Adam Haffenden

Adam is a Partner, Solicitor and Head of the Litigation/Dispute Resolution department at TV Edwards Solicitors LLP, who are ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.

He is an experienced, hardworking and tenacious litigator who has significant expertise dealing with high value and complex multi-jurisdictional commercial, civil and property litigation. Prior to joining TV Edwards, Adam spent several years working for well-known City and West-End law firms where he successfully acted on a number of high profile reported cases. 

Adam’s cases range from small matters in the County Courts and other Tribunals, to multi-million pound disputes in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Through Adam’s quality of work and his ability to build lasting relationships, he is often instructed on multiple occasions by his clients, ensuring he always goes the extra mile to achieve the best possible outcome for them. 

Adam will robustly fight his client’s corner and always look for the most cost effective and efficient resolution to a dispute, whilst having the client’s practical and commercial interest’s firmly in mind. 

Expertise

Adam has a wide-ranging litigation practice encompassing the following areas:

• Chancery litigation, including civil fraud actions 
• Injunctions – worldwide and domestic freezing injunctions, proprietary injunctions, interlocutory injunctions and committal proceedings
• Contractual disputes and misrepresentation claims
• Company disputes – shareholder, director and partnership disputes
• Professional negligence claims
• Debt recovery and insolvency litigation 
• Property disputes – (domestic and international) including trusts and rights in property claims (‘TOLATA’), commercial and residential landlord & tenant (including possession, rent arrears and forfeiture proceedings), restrictive covenants, boundary disputes, business lease renewals under the 1954 Act and enfranchisement 
• Construction and building disputes
• Probate disputes – (including claims under the Inheritance (provision for Family & Dependents Act) 1975)
• Defamation 
• Alternative Dispute Resolution – (including Mediation and Arbitration)
• Enforcement action – foreign judgments, charging orders, orders for sale, bankruptcy petitions and winding-up petitions

Publications

“Is AI the future of commercial litigation” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (March/April 2024; page 38).

”Breach of contract: a guide for UK businesses” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (January/February 2024; page 51).

”Why is arbitration so popular in international disputes?” was published by the London International Disputes Week (LIDW) (January, 2024).

”Enforcing a foreign judgment in the UK” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (November/December 2023; page 32).

”A guide to freezing injunctions” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (September/October 2023; page 50).

‘‘Guide to recovering commercial debts” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (March/April 2024; page 42).

“How to avoid civil fraud – a guide for business” was published by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its London Business Matters magazine (May/June 2024; page 44).

Recommendations

Adam Haffenden with support from David Hart successfully opposed a non-party disclosure application the defendants made involving my Barclays Bank account that could have had profound consequences for the rest of my ongoing case had they not succeeded in having this application dismissed in front of His Honour Judge Johns K.C. Fortunately for me, the Judge ordered the defendants to pay me the sum of £9,800 for my legal costs in resisting this application. What can I say, this result is outstanding. Adam was calming, astute, tough, and protective and stayed hands on from start to finish. His attention to detail, fierce determination, and his ability to advise warmly but boldly, saw us through this very stressful period with a magnificent outcome. This tremendous result came off the back of Adam successfully winning my case last year, resulting in the defendants being ordered to pay me £120,000 in damages, plus my legal costs. Adam and his team are the real deal and true professionals, I strongly recommend you use their services at TV Edwards.

Without hesitation, I give Adam Haffenden my highest recommendation. You and your support staff assured us you will help us achieve the best outcome for our business in our arbitration dispute with a large London based housing association. You gave us expert advice and peace of mind regarding our legal position on the matter – you helped our problems go away and delivered a remarkable outcome, that we are truly thankful for. The way you tactically negotiated our position to recover nearly £200,000 from the defendant (including most of our legal costs) using your strategic nouse, was incredible. You instilled a confidence in us that we have never had with any legal representative before. Honestly, you went above and beyond and fought for everything in our case with a tenacious, can-do attitude. I would strongly recommend this firm and especially Adam Haffenden to anyone. Adam, simply outstanding, we shall be coming back in the future for sure.

Adam and Ina from the Dispute Resolution team provided a high-quality, professional service while working on my case to negotiate a settlement offer in respect of our dilapidations claim. The team’s knowledge of this area of law and advice on best strategies allowed us to negotiate a settlement sum much lower than what the other side originally requested, avoiding the need for court proceedings. I would highly recommend them for matters of this nature.

I am a delighted that TV Edwards won my TOLATA claim at trial, achieving an order for sale granted in my favour and an order for 50% of the proceeds of sale. I am also so thankful that they managed to obtain an adverse costs order for £25,000 which is payable by the defendant. Adam and Ina have quite simply been outstanding, they have provided a thorough and professional service throughout and I really appreciate their hard work and communication with me. Their advice and approach to strategies helped me succeed with my claim and I would certainly recommend them to others. Thank you so much!

I instructed Adam Haffenden, Head of Dispute Resolution, regarding the removal of the highly invasive Japanese Knotweed plant that was spreading from neighbouring land onto mine and the advice I received was absolutely superb. His thorough understanding of this niche area of law enabled us to negotiate the removal of the knotweed with our neighbour, within weeks of instructing him, without having to engage in costly litigation. If you want top rate legal advice, delivered in a simplistic way, I highly recommend Adam and TV Edwards to everybody who needs Japanese Knotweed advice.

Adam was very impressive with how he acted in recovering a large commercial debt for our business. He was attentive to what we wanted to achieve and was robust in his approach to successfully resolving the case on incredibly favourable terms. We would definitely recommend instructing Adam and look forward to working with him again in the future. 5/5 rating for sure. He is our go to man. Thanks again Adam.

It has been a real pleasure working with Adam. It’s rare to find someone with such professionalism, efficiency and excellent communication skills. Adam and his disputes team were professional, thorough and left no stone unturned when acting for me in respect of my disrepair dispute. Adam helped me successfully navigate through a very complex area of law in a calm, robust and strategic fashion, enabling me to settle the matter on favourable terms. I would definitely recommend instructing Adam and TV Edwards. Thanks again for all your hard efforts you were absolutely superb.

I cannot express how relieved and grateful I am after securing a freezing injunction with the assistance of my legal team. When I discovered the imminent threat to my assets, I was overwhelmed with stress and uncertainty. However, from the moment I engaged Adam Haffenden, his expertise and dedication was evident. Adam with support from his team, meticulously gathered the necessary evidence, crafted a compelling case, and navigated the complex legal process with precision and confidence. The court’s decision to grant the freezing injunction was a pivotal moment, providing me with immediate protection and peace of mind. This success not only safeguarded my assets but also prompted the defendant in agreeing to release all outstanding monies owing to me from her bank account. I extend my heartfelt thanks to my legal team for their unwavering support and exceptional skill in achieving this crucial outcome. I highly recommend Adam Haffenden’s services to anyone facing similar challenges, he really is at the top of his game in this area of law.

Recent Work

• Successfully obtaining a worldwide freezing injunction against several international companies involving a multi-million-pound investment fraud
• Obtaining judgment for £700,000 in a complex property dispute concerning the misappropriation of funds connected to the property relating to a famous musician
• Advising the applicant in their committal application resulting in the respondent being given a custodial sentence of 3 months, suspended for 12 months, by reason of his various breaches of a freezing order
• Successfully defending a large Chinese corporate client in relation to a several million-pound property dispute involving an alleged breach of a joint venture agreement
• Acting for a famous musician in successfully obtaining a £2.5 million freezing injunction against the Defendant
• Advising on the enforcement of an Iraqi judgment debt to the value of 3.2 million in the UK
• Settling a substantial misrepresentation and account of profits claim on favourable terms for a Saudi client relating to property acquisitions in excess of 20 million
• Advising on the merits of obtaining a worldwide freezing injunction relating to a Nigerian oil field dispute involving multiple judgments in various jurisdictions and concerning funds being held in an escrow account
• Advising on a £200,000 complex contractual Arbitration dispute involving a large London based housing association
• Winning a 4-day TOLATA trial achieving an order for sale and an order for 50% of the proceeds of sale and obtaining an adverse costs order for £25,000 against defendant that was later recovered
• Advising on obtaining a freezing injunction against the defendant’s two UK based assets worth more than 1.7 million and enforcing a Chinese judgment debt to the value of 3 million in the UK
• Advising in respect of an Account Freezing Order made by HMRC relating to suspected money laundering under POCA 2002

Reported Cases

• Kotecha v Kotecha [2018] EWHC 247 (Ch)
• Baljit Singh Bhandal v Kieran Wallace & Eamonn Richardson (Joint Special Liquidators of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited) [2017] WL 02774035
• Otuo v Brierley [2014] EWCA Civ 1804
• Otuo v Brierley [2014] EWCA Civ 1804Otuo v Brierley [2013] EWHC 

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Solicitor of England & Wales
• London Solicitors Litigation Association 
• Property Litigation Association 
• Commercial Fraud Lawyers Association 
• Member of London International Disputes Week (LIDW)