Gregory Pipe

Called 1995

Gregory Pipe is an excellent cross-examiner, who engages well with the judge and is extremely intelligent.

Chambers UK, 2024

About

Greg is a heavy-weight commercial practitioner who litigates and advises on complex and high value disputes both in England & Wales and internationally. Above all, he is highly competitive and takes satisfaction from the results he obtains for his clients.

His practice covers a wide range of commercial disputes often involving company and property issues.

Greg has a particularly wide experience in business sale and shareholder disputes. In addition, he has a particular interest in and ability to deal with lengthy and complex technology, hardware, telecoms and engineering disputes including those with a heavy scientific focus. He is an accomplished trial advocate, with a first-rate mind, who provides practical, direct and robust advice and representation.

In addition to his work in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Greg is also instructed on high value arbitrations. Consistently recommended in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners across his practice areas. Greg undertakes work both as leader and senior junior, usually appearing against established QCs.

Greg’s instructions come from international, national and regional firms of solicitors and from in house counsel. His clients range from the European Union through to multi-nationals, PLCs, SMEs and large family businesses. He has a very good understanding of the imperatives of business, the commerciality of settlement and the tactics needed to achieve settlement. He is widely regarded as being an astute tactician, taking the long view of how a case should proceed so that the client is positioned throughout in the strongest settlement and, ultimately, trial position available.

Areas of Expertise

Contact Gregory Pipe

Greg’s practice incorporates contractual disputes, business sale agreements, joint ventures, service and framework contracts, sale of goods (including technology disputes and cases of a scientific nature). Greg regularly appears in the High Court (TCC, Mercantile and QBD), Court of Appeal and in domestic and international Arbitration.

He is regularly instructed to deal with issues of both Contractual interpretation and termination. In tandem with issues that arise in relation to shares and business sales, he has expertise and regularly litigates and advises upon claims against and by directors, shareholder claims and Civil Fraud matters. Greg has dealt with matters of misrepresentation of prospects, agreement clauses, breaches of warranty amongst other common issues that arise in business sale and share purchase matters.

He has a science and mathematics background and therefore understands and is interested in scientific issues and has particular strength in cross-examining experts both scientific and forensic accountants.

He works well with experts and clients and has developed a practice of advising forensic accountants involved in expert determinations on contractual interpretation. He undertakes expert determinations and has done so in disputes including disputes between PLCs in the energy sector.

He advises in-house counsel within PLC clients on the interpretation and effect of contracts and is often called in to advise on tactics leading to and the rights in relation to termination. He understands the commerciality of litigation and looks to achieve outcomes which are geared to a client’s best advantage. He works closely with solicitors, clients and experts to achieve this.

Greg’s experience spans many industries. Recent examples of his industry specific work include:

  • Aviation – dispute regarding helicopters and aircraft components.
  • Technology – software dispute specifically relating to e-commerce and data management. Hardware matters specifically concerning e-commerce and computer systems for retailers.
  • Telecoms – cases concerning mobile networks (network failures and merger incompatibility issues).
  • Utilities – Issues in the utility and telecoms industry in terms of defective cabling, delays, incompatibility, severance, rental and expert determination of contractual issues between blue chips.
  • Energy – Greg has advised in relation to disputes regarding the build, installation and management of turbines and generators in power stations.
  • Manufacturing – Production facility failures ranging from printing machines, to equipment in the food industry to heavy machinery manufacturing.

Commercial Dispute Resolution - London (Bar): "Gregory Pipe is an excellent cross-examiner, who engages well with the judge and is extremely intelligent." Chambers UK, 2024

Commercial Dispute Resolution – London (Bar): “Greg is a very bright barrister and an effective trial advocate.” “He is very commercial and always thinking of things from the client’s perspective.” “Greg is an absolute guru in contract law, who thinks very creatively when framing his cases.” Chambers UK, 2023

Commercial Dispute Resolution – London (Bar): “Very thorough, very good with clients and a good team player.” Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2022

Commercial Dispute Resolution – London (Bar): “He is highly experienced and his strategising is superb.” “A safe pair of hands, who has very good legal knowledge.” Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2021

Commercial Dispute Resolution – London (Bar): “Greg is a good advocate on his feet, who is very tactical and very strategic. He’s excellent on the really heavy stuff and very good with clients.”Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2020

Commercial Dispute Resolution – North Eastern (Bar):“He is brilliant and involved in big cases.” Chambers UK, 2020

“Greg is a superb advocate who is great on his feet.” Chambers UK, 2019

“If you want a lawyer who gets down to the minute detail on a contract case, he’s your man.” Chambers UK, 2018

“Very experienced in shareholder and business sale disputes.” Legal 500, 2017

“He is brilliant – he’s very good at getting your case organised, an excellent and astute advocate, and someone who’s very good tactically and strategically.” “He is very smart, ruthless and fearless and as good a barrister as you are ever going to find.” Chambers UK, 2017

“A heavyweight commercial practitioner.” Legal 500, 2016

“He allies incisive advocacy to marshalling the material and evidence with skill.” Legal 500, 2014

“He is a thorough and extremely well-prepared advocate who leaves no stone unturned.” “He is the guy to go to for a complex and technical contract dispute – frighteningly clever.” Chambers UK, 2014

“A sharp, well-prepared advocate.” Legal 500

A selection of reported cases include:

  • Fisken v Carl [2019] EWHC 3360 (Comm) (late amendments)
  • Walsh v Walsh & Ors [2019] EWHC 2761 (Ch)
  • Hague Plant Limited -v- (1) Martin Hartley Hague (2) Jean Angela Hague (3) MHH Contracting Limited [2018] EWHC 2517 (Ch)
  • Colm Gerard Corran v (1) Simon Victor Butters (2) Mark Robert Butters (3) Energy ExpressLtd (4) Greendealexpress Ltd (5) Haus Living Ltd (2017) [2017] EWHC 2294 (Ch) unfair prejudice in circumstances where the alleged quasi partner was an undisclosed bankrupt and the question of whether a quasi partner has the same obligations of utmost good faith as a partner.
  • Wilton Uk Ltd (Suing On Behalf Of Itself As Shareholder In Banks Mount Oswald Ltd, The Fifth Defendant) v (1) John Michael Shuttleworth (2) Graham Smith (3) Harry James Banks (4) Banks Group Ltd (5) Banks Mount Oswald Ltd (2017) [2017] EWHC 2195 (Ch)determining that the Court had jurisdiction in a derivative claim to retrospectively validateservice.
  • Hague Plant v Hague [2017] EWHC 2021 late attempts at amendment in circumstances where the claimant had previously issued a second set of protective proceedings covering the ground of the amendment.
  • Hague Plant Ltd v (1) Martin Hartley Hague (2) Jean Angela Hague (3) MHH Contracting Limited [2016] EWHC 2663 (Ch)
  • Hague Plant Ltd v Hague & Ors [2014] EWCA Civ 1609 a leading case on amendment and the structure and form of statements of case.
  • Bank Leumi (UK) Plc v Akrill [2014] EWCA Civ 907 principles applicable to summary judgment under CPR 24.
  • Hague Plant Ltd v (1) Martin Hartley Hague (2) Jean Angela Hague (3) MHH Contracting Limited [2014] EWHC 568 (Ch)
  • Hague Plant Ltd v (1) Martin Hartley Hague (2) Jean Angela Hague (3) MHH Contracting Limited [2014] EWHC 3383 (Ch)
  • JW Grant and Co v Troy Foods Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 1702, a leading case on the admissibility of new evidence on an appeal

Greg is a team player, having been a keen oarsman and sculler for decades. He remains competitive albeit he rows and sculls more slowly than he once did, and is Chairman of York City Rowing Club.

To get away from all things work-related, he goes tall-ship sailing.

In such spare time as he has, he enjoys opera, travel and, of course, his family.