Harry Snook
Harry Snook leads Oracle’s Aviation teams across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring that each of Oracle’s airline clients benefits from a consistently excellent legal service that is as adaptable, responsive, and international as the aviation industry itself.
Harry’s work focuses on three key priorities:
- Providing airlines with a comprehensive, cost-effective solution to the handling of large-scale passenger rights litigation. Oracle prides itself on being able to deliver at scale while still maintaining excellent quality standards and outcomes, and Harry works closely with airline clients to optimise processes and tailor our service to their precise needs.
- Bringing strategic vision to airlines’ litigation strategy, by supporting our clients to improve case law, deliver cost-savings and take the initiative away from predatory claims management agencies.
- Facilitating easy access for our clients to Oracle’s industry-specific expertise in employment law, aircraft leasing and other commercial agreements, personal injury defence work, regulatory investigations, and other legal services.
Harry is a practising barrister with over ten years’ experience in private practice before he joined Oracle in 2017. With a strong personal track record encompassing representation at the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and Employment Tribunal, he brings an advocate’s expertise to case preparation and ensures that our clients benefit from clear, goal-oriented advice.
Every airline has a unique mix of legal service needs. Get in touch with Harry via our London office to find out how Oracle’s flexible, international service can support you to improve both your legal and cost outcomes.
Notable Cases
- Bott & Co Solicitors Ltd v Ryanair DAC (2017-23): Harry led Oracle’s defence of Ryanair in this landmark litigation in the Court of Appeal (England & Wales) and the UK Supreme Court. The case established binding case law upholding a clause in our client’s terms and conditions that required customers to submit compensation claims under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 directly to the airline in the first instance, rather than claiming via a Claims Management Company or other intermediary.
- Laudamotion GmbH v FlightRight GmbH, WY v Laudamotion GmbH & Ryanair DAC (2023-24). Harry played a leading role in Oracle’s double success in two significant cases referred to the European Court of Justice for preliminary rulings. The Court upheld Oracle’s arguments that compensation was not payable to passengers on delayed flights who did not check-in, nor to passengers who avoided a qualifying delay as a result of self-re-routing.
- RightNow GmBH v British Airways plc (2020) Harry was instructed as counsel in this matter and was successful in securing the dismissal of the claim. The Claimant, a German "legal tech" company, specialises in buying up - for a fraction of their face value - passengers' legitimate claims to a refund of air passenger duty which is no longer chargeable due to the passengers' cancellation of their tickets. The court agreed that this violated BA's terms and conditions, which ensured that the refunds went only to the passengers themselves.
Director - Global Head of Aviation
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Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn
London WC1V 7QH
- +44 020 3051 5060
- info@oraclelawglobal.com
Areas of Expertise
Education & Memberships
- Member of the Inner Temple
- Bar Vocational Course (Grade: Outstanding; Inns of Court School of Law, 2006)
- Common Professional Examination/Postgraduate Diploma in Law (Commendation, 2005)