Jonathan Crystal

Jonathan Crystal

Call: Middle Temple 1972

“He’s very bright and incredibly commercial”.

Chambers and Partners 2019

Interested in instructing Mr Crystal?

Please call 020 7353 6802 or complete the form below:

Jonathan is a ‘very bright and incredibly commercial’ lawyer.  His entire caseload for the past 5 years has comprised extraordinarily high-value contentious commercial matters. An extensive, industry-wide focus on contractual, rights and regulatory work during his early career contributed significantly to the rapid development in the UK and internationally of the commercial aspects of the sports and entertainment industries and provided Jonathan with what is widely regarded as a highly sensitive, perceptive and analytical flair for challenging and intricate large-scale generalised commercial disputes. Outside the UK, he is admitted to practice in the BVI.

Interested in instructing Mr Crystal?

Please call 020 7353 6802 or complete the form below:

Civil Barrister

Current Commercial work

BVI

Litigation

Acting for one of the claimants in multi-party litigation relating to various power generation and distribution assets in Russia and an alleged investment of at least $475 million. The issues at this stage include service, jurisdiction and deemed admissions.

South Africa

Acting on the instructions of Clyde and Co, South Africa, with regard to a jurisdiction challenge concerning a British overseas territory.

UK

Advisory work

(i) Geneva Trust Company;

(ii) the termination of a merchandise agreement by a well known YouTuber;

(iii) matters in the energy sector.

Recent Commercial work

UK 

Commercial work including advising in relation to:

(i) the claim by Vincent Tchenguiz against Grant Thornton;

(ii) the sale of a hotel portfolio and issues related to its associated financing

Directory Entries 

Ranked highly in Who’s Who Legal UK Bar 2019, Who’s Who Legal Sports and Entertainment, Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, he has extensive experience in dealing with contractual and regulatory issues in sport both in the UK and internationally. His strengths, as detailed by the edition, are that “he’s very bright and incredibly commercial.” This adds to Jonathan’s entry from the 2018 edition, where he is described as “fearless and extremely user-friendly.” Jonathan is one of the few Barristers whose expertise is selected in the Who’s Who editions.

Notable Cases

Titarenko v Renova/Vekselberg Parties. Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. 13 December 2019. Appeal setting aside ‘pro tem’ extensions of the time for the service of defences.

Wedgwood Management v Abyzov and Ors.

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Wallbank J 11-14 November 2019. Multiple service and jurisdiction applications and CMC.

Tomsa v Renova. Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal 19 July 2019. Appeal against dismissal of wasted costs order.

Tchenguiz v Director of the SFO and others (2017) EWHC 2644 (Comm). Permission under CPR 31.22(1)(b) to use documents said to be inadvertently disclosed or subject to legal professional privilege.

Su v Clarkson Plateau Futures (2018) EWVA Civ 1115. Operation of the special time limit under s14A of the Limitation Act 1980.

Petroleum Company of Trinidad & Tobago v Ryan and Anor (2017) UKPC 30. Successful appeal restoring the trial judge’s dismissal of claims for damages arising from the alleged emission of hydrocarbon gases from nearby oil well.

Jersey FA v UEFA CAS decision 28 September 2017. Ruling setting aside the UEFA Executive Committee decision to reject JFA’s application for UEFA membership and ordering that the JFA’s application be forwarded to UEFA Congress for consideration.

Mercato Sports v Everton (2018) EWHC 1567 (QB). Stay of intermediaries claim for FA arbitration.

Tchenguiz v Kaupthing Bank Hf (2017) EWCA Civ 83. Appeal concerning the relationship between Jurisdiction Instruments including the Lugano Convention and Insolvency Instruments operating in the field of cross-border insolvency including the Winding-Up Directive. Allocation of jurisdiction for claim in conspiracy to injure against Icelandic Bank in winding-up process.

Su (aka Hsin Chu, Su Hsin Chi and Nobu Morimoto) v Clarksons Platou Futures Ltd (2017) EWHC 337 (Comm). Summary judgment application in relation to one (of two) claims. Whether claim time-barred pursuant to section 2 of the Limitation Act 1980. Whether Claimant could rely on special time limit under section 14A of the Limitation Act 1980.

Tchenguiz v Grant Thornton and others (2017) EWCA Civ 172. Application granted for permission to appeal additional ground of appeal concerning effect of Settlement Agreement.

Ali v Petroleum Company of Trinidad & Tobago (2017) UKPC 2. Acting for Respondent company. Whether loan by company to employee whilst studying abroad at university was repayable where employee did not return and work for the company for five years. The terms to be implied into the contract between the company and the employee.  Whether the employee could avoid repayment because he had voluntarily left his employment. The Privy Council dismissing the appeal held that the employee could not avoid repayment.

Recent sports advisory matters:

Football

Sale and acquisition of Championship Clubs, discounting receivables from transfers of registration, the admission application to UEFA of the Jersey FA, contractual matters relating to Everton, Huddersfield Town and  West Ham.

Boxing

Contractual matters relating to Tyson Fury (including Wilder v Fury), Oscar Rivas, Gennady Golovkin, Prince Naseem Hamed and Frank Warren.

Other

Contractual matters relating to Brian Lara.

The liability of the International Tennis Federation in respect of Grand Slam Tournaments.

YouTube participation with sportsmen.

Appointments


  • Former director of Cardiff City FC
  • Former director of Tottenham Hotspur FC

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