Rahul
Varma

Call: 2007

Tel: 0207 420 9500

About

Rahul is a Chancery and commercial barrister. Both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 rank him as a leading junior:

  • Rahul is a very effective and skilled advocate with a laser-sharp eye for good points.” “Rahul is great with clients and always very prepared. He is a pleasure to deal with.” (Chambers and Partners 2025);
  • Rahul is extremely sharp, a measured and powerful advocate, and an all round pleasure to work with.” (The Legal 500 2025);
  • He quickly grapples the facts and gives clear and measured advice.” “A real team player, very easy to deal with and always provides clear advice with a focus on the wider strategy of the case and the client’s objectives.” (Chambers and Partners 2024);
  • Rahul’s advocacy is powerful and measured and his written work is precise and incisive.” (The Legal 500 2024);
  • He is an excellent advocate with great procedural knowledge.” “Rahul is bright, a measured and compelling advocate, and provides a very high level of service.” “Rahul has excellent attention to detail and is extremely meticulous and thorough.” (Chambers and Partners 2023);
  • A clever, calm and articulate advocate, Rahul’s written work and knowledge of procedure is impressively reliable.” (The Legal 500 2023);
  • Rahul provides in-depth advice and is practical, supremely approachable and calm under pressure.” (The Legal 500 2022).

Rahul is instructed in the Court of Appeal, the High Court (Business and Property Courts) and specialist County Court lists. He is experienced in arbitration and other forms of ADR.

Rahul regularly acts unled against KCs and more senior juniors. He is also happy to work as a part of a counsel team; he has led, been led, and has extensive experience in working with barristers at other sets.

Further to his practice, Rahul has contributed to LexisNexis, Practical Law, the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, the Property Litigation Association, Estates Gazette, and The Law Society’s ‘Property in Practice’ magazine. He has also served as a guest academic lecturer.

In 2024, Rahul was appointed a Master of the Bench at Inner Temple – the youngest Bencher appointed by the Inn that year.

Rahul acts in a broad range of commercial litigation, covering: debt claims; the sale of goods (including retention of title disputes); the supply of services; bailment and conversion; agency disputes; guarantees and indemnities; restitution; share sales; and overage.

Examples:

  • Stonegate Farmers Limited v. Kent and ors – Instructed (with Thomas de la Mare KC and Tom Coates of Blackstone Chambers, Gregory Treverton-Jones KC of 39 Essex Chambers, and Charles Hollander KC of Brick Court Chambers) in a c. £150m unlawful means conspiracy claim, involving alleged breaches of competition law undertakings and directors’ duties.
  • X v. Y (in arbitration) – Acting unled in an arbitration concerning the purported termination of a c. £17.5m property sale. The dispute involved the interplay between a ‘no oral modification’ clause and estoppel in light of MWB v. Rock Advertising [2018] UKSC 24. Rahul was successful in the arbitration against a leading silk from Landmark Chambers. The opposing party then instructed a leading silk from Falcon Chambers when applying for permission to appeal under s. 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996. The application for permission to appeal (and the dispute generally) settled for 97% of the total claim brought by Rahul’s client.
  • Nirro Holdings SA v. O’Brien [2021] EWHC 279 (Ch); [2021] 2 WLUK 205 – Appearing unled in a claim for c. £2m concerning the construction of a director’s personal guarantee and indemnity in the context of a liquidation. LexisNexis: Guarantees—interpretation of contractual terms—commercial—evidence (Nirro Holdings SA v Patrick O’Brien) | News | LexisNexis
  • Acting for the UK subsidiary of a US investment group in an application to set aside a default judgment obtained by a litigant in person in the sum of £50m. The application was made four years after the judgment was obtained.
  • Instructed (with Rosamund Baker) in three linked Commercial Court claims regarding the alleged assignment of agricultural supply contracts.
  • Acting for PR consultants in a High Court claim for unpaid fees relating to a bespoke project commissioned by a Middle Eastern monarch.
  • Advising an English company on a debt claim relating to (i) the supply and installation of industrial parts to a factory in Northern Ireland and (ii) whether the Northern Irish customer could rely on claims against the English company’s Italian parent entity.
  • Instructed in a dispute concerning the scope of a £2m settlement of a joint venture, comprising discrete liabilities for a series of loan agreements, profit shares, options fees, and interest.
  • Acting for a firm of architects in a debt and professional negligence claim in the TCC concerning the abortive development of a landmark Central London property.
  • Acting for a designer/manufacturer of clothing in a retention of title/conversion claim against an international logistics company. The claim arose out of the administration of Blue Inc: a high street retailer.

Rahul is instructed in a range of litigation involving incorporated entities and joint ventures, including: claims against directors; minority shareholders’ relief and derivative actions.

Examples:

  • Stonegate Farmers Limited v. Kent and ors – Instructed (with Thomas de la Mare KC and Tom Coates of Blackstone Chambers, Gregory Treverton-Jones KC of 39 Essex Chambers, and Charles Hollander KC of Brick Court Chambers) in a c. £150m unlawful means conspiracy claim, involving alleged breaches of competition law undertakings and directors’ duties.
  • Stonegate Farmers Limited v. Lyons Davidson Limited – Appeared (with Gregory Treverton-Jones KC of 39 Essex Chambers and also unled) in an application to restrain Lyons Davidson from acting for a defendant in an unlawful means conspiracy claim which involves (inter alia) breaches of directors’ duties. Lyons Davidson conceded the application following firm indications from Marcus Smith J that the firm would otherwise be restrained from acting.
  • Advising the Singapore-based directors of an English company in relation to the removal of fellow directors, and then advising the English company itself on various claims against the removed directors worth a total of c. £1m.
  • Advising a director in relation to a dispute with a fellow director as to the scope of a collateral agreement regarding (i) share options and (ii) directors’ loans.
  • Acting in a High Court claim regarding (i) dishonest breaches of directors’ duties (ii) the scope of the partial settlement of some of those claims and (iii) the availability of equitable relief.
  • Advising on a personal claim in deceit against a director, who was said to have made a fraudulent representation of his company’s solvency by executing a licence agreement on its behalf.
  • Appearing in a multi-day trial to determine whether a joint venture operated as a partnership, a company, or both.
  • Instructed (with Rosamund Baker) in a potential breach of directors’ duties claim regarding (i) excessive remuneration and (ii) the misuse of the company to avoid personal tax liabilities.
  • Advising on reflective loss in relation to the breach of a shareholders’ agreement.
  • Acting for a defendant dentist in a claim for unjust enrichment brought by an NHS trust, featuring a corollary partnership dispute.

Chambers and Partners (2025) notes that Rahul “displays a strong knowledge of insolvency in his practice.”

Rahul assists individuals and corporations with various aspects of insolvency and restructuring – whether in relation to discrete insolvency matters or where insolvency issues arise in other contexts.

Rahul’s article on CVAs (co-written with Ben Barrison of Forsters) was published in The Estates Gazette: | CVAs: blame the game or the player? Rahul Varma and Isabel Petrie spoke on ‘What to do with an insolvent tenant?’ at the PLA Annual Conference in 2022.

Examples:

  • Advising Travelodge’s landlords on whether to accept the hotel chain’s CVA proposal in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – news coverage: Travelodge proposes new deal to end landlord row – BBC News.
  • Acting for a former director in bankruptcy proceedings related to the demise of Think Accounting Limited – news coverage: Lorry drivers stung over accounting firm ‘tax dodge’ – BBC News.
  • Acting for the liquidators of manufacturing companies in a dispute as to (a) the intentionality of trespass and (b) the extent of the Lundy Granite ‘salvage’ principle.
  • Advising administrators of a group of companies with a total indebtedness of c. £25m on how to obtain repeated extensions to the administrations.
  • Instructed by English solicitors and US lawyers to advise on (inter alia) directors’ duties in the context of insolvent trading.
  • Working with Luxembourg lawyers and English solicitors to assist a Luxembourg-based member of a UK-registered LLP to remove a liquidator.
  • Obtaining an urgent injunction to restrain the presentation of a winding up petition, based on a disputed debt.
  • Advising a designer and manufacturer of clothes and accessories on (inter alia) the relationship between its retention of title clause and ‘pari passu’ distribution.

Rahul acts in a broad range of commercial and residential landlord and tenant matters, such as: forfeiture and possession; break clause disputes; rent reviews; breaches of covenant (including s. 168, CLARA applications); disrepair and dilapidations; 1954 Act renewals; agricultural lease terminations; deposit disputes; service charge matters; the appointment of managers; and CRAR.

Examples:

  • Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council v. Spearmint Rhino Companies (Europe) Limited – Instructed (with Gary Blaker KC) for the landlord in forfeiture and rent arrears proceedings concerning the well-known London ‘strip club’, Spearmint Rhino. Nicholas Trompeter KC acts for Spearmint Rhino.
  • Advising Travelodge’s landlords on whether to accept the hotel chain’s CVA proposal in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – news coverage: Travelodge proposes new deal to end landlord row – BBC News.
  • Acting for the head lessees of a large residential estate in the North West in a forfeiture dispute, with associated split reversion and land registration issues.
  • Acting for the long lessee of a Mayfair penthouse seeking a declaration that a roof terrace formed part of his demise.
  • Instructed by a landlord defending a claim by a well-known hotel for specific performance of repairing covenants, where the remedial works were estimated to cost c. £10m.
  • Advising commercial landlords on whether their tenant’s use of a forest cabin as a ‘naturist spa’ breached user covenants.
  • Acting for the landlords of a shopping centre in a rent review dispute with a well-known cosmetics retailer, which turned on whether an estoppel by convention had arisen.
  • Acting for a commercial landlord in forfeiture and rent arrears proceedings, where inter alia (i) part of the rent payable by the defendant tenant was contingent on sums received as ‘rent’ under a sub-lease and (ii) the defendant tenant had settled rent arrears litigation with its sub-tenants on terms which treated conspicuously little of the settlement monies as ‘rent’.
  • Instructed by the tenant of a landmark Central London shop in a contested 1954 Act renewal, including a dispute about rent and interim rent during the Covid-era (settled at trial).
  • Advising a former Tribunal-appointed manager on a breach of trust claim, said to follow from a determination of the payability of service charges by the FTT (instructed with Nicholas Trompeter KC).

Rahul deals with claims against a variety of professionals in the business, property, and legal sectors.

Examples:

  • Oak Lodge Properties Limited v. Boyes Sutton and Perry Solicitors Ltd – Acting for a property investment company suing its conveyancing solicitors in relation to a failure to advise in relation to the conditions of SDLT relief.
  • Acting for a firm of architects in a debt claim in the TCC concerning the abortive development of a landmark Central London property, which was met by a professional negligence counterclaim.
  • Advising a buyer of shares in a nursery company on her solicitors’ failure to conduct due diligence.
  • Advising property owners in relation to solicitors’ negligence and limitation issues concerning a failure to advise in relation to the ‘ad medium filum’ presumption.
  • Acting for a taxi company suing software designers for losses caused by a defective booking system.
  • Advising the tenants of an agricultural lease on whether their former solicitors had been negligent in relation to a counter-notice served under s. 26(1) of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.
  • Advising a freeholder in relation to various inherent defects in a hotel complex in Cardiff.
  • Advising homeowners in relation to potential negligence and misrepresentation by estate agents as to the exact dimensions of their property.
  • Advising a property developer suing solicitors for negligent advice relating to an injunction to restrain construction works.
  • Appearing for the owners of a large property in Kensington in a multi-day trial concerning builders’ negligence.

Rahul is instructed in all manner of real estate-related litigation, including: co-ownership disputes; options over land; land registration and title disputes; adverse possession; boundary disputes; mortgages and charges; restrictive covenants over freehold land and developments; overage; easements; nuisance; trespass; specific performance and injunctive relief.

Examples:

  • Clarence Court Eggs Limited v. Chapman & Anor [2022] EWCA Civ 1681; [2022] 12 WLUK 291 – Appeared (with Thomas de la Mare KC and Tom Coates of Blackstone Chambers) in the successful appeal of a summary judgment application concerning whether the retention, assignment and/or exercise of a call option over highly valuable agricultural land infringed undertakings given to the Competition and Markets Authority. Rahul also appeared unled before Marcus Smith J below: [2021] EWHC 2743 (Ch); [2021] 10 WLUK 299 and [2021] EWHC 3760 (Ch); [2021] 11 WLUK 677.
  • X v. Y (in arbitration) – Acting unled in an arbitration concerning the purported termination of a c. £17.5m property sale. The dispute involved the interplay between ‘no oral modification’ clauses and estoppel in light of MWB v. Rock Advertising [2018] UKSC 24. Rahul was successful in the arbitration against a leading silk from Landmark Chambers. The opposing party then instructed a leading silk from Falcon Chambers when applying for permission to appeal under s. 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996. The application for permission to appeal (and the dispute generally) settled for 97% of the total claim brought by Rahul’s client.
  • The House Maker (Padgate) Limited v. Network Rail [2022] EWHC 1482 (TCC); [2022] 4 WLUK 461 (liability only, quantum decision unreported) – Acting for Network Rail in a claim for c. £860,000 relating to a development said to have been abandoned due to property damage and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision is cited in the latest editions of Clerk & Lindsell on Torts and Charlesworth & Percy on Negligence.
  • Maxwell v. The Earl of Guilford – Instructed in a dispute over the alleged termination of the £6.2m sale of part of Waldershare Park.
  • Acting for the innocent beneficial owner in a land registration dispute concerning a legal charge obtained by fraud and the application of Malory Enterprises Ltd v. Cheshire Homes [2002] EWCA Civ 151, Fitzwilliam v. Richall Holdings [2013] EWHC 86 (Ch) and Rashid v. Nasrullah [2018] EWCA Civ 2685.
  • Advising on restrictive covenants registered against freehold land which is the subject of a c. £3m development.
  • Acting for an adverse possessor seeking default judgment on a claim against a local authority for declaratory relief.
  • Advising on the enforceability of call options and pre-emption rights under s. 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 and upon the death of the grantee.
  • Acting in a boundary dispute / adverse possession claim concerning a country estate.
  • Acting for residential developers seeking (inter alia) to establish a right of way under s. 62, Law of Property Act 1925.
  • Chancery Bar Association
  • COMBAR
  • Property Bar Association
  • Inner Temple

Rahul read Law at King’s College London. He was called to the Bar as a Major Exhibition scholar of the Inner Temple, having won a series of awards for academic achievement and oratory alike.

Please see Rahul’s Privacy Notice here.

ICO Registration Number: ZA075130

Registered Name: Rahul Varma

VAT Number: 110237473

  • Master of the Bench at Inner Temple
  • Inner Temple Scholarships and Outreach Committee
  • Chancery Bar Association Pro Bono Sub-Committee