Romie Tager QC

Romie is a specialist in commercial and property law. His experience covers a vast range of work in these fields, and the breadth and specialisation in his practice and career give him a commanding position.

He is frequently instructed in cases involving complex issues and commercial sensitivity, often calling for original presentation and the identification of novel solutions.

His practice includes considerable advisory work, and he has extensive experience of international commercial arbitration.

Annually lauded in the guides to the legal profession and recognised as "one of the better known names at the Bar", he is described by his peers as a "force of nature...a real scrapper and an aggressive and phenomenally effective advocate" and "the consummate professional", "completely ferocious and skilled at getting his client's case across powerfully" (Chambers & Partners 2011).

He has previously been described as a "terrier of a litigator" who is "quick to grasp the technical details and deploy them to devastating effect in cross examination" (Chambers & Partners 2009) and "a real ideas man - if you need to bounce ideas off someone in a complex and difficult case, he's your man" (Chambers & Partners 2006).

featured cases 

Crossco No 4 Unltd & ors v Jolan Ltd & ors [2011] EWHC 803 (Ch) (Morgan J.)
Appeared for the successful party in a several week trial of two claims concerning a large building on Piccadilly in Manchester, which raised issues of rectification, estoppel and constructive trusts.

Baturina v Times Newspapers Ltd [2011] EWCA Civ 308
Clarifies the law relating to innuendo in defamation arising in the contect of overseas sales of an English newspaper.

Innovatis Investment Fund Ltd v Ejder Group Ltd [2010] EWHC 1851 (Norris J.)
Obtained judgment at trial for over US$4m under a disputed 'repo' agreement concerning a Lehman Brothers Medium Term Basket Note with a face value of US$7m. It is believed that this is the first reported decision in which the High Court has considered the legal nature of a securities repurchase agreement. The case also concerned issues of an agent's liability under a contract in the context of securities trading.

Good Harvest Partnership v Centaur Services Ltd [2010] NPL 22
Whether original guarantor's guarantee of assignee is enforceable under 1995 Covenants Act.

Transview Properties Ltd v City Site Properties Ltd [2009] EWCA Civ 1255
Admissibility of fresh evidence on appeal; rectification of override liabilities under a sale contract.

Pocket Kings Ltd v Safenames Ltd & Kentucky [2009] EWHC 2529 (Ch)
US state of Kentucky not a state for the purposes of the State Immunity Act 1978.

Invertec Ltd v de Mol Holdings BV [2009] EWHC 2471 (Ch)
Liability for fraudulent warranties in share sale agreement, and extent of liability for post-completion losses.

Welford v EDF Energy Networks (2007) 24 EG 170
Court of Appeal upheld finding of Lands Tribunal that compensation for loss of profits not too remote in law in compulsory purchase and similar cases where investment in land made in anticipation of starting a business, even though that business did not trade.

Bexley London Borough Council v Maison Maurice Ltd [2007] 2 EG 124
Local authority precluded by estoppels from denying access to public highway.

Capita Trust (Channel Islands) Ltd v Chatham Maritime J3 Devps Ltd [2007] 2 L & TR 2
Mandatory injunction requiring grant of underlease under estate management obligations of lease.

Halpern v Halpern [2006] 2 Lloyd's Rep 83
Conflict of laws, application of Shamil Bank of Bahrain EC v Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd & Ors [2004] 1 WLR 1784 to Jewish law and to a compromise agreement embodied in an arbitration award.

Proforce Recruit Ltd v Rugby Group Ltd CA LTL 17/2/06
Admission of extrinsic evidence as to interpretation the words "preferred supplier status" in an agreement; words bore the meaning that the parties given them in their communications up to the signing of the agreement.

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd v Olympia Homes Ltd (2005) (Mann J.) 25 EG 193 (CS)
Option agreement - whether Claimant's option constituting equitable interest binding on purchaser - effect of failure to register title by grantor of option.

Luiz Vicente Barros Mattos Junior v MacDaniels Ltd (Lawrence Collins J.) LTL 24/6/05
Amendments allowed to particulars of claim where the amended particulars of claim did not add new causes of action but were based on the same legal and factual basis as the existing claim and the amendments raised matters which were arguable at trial.

MCI Worldcom International Inc. v. Primus Telecommunications Inc. [2004] 1 BCLC 42
Misrepresentation by agent of contracting party.

Medcalf v. Mardell & others [2003] 1 AC 120
Appearing in the House of Lords for the respondent on an appeal against a wasted costs order made by the Court of Appeal against leading and junior counsel; this appeal involved a fundamental challenge to the court's wasted costs jurisdiction, questions of privilege and the impact of the Human Rights Act.

Halley v. Law Society
Acting at the trial and on the appeal of a claim for monies held in the client account of a solicitor whose practice was intervened, with allegations of money laundering and advance fee fraud.

Twinsectra Limited v Yardley & others [2002] 2 AC 164 
Representing the claimant in a leading trust, fraud and asset tracing case from the High Court up to the House of Lords.

Official Receiver v. Stern [2002] 1 BCLC 119
Appearing for the appellant in the Court of Appeal in a high profile director's disqualification case. 

Secretary of State for Transport v. Jenkins (2000) 79 P&C 118 
Appearing for the landlord in a Court of Appeal case which considered the requirements for a tenant holding as trustee for others for the purposes of the Landlord and Tenant Act.

Fletcher & others v. Royal Automobile Club Limited
Acting for the members or former members of the Royal Automobile Club who were excluded from the 'windfall'.

Central London Commercial Estates Ltd. v. Kato Kagaku Co. Ltd. [1998] 4 All ER 948
Appearing in an important case involving the car park of Bush House and the inter-relation between a squatter's possessory title and the Limitation Acts.

Scotlife Home Loans (No. 2) Ltd. v. Melinek (1997) 78 P&CR 389
Appearing in a case raising novel subrogation and tracing issues arising from a series of mortgage frauds. 

Society of Lloyd's v. Wilkinson [1997] CLC 1012
Appearing in one of the major Lloyd's Names cases, involving issues of set-off and allegations of fraud against Lloyd's. 

Society of Lloyd's v. Leighs [1997] CLC 759
Acting on behalf of the Lloyd's Names who challenged the establishment of Equitas, and their obligation to re-insure through it.  

One Life Limited v. Roy [1996] 2 BCLC 608
Representing the defendant shareholders in a claim by a liquidator for the recovery of distributions made from a 'snowball scheme', which was held to be an unlawful lottery. 

Banques Bruxelles Lambert SA v Eagle Star Insurance Co. Ltd. & others [1995] QB 375
Appearing in the Commercial Court and in the Court of Appeal in a leading professional negligence case involving the extent of a valuer's liability for negligence, including liability for losses attributable to the fall in the property market.

El Ajou v Dollar Land Holdings Plc [1994] 2 All ER 685
Appearing for the respondent in the leading company law case on agency, and the attribution of knowledge where there is a nominee director.