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Adam Rizzo

Partner

Londra

Adam Rizzo is a lawyer in the Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution group. He focuses on commercial disputes, internal investigations and contentious regulatory matters.

Adam is a disputes lawyer with a focus on high-stakes litigation and regulatory enforcement. He handles commercial disputes, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement matters.

Adam has acted on disputes for a wide range of commercial clients including financial institutions, professional services firms, shipping, energy and technology companies. He has particular expertise in acting for technology clients operating in the software, computing and AI industries (bringing and defending claims on their behalf). He regularly acts for major accounting firms to defend claims brought against them in relation to audit and other services that they provide. Adam also has expertise in advising shipping and energy companies in disputes concerning their operations, including arising out of sanctions risks and their trading, financing and contractual arrangements. He has pursued and defended claims (including in arbitration) for clients for breach of contract, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, negligence, breach of warranty, breach of confidence and fraud.

Adam also conducts internal investigations for companies and boards of directors and has represented companies, firms and individuals in regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions including those brought by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the Insolvency Service and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).  Adam has particular expertise in dealing with internal investigations and regulatory matters which relate to financial reporting, but has also acted in matters in the fintech, invoice finance and asset-based lending sectors. As part of his wider regulatory practice, Adam advises clients on the UK financial sanctions and export controls regime.

Recognised by Legal 500 as a recommended individual, Adam is described as “efficient and highly personable... excellent at running cases on a day-to-day basis”.

    • Acting for a bank bringing a claim against a trading platform provider for  breach of contract.
    • Acting for a family office bringing a claim against a spread betting firm for losses arising out of handling of trades.
    • Undertaking an internal investigation for a bank into management's response to customer fraudulent conduct.
    • Acting for a leading energy company to defend a claim for breach of contract brought by a Russian oil major. 
    • Acting for an energy trader to defend various post-acquisition/M&A disputes.
    • Acting for major accounting firms in regulatory investigations and enforcement actions commenced by the FRC.
    • Bringing a claim for conspiracy to defraud on behalf of a manufacturing company against its former officers and employees.
    • Conducting an internal investigation for a board of directors into the loss of customer digital assets.
    • Bringing a claim for specific performance of a contract relating to the purchase and vesting of cryptocurrency assets.
    • Defending a claim of breach of contract on behalf of a technology company relating to the creation and development of a securities trading platform.
    • Bringing a claim for breach of contract on behalf of a data provider concerning the licensing of information under a data acquisition agreement. 

    Notable cases include:

    • San Francisco Compute Company & anr v Ori Industries 1 Limited: acting for Claimants in a claim for breach of contract and misrepresentation relating to the procurement and delivery of computing processing capacity
    • Parkopedia Ltd v TomTom Traffic B.V.: bringing a claim against TomTom for alleged breaches of a reseller agreement.
    • Microsoft Corporation v Oxide Group Ltd: bringing a part 8 claim for Microsoft against a hosting provider for Norwich Pharmacal and other form of relief. 
    • BHP Group (UK) Ltd & anr v PGMBM Law Ltd: successfully defending an anti-suit injunction brought by BHP against Pogust Goodhead. 
    • Air Berlin plc (in insolvency administration) & anr v [Big 4 Accounting Firm]: defending Big 4 Accounting Firm in a circa EUR 450m claim brought by the liquidator of Air Berlin. 
    • Eletson Gas LLC v A Limited & Ors: acting for First to Third Defendants in a dispute concerning the ownership and control of a charterer of LNG carriers
    • Labrador Marine Corporation v Petroserv Marine Inc: defending a claim for payment under a note instrument which was entered into as part of a financial restructuring
    • Carillion plc (in liquidation) v (1) KPMG LLP (2) KPMG Audit plc: defending an application for pre-action disclosure by the Official Receiver which was dismissed in its entirety in favour of the client (KPMG).
    • Cunningham v Ellis & Others: defending a £39m claim for conspiracy to defraud in favour of Big 4 Accounting Firm, which was struck-out. 
    • Rentokil Initial 1927 plc v Goodman Derrick LLP: successfully defending a negligence claim relating to the drafting of a contract for sale of a commercial premises.