Claire is an experienced specialist financial services disputes lawyer whose practice is focused on complex, strategic, high-value and high-profile mass litigation defence, fraud and financial crime and mis-selling claims against major financial institutions. Claire has extensive experience of defending businesses facing reputationally sensitive litigation, often in disputes backed by third party funding. As such, she understands and has the skills to deal with the tactics and challenges deployed by claimant lawyers, claims management companies and claimant funders. She is DLA Piper’s UK Financial Services Sector Class Actions lead and has recently co-led Clydesdale Bank’s successful defence of a class action brought by several hundred claimants, advising on the strategic management of the litigation, including settlement strategy, overseeing compliance with the court’s timetable and having overall conduct of an extensive disclosure process.
Claire has been recognised as a Rising Star by Legal 500, for her "very effective forensic approach to litigation" and "great understanding of her clients (and their opponents), what information is needed to win a case, where to find it and how to deploy it in a strategic way to give best results in a case".
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
EXPERIENCE
Acting for Bank of Scotland in a high-profile and reputationally sensitive series of threatened class actions relating to this historic sale of an equity release mortgage product.
Acting for Clydesdale Bank in its defence of a multi-million pound mass claimant action (Farol & Others v Clydesdale Bank Plc and National Australia Bank) brought by over 900 claimants challenging the bank's right to charge break costs and the pricing of its fixed rate loans, including allegations of deceit, misrepresentation and unfair relationship.
Acting for Lloyds Banking Group in a high-profile GBP150m unlawful means conspiracy and commercial fraud claim arising out of the sale of a premium clothing brand by businessman Harold Tillman.
Acting for multiple financial institutions in defending interest rate hedging product mis-selling claims, including a GBP120m claim against Bank of Scotland by the liquidators of Ventra Investments Limited.
Advising a building society on the design and implementation of a financial support scheme for members who suffered investment losses following referrals by the society to a third-party provider of trusts which subsequently fell into administration.
Languages
English
French
Education
University of Oxford, Pembroke College, Modern Foreign Languages, MA (Oxon) (2:1), 2006
