Thomas Hulme

About

Thomas has and does advise and act for individuals and businesses on a broad range of commercial disputes. Most notable he has advised his clients on high value contract disputes, claims for breaches of duty, disputes between shareholders or between a shareholder and the company, fraud investigations and financial services disputes. These disputes often involve an international element.

Thomas has also acted in committal proceedings and the largest detailed assessment proceeding to date.

Digital asset disputes

Thomas has an interest in, and acted on many of the ground breaking digital assets disputes in the High Court. His cases include:

• Salim Satir v. Gatehub Limited and Bitstamp Limited (acting on behalf of Salim Satir) in bringing a claim against the digital asset exchanges for misrepresenting the description of the digital asset(s) in question.
• Wang v. Darby (acting for Darby) in defending a claim of breach of contract (and terms of a trust). This claim is the first to acknowledge digital assets can be held in trust.
• Maxim Chechetkin v. Payward Limited (the Kraken exchange) acting on behalf of Mr Chechetkin in articulating a claim against Kraken for breach of the Financial Services and Markets Act for selling CFD’s without being authorised.

Professional qualifications

• Solicitor, England and Wales

Publications

• Authored the chapter titled “The ethical and legal aspects of blockchain technology and cryptoassets” in the publication “Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology published by De Gruyter.
• Fintech Finance – Is Bitcoin legally classed as property or not in the UK? A call for clarity
• CryptoBriefing – Could Trudeau’s Victory in Canada Propel Crypto Adoption, New Zealand Style?
• Financial Times – New Zealand legalises salaries paid in cryptocurrencies
• Finance Monthly – Cryptocurrency: What can China learn from South Korea
• Fintech Finance – Where do cryptocurrencies stand now?
• Fintech Insight – Where do cryptocurrencies stand now?