Prakash joined Spencer West in 2020 as a commercial litigation partner.
Experienced in handling a variety of company, commercial and private client disputes, his main forum of work is in the Chancery, Queen’s Bench and Company Divisions of the High Court.
Having started his career in 1987 in general litigation, after several years of pursuing white collar crime, drug matters and other high value criminal matters, Prakash changed his practice in 1995 to become a commercial litigator.
He has the rather unique ability to adapt and represent clients across a wide number of courts and tribunals, and he especially enjoys “David and Goliath” type cases against leading ‘magic circle’ and other large City firms, on the basis that justice should be available for all, with a level playing field, not just for the large institutional clients.
He undertakes work in numerous areas, including company, partnership and shareholder disputes, property disputes, adverse possession, breach of contract and insolvency matters.
Prakash enjoys being a formidable and fearless litigator who will not be bullied and who holds his own in order to achieve the result that’s in the best interests of his clients.
Notable cases amongst many include:
- Court of Appeal case heard by the Master of the Rolls involving an important issue of vicarious liability relating to the deceit of an agent, the test of the principal being liable for the fraudulent misrepresentation of his agent and the scope of actual or apparent authority
- Acting on behalf of a liquidator against Defendants for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud committed against the company whilst employed as consultants leading to a substantial judgment of over £600,000
- Several successful Serious Fraud Office defences including:
- successful defence of an accountant in relation to a £500 million bill discounting fraud in the City of London which led to the conviction of all other Defendants
- successful defence and acquittal of a Defendant in a bribery and corruption scandal involving BP in Angola in relation to a £21 million contract awarded by BP and which led to the conviction of all other Defendants
- A Home Office Deportation Order to India successfully appealed in a high profile and complex immigration case under Article 3
- Defence in a complex Pakistani divorce nullity case and subsequent financial remedy award
- Custody and removal of minor for lawyer father to Lebanon and a similar case for removal of minor to Dubai for father
- Fraud action for a Harley Street psychiatrist tricked by two doctor patients into investing large sums into a Nigerian fiscal scam
- Acting for successful Defendant in the Privy Council in England in relation to an adverse possession case of valuable coastal land in the British Virgin Islands
- Acting in relation to a case involving the applicability of legal professional privilege following the introduction of the CPR in relation to a ground-breaking decision with various parties involve in a shareholders’ dispute
- Acting for the Defendant to seek substantial costs following the continuance of a multimillion-pound action against him for fraud, which led to a substantial costs order being made under CPR Part 38 against the liquidator of the Claimant company
High profile successes amongst others include:
- Acting for a substantial Indian company against the Bank of New York Mellon in relation to a dispute of USD 200 million bonds and the successful resistance against an application for summary judgment
- Representing both daughters in the Patak’s Pickles spice war claim, raising complex issues of Hindu succession
- Fraud construction case against Terry Brady, father of Baroness Karren Brady
- Company rectification defence against the Republic of Zimbabwe involving high value asbestos mines