Antoine Tinnion
Specialisms:
Commercial Litigation
Antoine has been a commercial litigator for his entire 15+ years legal career. After training and qualifying as a solicitor at leading City law firm Slaughter and May, Antoine moved to New York where he practised commercial litigation and international arbitration at two major American law firms, Debevoise & Plimpton and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP. There, he worked on some of the world’s most high-profile business disputes, including litigation against the US tobacco industry in the late 1990s, defending DaimlerChrysler AG in litigation arising out of its 1998 “merger of equals” with Chrysler Corp., and defending an underwriting syndicate in litigation arising out of WorldCom’s accounting fraud/collapse.
In 2004, Antoine returned home to Newcastle and requalified as a barrister, where he continues to specialise in business disputes. He advises sole traders, partners, companies, shareholders, directors and those dealing with them. His commercial practise aims to combine strong technical expertise with pragmatic, commercial advice aimed at achieving the best outcome at the lowest cost.
Employment
Antoine sees his employment work as a natural extension of his interest in business disputes. Representing both workers and employers, he has litigated dozens of cases involving unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, wage disputes/unlawful deductions from wages, breach of contract, disability, sex, race and age discrimination, TUPE and whistle-blowing claims. Antoine also advises in County Court and High Court cases involving the enforcement of post-termination restrictive covenants.
Antoine is willing to travel nationwide to represent clients’ interests, and has appeared in tribunals in Central London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Boston, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. He has made numerous appearances in the long-running local authority and NHS equal pay litigation in the Newcastle Employment Tribunal, and regularly acts for a well-known insurance company in employment disputes throughout the North of England. Antoine has a particular interest in complex, multi-day hearings.
Property
Antoine has a keen interest in all types of disputes concerning real property and landlord and tenant matters (both commercial and residential), and has been involved in a number of reported cases concerning the construction of residential sales contracts and the nature and scope of overriding interests. He advises banks and other lenders, developers, vendors, purchasers, agents, landlords, tenants, neighbours and those dealing with them.
Cases:
Executive Training Solutions Ltd. v. Howe [2011] EWHC 2031, Ch.D (employer’s claim against former employee to account for sums earned during/after employment; scope of duty to account; defence of illegality)
Link Lending Ltd. v. Bustard [2010] EWCA Civ.424, [2010] All ER(D)161 (Court of Appeal) (whether person in long-term residential care remains in "actual occupation" of home address for purpose of creating an overriding interest under para. 2 of Schedule 3 to Land Registration Act 2002)
Ronden Builders Ltd. v. Little Acorns (Northern) Ltd. (2006) LTL 5/6/06 (application to rectify building contract to permit builder to charge VAT on contract price on basis that contract parties made common mistake on liability to pay VAT)
Ruddick v. Ormston [2005] EWHC Civ. 2547, Ch.D, [2006] 1 P&CR DG 21 (validity of contract for sale of land under s.2(1) of Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989)
State of New York v. Michael Wilson 719 N.Y.S. 2d 555 (App. Div. 2001) (pro bono appeal against criminal conviction for aggravated assault and 21 year prison sentence)
Bank of Scotland v. Mitchell (2009) Leeds County Court (unreported) (successful application for summary judgment in £250,000 loan claim; insolvency -related aspects)
In re WorldCom Securities Litigation, File No: 02 Civ. 3288 (DLC) (defending syndicate of US, European and Japanese underwriters in $15 billion class action securities litigation arising out of bankruptcy of WorldCom, Inc.; case settled for $3.2 billion)
In re DaimlerChrysler AG Securities Litigation, Civ. Act: 00-993-JJF (defending DaimlerChrysler AG in $1 billion fraud litigation arising out of 1998 "merger of equals" of Chrysler Corp. and Daimler-Benz AG; after bench trial, all claims resolved in DaimlerChrysler's favour)
AriaWest International v. PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (2002) (defending Indonesia's largest company in $1.3 billion ICC arbitration concerning contract to build, operate and transfer telephone landlines; case settled on confidential terms)
What others say:
"Names of note at Trinity Chambers include Antoine Tinnion, who has ‘excellent legal knowledge’ and pays ‘high attention to detail’" Legal 500 2011
The Court of Appeal stated it was “impressed” with the “excellence” of Antoine Tinnion’s advocacy. Link Lending Ltd. v. Bustard [2010] EWCA Civ. 424 at para. 5
Memberships:
- Employment Law Bar Association
- North East Circuit
Lectures & Seminars:
10 September 2008: "Age Discrimination: The Law in Practise 2006 - 2009", Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
18 March 2009: "Age Discrimination: Update", Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne
Education & Awards:
- Cambridge University - BA in Law (1st Class Honours), Sidney Sussex College Scholar,Tripos Prize
- Oxford University - MA in Politics Philosophy & Economics
- Harvard Law School - Masters degree in Law, scholarship
- College of Law, York - Diploma, Legal Practice Course
Additional Information:
In appropriate cases, Antoine is able and willing to receive instructions on a ‘Direct Access’ basis, ie, direct from members of the public. Any such requests should be directed to his clerks in the first instance.