Commercial
A seat with James Sharpe during pupillage exposed Bradley to a wide range of general commercial work. As part of his LLM, Bradley wrote a dissertation on the Supreme Court’s developing view of contractual construction and so he has a particular interest in matters of interpretation.
Recent examples of Bradley’s own work in the commercial and insolvency fields include:
- Advising a client wishing to enter into a contractual agreement to settle legal proceedings on a question of capacity to contract. One party to the proposed contract, a Russian citizen, had capacity to contract as a matter of English law but lacked capacity as a matter of Russian law because she was, at the time, detained in Moscow pending a criminal trial. Bradley’s advice considered the stance that the Court would adopt in order to determine that party’s capacity in the event that the agreement, which was to be governed by English law, were challenged in an English Court. Bradley also advised on contractual terms which would assist in showing that the agreement was most closely connected with the English jurisdiction.
- Advising the insurer of a major high street brand, now in administration, as to the effect of a side agreement for reimbursement on an employers’ liability policy. In one claim in particular, Bradley successfully resisted an application to add the insurer as the second defendant to a personal injury claim on the grounds that neither the Insolvency and Companies Court nor the administrator of the First Defendant had given permission for a stay imposed by operation of law under schedule 1B of the Insolvency Act 1986 to be lifted.
- Appearing in the County Court on behalf of a solicitor bringing a money claim against a former client in respect of unpaid fees.
- Advising the tenant of a commercial leasehold property on the prospects of success of a claim already pleaded/issued against the leasehold owner and his managing agent. The matter particularly engaged questions of construction of a commercial lease and of privity of contract.
- Reviewing and advising on a winding-up petition brought by a petitioning company which was itself in creditors’ voluntary liquidation.
- Advising a natural person on the potential impact of an adverse judgment in the Dubai Court of First Instance in respect of a failure to discharge a personal guarantee, how any adverse judgment might be enforced in the English jurisdiction, and the effect of bankruptcy.
- Non-contentious advice given on matters of agency and on the proper construction of assignment and sub-contracting clauses in a commercial agreement with a major multinational logistics company.
- Acting for a UAE-based investor, including by advising and by drafting particulars of claim to enforce a Dubai Court of First Instance judgment worth over US$500,000 against an investment company in the High Court.
- Advising and acting for a respondent homeowner in an application brought by a contractor to set aside a statutory demand.
- Advising a construction client in respect of a “genuine dispute” raised by a company in response to a Statutory Demand and as a defence to a winding-up petition.
- Drafting a defence and counterclaim for a large poultry processer in a breach of contract claim brought against it by a former supplier of broilers.
- Advising severally on questions of offer and acceptance and whether binding agreements have been formed between parties.
- When acting on behalf of a salvage dealer in a sale of goods matter, securing strike-out of a claimant’s claim for damages.
- Advising a claimant on the merits of a claim in contract against the installer of a gas boiler, the installation of which was alleged to have caused a water pump to fail.
- Being instructed severally on wind-up petitions listed in the Chancery Division.
- Being instructed on behalf of a Premier League football club to file a bankruptcy petition in respect of one of the club’s debtors.
Examples of his general commercial work during pupillage included:
- Advising on matters of interpretation and the effect of exclusion clauses in respect of a contract for the hire equipment for use in warehousing (during pupillage).
- Drafting a skeleton argument for the respondent to a summary judgment application in a claim involving high-value commercial leases (during pupillage).
- Conducting in-depth research on the effect of shareholder authorisation on a director’s breach of duty in respect of a complex and high-value claim brought by a company against its former directors (during pupillage).
Selected Cases
View full profile »Awards
- Queen Mother Scholarship, Middle Temple (2020)
- Winner, Cardiff University Undergraduate/GDL Moot (2020)
- Arteaga Prize for best performance in Spanish Language & Literature, Oxford University (2004)
- Various academic scholarships, Merton College (2001-2004)
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Qualifications
- BA, Modern Languages & Literature (French & Spanish – First Class), Merton College, University of Oxford
- GDL (Distinction), Cardiff University
- BTC & LLM (Outstanding, with Distinction in LLM), Cardiff University