Richard Garcia

Head of corporate and commercial disputes

Richard is an experienced commercial litigator who has worked on some of the most high profile cases of the past decade. He is regularly instructed by banks, asset managers, sovereign states and large corporates on their most complex and important cases.

Richard has a wide practice including banking and finance, asset management, corporate, insolvency, professional liability and fraud disputes. He has led major cases in each of these areas, many of which have involved cross border issues and proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, particularly in Europe and the US.

The Tchenguiz litigation, in which Richard played a leading role for many years, is one of the most complex and high profile disputes ever seen by the English courts. Stephenson Harwood was recognised for this case and awarded Litigation Team of the Year 2012 by The Lawyer and Regulatory and Litigation Firm of the Year 2012 at the British Legal Awards.

Richard has particular expertise in banking, funds and financial products disputes. Clients value his familiarity and detailed understanding of banking and asset management products and structures. His experience includes retail, private equity, hedge funds and other alternative funds as well as CDOs, SIVs, securitisations, structured products and derivatives including swaps.

The largest value cases often involve multi-faceted proceedings including freezing orders, jurisdiction challenges, appeals and complex enforcement strategies and defences. Richard has been involved in many such cases including freezing order and enforcement proceedings arising from ICC and ICSID arbitrations. Financial News listed Richard as one of the top 100 'Rising Stars' working in the European financial markets.