Hugh Jackson

Hugh is recommended in both the Legal 500 and Chambers Guides 2025. With 43 years in practice, he is a commercial chancery practitioner with extensive experience in land and finance, trade, business and technology.

He has a notable record of success, over some 32 years, in loss recovery in commercial professional negligence, title reconstruction and fraud. Ranked in Tier 2 for professional negligence by the Legal 500, he has been lauded for his impressive attention to detail and the quality of his advice. He is noted by professional clients as “a thorough and tenacious advocate”.

His work in commercial professional negligence has involved solicitors, valuers, surveyors, auditors, tax advisors, financial intermediaries and data custodians. His interests in engineering, technology and IT make him well-suited to technical disputes.

Hugh also has extensive experience in corporate and joint venture disputes including directors’ duties and liabilities, shareholder rights and remedies, as well as partnerships and shareholder disputes.

Hugh now practises from Selborne Chambers solely as accredited mediator. Mediations can be face to face at a venue of the parties’ choosing or by Zoom or Teams. Administration is via the Selborne clerking team practice – please call for any guidance needed.

He sits as Judge of the First Tier Tribunal, Property Chamber (Land Registration). He sits also as an arbitrator.

Arbitration

Hugh has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators for many years.

Civil Fraud and Asset Recovery

Hugh has extensive experience of claims involving civil fraud and accessory liability, including related freezing-order injunctive relief.

Mediation

Hugh has been an accredited mediator since 2010. He is frequently retained to act as a mediator in chancery and commercial disputes. His mediation style is open, direct and evaluative but non-confrontational, driving for commercial resolution.

Mediations can be face to face at a venue of the parties’ choosing or by Zoom or Teams. Selborne’s clerking team administers Hugh’s mediation practice – please call for any guidance needed.

Professional Negligence

Hugh has some 32 years of experience in professional negligence litigation and the associated professional indemnity insurance issues, having acted in much of the lender- litigation over that time. He has particular skills with borrower and solicitor fraud and the related insurance coverage issues in that particular field. He has been retained to act for many institutional and secondary lenders, and operators in short-term secured and unsecured finance. He has been consulted by solicitors in relation to PI claims received.

He has also successfully acted in private client claims for professional negligence, including claims relating to negligent tax advice, audit error and data breach.

Recent Notable Work

Recent work includes:

D v D (2025) – mediating in an estates dispute
B v Y (2025) – mediating in a ’54 Act dispute
P v K (2025) – commercial valuation negligence in PBSA development
S v J (2025) – commercial valuation negligence in high spec residential development
Re C (2024) – mediating in a director’s misappropriation claim
B v H (2024) – mediating in a rights of way dispute
Re C Cricket Club – mediating in a beneficial interest dispute
B v B (2024) – tax advisor’s negligence
D v R (2024) – mediating in adverse possession claim
M v O (2024) – adverse possession in leasehold flats
P v K (2023) – commercial professional negligence concerning an option on development land
M v R (2023) – solicitors’ professional negligence in the conduct of litigation
Re M (2020) – expropriation of shareholder’s rights in a listed plc
B v B (2019) – disputed dissolution of partnership on transfer of business to a company
Re A (2019) – damages for negligent publication of personal data
Re CLF (2019) – professional negligence in commercial lending
Re Q (2019) – strike out for abusive delay
Re B (2019) – planning agent’s negligence as to a wind farm
Re I Ltd (2018) – pre-action disclosure in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court concerning a web services business
Re W (2018) – appeal re strike out for abusive delay
Re A Ltd (2018) – disputed fire damage insurance claim
Re F (2018) – loss recovery for solicitor’s breach of fiduciary duty
Re CF Ltd (2018) – claim for success fees in fund-raising for app services provider
Re a C. Co. Ltd (2018) LCIA arbitration, leading a junior member of chambers – minority shareholder’s claims for breaches of a shareholders’ agreement, articles of association and the Companies Act 2006, and for relief from unfair prejudice relating to a cloud services business
Re a H. Co. Ltd (2018) minority shareholders’ claims for unfair prejudice
Re P – claims arising out of alleged mismanagement of liquidations
B v B – architect and planning consultant’s negligence
Mishcon de Reya v Hunt (2017) – resisting claim for breach of retainer relating to a bankrupt estate
Shepherd v Byrne & Partners LLP (2017) – leading in a claim for adviser’s negligence as to disclosure to HMRC of income
Earnshaw v Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (2017) – duties owed by pensions administrator to trustees of scheme

Recommendations

Hugh has been ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers’ Guides as a leading junior for many years, earning accolades such as “impressive junior” and as “extremely detail-oriented, forensic in fact, and nothing escapes him. When we have a tricky problem, that’s when he’s in his element.” “He is very thorough, very bright, thinks up good arguments and doesn’t miss points. He’s a good-quality junior.”

In the Legal 500 he is ranked as a leading junior barrister in Tier 2 for Professional Negligence.

Mediation CV Arbitration CV