Richard Singleton - Partner
Richard joined CANDEY in 2013. He is a very experienced litigator whose clients are at the heart of everything he does. He has a long and consistent track record of achieving success for clients in a number of sectors across a wide range of commercial disputes, and has extensive experience in all divisions of the English High Court and Appellate Courts in the following areas:
Obtaining urgent interim relief, in particular freezing orders and other mandatory injunctions, in order to protect clients’ personal, business and other interests.
Intellectual property disputes including trade mark infringement and passing off claims.
Company and shareholder disputes including obtaining minority shareholder relief under section 994 of the Companies Act.
Partnership disputes.
Civil fraud and trust claims.
Professional negligence including claims against solicitors.
Protection of business claims including breaches of fiduciary duty and restrictive covenants claims against former employees, misuse of confidential information, team moves, diversion of business and unlawful competition.
Judicial Review claims for clients whose businesses have been put at risk by decisions made by public bodies including recent successes against the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFISI).
Introduction fee and commission claims.
Gambling disputes including advising leading Mayfair casinos in respect of gambling debts, and also advising customers against gambling operators in respect of unlawful commercial practices.
Richard regularly advises clients in relation to enforcement in the UK and overseas and works closely with foreign lawyers and other professionals to secure cash recoveries for clients. He also works closely with litigation funders and insurers to ensure that clients are insured against the risk of adverse costs orders and can manage litigation costs, which means that, together with CANDEY’s contingent fee arrangements, his cases usually end in successful outcomes for clients either at trial or through negotiated settlements.
Recent and Current Cases
Richard is currently acting/has acted for the following clients:
A minority shareholder in respect of a £multi-million section 994 Unfair Prejudice Petition in the Business and Property Courts against the majority shareholders in a Group of companies in a family-owned quasi-partnership/joint venture, and which involves allegations of forged trust deeds and breaches of fiduciary duty. The case is currently being appealed to the Supreme Court.
Three minority shareholders in respect of a £multi-million section 994 Unfair Prejudice Petition in the Business and Property Court against the majority shareholders in a Group of recruitment companies, including allegations that the business of the main company was stripped of its assets and sold off cheaply in a pre-pack administration to a company ultimately owned by an errant director/shareholder, and including an additional proprietary estoppel claim on behalf of one of the clients issued concurrently in a separate division of the High Court.
An Emeritus Professor in a claim against his former employer, a Russell Group university, in respect of a breach of contract claim arising from the university’s failure to share with our client any of the proceeds from the lucrative sale of an educational assessment unit which comprised assessment systems the client spent almost 40 years creating and developing.
A former client of a leading, national law firm in respect of a claim for alleged breach of contract and professional negligence concerning litigation in which she was not competently advised resulting in a cost liability in excess of £3millllion.
A commercial investment and residential development company in respect of a breach of contract / loss of opportunity claim against a leading national house builder in relation to a £multi-million claim for an introduction fee.
Two customers with gambling disputes against an online gaming platform and a global cruise ship company in respect of alleged unlawful gambling practices and which involve allegations of various breaches of UK licensing regime relating to the fair treatment of gambling customers.
A German-based tech manufacturing company in a Judicial Review claim against the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFISI) in the first Administrative Court action relating to the UK’s sanctions regime on Russia. You can read further details of the case here.
A leading national healthcare recruitment company against two former employees who stole confidential data from the client’s candidate database prior to leaving the company to set up a competing business. CANDEY obtained important interim injunctive relief preventing further use of the confidential information and ultimately obtained (via negotiated settlement) further injunctive and springboard relief, damages and payment of legal costs.
Park Lane casino in respect of an action brought by a disgruntled customer who claimed he was entitled to a bonus or commission from his gambling at the club. Read more and the Judgment here.
Les Ambassadeurs Club casino in respect of an application for a post-judgment freezing injunction against a defaulting customer. Whilst the application was unsuccessful, the decision in the Court of Appeal is now the leading authority on the meaning of the phrase “real risk of dissipation”. You can read the Judgment here.
Successfully acted for a partner in a family-owned Partnership in respect of a £multi-million claim brought in the former Chancery Division for breach of fiduciary duty. Read more and the Judgment here.
A corporate finance house against an airline owner in Commercial Court proceedings in respect of a breach of contract/unjust enrichment claim. The case settled on the eve of trial on favourable terms for the client, following which there was a preliminary issue on costs, clarifying the law on switching from a damages-based fee agreement to a conditional fee agreement. Read more and the Judgment here.
Acted for a client who entered into a joint venture with his former business partner concerning the development and sale of lucrative development land, including successfully representing the client in the Court of Appeal in relation to an appeals and cross-appeals Read more and the Judgment here.
Client Testimonials
“Richard Singleton and his team at CANDEY provide expert legal advice and support assisting Les Ambassadeurs Club with a range of legal issues, and consistently achieves success often in difficult circumstances. They explain the litigation process, legal strategies and options in plain, simple and easily understandable language and solve problems with proactive and innovative solutions. We have developed over many years, a close working relationship with all of the team at CANDEY who are knowledgeable, personable and responsive, and who articulate themselves and their advice in a friendly and approachable manner. But most of all, they are easily contactable as our business doesn’t keep normal business hours.”
“The appointment of Richard Singleton was the best decision I made for my legal case. The CANDEY Dispute Resolution team are outstanding. They are responsive, attentive and have displayed a steely determination to do what’s right for the client. Richard grasped the issues of the case immediately, has provided exceptional advice and going the extra mile is common practice for him”
“Having recently concluded a successful litigation against another company, I can fully endorse [Richard Singleton and] CANDEY as our legal representatives through this process. They acted with great authority and demonstrated vast experience which proved pivotal in helping us make the vital decisions, ultimately securing the outcome we wanted. Guiding us through the legal journey, CANDEY’s team provided balanced pragmatic advice, explaining the many legal nuances along the way with appropriate articulation. We will certainly engage with CANDEY with all our future legal matters given our experience.”
Email: rsingleton@candey.com