Lachlan Goddard

Associate

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Lachlan Goddard is an Associate in the Cayman Islands Litigation & Restructuring practice.

Lachlan specialises in disputes involving cryptocurrencies and digital assets, advising exchanges, protocols, DAOs, and other market participants on a wide range of matters including fraud, asset misappropriation, treasury attacks, and governance disputes.

He is a recognised commentator on crypto asset fraud and interim relief, and is the author of “Freezing Orders, Proprietary Injunctions and Crypto Assets: A Discussion of Common Issues in the Australian Context” (2024) 11 Journal of Civil Litigation and Practice 127, a peer-reviewed publication concerning issues that arise when applying for interim relief in cases of fraud involving crypto assets.

Lachlan’s broader practice in the Cayman Islands includes advising international clients on shareholder and minority investor disputes (including claims under section 238 of the Companies Act), applications for freezing orders and other urgent injunctive relief, investment fund disputes, winding up petitions, enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards, breach of duty claims (contractual, tortious, and fiduciary), and arbitration.

Prior to moving to the Cayman Islands, Lachlan worked for a leading Australian law firm, where he notably acted for a government department in a significant class action in the Federal Court of Australia brought on behalf of approximately 35,000 group members.

Jurisdiction

Cayman Islands

Experience

Acted for a prominent oil drilling contractor with operations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa in relation to a minority shareholder claim under Section 238 of the Cayman Islands Companies Act.
Acted for a Singapore-based defendant in relation to fraud allegations arising from the collapse of a major cryptocurrency payment processing platform.
Acted for a Middle Eastern airline in relation to a fraudulent trading claim brought by the liquidators of a prominent private equity firm following its collapse.
Acted for a manufacturer in a cross-border dispute under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
Acted for a government department in a class action commenced in the Federal Court of Australia. This was a significant proceeding in terms of both scale and public interest, with an estimated class size of 35,000 people, and a claim period of 17 years.
Acted for an accounting firm in relation to the misappropriation of client funds by an employee. These funds were converted by the employee into various crypto assets (including Ethereum and NFTs) and gambled.