challenge later upheld on appeal (BVI FSC v HIMS BVIHCV 2017/0175). This case similarly led to changes in practice by the competent authority.

In his commercial litigation practice, Jonathan is a preeminent lawyer in the area of injunctive relief having appeared both as the first instance advocate and subsequently as the led junior in the ground-breaking Privy Council case on freezing injunctions of Convoy Collateral Limited v Broad Idea Ltd et al [2021] UKPC 24.

In addition, Jonathan advises on private international law with a particular focus on forum challenges. He acted for the successful appellants in the leading Privy Council case on jurisdiction challenges in fraud disputes: JSC Eurochem et al v Livingston Properties Equities Inc et al [2020] UKPC 31, and more recently, he acted for the successful party in the leading BVI case on forum non conveniens (in the context of a contractual dispute): Oscar Trustee Limited v MBS Software Solutions Limited BVIHCMAP2021/0024.

Jonathan has a long-established practice advising on directors’ duties, investor protection and shareholder relief having appeared for the successful party in the leading case in the BVI on the use of directors’ powers (IAMC v SFL BVIHC COM 0034/2016). He has successfully acted for numerous shareholders in the context of joint venture disputes and unfair prejudice petitions.

Prior to joining us in 2012, Jonathan practised as a barrister at the Bar in London and previously worked in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs International between 2004 and 2008.

Jonathan is recognised by his peers and the directories as a leading commercial fraud and asset recovery lawyer and is often instructed to act for UHNWIs and large MNCs in the investigation; tracing and recovery of assets arising from commercial fraud; misappropriated assets or bribery claims.

He co-authored the BVI chapter in Complex Commercial Litigation (GTDT 2019) and is a regular contributor to the Offshore Litigation Blog.

He is an Overseas Member of the Chancery Bar Association; an Honorary Member of COMBAR; the Treasurer of the IBA Asset Recovery Committee and a member of the C5 Fraud Advisory Board.