Lois is Co-Head of the firm's Disputes practice.
She advises corporates, funds, investors, financial institutions and entrepreneurs on a broad range of complex, cross-border commercial and corporate disputes in High Court and international arbitration, with particular expertise in post M&A, shareholder and joint venture disputes, funds disputes, contentious insolvency, contract disputes, and senior executive restraint of trade disputes.
Lois experience includes disputes arising out of the full investment lifecycle for private capital and private wealth clients across a wide range of industries.
Lois is often involved in dealing with highly sensitive matters which go to the heart of a client's commercial objectives. She understands the importance of resolving disputes in the context of broader commercial, reputational and often regulatory contexts. Her breadth of experience enables her to deploy a smart strategy to achieve her client’s objectives in a proactive manner. She has expertise in expert determination and alternative dispute resolution, alongside her trial work.
Lois’ work has a broad international spread, advising clients across the globe on a variety of cross-border matters.
She is Chair of the City of London Law Society Litigation Committee and a Committee Member of the London Solicitors Litigation Association.
Qualified in England and Wales, 2005.
Experience
- Representing Ares Capital Corporation and related funds, as the majority noteholders of Eagle Football Holdings Bidco Limited, on the enforcement of secured debt and governance rights arising from the financial distress and restructuring of a cross-border multi-club football ownership group. The matter involved developing a wider value recovery strategy across a suite of international assets, navigating disputes over corporate control and director appointments, coordinating cross-border litigation in England and France, and advising on the subsequent takeover of Olympique Lyonnais by Michele Kang.
- Acting for two brothers of one of Italy’s most prominent business families in a confidential, multi-jurisdictional arbitration concerning the governance, ownership and strategic direction of a €55bn family investment holding company, with our clients’ combined interests valued at approximately €10bn.
- Acting for an asset manager in a threatened £900m claim arising out of the FCA's and SEC’s findings that it breached conflict rules. Matter involves Cayman insolvency proceedings, including challenging court supervision applications.
- Successfully defending 13 individual Bitcoin developers in a preliminary issue trial in several different claims relating to Dr Craig Wright and concerning the identity of (and Dr Wright’s claim to be) the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin, “Satoshi Nakamoto”. The claims by Dr Wright were premised on a breach of alleged copy right and database rights in the Bitcoin White Paper and Blockchain with the losses stated to be in the billions.
- Successfully pursued unfair prejudice proceedings, in LCIA arbitration, for the minority shareholder of a tech company. The issues involved breaches of a shareholders’ agreement, the articles of association and breaches of directors’ duties under the Companies Act due to excessive and unauthorised remuneration and unauthorised loans and false accounting.
- Representing Genius Sports, a listed tech business operating in the sports industry in combined High Court and CAT proceedings concerning the protection of in-play sports data rights worth over £100m and defending a standalone abuse of dominance competition claim whilst pursuing in parallel High Court claims for breach of confidence.
- Representing secured mezzanine lenders in their challenge to the "Aggregate" Part 26A Restructuring Plan involving arguments on recognition under German law and the relevant alternative and the extent to which value offered to crammed down creditors could be nominal.
- Acting for Pi, the minority shareholder in a Turkish joint venture company, in its dispute against its JV partner and the majority shareholder, Sabre (a global travel technology company), for performance of a substantial put option and related governance and tax related issues in Turkey.
- Advising a private equity fund LLP on the successful defence of a High Court claim for breach of confidence, fraudulent misrepresentation and conspiracy arising out of a corporate transaction through which our clients acquired the assets of two businesses following a prepack administration process. Losses claimed were alleged to be £150m.
- Advising a fund manager and 7 funds as respondents to an unfair prejudice petition concerning the funds’ substantial investment in a challenger bank. The matter involves allegations concerning the creation of the software and IT infrastructure build necessary to secure a banking licence, corporate governance issues and a dispute over the grant and exercise of warrants.
- Acting for a highly successful F1 team in the pursuit of speedy trial relief for the enforcement of minimum term employment contracts to protect trade secrets and confidential information.
- Successfully defending a claim for breach of fiduciary duties arising out of alleged diversion of corporate interests connected to two limited partnerships, two companies and an LLP created for the pursuit of a joint venture worth potentially £2bn.
- Acting for an international energy company in LCIA arbitration proceedings and related Ugandan and English court proceedings in a c$24m investment dispute with a joint venture partner concerning the development of a major solar power plant in Uganda, obtaining successive awards confirming the client's shareholding and call option rights, and coordinating cross-border enforcement.
- Advising Eternity Sky Investments Limited, the petitioning creditor and a BVI entity within a PRC conglomerate, in insolvency proceedings concerning the estate of a deceased debtor, involving the enforcement of guarantees exceeding £54m, cross-border jurisdictional issues, allegations of fraud and illegality, and securing a landmark judgment on the appointment of interim receivers over insolvent estates under the Insolvency Act 1986.