Overview

John McCarroll SC is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department of Appleby’s Hong Kong office and an overseas Door Tenant at Three Stone Chambers in London.

He is renowned for his 30 plus years of expertise in handling complex commercial disputes before the courts and arbitral tribunals, focusing on company law, trusts, regulatory, insolvency, asset protection and tracing, and financial services. Before moving offshore in 2018 and to Hong Kong in 2024, John practised at the Chancery Bar in England and Wales and the Bar of Ireland where he took silk in 2013. He was previously a partner in another offshore firm before joining Appleby. He is the only offshore silk based in Hong Kong and the PRC. He was appointed to the panel of arbitrators of the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (SHIAC) for a five-year term from 1 May 2026.

Recent work highlights

  • Represented a leading Chinese biopharmaceutical company in a high-profile shareholder redemption dispute, securing a landmark Cayman Islands ruling staying court proceedings in favour of HKIAC arbitration under a Hong Kong law-governed shareholders’ agreement.
  • Acting for a leading biosciences company in a wide-ranging dispute concerning the equitable remedies, directors’ duties, trust principles and cross‑border factual and legal considerations, including the interaction between Cayman Islands law, Hong Kong law and PRC‑related conduct.
  • Acted for Bank of Scotland, a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group, in winding-up proceedings against Telegraph Media Group, the indirect owner of several major UK newspapers. The matter resulted in full repayment of the GBP1.2 billion debt owed to the bank (Bank of Scotland v Penultimate Investment Holdings).
  • Acted for China Citic Bank in BVI proceedings, including before the Court of Appeal, successfully opposing an application to set aside a statutory demand relating to a HK$990 million debt (Goldin Investment v China CITIC Bank).
  • Acting for the founder of a neuroscience company in ongoing arbitration proceedings concerning attempts to remove him from the company’s board of directors, including successfully obtaining urgent injunctive relief in both the Cayman Islands Grand Court and emergency arbitration proceedings to prevent his removal.
  • Acting for a major institutional investor in a listed automotive manufacturer in a dispute concerning the application of the Cayman Islands Companies Act’s fair value buy-out provisions following a merger.
  • Acting for shareholder investors in a Chinese-owned pharmaceutical company in a multi-headed dispute (including a HKIAC arbitration and court proceedings in the Caribbean and the US) concerning the validity of a share allotment.
  • Acting for the Claimant in the BVI concerning the beneficial ownership of shares in a valuable Chinese-owned industrial company including a jurisdiction challenge.

 

Qualifications and Education

John was called to the bar by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, London, in 1988, to the bars of Ireland (1994), Northern Ireland (2002) and the BVI (2018). He is also a qualified lawyer in the Cayman Islands and is registered as a foreign lawyer by the Law Society of Hong Kong.

  • Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin (LL.B.)

Memberships and Associations

  • Founder member of Commercial Litigation Association of Ireland
  • Honorary Overseas Member of COMBAR
  • Former member of Central Bank of Ireland’s Senior Counsel Panel
  • Senior editor of Central Banks Acts (Round Hall Press 2019)