About
Sheila acts on complex litigation and arbitration matters, with a particular focus on international fraud litigation, large-scale commercial disputes and contentious trusts and probate matters.
Sheila advises domestic and international corporate and high-net-worth clients, whilst her experience spans litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council, as well as other forms of dispute resolution including international arbitration before the London Court of International Arbitration and mediation. She often works on cross-border cases involving the Channel Islands, the CIS region and the United Arab Emirates, and she has a particular focus on the Caribbean being a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.
Clients value Sheila's pragmatic, commercial and innovative approach to dispute resolution, particularly in time-sensitive matters where balancing the competing interests of multiple parties is key. She is widely recognised for her personable skills and her ability to coordinate across jurisdictions to deliver seamless desired outcomes. She is often commended for her exceptional attention to detail alongside her valued ability to simultaneously keep abreast of the bigger picture.
Alongside her client work, Sheila mentors junior lawyers through the firm's development programme and she embraces regularly writing for the firm's website and leading legal publications on evolving areas of law in her areas of specialism. Finally, having regularly represented England in the European and World Chess Championships and securing first place in the former, she is proud to have set-up the Chess Club here at Macfarlanes.
Experience
- Advising a high-net-worth individual in relation to a worldwide freezing injunction and conspiracy claims in the Commercial Court in England with parallel proceedings in Hong Kong, Russia, Panama, Norway, Isle of Man and Guernsey.
- Acting for a sovereign state bringing multi-billion-dollar unlawful conspiracy claims which included a conspiracy to manipulate the exchange rate of its currency.
- Acting for corporate entities in obtaining a worldwide freezing injunction in support of LCIA arbitration proceedings in relation to the recovery of sums due from a Ukrainian individual.
- Representing a global fintech business in a speedy trial relating to the operation of a Material Adverse Effect clause in a Share Purchase Agreement for a $1.7bn sale. The decision is one of a small number of English authorities to consider Material Adverse Effect provisions in the context of Share Purchase Agreements and Covid-19.
- Advising a group of respondents in a Privy Council appeal of a Trinidad and Tobago judgment relating to the sale of company shares.
- Advising a group of St Lucian and SVG companies and Liechtenstein Foundations in relation to a proprietary freezing injunction and claims in England, SVG and Liechtenstein regarding the ownership of valuable assets within the corporate structure brought against them by the joint trustees in bankruptcy of a high-net-worth individual.
- Advising a high-net-worth individual in relation to an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim.