Armando Neris
Year of call: 2024
Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales – 2018 (non-practising) (with Higher Rights of Audience – Civil)
Enrolled Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand – 2012
Armando’s practice spans the full spectrum of commercial and international disputes, including complex civil fraud, international arbitration, asset recovery and enforcement, and cross-border and offshore litigation.
He has particular experience of banking and finance, energy and natural resources, and shareholder and joint venture disputes, along with significant international arbitration expertise, having acted as counsel in a number of institutional and ad hoc commercial and investor-state arbitrations over many years. Armando is often instructed on matters involving a jurisdictional or conflict of laws element or where there are contested allegations of civil fraud and misrepresentation, corruption or money laundering.
Armando is currently instructed as junior counsel for one of the individual defendants in Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan & Ors, a case brought by Kuwait’s national pension fund. The dispute involves bribery and money laundering claims (under Kuwaiti, Swiss and English law) valued by the claimant at over £2 billion. It is one of the largest and most complex fraud disputes ever to be heard in the Commercial Court and was recently featured as one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top 20 Cases’ for 2025.
Other matters on which Armando is currently instructed include a complex shareholders’ dispute before the Commercial Court, an ICSID arbitration on behalf of an investor, and a proceeds of crime matter. Additionally, Armando has an active pro bono practice, having recently appeared on that basis as junior counsel for the successful appellant in the Court of Appeal in 159-167 Prince of Wales Road RTM Company Ltd v Assethold Ltd, in which the Court commended “the very thorough manner in which the appeal was prepared” and the “significant assistance” provided to the Court.
Prior to joining 33 Chancery Lane, Armando was an experienced arbitration and commercial litigation practitioner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in London and, before that, McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Watson Farley & Williams LLP. Before moving to the Bar, he was a recommended lawyer for both international arbitration and commercial litigation in The Legal 500 (UK) 2023, where he was profiled based on client feedback as a “superstar” with “extraordinary” intellectual capabilities. Armando began his career more than a decade ago at a leading New Zealand law firm, Chapman Tripp, where he often appeared as counsel before the New Zealand courts, including appearing successfully before the Court of Appeal.
As a former experienced solicitor, Armando is approachable and user-friendly, understands the demands clients place on professionals in law firms, and is adept at working collaboratively within a team structure.
Armando graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours (First Class) and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and international relations. He featured on the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence for law and was one of the top graduating students in his year in both law and arts.
Armando also holds a master’s degree in law from Columbia University Law School in New York, where he graduated as a James Kent Scholar (equivalent to a distinction) in recognition of “outstanding academic achievement” and ranked first in class in several subjects. His academic focus was on international commercial and investment arbitration, the interplay of civil and criminal law (with his dissertation supervised by the Hon. Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York), and commercial remedies. Armando was also a student editor of The American Review of International Arbitration and a research assistant to Professor George A. Bermann.
International Commercial and Investor-State Arbitration
Armando has significant international arbitration experience.
He has represented a wide range of clients as counsel before international tribunals in commercial and investor-state arbitrations conducted under various applicable laws and institutional and ad hoc arbitral rules (including the ICSID, LCIA, ICC, AAA, HKIAC and UNCITRAL rules).
He also advises clients (including commercial parties, investors and States) on the merits of prospective arbitration claims under a host of different commercial agreements (usually subject to English or international law), bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty. Armando also advises on various public international law matters.
Representative Cases
Representing a petrochemical investor in an ICSID arbitration against an Eastern European State, alleging breaches of the Energy Charter Treaty in connection with its investment in the oil refining and petrochemicals sector. This matter involves allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Represented a bank and its majority shareholders in an ICSID arbitration against Latvia, alleging breach of a bilateral investment treaty. This matter involved allegations of corruption and attempted extortion against the then Governor of the Central Bank of Latvia and the prudential regulator.
Represented a Balkan State and two government-owned entities in relation to two related LCIA arbitrations arising out of a commercial dispute in connection with a major investment in the tourism sector.
Represented a renewable energy producer in an ICSID arbitration against Italy, alleging breaches of the Energy Charter Treaty as a result of measures which reduced the incentives available to investors in the photovoltaic sector.
Represented an international audit firm in defending complex and high-value audit negligence claims in an American Arbitration Association arbitration brought by the liquidators of a billion-dollar hedge fund.
Represented an energy company in an ICC arbitration brought by a former joint venture partner in connection with the termination of the joint venture.
Represented a petroleum exploration company in an ICC arbitration in connection with a dispute arising out of a production sharing agreement.
Represented a private equity firm in an HKIAC arbitration against the majority shareholder of a portfolio company, seeking declarations as to the construction of a shareholders’ agreement.
Represented a charterer in an LMAA arbitration brought by a shipowner in connection with the termination of a charterparty.
*These arbitration matters have been anonymised for confidentiality reasons; and a number of these matters were handled prior to joining 33 Chancery Lane
Commercial Litigation
Armando has a broad commercial litigation practice, which includes:
General commercial and contractual disputes
Civil fraud and misrepresentation claims
Banking and finance litigation
Shareholder, joint venture and partnership disputes
Asset recovery and enforcement matters
Representative Cases
Public Institution for Social Security v Al Rajaan & Ors (Commercial Court):
Representing one of the individual defendants in a £2 billion claim for bribery and money laundering brought by Kuwait’s national pension fund. One of the largest fraud disputes ever heard in the Commercial Court, with a trial scheduled to run for some 42 weeks over 2025 and 2026, and featured as one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top 20 Cases’ of 2025. Instructed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan UK LLP.
Werealize.Com Ltd v J.P. Morgan International Finance Ltd (Commercial Court):
Representing the majority shareholder of Viva Wallet, which is Europe’s first neobank, in a major shareholder dispute with J.P. Morgan International Finance Limited. Instructed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan UK LLP.
159-167 Prince of Wales Road RTM Company Ltd v Assethold Ltd (Court of Appeal):
Represented the successful appellant on a pro bono basis as junior counsel in the Court of Appeal. The appeal determined that the term ‘landlord’ under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 does not include those who have merely an alleged equitable interest in a property, and provided valuable guidance on the ingredients of estoppel by representation and estoppel by convention in finding that the appellant could not be estopped from denying that the respondent was its ‘landlord’. Instructed by Mayer Brown International LLP.
PCP Capital Partners LLP & Anor v. Barclays Bank plc (Commercial Court):
Represented (as a solicitor) a private equity firm in a major deceit claim against Barclays Bank arising out of alleged fraudulent misrepresentations made in the course of the Bank’s £7.3 billion capital raising from Middle Eastern investors in late 2008. This dispute featured as one of The Lawyer’s ‘Top 20 Cases’.
Represented (as a solicitor) a UAE-based bank in a Commercial Court dispute in connection with the enforcement of security arising out of lending to the Abraaj Group prior to its collapse.
Represented (as a solicitor) a former senior executive of Deutsche Bank in defending a complex investigation into alleged corrupt hiring practices and the recovery of deferred compensation which the Bank proposed to forfeit.
Represented (as a solicitor) a UAE-based security services company in a claim against Barclays Bank plc arising out of a push-payment fraud perpetrated by a customer of the Bank. The case raised complex issues concerning the availability of claims against a receiving bank in negligence and for unjust enrichment where the Bank was alleged to be on notice that its accounts were being used unlawfully.
Represented (as a solicitor) a group of institutional investors, asset managers, pension funds, and family offices in competition litigation against major banks relating to the alleged manipulation of foreign exchange benchmark rates.
Represented (as a solicitor) a Caucasus-based State-owned entity which was seeking to recover misappropriated assets over which it asserted a proprietary interest for the purposes of section 281 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Cross-Border, Offshore and Other Foreign Litigation
Representative Cases
Represented institutional investors who held contingent convertible (AT1) bonds in the Spanish bank Banco Popular Español in claims against the Single Resolution Board before the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. This matter involved claims under Spanish and EU law.
Represented a UAE-based bank against a Ghanaian bank arising from a default in the repayment of a special-purpose trade finance loan following the bank’s insolvency. This matter involved claims under Ghanaian law.
Represented institutional investors in connection with proceedings before the German courts arising out of the allegedly wrongful devaluation of bonds prior to the sale of a German bank. This matter involved claims under German law.
Represented a hedge fund in connection with proceedings brought by an Italian bank before the Court of Milan. This matter involved claims under Italian law. Selected appearances as junior counsel between 2012 and 2014 before the New Zealand High Court and Court of Appeal included:
Morley v Earthquake Commission [2013] NZHC 230
New Zealand Steel Ltd v Attorney-General [2013] NZHC 3524
Kraal v Earthquake Commission [2015] 2 NZLR 589 (NZCA)
Miah v National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd [2015] NZHC 993
Advisory
Representative Matters
Banking and finance: Armando advises on disputes arising out of finance and security documentation and on disputes relating to the ISDA Master Agreement and related documentation. He has previously advised a large U.S. hedge fund on a challenge to a determination of the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee and advised a German asset management firm on a dispute with an international investment bank regarding the correct methodology for the valuation of collateral under an ISDA Credit Support Annex. He has also been involved in advising Lehman Brothers Finance AG in an ISDA Master Agreement dispute.
Civil fraud: Armando regularly advises on civil fraud and misrepresentation claims, in addition to proceeds of crime and money laundering matters. Armando has advised extensively on matters relating to the collapse of the Abraaj Group and in cases involving allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Shareholder, joint venture and partnership disputes: Armando advises on all manner of shareholder, joint venture and partnership disputes, including in relation to breaches of fiduciary duties, funding arrangements, claims against directors and officers, claims arising out of the misappropriation of assets, option agreements, and termination issues.
Conflict of laws: Armando advises on complex jurisdictional and conflict of laws issues in connection with potential claims before the English courts.
Investment and public international law: Armando advises investors and States on the merits of prospective or threatened investment claims under bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty, on investment structuring and protection, and on a range of other public international law issues.