Charles Littlewood

Charles Littlewood is developing a wide-ranging practice across the breadth of commercial law and public international law, including general commercial disputes, international arbitration, insurance, shipping, commodities, and civil fraud. He accepts instructions as sole counsel and as junior counsel in all 7KBW’s specialist areas.

Before joining 7KBW, Charles worked as a legal researcher for counsel acting for Ukraine in litigation before the International Court of Justice. He maintains a keen personal interest and professional engagement in public international law and accepts instructions in this field.

Charles studied Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge, where he achieved a Double First. After graduating, he was awarded the Paul Mellon Fellowship, a fully-funded scholarship for postgraduate study at Yale University. Upon completing his MA degree (which was focused principally on Russian foreign policy), Charles was awarded funding to spend a year as a Visiting Fellow at Yale’s MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. Having taken the opportunity to explore the legal side of his research interests at Yale, he commenced his formal legal studies at City Law School on his return to the UK.

Expertise

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Insurance and Reinsurance

Russian Aircraft LP Claims [2025] EWHC 1430 (Comm): Charles acted for aviation hull all risks insurers in their successful defence of multi-billion dollar claims regarding the loss of aircraft following the invasion of Ukraine (in a team led by Jonathan Gaisman KC)
Currently acting for a major US reinsured in a high-value political risk arbitration (in a team led by John Lockey KC)
Advised in relation to a large number of COVID business interruption claims, in particular regarding the effect of the notification clauses in the relevant policies (led by Gavin Kealey KC)
Prepared a draft joint skeleton argument for two of the defendants in a significant case dealing with ‘pay-to-be-paid’ clauses outside the context of mutual insurance: MS Amlin Marine NV v King Trader Limited and ors [2024] EWHC 1813 (Comm)
Prepared an advice on whether the Financial Ombudsman Service had jurisdiction to consider a complaint made against an insurer with respect to an employee healthcare scheme
Assisted in the preparation of an advice addressing issues of allocation in respect of a professional indemnity policy

Public international law

Serving as legal secretary to the tribunal in a high-value investment treaty arbitration conducted under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (tribunal chaired by Lord Mance)
Instructed as sole counsel to advise a G7 government on a question of state immunity under both public international law and the State Immunity Act 1978
Served as legal research assistant to Professor Harold Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale University, supporting him in his role as counsel for Ukraine in litigation before the International Court of Justice (prior to being called to the Bar)

Civil Fraud

Acted as sole counsel in the Commercial Court for the claimant in a multi-million dollar commodities fraud claim, successfully resisting the defendant’s application for permission to appeal following a failed jurisdiction challenge
Assisted in a fraud claim worth hundreds of millions of pounds, conducting research on issues relating to (a) the extent of conduct required of a co-conspirator to establish liability, and (b) the law on attribution and agency as it relates to an employer’s liability for the acts of an employee
Assisted in the preparation of an advice on the merits of a potential civil fraud claim arising out of a pledge of high-value metal as collateral for a debt in circumstances where the cargo in fact consisted of a much lower-value metal; prepared draft Particulars of Claim in the same case
Acting for the reinsured in an arbitration involving serious allegations of dishonesty

International Arbitration

Serving as legal secretary to the tribunal in a high-value investment treaty arbitration conducted under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (tribunal chaired by Lord Mance)
Assisted in the preparation for a five-day arbitration hearing regarding the sale of an insurance business, conducting research into various issues including the law of restitution on the grounds of mistake of fact and law
Assisted in the preparation for the cross-examination of a witness in an arbitration hearing
Drafted a letter replying to a response to a request for a stay of arbitration
Conducted research, in the context of arbitral proceedings, on the availability of contributory negligence as a defence to a claim under the Misrepresentation Act 1967

Commercial Litigation

Acted as sole counsel in the Commercial Court for a derivatives and commodities broker following its successful defeat of an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear its claims (issues including permission to appeal and costs)
Advised on a question of privilege regarding the status of unsolicited documents received from third parties
Conducted research on potential grounds for summary judgment to dismiss an unfair prejudice petition (s.994 Companies Act 2006)
Assisted in the preparation for a case management conference in London International Exhibition Centre Plc v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc & Ors, a multi-million-pound COVID business interruption claim
Drafted major amendments to a Defence and Counterclaim in a dispute arising out of IT services that had allegedly been inadequately rendered
Assisted in the preparation of an advice on the proper construction of a contractual set-off provision and the question of whether an equitable set-off was available
Conducted research on whether the satisfaction of a judgment debt owed to a third party is permitted under the terms of a Commercial Court freezing injunction

Shipping

Assisted in the preparation of an advice and the drafting of rejoinder submissions in a bill of lading dispute involving allegations of misdelivery of cargo, breach of contract, breach of duties in bailment and conversion
Conducted research into the nature of the legal relationship between a ship manager and its principal
Assisted in the preparation of an advice on the merits of a dispute arising out of a freight management agreement, involving complex issues of agency
Prepared a draft advice on the merits of a claim regarding damage caused to a superyacht by paint overspray, which involved assessing compliance with certain notice requirements and researching the principles governing claims for unrepaired damage

Energy

Assisted in the preparation of a Part 8 claim regarding the referral of an energy pricing dispute to a referee
Assisted in the preparation for a hearing before the Court of Appeal in National Iranian Oil Company v Crescent Petroleum Company International Ltd & Anor, which involved issues concerning the correct approach courts should take when assessing expert evidence of foreign law, as well as addressing the operation and interaction of s.67 and s.73 of the Arbitration Act 1996
Produced a draft skeleton argument for a case management conference in a case involving losses caused by delays to the commencement of a windfarm project as a result of challenges launched under Irish planning law

Commodities

Conducted research on the operation of a force majeure clause in a GAFTA contract in the context of grain exports from Ukraine following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022; assisted in the preparation of reply submissions in the same case

Construction

Advised a developer in relation to potential multi-million-pound claims under the Building Safety Act 2022

Expertise

Insurance and Reinsurance

Public international law

Civil Fraud

International Arbitration

Commercial Litigation

Shipping

Energy

Commodities

Construction

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Scholarships and awards

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