Introduction

Rhys is a well respected practitioner who advises on high value and complex litigation in the areas of Chancery (including Insolvency Contentious Probate and Property in all its forms), Commercial, Property and Employment/Regulatory Law. He is also experienced in negligence claims against professionals, including clinicians.

He retains strong links with Wales and the West and is familiar with all aspects of Welsh property law where that diverges. 

He advises companies in respect of internal and external disputes between owners, partners and employees, before and after disputes arise. He believes that early pro-active and considered advice is the key to containing disputes, and he is from time to time retained by companies as an adviser.

He has experience appearing before the SCCO on costs matters.

Member of the Chancery Bar Association & Employment Law Bar Association

Commercial

Rhys has a complementary practice in commercial and company law and regularly advises business clients, often on a direct access basis, in matters relating to partnership disputes, company formation, and leases of business premises.

He regularly deals with consumer contracts, including claims relating to credit hire, often in high value claims. He has extensive knowledge of this area of law and the recent changes in case law.

Rhys is regularly instructed in matters of corporate insolvency and director disqualification proceedings. His practice extends to serious professional negligence in relation to lawyers and other professionals, including appearing before professional regulators as well as high value claims for damages. He is currently instructed in relation to a significant shareholder dispute worth in excess of £10 million and commercial litigation relating to pallet delivery networks involving matters of fraud and substantial loss. Additionally, he is instructed by commercial clients to advise on and draft specialist industry contracts.

Injunctions

Rhys is regularly instructed to appear in the High Court on injunctions, often on an emergency basis, and is prepared to consider instructions at short notice. He is keenly aware of the commercial urgency of such applications.

Rhys accepts appropriate cases on a direct access basis, and is always pleased to talk to clients about their potential claims.

Wills, Trusts & Estates

Rhys has a substantial and specialist contentious probate practice. He regularly acts on complex estates comprising multiple parcels of land in excess of £5 million.

He advises on and drafts trusts for high net worth individuals, and is always pleased to give a second opinion or a review of such documents.

He is regularly instructed to bring Inheritance Act and dependency claims on behalf of family members and beneficiaries, as well as complex estoppel claims.

He believes that early advice often diffuses the need for litigation, but even when the same is unavoidable early planning can substantially reduce the liability for costs in the long run

Property

Rhys has acted in complex agricultural cases involving recovery of farm payments, complex historic partnership arrangements, boundary disputes, and complex division of assets. He also advises in relation trusts and settlements arising from the breakdown of marriages and other personal partnerships.

He is instructed on high value claims in the High Court in matters as diverse as rights of way issues to claims concerning TOLATA. He is regularly instructed on claims worth in excess of £1 million.

He has recently been instructed, inter alia, in substantial property litigation involving the large scale capitalisation of income, and in associated litigation in other venues.

Employment

Rhys has developed a busy and successful employment practice, and acts for both Claimants and Respondents in employment tribunals nationally and both the EAT and High Court.

He is regularly instructed in complex and high value employment tribunal cases, often involving high value future loss calculations with complex pension losses. He is often instructed to appear in appeals on both preliminary points and final hearings.

His recent cases include:

• A £600,000 whistleblowing case in Cardiff, over 16 days, involving both an EAT appeal on a preliminary point and raising important issues over the interpretation of legislation and the status of general practitioners
• A £250,000 claim for discrimination with complex parallel High Court proceedings for breach of contract in failing to apply an ill health retirement scheme fairly, including substantial and complex pension loss calculations
• Defending a high value claim for disability discrimination involving complex matters of the interpretation of the nature of a contract by the employment tribunal. Also instructed in the EAT on the same case.
• Instructed to act for 27 equal pay claimants in a claim against their public sector employer in claims exceeding £500,000

Rhys is experienced in representing Claimants and Respondents in mediations.

Rhys accepts appropriate cases on a direct access basis, and is always pleased to talk to clients about their potential claims.

Regulatory

Rhys has worked previously for the NMC, GOC and GDC. He has defended professionals of all types in front of almost every regulator and often in long and complex document heavy cases

He has substantial experience in the High Court on statutory appeals, often instructed as new counsel to give a fresh opinion on a case and to draft the appeal proceedings

Personal Injury

Rhys represents Claimants and Defendants in personal injury and clinical negligence cases nationally on the multi-track.

He has an interest in complex claims involving catastrophic injury and industrial disease claims, often involving complex disputes on liability. He is regularly instructed to appear in appeals in the County and High Courts.

He has expertise in accidents that occur outside of the United Kingdom, including accidents during air and sea travel, package holidays, and motor accidents abroad.

Rhys has extensive experience in handling fatal accidents, and of the complex schedules of loss that result, and regularly attends inquests on behalf of interested parties.

Inquests and Inquires

Rhys has extensive experience representing clients at inquests and in all matters of Coronial Law.

He has represented the family and other interested parties at inquests at all levels, including substantial inquests in front of a jury, raising Human Rights Act issues, lasting many weeks.

He is used to analysing the documentation provided swiftly to ensure that appropriate applications are made by interested parties at an early stage to ensure appropriate disclosure of information, which can often be withheld from parties unfairly.

He has represented families in cases of death in prison, local authorities in the relation to the death of members of the public, and families in respect of inquests touching upon issues of negligence of third parties such as the police. He is aware of both the sensitivity of the inquest itself and the importance of the findings for parties to obtain closure and to gather information for other action, and so the importance of testing the evidence thoroughly.

He has an interest in public inquiries of all types, including planning inquiries

He is willing to act in such cases on a direct access basis.

Education and Training

2000-2003     MA, History– Peterhouse, University of Cambridge

Rhys is currently undertaking part time research into 15th-17th Century intellectual history and philosophy as part of study leading to a PhD at the prestigious Warburg Institute