Ralph practises across all areas of commercial law, with a particular focus on commercial disputes, international arbitration, jurisdiction and civil procedure, enforcement and contempt proceedings, wet and dry shipping, insurance, and professional negligence. Ralph acts both led and unled.
High-profile recent work includes acting as sole counsel in limitation proceedings concerning the “EVER GIVEN”, acting (as junior to Michael Holmes QC) in the successful challenge to jurisdiction of claims brought by the Libyan Investment Authority (Libyan Investment Authority v Credit Suisse & others [2021] EWHC 2684 (Comm) and acting as junior counsel for KPMG in a variety of matters relating to the collapse of Carillion, including in KPMG’s successful challenge to a pre-action disclosure application [2020] EWHC 1416 (Comm) and in FRC v KPMG, one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2022.
He has a particular interest in Admiralty Court work, having gained practical experience of navigation and seamanship over three years as a member of Cambridge University Royal Naval Unit. He regularly acts in cases which depend on technical questions of expert evidence, across a range of disciplines.
Ralph has been published in the Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly (on admiralty law) and has written for LexisPSL (on insurance arbitration).
In 2021, Ralph was appointed to the Attorney-General’s London C Panel of junior counsel to the Crown.
Experience includes led and unled representative and advisory work across a range of arbitral rules and sectors, as well as relief in support of arbitration, including anti-suit injunctions, “Vasso” orders and jurisdiction challenges:
Shipping is a core part of Ralph’s practice. Ralph regularly acts in both wet and dry shipping disputes, including:
Ralph has been appointed to the Attorney-General’s C Panel.
Ralph has acted in a number of complex and high-profile professional negligence cases, including:
As well as civil claims, Ralph has experience of regulatory proceedings brought by the Financial Reporting Council against major auditors under both the Audit Enforcement Procedure and the Accountancy Scheme, including FRC v KPMG, one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2022.
The Lawyer features 9 members in their Top 20 Cases of 2022
Michael Holmes QC and Ralph Morley succeed in jurisdiction challenge on multi-million-dollar Libyan Investment Authority fraud claim
Ralph Morley appointed to Attorney-General’s C Panel of Counsel
Carillion v KPMG: 7KBW teams act in pre-action disclosure application
Five members of 7KBW instructed in Carillion/KPMG litigation
“Make me a (narrow) channel of your peace: the narrow channel and crossing rules reconsidered”, [2019] LMCLQ 242: this article reconsiders the narrow channel and crossing rules of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea in light of the recent decision in The Ever Smart [2018] EWCA Civ 2173; [2019] 1 All E.R. (Comm) 303; [2019] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 130 and proposes a governing principle for the interaction of these rules in order to solve a longstanding problem of admiralty law.
Practice Notes for LexisPSL on insurance arbitration.
2015-16: Bar Professional Training Course at City University, London (Outstanding, ranked sixth out of over three hundred candidates)
2014-15: Graduate Diploma in Law at City University, London (Distinction)
2011-2014: MA in Classics, Trinity College, Cambridge (double First)
While at Cambridge, Ralph was captain of the Trinity College team which won the 2014 series of the BBC television quiz programme University Challenge.
Ralph was formerly Assistant Editor of the Journal of International Comparative Law (published by Sweet & Maxwell)