Paul Morris
Year of call: 1986
areas of practice
synopsis
After working in HM. Diplomatic Service, Paul completed pupillage with Mr Alistair Norris (now the Hon. Mr Justice Norris) at No.5 Stone Buildings Lincoln’s Inn (previously at No.2 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn) followed by a period spent as a Judge’s Marshall. Paul subsequently moved to the North of England where he has practised both in Leeds and York ever since.
Paul has been recommended in Chambers Directory as a leading junior Insolvency Lawyer (whilst he was specialising in this area of law). Paul is now recommended as a leading junior in The Legal 500 as a specialist in Company and Commercial Law.
Paul’s cases have included a major international laundering case, where the funds emanated from America and amounted to $500 million, which was then the biggest money laundering case in American legal history (known in England as Mentor Project Management Limited). Paul was working on behalf of HM. Customs and Excise and a large part of the funds in the UK were recovered.
Paul was also involved in the collapse of the Barlow Claus fraud. In addition he has been involved in a complex breach of trust case (which was ultimately reported in the Court of Appeal) together with many other cases in the fields of Company, Winding Up and Asset Recovery. Springing from this work Paul has been involved in a number of “Just and Equitable Winding Up Petitions” and cases involving injunctions for “Breach of Covenants in Restraint of Trade”. Paul’s work in Company Law led to him being involved in a wide range of Employment Law cases up to and including the Appeals Tribunal.
In addition to his Company work Paul has been involved in a wide range of Chancery work ranging from Contentious Probate, Wills and Trusts to many aspects of Land Law, including boundary disputes, insurance matters affecting property together with access thereto. Paul has a particular interest in law for the elderly (he is a Director of Age UK).
In contrast to his Chancery work, Paul has developed an interest in Clinical Negligence work where his cases have ranged from negligent orthopaedic work, to negligent psychiatric care, involving the death of a patient. Paul is currently involved in a major case involving liability for the contraction of M.R.S.A.
notable cases
- Trevor Miller V. Jan Hopton : £1.5 Million Partnership Dispute (Leeds High Court 2010)
- Mentor Project Management : $500 million money laundering claim (Leeds High Court)
- Several Share Capital Reduction Claims
- Several Restraint of Trace Injunctions
- Judicial Review of Local Authorities
- Defamation
education
- B.A. (Hons) (Cantab)
- MA (Hons) (Cantab)
- Certificate in Law Leeds Metropolitan University
- Diploma in French (Distinction)
- McMahon Scholar, St John's College Cambirdge
- Ver Heyden de Lancy Prize in Advocacy (Bar Council)
- Sir Thomas Moore Scholarship, Lincoln's Inn
memberships
- Paul; is a member of the Chancery Bar Association, The Institute of Directors, AvMA and The Employment Lawyers Association
- Paul has been a CEDR. Accredited Mediator for the past ten years and has conducted mediations covering a broad spectrum of the law, ranging from contract to defamation.
other information
- Paul has a wide range of interests including music and literature.
- He has also lectured to the Employment Law Association and is a member of an international convention studying judicial independence
- He is a Director of Age UK and as such does what he can to help the elderly in the York Region.
