The Shareholder & Securities Disputes Forum

Described by counsel as a very talented solicitor with a stellar career ahead, Laura acts for individuals and corporations in complex commercial disputes and investigations with a particular focus on the financial services sector

Dan advises on high-stakes commercial disputes and investigations, particularly in the areas of investment and finance, complex commercial litigation, contentious restructurings and insolvencies, and bribery and corruption. Dan develops comprehensive dispute strategies early in line with clients’ business objectives, and achieving those objectives through litigation or alternative dispute resolution.

Lucy has extensive experience of managing international, cross-border litigation, working frequently in the Chancery and Queen’s Bench Divisions of the English High Court (including Commercial Court) and Court of Appeal. She has also conducted several commercial arbitrations under the LCIA, ICC and ad hoc rules and most recently, was instructed on an LCIA arbitration in the aerospace sector.

Kate Allass is a partner in the Farrer & Co Disputes Team with more than 20 years of commercial litigation experience, advising a broad range of clients on complex, sensitive and high value disputes.   She is ranked in both Chambers & Partners and in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame.

She has particular expertise in corporate and shareholder disputes including those relating to shareholder, investor and joint venture agreements; claims by minority shareholders for unfair prejudice; boardroom and partnership disputes; claims for breaches of directors’ duties and misfeasance; insolvency claims; and disputes arising out of corporate acquisitions including breach of warranty, indemnification and earn-out issues.   

Her clients include private businesses, HNW and UHNW investors and shareholders, financiers, private equity firms and senior executives.

She is a commercial litigator with a particular focus on financial services litigation, insolvency disputes, and securities actions. She represents private and corporate clients, including a number of international and domestic investment managers and advisers. She has extensive experience working with clients to put in place litigation funding and ATE insurance in order to facilitate access to justice for her clients.

Her practice combines High Court litigation and arbitration.

Jenny is regularly asked to speak on class actions and group claims and has written in the legal press on litigation funding and costs issues.

I head up our Dispute Resolution group. I specialise in the resolution of complex commercial disputes.

Much of my work has an international focus and I work regularly with lawyers from different jurisdictions. I have extensive experience of international and domestic litigation, including at appellate level.

I am among a small number of lawyers ranked in Chambers for Commercial and Corporate Litigation (2019-2024). I've been described as "a master in [my] field", demonstrating "considerable aptitude in complex cross-border cases", with "great judgment [and] a very good sense of what is commercial”, a "respected practitioner" and "well known in the market for handling a broad spread of corporate and commercial litigation”.

Juliet leads the dispute resolution team. With her City expertise and contacts, Juliet brings a high level of client focus and service capability to our excellent dispute resolution practice.

Juliet’s practice comprises a broad spectrum of commercial disputes, but she has particular expertise in insolvency, banking litigation, private equity and professional negligence claims. Juliet regularly handles high value litigation in specialist divisions of the High Court, often being instructed to act against or alongside major UK or international firms and has been involved, acting for the claimant, in a number of high profile cases in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Juliet’s focus is on insolvency litigation, private equity and the alternative lending markets, as well as shareholder and boardroom disputes. Juliet also has extensive experience in acting for lenders and insolvency practitioners on high profile professional negligence cases.

Peter is an accomplished litigator, and since qualifying in 2001 has acted for a range of clients, from small businesses to multi national corporations in the resolution of their disputes.

Peter takes a pragmatic and commercial approach to the disputes that he handles.

Peter is a general commercial litigator, with a particular interest in complex contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, banking disputes and professional negligence claims.

Peter is active and well known in the West Midlands business community.

Peter is a qualified and accredited mediator, having qualified in 2019. His mediation CV can be made available on request.

Janet is a Partner in Mishcon Private and Heads up the Private Commercial Litigation group.

Her practice centres on commercial disputes for a wide variety of clients including high profile individuals, High Net Worth individuals, successful entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, families and family offices. The claims she works on are invariably complex, high value, usually multi-jurisdictional and often include allegations of fraud.

Janet has significant in-depth experience of director and shareholder claims and acts as a trusted advisor on wide-ranging business and partnership disputes, trusts issues and large-scale contractual matters across a wide range of sectors. She has wide experience in the issuing and defending of freezing injunctions and asset protection, as well as partnership issues and general contractual matters.

An experienced litigator and solicitor-advocate, Simon specialises in cross-border commercial litigation & arbitration, insolvency & company disputes, sports law, and public law. He also has expertise in construction disputes; regulatory disputes, often acting for professionals & directors; and reputational risk.

With significant experience acting for a range of household names, Simon provides practical and commercially focused advice.

Simon has conducted litigation in most civil divisions of the English High Court; in the Court of Appeal & the Supreme Court; and has gained significant experience in domestic, international, and industry-specific arbitrations. He deals with disputes across all commercial sectors, and has particular experience in environmental energy, construction/insurance, technology, pharmaceutical, and commercial sport & media.

Prior to joining B P Collins LLP, Simon was in-house counsel for a global FTSE 30 ‘fast moving consumer goods’ company, focusing on commercial and regulatory disputes.

Matthew Reach’s dispute resolution practice covers a broad range of commercial (business and finance related) litigation and high-value, complex securities group actions and financial services claims. Matthew is also well versed in the use of various alternative dispute resolution procedures, such as mediation.

He acts for international companies, pension and hedge funds, UK corporates, SMEs and high-net-worth individuals with claims in the High Court, Court of Appeal and various arbitral institutions. Matthew’s work often includes a cross-border element.

He is regarded as an expert user of third-party litigation funding, legal costs insurance and no-win no-fee style engagements. Matthew is adept at helping his clients turn their litigation risks into contingent assets.

Matthew joined Fox Williams in 2022 after seven years at Keystone Law. Previously, Matthew worked in-house as Head of Legal for a third-party litigation funder where he was instrumental in placing funding and insurance for high-profile claims some of the UK’s largest financial institutions.

Yulia Barnes is our Managing Partner and an experienced solicitor of more than 20 years. She specialises in commercial and corporate law, dispute resolution and corporate governance for commercial clients and high net-worth individuals.

Experience

‍Yulia  first qualified in Russia, before then qualifying in England and Wales. Following this, she worked at a large international law firm, before becoming a partner at a regional law firm heading up the Dispute Resolution department.

Daniel is a highly regarded experienced specialist commercial litigator and defamation expert

Daniel has acted in a variety of claims dealing with specialist defamation and privacy matters such as Al-Ko Kober Ltd & Anor v Sambhi [2017] EWHC 2474 (QB), obtaining creative and unusual solutions for clients.

Daniel also has wide experience in corporate litigation handling claims by or against shareholders and directors, across owner managed businesses, SMEs to plcs, in claims ranging in value from thousands to over £200m. His experience has secured excellent results for clients.

Daniel’s experience includes acting in a wide range of disputes for clients that have included household names such as Jaguar Land Rover Limited, Tata Technologies, Caparo, Volvo Financial Services; high profile individuals including plc directors and celebrities; and in arbitration, international arbitrations, and across multiple jurisdictions.

Sarah is a partner in IBB’s Commercial Dispute Resolution team and Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency team.  Sarah is an experienced commercial litigator, who specialises in company litigation, predominantly involving the Companies Act and Insolvency Act and high-value professional negligence actions.  Sarah regularly undertakes high value commercial and insolvency litigation, partnership and shareholder disputes and contractual claims.

Stephanie Lee is a partner in the Dispute Resolution Department at Travers Smith LLP. She is a commercial litigator, acting for domestic and international clients across a broad range of contentious matters, often involving high-profile and complex claims of significant value. She has wide-ranging experience covering both litigation and contentious regulatory investigations, with particular expertise in ESG-related litigation and matters involving allegations of fraud.

Stephanie has recently acted for Hewlett Packard group companies in relation to accounting fraud claims arising out of the US$11 billion acquisition of Autonomy Corporation plc in 2011. The trial – billed as the "tech trial of the century" – was one of The Lawyer's top cases of 2019 and ran for 10 months.  Earlier this year, the Court found that the Hewlett Packard companies had "substantially succeeded" in their fraud claims against Mike Lynch and Sushovan Hussain, the former CEO and CFO of Autonomy respectively.

Jason is a senior associate in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team at Clifford Chance specialising in commercial litigation, with particular expertise in defending group litigation claims.

Jason advises banks, corporates and financial investors on a wide range of complex disputes, regulatory investigations and arbitration, often involving a cross-border element.

Jason has particular experience of shareholder claims under sections 90 and 90A FSMA and he is currently acting for Link Fund Solutions Ltd in connection with investor claims relating to the Woodford Equity Income Fund.

Chris advises on high-stakes corporate and commercial disputes for international corporate clients, financial institutions, family offices and entrepreneurs, in the English Courts and international arbitration.

Chris’ practice covers all major areas of commercial law, including banking and finance, funds, insurance/reinsurance, shareholder disputes, technology, cryptocurrency, fraud and insolvency. Chris has a wealth of experience advising on post-M&A claims, directors’ duties, derivative actions and unfair prejudice petitions. 

Clementine is a Legal Director specialising in contentious trusts and estates and commercial litigation.

She is recommended in both fields by The Legal 500 2024.

Clementine is particularly experienced in matters involving complex corporate / trust structures, company law issues and multi-jurisdictional elements, having begun her career as a corporate solicitor specialising in private equity and also spent time on secondment at the investment funds Oaktree Capital and Hambro Perks.

Clementine trained and qualified at Weil Gotshal & Manges, practising there and subsequently at Farrer & Co before joining Payne Hicks Beach in 2022.

She read English at Cambridge before completing the GDL and LPC (both with Distinction) and also has Higher Rights of Audience.