Professor Bill Bowring’s expert evidence on the Russian legal system was preferred by the court in the case of MB & Services Limited and Tatiana Golovina and United Company Rusal Plc.
Bill who advises on Russian law, and the law of the countries of the former Soviet Union gave evidence on behalf of the plaintiffs in the case. (The defendants had applied for proceedings in the Jersey courts to be stayed and for the case to be heard by the Russian courts).
The court accepted Bill’s evidence about the independence of the Russian judiciary and, coupled with other factors, concluded there was a real risk justice would not be served if the case were to be heard in Russia.
As well as practising as a barrister, Bill, who is a fluent Russian speaker, is a professor of law at Birkbeck College, University of London.