Bruce Macaulay focuses on complex cross-border litigation, competition law disputes and international arbitration.
Macaulay is part of Skadden’s top-ranked international arbitration practice, which has been described by clients in leading industry outlets as “an exceptionally strong team with outside-the-box thinking” and praised for its “devastatingly brilliant minds.”
He is a solicitor advocate (and has rights of audience in the High Court) and a member of the London Court of International Arbitration. Macaulay also lectures regularly on cross-border litigation, investment treaty matters and competition law issues. He serves as co-head of Skadden’s Global Anti-Money Laundering Committee.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2026 | International Litigation & Arbitration |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2025 | International Litigation & Arbitration |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2024 | International Litigation & Arbitration |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2023 | International Litigation & Arbitration |
| The Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 | 2021 | International Litigation & Arbitration |
His recent experience includes representing or acting for:
- a leading farmed Atlantic salmon producer (as part of a group of defendants) in the defence of:
- a £675 million claim before the U.K.’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) brought by seven of the largest supermarkets in the U.K. in relation to the defendants’ alleged unlawful collusion to increase Atlantic salmon prices
- a proposed class action before the CAT on behalf of up to 44 million U.K. consumers, who allegedly suffered loss from the proposed defendants’ alleged unlawful collusion to increase Atlantic salmon prices. The proposed class representative sought aggregate damages of up to £382 million
- a high-net-worth individual in an LCIA arbitration and related proceedings in the London High Court, Cayman and BVI courts relating to a dispute under an Investment Management Agreement and related funds
- a fintech startup with regard to matters of libel and defamation arising from the threatened publication of incorrect and misleading information
- one of the world’s largest financial institutions, acting as global counsel in respect of the defence of coordinated class action litigations in the U.K., EU and U.S. arising out of the propriety of trading activities within its foreign exchange business
- Sequana S.A. in its company law dispute with British American Tobacco concerning challenges, on various grounds, to the lawfulness of dividends, including issues regarding directors’ duties and the scope of key provisions of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the U.K. Supreme Court)
- the Republic of Cyprus in its successful defence of ICSID claims arising out of its regulatory treatment of the nation’s second-largest bank during the eurozone financial crisis. In a 2018 award rendered under the Cyprus-Greece bilateral investment treaty, an ICSID tribunal upheld Cyprus’ defences in full, rejected claims by the bank’s former shareholders that had sought more than €1 billion in damages, and awarded costs in favor of the Republic
- a Cypriot company in a series of urgent injunctions and quick trial before the London Commercial Court, arising out of a shareholders’ dispute over a block of shares valued at US$1.5 billion
- a European bank in relation to a dispute arising out of a share transfer agreement in LCIA arbitration in London, subject to Czech law
- a Russian company in a Stockholm-seated arbitration against an international oil major under the UNCITRAL rules relating to a long-term production sharing agreement and involving claims in excess of US$10 billion
- the Republic of South Sudan in its oil sector negotiations and related inter-national law issues following its secession from the Republic of Sudan, as well as in ICSID proceedings brought by Sudapet Co. Ltd. concerning the disputed ownership of significant oil field interests (disputed amount exceeding US$1 billion).
- the Republic of South Sudan in the recovery of substantial sums representing the proceeds of shipments of crude oil misappropriated by the Republic of Sudan.