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Matthew Parfitt

Called: 2005

 

 

Profile

Matthew specialises in company, insolvency and general commercial law. His practice involves both litigation and advisory work.

Education

Matthew was a scholar at Winchester College.

He read Classics at Exeter College, Oxford, receiving First Class Honours. He was awarded the Sir Arthur Benson Memorial Prize for the highest mark in Mods philosophy, a Fitzgerald Prize for his Finals performance, and a Quarrell-Read Prize for his all-round contribution to College life.

Matthew studied for the CPE at City University and the BVC at ICSL. He was awarded a Tancred Studentship and Lord Haldane and Hardwicke Scholarships by Lincoln's Inn.

Description of Practice

Matthew’s practice covers all areas of company and insolvency law. He also undertakes general commercial work, particularly where his experience of company and insolvency law can provide a valuable head-start. He combines a substantial advisory practice with a real passion for courtroom advocacy.

After completing twelve months’ pupillage at Erskine Chambers, Matthew spent three months at One Essex Court, a leading commercial set of Chambers, broadening his legal experience and developing his advocacy. He then spent three months on secondment at Slaughter and May, where he sat with Nigel Boardman and worked on a wide range of corporate transactions.

Matthew was part of the City University mooting team which came second in the OUP national mooting competition. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys music, literature, philosophy and cookery. He is interested in single-malt whisky and wine tasting. He was president of his College boat club and continues to enjoy a wide variety of sports on a social level. He is a proud member of Chobham RFC’s 5^th XV, “The Crusaders”.

Publications

• The Elimination of post-takeover minorities in Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, Vol. 22 No. 9 (October 2007)
• The use of insolvency procedures to remove minority shareholders in International Corporate Rescue, Volume 5, Issue 2 (February 2008)
• The Law of Majority Shareholder Power (edited by David Chivers QC and Ben Shaw, OUP, 2008): author of the chapters on introducing compulsory transfer provisions into a company’s articles and on derivative claims.
• Matthew has provided editorial assistance in relation to Gore-Browne on Companies (Jordans), A Practitioner’s Guide to the FSA Handbook (City & Financial Publishing), OyezStraker’s corporate forms, and CCH’s Corporate Practice Service.

Matthew regularly gives talks on legal topics to solicitors’ firms; recent topics have included seminars on various aspects of the Companies Act 2006. Matthew is also a frequent contributor to CPDcast.com, the leading online provider of continuing professional development podcasts.

Case List

• Fairbriar plc v Van Reyk & Another
  Ref: [2007] EWHC 2510 Ch
  Successfully acted for the Claimant company on the hearing of a preliminary issue to determine whether the Claimant’s claims for breach of duty had been released by a previous agreement with the First Defendant.