Ralph is a partner in our Asia Disputes and Investigations Group. He has substantial experience acting for financial institutions, including banks, private equity funds, hedge funds, and insurers on a range of contentious and regulatory matters. He has also advised listed companies, directors and shareholders on company law, takeover and listing rules related disputes and investigations. Ralph is experienced at obtaining urgent interim relief in support of litigation and arbitrations, such as injunctions and receiverships. Most recently, his practice has encompassed advising clients on various risk management issues connected to the National Security Law, derivatives disputes arising from recent market volatility, as well as insolvency related disputes.
Ralph is highly regarded by clients who describe him as “an absolute star, and I’ve come to rely on him (and his judgment) so much” and is known for “delivering an excellent client service”. Mr Sellar is ranked as a “Key Lawyer” by Legal 500 in regulatory matters.
Prior to joining Slaughter and May, Ralph worked at the Hong Kong and London offices of an international law firm.
Ralph is a member of the Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute’s Ethics, Bribery and Corruption Interest Group and frequent author and speaker at industry events where he writes and speaks on a range of litigation and regulatory topics.
A selection of Ralph’s experience at his prior firms includes advising:
Private equity / hedge fund disputes and regulatory matters
- a Chinese asset manager on multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitration arising from a fraud connected with a US$900 million investment in private equity fund. A successful litigation strategy resulted in recovering US$1.6 billion for the client*
- a UK private equity company on its defence to claims to bonus payments by former employees*
- a Hong Kong hedge fund on a SFC insider dealing investigation*
- an U.S. hedge fund and venture capital fund on a range of Hong Kong regulatory compliance and controls issues *
- an international private equity firm on a dispute among its founders concerning allocation of carried interest*
Banking / securities litigation and advisory
- various disputes relating to the ISDA Master Agreement including, most recently, contentious close-out and valuations issues connected to the market volatility caused by the military action in Ukraine*
- an international consultancy business in relation to internal controls for handling inside information*
- an international investment bank on a US$1.1 billion dispute ownership of Indonesian listed securities acquired for hedging purposes*
- a PRC-based bond issuer in relation to Hong Kong litigation / enforcement action arising from bond default*
- Various banks and individuals in financial product misselling claims
- a UK bank in respect of various claims arising out of an alleged fraudulent asset stripping scheme*
- a Swiss bank in respect of contingent liabilities under a hedging agreement*
Other financial services regulatory matters
- a payments services provider in relation to National Security Law matters*
- various SFC investigations, including market misconduct and sponsor issues *
- FINRA investigation relating to alleged manipulation of GameStop shares*
- a CEO of a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange in relation to various licensing issues and regulatory investigations*
- A Hong Kong bank in relation to the Hong Kong aspects of a US Department of Justice investigation relating to tax evasion and AML controls*
- HKEx review of suitability of directors*
- FCA past business review of the sale of Interest Rate Hedging Products*
- FSA investigation in relation to US$2.3 billion fraudulent trading losses*
- Various LIBOR manipulation investigations*
Anti-corruption, cybersecurity and data privacy
- a office space provider in relation to various controls issues*
- a blockchain / virtual coin issuer in relation to data privacy issues*
- A private equity firm on data security matters
* Experience prior to joining Slaughter and May