Donal Blaney
Founder
Admissions to Practice: England & Wales (1998), British Virgin Islands (2004)
Donal Blaney is the founder of Griffin Law. The firm is named after his late maternal grandfather.
Starting his career in the law in 1996, Donal worked in the City of London and the West End before working in the British Virgin Islands between 2004 and 2006. A pioneering lawyer who prides the firm on lateral thinking, he obtained the world’s first anti-harassment injunction that was served via Twitter in 2009.
Donal has acted as ‘consigliere’ to a number of wealthy business owners and directors, providing cost-effective strategic advice from the unique viewpoint of a litigation specialist. His particular specialisms as a litigator are in respect of complex financial disputes with an international dimension, trust and tax disputes, and asset tracing. Donal prides himself, and the firm, on being proactive, innovative, tenacious, and commercially-minded. He is the kind of lawyer you want on your side, not against you.
Donal is married to Marci, a US Army veteran who served in Iraq, and divides his time between Kent and Florida.
Reported cases
• Finch v Richardson [2009] 1 WLR 1338
• Baxendale-Walker v Middleton & Ors [2011] All ER (D) 242 (Apr)
• AMP v Person(s) Unknown [2011] EWHC 3454 (TCC)
• Sargespace Limited v Eustace [2013] EWHC 2944 (QB)
• Barker v Baxendale Walker Solicitors [2017] EWCA Civ 2056
• T v V & Ors [2017] EWHC 565 (Comm)
• Chiesa v Financial Conduct Authority [2017] UKUT 275 (TCC)
• Alway Sheet Metal Limited & Ors v HM Revenue & Customs [2017] UKFTT 198 (TC)
• Baxendale-Walker v Irwin Mitchell LLP & Ors [2018] EWHC 3017 (Ch)
• Burleigh House (PTC) Limited v Irwin Mitchell LLP [2021] EWHC 834 (QB)
• Bay Mining Consultants Limited v Patel & Ors [2021] EWHC 1304 (QB)
• Bay Mining Consultants Limited v Patel & Ors [2021] EWHC 1607 (QB)
• Griffiths v Tickle & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 1882
• Griffiths v Griffiths [2021] EWHC 3600 (Fam)
• R (on the application of M Sport Limited) v HM Revenue & Customs [2021] EWCA Civ 561
• CIA Insurance Services Limited v HM Revenue & Customs [2022] UKFTT 144 (TC)
• Asset House Piccadilly Limited v HM Revenue & Customs [2023] UKFTT 279 (TC)
• Northwood v HM Revenue & Customs [2023’ UKFTT 351 (TC)
• Asset House Piccadilly Limited v HM Revenue & Customs [2023] UKFTT 385 (TC)
• Nix v Emerdata Limited & Anor [2022] EWHC 718 (Comm)
• Nix v Emerdata Limited [2024] EWHC 125 (Comm)
• Dynamo Recoveries Limited & Anor v Nix [2024] EWHC 3116 (Comm)
• HM Revenue & Customs v Asset House Piccadilly Limited [2025] UKFTT 206 (TC)
Other recent cases
• acting for a prominent University Vice-Chancellor in respect of his widely publicised (and then overturned) suspension from his role;
• acting for the former Daily Mail and GB News presenter, Dan Wootton in connection with defamation, malicious falsehood, misuse of private information, breach of confidence and unlawful means conspiracy claims against unrelated third parties;
• representing two former Members of Parliament in their dealings with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards;
• advising in connection with the voiding of offshore trusts in the context of settlements with HMRC;
• representing an accountant in respect of an regulatory investigation undertaken by the ICAEW;
• acting for a business whose financial controller embezzled money to feed her gambling habit;
• advising non-executive directors whose business entered into administration as a consequence of the executive director’s wrongdoing;
• representing the interests of a US-based creditor of a UK-based drinks industry business that swindled them out of tens of thousands of pounds;
• representing taxpayers engaged in disputes with HMRC.