Simon Osborn-King is a partner in Willkie's Litigation and Investigations & Enforcement Practice Groups in London.
Simon has a broad-ranging domestic and cross-border contentious practice specialising in civil, criminal and regulatory investigations and disputes involving allegations of fraud, bribery, money laundering, sanctions violations, data breaches and other misconduct.
Simon has particular experience in advising on compliance and governance issues, including the design and implementation of compliance programmes.
Simon also frequently handles complex contractual disputes and contentious business restructuring and reorganisation matters in London.
Simon’s experience covers a wide spectrum of industry sectors, including financial services, professional services, information technology and energy resources & industrials.
Simon is recognized as a "Next Generation Partner" for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime and as a "Key Lawyer" for Commercial Litigation and Fraud (Civil) by The Legal 500 UK (2024). He is also recognized by Chambers UK 2024 as “Up and Coming” for “Sanctions – UK-Wide.”
Simon was selected by Global Investigations Review among its “40 under 40” (2020) as one of the world’s leading young investigations lawyers and was also listed as a Future Leader in the 2021 and 2022 editions of Who’s Who Legal: Investigations.
Experience
Experience includes advising:
Commercial Litigation
- A New York venture capital firm in expedited proceedings (an unfair prejudice petition) arising out of the disputed sale of a 25% shareholding in an international software business (Otello Corporation v Moore Freres & Company [2018] EWHC 2347 (Ch)).
- A major insurer in relation to COVID-19 related business interruption insurance issues, including applying to join the appeal as a party in the FCA Business Interruption Test Case (The Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK) Limited & Ors, FL-2020-000018).
- Global software company in relation to claims for payment of success fees alleged to be owing to a global investment banking firm in relation to a very significant acquisition in the TMC sector.
- A global insurance company in coverage disputes with an aircraft lessor regarding multiple multi-million dollar policy claims.
- GLAS on all aspects of the capital structure of Hema BV leading into and through its €880 million restructuring by way of English scheme of arrangement and Dutch in-court share pledge enforcement.
- A FTSE100 corporate in relation to a high value breach of contract claim against it by its JV partner concerning the operation of a joint venture in Asia.
Compliance, Investigations and Enforcement
- Deutsche Bank on multiple high-profile global investigations by enforcement agencies into LIBOR misconduct, and on the subsequent coordinated settlements in the US and UK.
- A leading U.K. insurer in a broad ranging FCA investigation directed at the client’s core business and involving issues dating back over a decade.
- Olympus in relation to high profile investigations in several jurisdictions regarding an alleged financial fraud.
- A major U.K. residential property developer in its investigations into bribery and false accounting allegations.
- A senior executive in a FCA investigation relating to a high-value breach of money laundering controls at a leading international bank.
- A number of UK financial institutions in responding to supervisory visits, thematic reviews and skilled person reviews.
- A wide range of private equity funds, including in the financial services, professional services, manufacturing, technology, media and telecom sectors on anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions due diligence matters.
Fraud
- An asset management company in bringing proceedings for claims of breach of fiduciary duty, dishonest assistance and unlawful means conspiracy and obtaining a worldwide freezing order and proprietary asset preservation order against the defendants (Montlake QIAIF Platform ICAV v (1) Tiber Capital (2) Massimo Bochicchio and (3) Kidman Asset Management Limited, CL-2020-000571), and, in connection with the proceedings, obtaining a Norwich Pharmacal disclosure order against Interactive Brokers (U.K) Limited (Montlake QIAIF Platform ICAV v. Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Ltd., CL-2020-000583).
- An individual and three Hong Kong incorporated companies) in a USD 2bn fraud claim against 17 defendants in connection with the sale of their majority stake in a holding company of a prominent renewable energy company in Asia (Nopporn Suppipat and others v. Nop Narongdej and others, CL-2018-000716)
- A private equity fund in defending claims, valued at approximately £350 million, brought by a private equity fund for fraudulent misrepresentation.
- Olympus in civil claims brought against it by its former CEO in connection with an alleged financial fraud.
- Partner and chief financial officer of a global private equity firm in defending claims of fraud, dishonesty, misappropriation and breach of fiduciary duties.
- A high-net-worth individual and his companies in relation to a private prosecution for conspiracy to defraud.
- A global software company in bringing claims in the UK and Europe for fraudulent misrepresentation, anti-competitive behaviour, corporate espionage, and the dissemination of confidential information.
Credentials
Education
BPP Law School of London, Legal Practice Course, 2006 University of Warwick, B.A. (honors), 2005