MATTHEW HOLDER is a Solicitor-Advocate with a practice focusing on complex and cross-border international arbitration and commercial litigation. Matthew’s international arbitration experience includes acting for clients under multiple institutional rules on high-value and business-critical disputes in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia governed by both English law and the laws of other jurisdictions. His litigation experience covers a broad spectrum of disputes before the High Court and Court of Appeal in England.
Matthew has also acted for clients in statutory adjudications, in Judicial Review claims, before dispute resolution boards and regularly advises on dispute-related elements of corporate transactions.
Matthew’s experience extends across a wide array of complex and multijurisdictional business disputes, including in relation to a range of construction and engineering contracts, shareholder agreements, international sale and purchase agreements, financing agreements, supply contracts, litigation funding agreements and licensing agreements. He has extensive experience in a range of different industries and works with market-leading clients, including construction and engineering contractors, developers, design consultancies, oil and gas companies, major financial institutions, insurers, funds, commodities brokerages, and technology firms.
In 2021, Matthew returned from a year-long secondment acting as litigation and arbitration counsel at a leading U.S.-headquartered power contractor, where he managed his own portfolio of formal proceedings and pre-action disputes in the EMEA and Asia regions, working closely with the senior management and executive leadership teams.
Prior to joining Sidley, Matthew trained at a leading international firm and upon qualification was seconded to the Middle East for six months, where he advised on high value and complex international arbitrations.
Matthew is also involved in a wide range of pro bono work and has succeeded in multiple challenges to Personal Independence Payment decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions before the Disability Benefits Tribunals in London.