Dorrien previously qualified as an engineer spending seven years in the aerospace engineering sector before qualifying as a solicitor. He specialises in helping clients resolve their commercial disputes.
With over 20 years’ experience, Dorrien has a significant amount of sector experience and expertise in supporting manufacturing clients and in particular steel making, metals processing and injection moulding companies in relation to the automotive, oil and gas, defence, nuclear, power generation and electronic engineering sectors. Dorrien has also supported clients in disputes arising from IT system development and implementation contracts. Dorrien also has significant experience in disputes relating to the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation sector.
Dorrien has supported clients via a range of dispute resolution methods including: High Court litigation, adjudication, mediation, expert determination and domestic arbitration. He has also advised clients and been involved in cases in many foreign jurisdictions including the: USA, Hong Kong, the Middle East and much of Europe.
He particularly enjoys cases with technical content or that are heavily reliant on expert evidence and also multi-jurisdictional cases. He also specialises in the gathering of electronic evidence and the use of computer forensic methods in support of civil fraud claims. Examples of how Dorrien has helped clients include:
- successfully pursuing a significant and complex product liability claim against a manufacturing client’s supplier and its insurer concerning over £2m of claims made by non-UK customers;
- acting for a Guernsey listed investment fund in several multimillion‑pound claims arising from the management and disposal strategy of a £420m open ended student property investment fund allowing for the sale of the portfolio;
- acting for the high-net-worth owners of a food manufacturing business in a connected employment tribunal, high court and companies court claims for fraud, conspiracy and unfair prejudice, all related to the misappropriation of company funds by ex-directors – one being subsequently extradited from the USA and convicted of fraud charges arising from his time as a Director; and
- successfully defending an IFA in civil proceedings issued by the FCA claiming for over £1m under FSMA 2000 with the IFA not having to make any payment to the FCA.