Year of Call: 2014
Sophia has a broad commercial chancery practice encompassing a range of commercial litigation, civil fraud and asset recovery, shareholder/joint venture disputes, banking and financial services, and contentious trusts litigation. Much of Sophia's work has an international dimension; in addition to regularly appearing in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division, she is called to the bar in BVI and registered in DIFC and has a substantial practice before the courts of offshore jurisdictions and arbitral tribunals. Sophia is particularly interested in the issues of jurisdiction and enforcement commonly raised in cross-border disputes.
Sophia's current and recent work includes acting in the DIFC Court of Appeal for the successful respondents in Grand Valley General Trading LLC vs (1) GGICO Sunteck limited (2) Sunteck Lifestyles Limited [2019] DIFC CA 007 and as part of the claimant team in Toucan Energy Holdings Ltd & Anr v Wirsol Energy Ltd & Ors, a substantial Commercial Court dispute in the renewable energy sector. Sophia is also instructed (with David Blayney QC and Sophie Holcombe) for the claimants in a group action against British Airways under the GDPR following the theft of customers' data.
Sophia is a contributing author to Gough on Company Charges and PLC Corporate: questions for counsel.
BA Law with law studies in Europe (first class) - Brasenose College, University of Oxford
BCL (Distinction) - Brasenose College, University of Oxford
Licence droit (mention) - Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas
BPTC (Outstanding) - University of Law
Admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Territory of the Virgin Islands - October 2018
Registered Part II Practitioner before the DIFC Courts - September 2019
Attorney General Civil Panel Junior Junior’s Scheme
Chancery Bar Association (main committee)
ComBar
R3
ConTrA
Secured Transactions Law Reform Project
French
Middle Temple Queen Mother Scholarship and Baron Dr Ver Heyden de Lancey Prize
University of Law Prizes for best overall BPTC student and best performance in Civil Litigation
Barry Nicholas Scholarship and Academic Exhibition, Brasenose College, Oxford
Comments in ePrivateclient 'UAE shakes up expat inheritance laws'
Comments in International Advisor 'Major overhaul of UAE inheritance and divorce laws unveiled'
Article for Legal Week 'Big Data, Coronavirus and Cryptocurrencies: The Changing Face of Fraud'