Adam Silver focuses his practice on commercial and financial litigation and arbitration, fraud and contentious insolvency. He is particularly experienced in handling capital markets related and cross-border disputes and enforcement actions in a wide variety of jurisdictions.

The Legal 500 UK lists Mr. Silver as a key lawyer for Banking Litigation, Civil Fraud and Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency (2024). He is recommended by The Legal 500 UK, noting his "deep experience" and describing him as "a clever and valued team leader" (2024). Previous editions have praised him as "one of the rare lawyers who is both outstandingly intelligent and very commercial" (2022). He is described as "particularly impressive" with "great tactical instincts", with clients stating that "he gets what the client is really looking for and anticipates issues before they arise"; he "is tenacious and relentless in his pursuit of claims and leaves no stone unturned" (2020). Previous editions label him as "a masterful strategist on complex litigation" and someone who "grasps both the details and the bigger picture" (2019). In addition, Mr. Silver received strong feedback from Chambers UK for Civil Fraud and has been described by clients as "strategically astute, strategically minded and a technically excellent lawyer" (2024).

Mr. Silver has practiced before the High Court of England & Wales, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as in arbitrations under the rules of numerous different arbitral institutions.

  • Litigation and Arbitration

    • Acting for various Lebanese Banks in defending claims by customers as a result of the Lebanese banking crisis, including one of the Lawyer's Top 20 cases for 2022.
    • Advising fund manager, Tyndaris, in a High Court dispute with an investor regarding the operation of trading platforms driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Featured as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2020.
    • Advising a Russian businessman in a dispute over ownership of assets worth in excess of EUR200 million, involving litigation and freezing orders in the BVI, Cyprus and Russia and related arbitration proceedings. 
    • Advising an EU based bank on a dispute arising from the unsuccessful acquisition of another bank.
    • Advising VTB in relation to a US$2 billion dispute involving litigation freezing orders, and insolvency proceedings in the UK, Cayman and Mauritius.
    • Advising the offshore holding company of a Ukrainian business group in a successful US$200 million claim in the English Court against a Russian individual and a company controlled by him - Avonwick Holdings Limited v Webinvest Limited and Another. 
    • Advising Madison Pacific as Note Trustee in respect of linked arbitrations relating to US$375 million, of Notes issued to finance PJSC Commercial bank “PrivatBank” of Ukraine.
    • Acting for Shakoor Capital Limited in English High Court proceedings relating to the proper interpretation of complex finance documents used across the capital markets. Shakoor Capital are holders of Loan Participation Notes indirectly issued by PrivatBank through an SPV and purportedly “bailed-in”.
    • Advising liquidators of an offshore company and others in relation to a claim in the English Court for unlawful means conspiracy as well as claw back actions under the Insolvency Act against two Russian business men and companies controlled by them relating to the diversion of assets of US$300 million. The claim has involved ancillary attachment proceedings in the Netherlands. 
    • Advising hedge funds seeking to set aside the restructuring of bonds issued by a leading Russian retail group and claiming damages for conspiracy (Spinnaker v Starling & Others). The matter involved multi-party litigation in the English Commercial Court, ancillary attachment proceedings in Germany and resulted in a confidential settlement of the claims. 
    • Advising Noteholders in a St. Petersburg-based property group in respect of claims arising from a fraudulent restructuring, including LCIA arbitration proceedings in London and related litigation in Cyprus and Russia. 
    • Advising hedge funds in relation to a partial arbitration award rendered against them in an arbitration under the SIAC rules. The matter involved successfully having the award set aside by the Singaporean Court and then that decision upheld by the Singaporean Court of Appeal, resisting enforcement of the award and dealing with various aspect of the arbitration. 
    • Advising a Bahraini bank and a Saudi Arabian real estate company in relation to a claim against the bank's former CEO and others for conspiracy and related matters. The claim involved litigation in the English Commercial Court. 
    • Acting for Liberty Bank JSC of Georgia in relation to a successful application to the English Court for the appointment of joint receivers over an English LLP for the purposes of ongoing litigation in the Georgian Court. 
    • Acting for a Russian corporate group in relation to multiple arbitration claims brought by a state owned Russian bank. The matter involved successfully resisting an application for injunctive relief in the English Court and subsequently settled on a favourable terms for our clients. 

    Insolvency Litigation and Restructuring

    • Advising funds managed by Franklin Templeton in successfully challenging the restructuring of  the International Bank of Azerbaijan before the English High Court and Court of Appeal.
    • Advising Kevin Hellard and Amanda Wade of Grant Thornton as trustees in bankruptcy of Derek Hood in respect of various claims arising from the collapse of the JD Classics car dealership owned by Mr Hood.
    • Acting for Trustees in Bankruptcy in relation to multi jurisdiction investigations and asset recovery actions, including in: the UK, France, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Malta, Switzerland, Russia, the BVI and St Vincent and Grenadine. 
    • Advising a creditor of Indah Kiat International Finance Company B.V. in challenging a scheme of arrangement before the English High Court. 
    • Advising funds managed by Argentem Creek Partners in challenging various schemes of arrangement by the Berau Coal Group and in relation to parallel enforcement litigation.
    • Advising Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch in relation to restructuring of a Russian and Ukrainian agricultural business (the Valinor Group). 
    • Advising Noteholders in relation to the restructuring of a UK and Russian oil and gas group Vostok Energy plc.
    • Advising Noteholders in relation to the restructuring of a Kazakh oil and gas company Tristan Oil Ltd. 
    • Advising creditors of Russian Standard Bank in relation to the restructuring of the company’s debt via a UK scheme of arrangement. 
    • Advising Noteholders in relation to the restructuring of a Polish steel group (the Cognor Group). 

    Includes matters handled at Dechert or prior to joining the firm.

    • R3: Association of Business Recovery Professionals
    • Insolvency Lawyers Association