Matthew will always fight for his clients. He is a seasoned trial and appellate advocate, seen appearing before the Supreme Court in the most recent landmark judgments in his field. Matthew's cases here and abroad span company, insolvency, trust and commercial disputes. Amongst his current varied workload are two multi-million claims in the Commercial Court, but he brings the same dedication and attention to detail to every single instruction. Matthew has over 150 reported cases to his name.
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Expertise
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Commercial Litigation & Arbitration
Matthew's current caseload embraces two multi-million claims in the Commercial Court including the ten week trial of a class action: 4VVV v Spence [2024] EWHC 2314 and 3035 (Comm).
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Civil Fraud
Matthew has conducted numerous high profile civil fraud cases, including two in the Supreme Court: FHR v Mankarious on constructive trusts, and Patel v Mirza on illegality - the most significant authority on civil fraud for decades, with a nine person panel of Justices. Matthew secured a significant victory in the Court of Appeal in a £70m conspiracy claim Maranello Rosso v Lohomij [2022] EWCA Civ 1667.
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Company & Partnership
Matthew has long specialised in company law, and appeared in the Supreme Court in Progress Property v Moore on unlawful distributions. He has fought dozens of shareholder disputes, and he successfully defended the directors from a multi million claim for breach of fiduciary duty at the trial of TMO v Yeo [2021] EWHC 2033 (Ch).
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Insolvency & Asset Recovery
Matthew has featured in most of the significant insolvencies during his career including appearing in the House of Lords in Arrows and Atlantic Computers. Recent high profile instructions include London Capital & Finance and Greensill Bank. A recent Court of Appeal appearance of Matthew's explored the assignment of insolvency claims to litigation funders: Edengate [2022] EWCA Civ 626; and he secured a significant victory for the office holders at the trial of Oak Forest v Mercantile [2023] EWHC 1903 (Ch).
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Offshore & Trusts
Matthew's case Denaxe v Cooper [2024] Ch 65 provided the Court of Appeal with its first opportunity to review the court's jurisdiction to bless transactions by trustees and others. In the high profile London Capital & Finance insolvency, Matthew successfully removed security trustees: [2020] EWHC 597(Ch).
Matthew regularly deploys his expertise in his specialist fields abroad, and has been called to the Bar in the BVI, Cayman and Bermuda. He has acted in many trials and appeals (up to the Privy Council), and has appeared in tribunals in jurisdictions as diverse as Milan and Reykjavik.
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Directory Quotes
Legal500 Commercial Disputes (2025)
‘Matthew has razor sharp advocacy skills, and possesses a formidable presence and gravitas in the courtroom. This is somebody that you want on your team.’
Chambers UK Restructuring and Insolvency (2025)
"Matthew is absolutely top notch on his feet. He dissects the issues in a clear and concise manner, and makes himself available. He commands a courtroom like no other."
Chambers UK Company (2025)
"Matthew has masterful knowledge of the legal framework. He's a very impressive advocate, who combines academic knowledge with strong people skills."
Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2025)
"Matthew is a man with a great brain, who is a pleasure to deal with. He always makes himself available to speak to you."
Chambers UK Company (2024)
"Matthew has a practical, no-nonsense approach. He is an excellent advocate, as well as a skilled and subtle negotiator."
Chambers UK Company (2024)
"Very charming and an agreeable person to work with, he's very client friendly and helpful."
Chambers UK Chancery: Commercial (2024)
"A very effective advocate."
Chambers UK Restructuring/Insolvency (2024)
"He is a very fine and nimble-footed barrister."
Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2024)
"Matthew Collings is a very effective advocate."
Chambers UK Commercial Dispute Resolution (2024)
"In court he's very good at jumping in and hammering home points when he spots a weakness."
Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
"Smooth and fearless in court, he's a man who's prepared to run difficult points."
Chambers UK Restructuring and Insolvency (2023)
"Matthew is a very good advocate. He has the ear of the court and is a very learned chap. He's a real fighter and good on his feet."
Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
"Matthew is a very fine, nimble-footed advocate who is a tenacious operator. He is extremely clever and consistently finds ways out of tight corners."
Chambers UK Commercial Chancery (2023)
“Thorough and very committed to his clients.”