Daniel Khoo
Call 2014
Instruct Daniel
To instruct Daniel please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5555 or email [email protected].
Daniel Khoo specialises in heavy litigation and arbitration.
Daniel specialises in heavy litigation and arbitration, with a focus on energy, construction, commercial and cryptoasset disputes. He is often instructed in highly technical disputes involving complex expert evidence and sector-specific knowledge.
Daniel has been ranked for a number of years as a leading junior in both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. Comments include:
- ‘A stellar junior who really stands out… extremely hard working and quick to pick up on the detail’ (Legal 500, 2024)
- ‘commercially savvy… quick to get to the heart of the problem’ (Chambers & Partners, 2024)
- ‘Extremely capable and punches well above his weight in terms of his call’ (Chambers & Partners, 2023)
- ‘A brilliant junior whose work is tireless… he is completely committed’ (Legal 500, 2023)
Daniel has particular experience of interlocutory hearings relating to technical disputes, including service out/jurisdiction challenges, freezing injunctions and anti-suit injunctions.
Commercial Disputes
Daniel is instructed in a wide range of commercial disputes. Many of his cases involve heavy applications (such as freezing injunctions or jurisdiction challenges) and have a cross-border element. He also has a wide experience pleading and defending fraud claims.
Featured Commercial Disputes cases
- Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan and ors (Comm Ct): acting (with Benjamin Pilling KC) for two of the defendant banks in a large-scale fraud claim for US $850 million (Lawyer Top 20 case). Jurisdiction challenges are ongoing.
- IBM United Kingdom Ltd v LzLabs GmbH & ors [2022] EWHC 2094 (TCC): instructed (with Alex Charlton KC) for the applicants in a heavily contested application for an anti-suit injunction to restrain foreign proceedings in Texas.
- Woodford fund claims: instructed (with Nick Vineall KC and James Hatt) for a group of investors in a claim arising out of the collapse of the Woodford Equity Income Fund, one of the largest scandals to have occurred in the retail investment sector.
- Tulip Trading Ltd v Bitcoin Association for BSV and ors: acting (with Alex Charlton KC) for Roger Ver in the novel multi-billion claim brought by Dr Craig Wright against developers of different cryptocurrencies.
Energy and natural resources
‘A stellar junior who really stands out… extremely hard working and quick to pick up on the detail’ (Legal 500, 2024)
‘A brilliant junior whose work is tireless and he is completely committed’ (Legal 500, 2023)
Daniel is recommended as a leading junior (Tier 3) for energy work in Legal 500 UK Bar 2024. He has worked on both domestic and international disputes, often involving highly technical subject matter.
Featured Energy and natural resources cases
- Instructed in a US $86 million LCIA arbitration on behalf of a state-owned energy company. The dispute related to an oil well decommissioning project in West Africa. Led by Sean O’Sullivan KC.
- Anti-suit injunction relating to a $48 million Joint Operating Agreement dispute concerning natural gas development in Cameroon. Led by James Leabeater KC.
- Instructed (with Nigel Tozzi KC) in relation to a dispute concerning a Decommissioning Security Agreement in relation to a North Sea oil field.
- Acting for a Chinese contractor in a claim relating to a $5.7 billion hydroelectric project in Africa (ICC arbitration, Paris seat). Led by Benjamin Pilling KC.
- Acting (led by Claire Packman KC) for the UK’s largest producer of renewable energy from food waste in a $7 million dispute relating to a biowaste plant; the claim involved extensive technical evidence.
- Instructed (with Sean Brannigan KC) for a contractor in a claim involving the UK’s then largest battery storage plant.
Technology, Software and IT
Daniel is regularly instructed in highly technical technology disputes including software development, licensing, IT systems and complex projects.
Featured Technology, Software and IT cases
- Instructed (with Alex Charlton KC and Jaani Riordan) by a technology disrupter against IBM in relation to a dispute involving allegations that IBM’s software had been unlawfully used, in a heavily contested anti-suit injunction: IBM United Kingdom Ltd v LzLabs GmbH & ors [2022] EWHC 2094.
- Acting (with Matthew Lavy KC) for a multinational software company in a £7 million claim by Capgemini in relation to a dispute involving complex logistics software for use by Royal Mail.
- Acting for a logistics company in relation to a software development dispute relating to IT infrastructure.
- Instructed to advise in relation to a licensing dispute concerning financial trading software.
- Instructed (with Matthew Lavy KC) to advise in relation to multiple data breach cases.
Construction and engineering
‘commercially savvy… quick to get to the heart of the problem’ (Chambers & Partners, 2024)
Daniel is recommended for construction work by Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2024 (Band 4). He is instructed in High Court and arbitral proceedings in a wide range of disputes, including delay and disruption claims, defects, payment and termination disputes.
Daniel has experience of all the major contract forms (JCT, NEC, FIDIC) along with PFI/PPP agreements and EPC contracts.
Featured Construction and engineering cases
- Instructed for the main contractor (with Fiona Sinclair KC, Jessica Stephens KC and Matthew Thorne) in multiple multi-party cladding disputes relating to a number of Premier Inn group hotels nationwide (Premier Inn v McAleer & Rushe and ors).
- Advising (with Sean Brannigan KC) a public body in relation to a £7 million dispute involving a large coastal defence project.
- Acting (with Kate Livesey) for a firm of architects in a £5 million claim for alleged negligence leading to widespread delay and disruption to a large housing development.
- Advising (with Sean Brannigan KC) a leading UK university on covid-19 claims affecting a new laboratory facility.
- Acting (with Benjamin Pilling KC) for a firm of architects in a £8 million cladding claim relating to a development in Bermondsey, London (Hyde Housing Association v Rooff and ors).
- Instructed (with Sean Brannigan KC) in relation to a £3 million adjudication enforcement relating to defective fire doors across a London borough (Lewisham Homes Ltd v Breyer Group Plc [2021] EWHC 1290 (TCC)).
Cryptoassets
‘has a handle on the technical aspects of a novel area of law’ (Chambers & Partners, 2024)
‘Extremely capable and punches well above his weight in terms of his call’ (Chambers & Partners, 2023)
Daniel is one of a handful of barristers ranked by Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2024 for cryptocurrency disputes (Band 2). He was junior counsel (led by Matthew Lavy) for the successful respondent in one of the first crypto freezing injunction cases (Toma v Murray [2020] EWHC 2295 (Ch)).
Daniel’s clients range from one the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world to blockchain startups. He has advised on a number of crypto related matters, including ICOs and the regulatory perimeter of FSMA 2000.
He is presently instructed (with Alex Charlton KC) for Roger Ver in the novel multi-billion claim brought by Dr Craig Wright against developers of different cryptocurrencies (Tulip Trading Ltd v Bitcoin Association for BSV and ors).
International arbitration
Featured International arbitration cases
- Pakistan & ors v Broadsheet [2019] Bus LR 2753; [2019] EWHC 1832 (Comm): instructed by the successful defendant in a challenge under s. 68 Arbitration Act 1996 to a US $21 million arbitration award.
- EEEL v Vijay [2019] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 1; [2018] EWHC 2713 (Comm): acted for the successful claimant in a claim to enforce a EUR €20 million ICC arbitration award in a challenge under s. 103 Arbitration Act 1996.
- LCIA Arbitration (London seat): instructed as sole counsel in a US $18m arbitration for a Hong Kong based entity.
- ICC Arbitration (Paris seat): instructed (with Benjamin Pilling KC) by a Chinese party in relation to a US $5.7bn hydroelectric project in Africa.
- ICC Arbitration (Singapore seat): acted (with Sean Brannigan KC and James Leabeater KC) in a US$150 million ICC arbitration in relation to a large liquid natural gas (‘LNG’) project.
- LCA Arbitration: instructed (with Benjamin Pilling KC) to advise in relation to a jurisdictional challenge in a Brazilian energy dispute.
- SIAC Arbitration (Singapore seat): instructed in relation to a charterparty/bill of lading arbitration.
Tulip Trading Limited v Wladimir van der Laan and ors [2023] EWCA Civ 83- Alex Charlton KC and Daniel Khoo
The Court of Appeal has upheld the appeal of Tulip Trading Limited in the highly publicised multi-billion dollar claim...
James Purchas and Daniel Khoo represent FCA in important CoA case clarifying FSMA s. 21 ‘Financial Conduct Authority v Skinner &...
The Court of Appeal handed down its judgment this morning in the case of Financial Conduct Authority v Skinner &...
James Purchas and Daniel Khoo successful for FCA in £3.6m unauthorised share scheme
On 6 May 2020 the High Court handed down judgment in The Financial Conduct Authority v Skinner and ors [2020]...
Benjamin Pilling KC and Daniel Khoo successfully resist s. 68 challenge to $22m arbitration award based on an insufficiency of reasons
On 12 July 2019 Mrs Justice Moulder handed down judgment in Pakistan and ors v Broadsheet LLC [2019] EWHC 1832 (Comm), a...
Instruct Daniel
To instruct Daniel please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5522 or email [email protected].
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