Testimonials
I instructed Khaled for advice on cross border disputes in Africa. He provided advice with great commercial awareness. He spent time to understand our business needs. He has excellent client relationship skills and superb technical ability. I have no hesitation in recommending Khaled for dispute resolution advice especially relating to international arbitration.
Siraj Ahmed
CEO Impact Oil and Gas
He has been working hard on our case. Produced appropriate reports in a timely manner, shared them with all clients and went out of his way to do some of things which were not part of our contract with him. It would be nice to see a good closure for the case at the end of this process.
Client
Expertise
Khaled developed his dispute resolution and charity law practice at a boutique firm prior to joining gunnercooke. His practice spans all areas of dispute resolution including international arbitration, mediation, property disputes and reputation management and charity law.
Khaled has experience of high value, complex international disputes. He represented the Yemeni Ministry of Oil and Minerals and the Government of Yemen on a number of international arbitrations and an investment treaty arbitration. The claims in these arbitrations ranged from US$35million to US$1billion.
Khaled has previously worked for an international law firm in the Middle East which included a secondment in the in-house legal team at Visa’s Middle East Headquarters in Dubai and working on a US$1billion construction dispute in Doha. Khaled continues to take an interest in new emerging markets such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
Khaled originally qualified as a barrister in 2007. He started his legal career at the heart of the UK Government working as a legal adviser at the Cabinet Office. He advised ministers, peers and MPs on charity law and regulation.
Clients praise Khaled for his impeccable record in winning disputes for his clients and recommend him highly for his niche charity law practice.
Khaled advises
- Corporates (UK and international) and in-house counsel
- Oil and gas companies
- Sovereign state bodies
- Charities, not for profit and social enterprises
- SMEs
- Commercial property tenants and landlords
- Company directors, shareholders and investors
- Private individuals
Notable cases
International Arbitration
- Representing the Ministry of Oil & Minerals of a Middle East Government against a Canadian Oil Company in an ICC arbitration valued at US$1billion. The claim was for contractual breaches at the end of a 20-year Production Sharing Agreement.
- Acting for a Middle East Government in an investment treaty arbitration brought by a Chinese construction company involving alleged Treaty violations valued at US$200million.
- Acting for the Ministry of Oil & Minerals of a Middle East Government in an ICC arbitration valued at US$30 million against an Indian oil company. This was a contractual claim arising out of a Production Sharing Agreement.
- Acting for a Bangladeshi oil company against an Indian company in Grain and Feed Trade Association Arbitration (GAFTA) Proceedings). Advised the Bangladeshi company on English law matters arising under three separate contracts for the supply of cattle and poultry feed.
- Providing pre-arbitration advice to a UK based oil and gas company on disputes arising from various African offshore assets.
- Advising a Qatari state owned body on a US$1billion construction dispute against a Spanish contractor and helping the client in its pre-arbitration negotiations.
Litigation
- Defending High Court litigation for a restaurateur in an unfair prejudice petition and winding up petition on ‘just and equitable’ ground.
- Conducting High Court proceedings for a client in a complex charity law and trusts dispute.
- Representing the directors of a membership organisation in a High Court dispute.
- Representing a Kuwaiti investment house in a contractual dispute against a UK based Software Company. Khaled initially negotiated a settlement agreement with the UK software company for part payment of the debt. It was in breach of the settlement agreement so he successfully brought a bankruptcy petition against the debtor and appointed Mazars as Insolvency Practitioner.
- Advising a perfume company in a contractual dispute against a construction company. Khaled negotiated a very favourable settlement for his client in a dispute involving the following issues: (i) breaches of the pre-action protocol for construction and engineering disputes by the construction company (ii) professional negligence and (iii) tort of misrepresentation.
- Representing a client to appeal against a County Court decision to the High Court.
- Representing two executive directors of a company in a dispute with the sole shareholder and non-executive director of the company involving the following issues: (i) intellectual property, (ii) constructive dismissal of employees, (iii) defamation and (iv) corporate abuse.
Property dispute resolution
- Representing a coffee shop owner against the Landlord in a relief from forfeiture application at the Central London County Court. Khaled secured significant damages and costs for his client.
- Advising a commercial landlord on rent recovery under the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 and forfeiture of lease.
- Acting for a commercial tenant against the West Midlands Combined Authority in a claim for compensation under the Land Compensation Act 1973.
- Representing a client in court proceedings to secure a charging order and an order for sale of a property.
- Acting for a commercial tenant in a series of court proceedings arising from an inheritance dispute in which Khaled successfully secured a £1million property for his client.
- Representing several commercial tenants threatened with eviction where Khaled secured significant statutory compensation for his clients under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
Charity law
- Advising Human Aid as its legal counsel on all charity law issues especially a statutory inquiry with the Charity Commission, ongoing disputes various stakeholders and dealing with contractual and employment law matters.
- Acting for a membership organisation called Biswanath Probashi Education Trust on a contentious matter between its trustees and making a number of applications to the Charity Commission.
- Representing a mosque on reputation management with advice on defamation and a Charity Commission investigation.
- Advising a number of new charities and helping them to register as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation such as the Zay Initiative, an arts and heritage charity, Afghan Education and Welfare Trust and Al-Insaan Foundation, humanitarian charities.
- Advising a youth charity on issues raised by a trustee and carrying out an investigation into allegations made by the trustee.
- Representing the Muslim Patel Burial Trust on a contentious matter related to Covid-19.
- Advising the East London Mosque Trust on investments, reputation management, property dispute and other ongoing matters.
Reputation Management
- Representing a major charity which was the subject of a campaign of slander and libel.
- Acting for a household charity which was the subject of defamation on a popular website which Khaled managed to take down.
- Representing a politician against a claim for defamation by raising a series of robust defences.
- Advising a membership organisation which was the subject of libel on social media.
- Advising a businessman on libels against him uploaded in a YouTube video.
Career history
Admissions
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Called to the Bar of England and Wales
Previous Law firms
- Exons, Partner
- Clyde & Co, Solicitor
- Herbert Smith Freehills, Trainee and Solicitor
Memberships
- Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Member, LCIA Young International Arbitration Group, ICC Young Arbitrators’ Forum and Young International Council of Commercial Arbitration
- The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
- Founding committee member of Arab Legal Forum
- Muslim Lawyers Action Group
Education
- Queen Mary, University of London: reading LLM in international dispute resolution
- College of Law: Qualified Lawyers’ Transfer Test
- Inns of Court School of Law: Bar Vocational Course
- City University, London: Law, LLB (Hons)
Languages
Native in English and Bengali and proficient in Arabic
Publications
Publications: