Quentin Bargate qualified as a solicitor in 1981 and has since spent his entire career in top City of London law firms. He is head of the firm’s Superyachts group and is an expert in yacht contracts and other commercial contract work. Quentin also leads the firm’s Dispute Resolution practice.

Quentin was a partner for over 14 years in Simmons & Simmons, one of London’s premier law firms. He was head of the firm’s International Trade and Shipping Group and a member of the Litigation Department and Arbitration Groups. At Simmons & Simmons, Quentin developed his specialised skills in superyacht/megayacht contracts and disputes as well as commercial shipping and trade.

In 2004, Quentin fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he set up his own law firm, Quentin Bargate & Co. (renamed Bargate Murray in 2006).

In Chambers and Partners High Net Worth guide 2016, Quentin is praised as someone who “always provides excellent advice, and is also very commercially oriented” as well as being “a pleasure to work with”. Chambers recognises that “Quentin is known for acting for some very prominent UHNW yacht owners” adding that “certain HNW clients want to use him exclusively”.

Quentin is an advocate for alternative dispute resolution (ADR), but he also deals with cases in court when required. He occasionally sits as an arbitrator.

Quentin is a member of the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands yacht committee. He holds a Master’s degree in Marine law, is a member of the LMAA, a Member of the Nautical Institute, a member of the IOD and a Freeman of the City of London.

His other interests include photography (Elsevier has published a technical book on stock photography “Microstock Photography” written by Quentin under his pen name Douglas Freer), music and his family.

Some recent cases managed by Quentin include:

Consolidated Contractors (Oil and Gas) Company SAL (acting by Mr. Lee Manning as receiver) v Canadian Nexen Petroleum Yemen & Others [2011] EWHC 837 (QB).Cross border receivership litigation involving Yemeni, Lebanese and English law (amongst others), concerning the unprecedented attempt by an English court-appointed receiver to gain control of foreign assets located in the Middle East. The case eventually settled
Gamit Ltd v Saudi Arabian Airlines Corp & Anor [2011] EWHC 989. Successfully defending the maintenance division of a jet engine manufacturer in a dispute over title to replacement jet engine parts
Madoff Securities International Ltd (In liquidation) v Raven & Ors [2013] EWHC 3147. Defending a director allegedly involved in a global Ponzi scheme in litigation brought by the liquidator of an English Company
Street v Larkins [2013] EWHC 1408 (Ch). Representing the Defendants in their successful defence of an interim application for a freezing injunction and the Defendants successful application for wasted costs. The Defendants were awarded their wasted costs on the basis of the Claimants’ unreasonable refusal to consent to an adjournment of the trial date. Claimants’ application for freezing injunction was dismissed on the grounds of failing to establish a “good arguable” case during the trial window
Charterparty dispute advice
Successfully litigating and eventually settling on favourable terms a highly complex and fractious corporate dispute between shareholders, where the majority shareholders sought to exclude our clients from their share of the profits in a real estate investment vehicle by devising elaborate commercial structures across a number of European jurisdictions. The settlement included payment to our clients of a substantial cash payment and the agreement on the part of the Defendants to pay our client’s costs on an indemnity basis
Successfully settling a professional negligence action brought by a high net worth individual with considerable real estate investments which were exposed by the repeated failures of a renowned top 20 law firm

Some of Quentin’s recent transactions include:

$200m new build contract advice for an award-winning superyacht
Advice on Seafarer Employment Agreements, including in regard to the first yacht successfully to pass an MLC audit for the Cayman flag.
Advice in importation of several yachts in to the European Union for VAT purposes, and on Temporary Admission matters.
Sale of a 61m superyacht to a Russian buyer
Purchase of a 48m Superyacht and its commercial registration and use
Yacht management agreements for leading yacht managers
Aviation and maritime advice in regard to a UHNW individual
Acting for a yacht builder in regard to construction agreements