Matthew Blower
PEOPLE

Matthew Blower

Partner
blower.matthew@dorsey.com
London P +44 (0)20 7031 3785 F +44 (0)20 7031 3799

Overview

Matthew helps clients resolve complex and high-value commercial disputes, usually with an international element, across a range of industries.

Matthew is an experienced litigator in the Trial Group in London. He specialises in commercial litigation, arbitration, dispute resolution, and investigations and has broad experience of international and domestic disputes. He has repeatedly been listed as a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers London and is recommended by Legal 500 in Commercial Litigation which describes him as “highly responsive” and providing “clear and practical strategic advice” as well as having “broad experience in international and domestic disputes”.

He joined Dorsey & Whitney in April 2006, having previously worked for six years at Slaughter and May. Prior to this, Matthew practiced at the English Bar as a barrister specialising in criminal defence and prosecution. 

He is a member of the Electronic Discovery Practice Group. He has particular expertise in:

  • contractual disputes 
  • banking and financial services litigation, including swap mis-selling claims
  • disputes arising from cross-border distribution and dealership agreements
  • fraud investigations and prosecutions 
  • international arbitration 
  • oil and gas disputes 
  • shareholder disputes
  • enforcement of employee post-termination restrictions
  • advising on issues arising under the UK Bribery Act, the conduct of internal investigations across a range of industries and the representation of clients in relation to investigations by the DOJ, the SFO and other governmental agencies

Matthew lectures at the University of West London on Commercial Litigation and Arbitration.

Matthew recently received the following client endorsements from Legal500:

“Matt Blower is excellent”

“Matthew Blower was highly responsive throughout and provided clear and practical strategic advice. I give him my highest recommendation and will recommend him to anyone who asks!”

“It is actually hard to describe how excellent Matthew Blower and his team are. They are always available, giving practical and level-headed advice, and they always have their eyes on the end game, i.e. winning the trial. They were on top of things and remained calm under pressure, and there was a lot of pressure. They were also lots of fun to work with. During such an intense period it is important to work with someone that has a sense of humour and enjoys what he is doing”

The team is described as offering a “unique combination of big US firm thrust with a more traditional finesse and effectiveness”.

 

Education & Admissions

Oxford University (M.A., 2005)

Oxford University (1995)

Inns of Court School of Law (Bar Vocational Course, 1997)

Admissions

  • England & Wales
  • Called to the Bar of England and Wales in October 1997
  • Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales in May 2002

Experience

Representative Litigation

  • Slater & Gordon (UK) 1 Ltd v. Watchstone Group Plc – Defending a listed public company in a high profile £637 million claim for fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of warranty arising out of a sale of a number of its operating subsidiaries.
  • Otello Corporation ASA v Moore Frères & Company and Last Lion Holdings Limited [2018] EWHC 2347 (Ch) – Acting for listed Norwegian software company Otello in its successful High Court action arising from Moore Frères & Co’s attempts to block Otello from selling its minority shareholding in Last Lion Holdings Limited for $53 million.
  • Ventura Capital GP Limited v DnaNudge Limited - Acting for a defendant, DnaNudge in a dispute with Ventura Capital, which alleged fraudulent misrepresentation in relation to the subscription of shares for approximately £40 million.
  • Axle Holdings Pte and another v Letter and others - Acting for a private individual in a complex series of multiparty disputes relating to the ownership and control of a Delaware LLC and cash funds of approximately EUR 10 million. The disputes involved multiple sets of proceedings in England and elsewhere, including Part 7 proceedings before the Commercial Court, stakeholder proceedings brought pursuant to CPR 86, and a breach of warranty and fraud claim brought in Chancery.
  • Major fraud investigation involving alleged misconduct by employees and allegations of bribery and corruption resulting in a report to the Serious Fraud Office.
  • Acting for a FTSE 100 company in a Financial Services Authority investigation into suspected market abuse. 
  • Acting for an Australian manufacturer of commercial machinery in a dispute arising from a distribution agreement, resulting in a successful settlement.
  • Acting for the UK subsidiary of large multinational in a swap mis-selling claim against a UK bank.
  • Acting for an international bank in successful proceedings to enforce security following breach of a loan agreement.
  • Acting for a listed US oil and gas company in an UNCITRAL arbitration against an Eastern European state, in which our client was claiming damages of approximately US$1 billion. The case proceeded to a hearing in February 2013.
  • Porton Capital Technology Funds and others v 3M UK Holdings Ltd and 3M Company [2011] All ER (D) 171 (Nov) 2895 (Comm) – Acting for 3M in this claim arising from the acquisition by 3M of a device for testing for MRSA. The issues included whether 3M was in breach of an earn out provision in the contract by the way that it conducted its business manufacturing and selling the product, whether 3M was entitled to cease the business and what sales would have been achieved. The case was widely reported in the media for the meeting which the former UK Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox held with a representative of the Claimants which ultimately led to the Secretary of State's resignation. 
  • Consub Delaware LLC v. Schahin Engenharia Limitada [2009] – Acting for a subsidiary of SIEM Offshore in a dispute arising from a contract for the maintenance of transatlantic subsea telecommunications cables. 
  • 889457 Alberta Inc v. Katanga Mining Limited and Others [2008] EWHC 2679 (Comm) – Acting for Canadian mineral mining company in a dispute with one Bermudan and two British Virgin Island companies as to the ownership of shares in a mining company registered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dispute raised complex jurisdictional arguments and questions of Congolese law. 
  • Acting on defamation proceedings brought on behalf of a publicly listed client.
  • Acting for FTSE 100 company in a fraud claim against a former employee and sub-contractors, including applying for freezing and search orders and supervising ancillary proceedings in various offshore jurisdictions. 
  • Mahonia Limited and JP Morgan Chase Bank -v- WestLB AG [2004] EWHC 1938 (Comm); [2004] All ER (D) 10 (Aug) - Acting for the Claimants in a successful action to enforce a $165 million letter of credit issued as security for a complex structured finance transaction entered into by the Claimants and a subsidiary of Enron Corp. 
  • Acting for clients in disputes with former employees, enforcing employee post-termination restrictions. 
  • Conducting a case in the Technology and Construction Court concerning the alleged breach of environmental warranties.

Matthew is the London office’s pro bono co-ordinator. He has a particular interest in representing Jamaican prisoners serving life sentences in appeals to the Privy Council. He has conducted a number of such appeals including Noel Campbell v The Queen [2010] UKPC 26, Peter Stewart v The Queen [2011] UKPC 11 and Jason Lawrence v The Queen [2014] UKPC 2.

News & Resources

Articles

Are politicians who lie in an election campaign guilty of a criminal offence?
Ensuring Access to Justice: The Litigation Funding Agreements (Enforceability) Bill and the Path Forward Post-PACCAR
Overview of Three Recent Decisions on the Interpretation of Contractual Clauses
Court of Appeal Clarifies the Law on Interpretation of a Company’s Articles
Reading the Riot Act to the Powerful: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation
Transcending the Challenges of Crypto Assets
UK Supreme Court decides important judgment on Business Interruption Insurance
Implied Duty of Rationality in Commercial Contracts
UK FCA's Business Interruption Insurance Test Case Decided by High Court
UK Supreme Court Gives Landmark Ruling on Reflective Loss
UK High Court Considers What Amounts to a Waiver of Privilege in Recent Case
COVID-19: UK Insolvency and Restructuring
UK Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 Update
UK Business Interruption Policies and COVID-19
Enforcing Contractual Obligations – What To Do If Business Debts Are Unpaid: A Quick Guide
COVID-19 Pandemic – What Should I Do if My Counterparty to an Important Contract is Applying Pressure to Change Our Agreement?
Restrictive Covenants in Employment Contracts - Employer Liability
COVID-19 Pandemic – What Should I Do if a Transaction that I Have Been Negotiating Suddenly Collapses?
High Court Refuses to Adjourn Trial Because the Recent COVID-19 Legislation Indicates that Hearings Should Proceed Using Remote Technology
What Should I Do if Government Lockdowns or Supply Shortages Mean that I Can No Longer Supply a Client with Goods or Services Under a Contract?
Contractual Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Can it Excuse a Business from Performance of Contractual Obligations Under Contracts Governed by English Law?
Legal Advice Privilege and In-house Practice: Court of Appeal Provides Welcome Guidance
Two Recent Decisions Highlight the Court’s Increasingly Narrow Interpretation on the Availability of Legal Privilege in Internal Investigations
UK Litigation in a Post Brexit World
London Court Of International Arbitration – New Rules Take Effect

News & Press Mentions

Dorsey London Attorneys Receive Multiple Rankings from The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2024
Dorsey & Whitney London Attorneys Receive Multiple Rankings from Legal 500
Dorsey & Whitney’s London Attorneys Receive Multiple Rankings from Legal 500
Dorsey Secures Highly Favorable Settlement for Watchstone Group
Dorsey & Whitney’s London Attorneys Receive Multiple Rankings from Legal 500
Dorsey’s London Office Receives Multiple Rankings from Legal 500
Dorsey’s London Office Receives Multiple Rankings from Legal 500
Another London Pro Bono Success
Dorsey & Whitney Names New Partners
Dorsey’s London Office Wins Landmark Judgment for Jamaican Pro Bono Client
Super Lawyers Recognizes 11 Dorsey Attorneys in London
Super Lawyers Recognizes 10 Dorsey Attorneys in London
Super Lawyers Recognizes 8 Dorsey Attorneys in London

Industries & Practices

International Arbitration & Litigation
Cybersecurity, Privacy & Social Media
Securities & Financial Services Litigation & Enforcement
  • Antitrust & Competition Law
  • Banking & Financial Institutions
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction & Design
  • Cybersecurity, Privacy & Social Media
  • Electronic Discovery
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Europe
  • International Arbitration & Litigation
  • Securities & Financial Services Litigation & Enforcement
  • Technology

Accolades

Legal 500 UK Recommended Lawyer 2022  The Legal 500 United Kingdom Leading Individual 2021  The Legal 500 United Kingdom - Recommended Lawyer 2020  The Legal 500 United Kingdom Recommended Lawyer 2019  The Legal 500 United Kingdom - Recommended Lawyer 2017

Rated by Super Lawyers - Matthew Blower - visit superlawyers.com

  • Recommended by Legal 500 (2022) in Commercial Litigation
  • Recommended by Legal 500 (2021) in Commercial Litigation and Fraud - Civil
  • Recommended by Legal 500 (2020) in Commercial Litigation and Fraud - Civil
  • Recommended by Legal 500 (2019) in Commercial Litigation and Fraud - Civil
  • Recommended by Legal 500 (2017) in Commercial Litigation
  • Listed as a Super Lawyer in 2013-2015 by Super Lawyers London
Matthew Blower