Harpreet
Giani

As a qualified Indian advocate, Harpreet provides seamless expert advice on Indian law and representation in Indian courts. He has been instructed as a single or joint expert for providing reports to courts on Indian law, on subjects including:

• Inheritance
• Matrimonial law
• Criminal law
• Corporate law
• Trust law

Harpreet is frequently instructed to advise and represent clients in relation to contested child arrangement order proceedings (contact and residence) and the associated injunctive remedies that often crop up in such cases, for example prohibited steps orders, non-molestation orders and occupation orders.

Harpreet's child arrangements practice includes:

• Child Arrangement Orders (contact and residence)
• Parental responsibility
• Prohibited Steps Orders
• Specific Issue Orders
• Non-molestation and Occupation Orders
• Applications to enforce

Harpreet offers considerable experience of proceedings featuring allegations of domestic violence and abuse (including substance abuse) and welcomes instructions to represent clients in contested fact-finding hearings.

Harpreet is frequently instructed on behalf of his commercial client base to defend them against criminal and quasi-criminal regulatory offences in the criminal courts. These are typically cases prosecuted by the CPS, Local Authorities and a number of other prosecuting authorities such as the Health & Safety Executive, Trading Standards and Environment Agency. Examples of the regulatory offences Harpreet has dealt with include charges brought under the environmental, health and safety, trading standards and licensing regimes.

Harpreet holds a judicial position and sits as a magistrate himself so his knowledge and understanding of the application of the law within the context of the magistrates' courts is second to none.

In addition to his regulatory practice, Harpreet also has a background in dealing with 'traditional' criminal offences of the most serious nature. Whilst he has diversified his practice in recent years, he remains very well-placed to advise and represent private clients charged with the full range of criminal offences and is frequently instructed to attend criminal proceedings in the magistrates' court, the crown court and the Court of Appeal. As part of his criminal practice, Harpreet is frequently instructed to provide representation in relation to Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) applications and confiscation and asset forfeiture proceedings.

Advised in the matter of the estate of a deceased person who had property and assets globally, including India Advised in the case of a testamentary trust set up by the will of an English deceased person in India Represented the defendants (led junior) in a case concerning the religious nature and ownership of a group of temples in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and High Wycombe Represented the Part 20 defendants in a dispute over the validity of the election process of the management of the Sikh temple/Gurudwara Successfully defended in a bribery case involving stolen computer data Ongoing litigation in India, representing the client who fled India, received political asylum in Germany and now lives in the UK. He has multiple terrorism, arms act and other criminal cases pending in India Represented (led junior) a client in the first-ever copy-cat website trial

As well as English, Harpreet can speak Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

Harpreet is able to offer support in the following areas:

• Chancery
• Business and Commercial Law
• Commercial Arbitration
• International Law – Conflict of Laws
• International Arbitration
• IT, Technology and Cyber Law
• Defamation
• Financial wrongdoing
• POCA, confiscation and asset restraints

Harpreet has extensive experience of divorce and matrimonial proceedings (financial settlement). He is content to accept instructions from Applicants and Respondents to deal with proceedings from the First Directions Appointment (FDA), to Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) and Final Hearing.

Harpreet's caseload includes proceedings featuring high value and complex assets including pensions, businesses and property (including property held overseas). He also has experience of dealing with enforcement proceedings relating to financial orders and has dealt with applications to vary long-standing orders due to a material change to the circumstances of one or other party to the order.

• Business assets
• Pensions
• Non-disclosure
• Trusts and Inheritance
• Non-matrimonial property

Overseas business and property assets (Harpreet is happy to accept instructions in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu)

• Variation applications
• Applications to intervene
• Maintenance pending suit
• Enforcement
• Child Maintenance

He has worked with clients from a wide range of backgrounds and is experienced in dealing with various cultural issues that arise from divorce proceedings.

Harpreet has a significant amount of experience in employment law and has provided representation for clients (claimants and respondents) in complex and high value claims. Harpreet is also experienced in providing representation for clients at Judicial Mediation and has a good track record of helping clients to reach early settlement on employment law claims.

Particular areas of expertise:

• Unfair dismissal claims
• Constructive dismissal claims
• High value complex claims
• Whistleblowing claims
• Discrimination claims