Clara has a well-established practice in Restructuring and Insolvency, Civil Fraud and Company law. She has been recommended as a leading junior for Restructuring and Insolvency for a number of years in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
Insolvency
Clara is frequently instructed to act for office holders, directors, creditors and individual debtors in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency. Her recent experience includes acting for the Joint Administrators of Mothercare UK Limited and for a group of creditors in the administration of BetIndex Limited. She has particular experience of provisional liquidations (she is currently instructed as leading counsel in Mercy Global Consult Limited and acted for the provisional liquidator in Parkwell Investments Limited). She also has particular experience of acting in cases where urgent injunctive relief is required, most often, freezing or asset preservation orders, freezing orders against third parties under the Chabra jurisdiction, search orders, orders for disclosure in relation to the whereabouts of assets or the tracing of funds under section 236 of the Insolvency Act and the Bankers Trust jurisdiction.
Clara is often instructed on cases which have cross-border elements or raise issues of jurisdiction, including acting for Banco Santander in its successful jurisdiction challenge to claims brought by ING Bank: ING Bank NV v Banco Santander SA [2020] EWHC 3561; acting for the creditors of BetIndex Limited (a Jersey company seeking an administration order in England under the Insolvency Act 1986); and acting for the Joint Liquidators of Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) Limited, a Guernsey company with claims against defendants domiciled outside of the jurisdiction.
Civil fraud
Clara’s civil fraud practice has particular emphasis on multijurisdictional claims in a range of civil and commercial contexts. She is currently acting for the Joint Liquidators of Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) Limited in respect of claims brought for unlawful means conspiracy and fraudulent trading. Clara was also junior counsel to Aeroflot in OJSC Aeroflot v Berezovsky & Forus Group in its application for freezing orders and for permission to enforce them in Switzerland (applying the Dadourian Guidelines); and junior counsel to the Defendants in BFS Group Limited v Ricotta in a claim for rescission of a share purchase agreement worth £45 million on the grounds of bribery and deceit.
Company
Clara regularly acts in shareholder and company law disputes, including claims against directors, unfair prejudice petitions, winding up petitions and derivative claims. Clara was recently junior counsel to the claimant in Stubbins Marketing Limited v Stubbins Food Partnerships Limited & 6 ors [2020] EWHC 1266 in proceedings against its former directors in relation to a management buyout.
She is commended in the legal directories for providing “excellent advice” and as having “incredible” knowledge of the insolvency regime, as well as being “excellent on her feet” and “well-liked by clients”.
Insolvency and Restructuring +
Commercial Litigation +
Company +
Civil Fraud +
Offshore +
