Kiran Unni photo
Kiran Unni
Lawyer
London
Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London, EC2N 1HQ
+44 (0) 20 3301 6586
London
Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London, EC2N 1HQ
+44 (0) 20 3301 6586

Kiran Unni is an English barrister focused on complex multijurisdictional disputes, particularly those involving allegations of fraud and misconduct. Mr. Unni has acted in English High Court litigation and international arbitrations across a range of industry sectors, including oil and gas, banking, cryptocurrency, private equity, shipping, technology and telecommunications. He advises on the enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards, as well as associated asset tracing and recovery projects, to help clients realize value from their claims. Mr. Unni also has particular experience in formulating offensive and defensive global litigation strategies for international private clients, including in relation to civil and criminal asset forfeiture, financial sanctions, trust structures, and commercial and insolvency litigation.

Before joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Unni practiced at Baker Botts (UK) LLP representing institutional clients and private individuals in commercial disputes and regulatory matters involving bribery/corruption allegations and the application of economic sanctions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Unni was a judicial assistant to Lord Mance, Lord Brown and Lord Carnwath at the UK Supreme Court.

Admissions

  • Barrister, England & Wales
  • Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts

Education

  • St Edmund Hall, Oxford, BCL
  • Queens’ College, Cambridge, BA, LLM (First Class)
  • College of Law, London, Legal Practice Course

Select Engagements

  • Representation of an engineering company in the enforcement of a US multi-billion dollar arbitration award against an African state.
  • Representation of certain New Zealand trusts to anticipate and develop strategies for pre-empting or defending against claims in numerous jurisdictions arising from allegations about the trusts’ settlor.
  • Representation of several executives of an oil company operating in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, in providing a strategy to release and protect assets in the U.S., the UK, the Cayman Islands and several other offshore jurisdictions in light of a foreign bribery investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and UK authorities.
 

Publications & Presentations

  • Co-author, “UK Supreme Court Shows Flexibility in Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards: Taurus Petroleum Ltd v State Oil Marketing Co of the Ministry of Oil, Iraq [2017] UKSC 64” (Lexology, 29 November 2017)
  • Co-author, "English Courts Provide Guidelines to Address Inconsistent Jurisdictional Provisions in Related Agreements" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2016)
  • Co-author, "When is Referral to a Dispute Adjudication Board a Precondition for Court or Arbitration Proceedings?" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 19, Issue 1, February 2016)
  • Author, "Case Note: Diag Human SE v Czech Republic [2014] EWHC 1639 (Comm)" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 18, Issue 4, August 2015)
  • Author, "Case Note: BDMS Ltd v Rafael Advanced Defence Systems [2014] EWHC 451 (Comm)" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 18, Issue 4, August 2015)

Credentials

Admissions

  • Barrister, England & Wales
  • Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts

Education

  • St Edmund Hall, Oxford, BCL
  • Queens’ College, Cambridge, BA, LLM (First Class)
  • College of Law, London, Legal Practice Course

Engagements

  • Representation of an engineering company in the enforcement of a US multi-billion dollar arbitration award against an African state.
  • Representation of certain New Zealand trusts to anticipate and develop strategies for pre-empting or defending against claims in numerous jurisdictions arising from allegations about the trusts’ settlor.
  • Representation of several executives of an oil company operating in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, in providing a strategy to release and protect assets in the U.S., the UK, the Cayman Islands and several other offshore jurisdictions in light of a foreign bribery investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and UK authorities.

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, Member

Publications & Presentations

  • Co-author, “UK Supreme Court Shows Flexibility in Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards: Taurus Petroleum Ltd v State Oil Marketing Co of the Ministry of Oil, Iraq [2017] UKSC 64” (Lexology, 29 November 2017)
  • Co-author, "English Courts Provide Guidelines to Address Inconsistent Jurisdictional Provisions in Related Agreements" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2016)
  • Co-author, "When is Referral to a Dispute Adjudication Board a Precondition for Court or Arbitration Proceedings?" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 19, Issue 1, February 2016)
  • Author, "Case Note: Diag Human SE v Czech Republic [2014] EWHC 1639 (Comm)" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 18, Issue 4, August 2015)
  • Author, "Case Note: BDMS Ltd v Rafael Advanced Defence Systems [2014] EWHC 451 (Comm)" (International Arbitration Law Review, Volume 18, Issue 4, August 2015)