Simon Hocking

Simon specialises in supporting shareholders, business owners, partnerships, trustees, executors and high-net-worth individuals across a range of complex commercial and private wealth disputes, with particular expertise in shareholder disputes, unfair prejudice petitions, partnership disputes, contractual claims, Share Purchase Agreements (SPAs), breach of warranty claims, professional negligence actions, and disputes involving guarantees, indemnities and other business-critical arrangements.

He advises on the ownership, management and sale of private companies where relationships between founders, shareholders or family members have broken down, as well as disputes involving family-owned businesses, succession issues and private wealth structures with overlapping commercial, personal and estate planning considerations.

Simon also supports business in the technology sector to navigate software development disputes, failed IT projects, technology implementation disputes, and digital marketing disputes, alongside advising individuals on contentious trusts and estates matters including contested wills, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, breach of trust claims, and applications concerning the removal of trustees and executors.

Examples of Simon’s work include:

• Acting on a £40 million shareholder dispute involving allegations of fraud, undue influence and breach of trust arising from the ownership and control of substantial business interests.
• Acting for a claimant in a £6 million professional negligence claim against an accountant.
• Acting in a complex software development dispute involving a global technology company concerning the development of complex CRM software for a national business.
• Advising shareholders in a £6 million unfair prejudice and shareholder dispute involving issues of corporate governance, management control and director conduct.
• Acting in partnership disputes involving dissolution, partnership accounting, profit allocation and allegations of breach of fiduciary duty.