Sophie is regularly instructed in civil fraud matters, including claims against fraudulent directors, agents and trustees and claims involving fraudulent investment schemes. Sophie's matters often include proceedings for injunctive relief, such as obtaining and resisting search orders, freezing injunctions and Norwich Pharmacal orders.

Sophie's recent matters include:

Aroncorp v Shah (ongoing): Led by John Machell KC and instructed by Boodle Hatfield, Sophie acts in claims against directors accused of siphoning off money from the claimant company. Dishonest assistance and knowing receipt claims are brought against entities owned and controlled by the directors.

Strategic Bank International v Stephen Burton aka Stephen Pittman (ongoing): Sophie acts in proceedings concerning a fraudulent loan brokering and wine custodian business, to seek recovery of assets seized by the police and held by the CPS pursuant to confiscation and restraint orders.

Advised on the defence to an “authorised push payment fraud” claim, and grounds to set aside an associated freezing injunction (2025).

East-West United Bank SA v Gusinski and GSC Solicitors LLP [2022] EWHC 3056: Sophie (led by Clare Stanley KC) appeared for the Claimant successfully resisting a strike out application of proprietary claims to money that was held in a solicitor’s client account and was represented to be earmarked for the Claimant. The Claimant further alleges that the Defendants conspired to improperly avoid paying the debt owed to the Claimant.

ECO Quest Plc v GFI Consultants Ltd (2017): Acted with David Casement KC for Ecoquest, a company that specialises in ethical investments, to recover £2.2 million of losses arising from a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by the Defendants (Mr Bowers and Mr Skeene) which offered investment in Brazilian teak plantations.

BTA v Ablyazov (2013): Acted as junior counsel (led by John Machell KC) for a Norwich Pharmacal respondent in the enforcement proceedings on the instructions of Boodle Hatfield LLP. Successfully secured the return of the respondent's passports delivered up pursuant to a passport order preventing the non-party leaving the jurisdiction until compliance with the disclosure order.

Sophie acts in a wide range of contractual and commercial disputes and has considerable experience of acting in jurisdiction disputes and advising on conflict of laws issues.

Sophie's recent matters include:

Muncipio de Mariana v BHP Group Plc (formerly BHP Billiton) [2025] EWHC 3001 (ongoing): Sophie acts on behalf the claimants in the largest piece of group litigation that has been brought before the English Courts. The proceedings establish liability on the part of BHP parent companies for the collapse of the Fundão Dam in November 2015, considered to be the worst environmental disaster in Brazil. The stage 2 trial, to determine quantum, is listed to take place in 2027.

Led by Jonathan Adkin KC, Sophie acted for a multinational mining conglomerate, in a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against two individuals who held management positions within the group pursuant to advisory contracts. The breaches alleged against the defendants included fraudulently passing funds out of the group and negligently entering into un-commercial agreements with third parties.

Grupo Ozarow SA v Clean Energy Trading Ltd [2016] EWHC 2322: Led by Stephen Houseman KC and Jonathan Harris KC (Hons), successfully discharged a proprietary injunction granted in support of proceedings in Poland. The injunction had the effect of freezing the business of Clean Energy Trading which trades in European Union Carbon Credits.

Kupeli v Sirketi (t/a Cyprus Turkish Airlines) [2016] EWHC 930: Acted for a Turkish airline (led by Jonathan Adkin KC) defending claims arising from a failed takeover of the Northern Cyprus national airline. At the end of the Part 1 Trial 95% of the 838 pleaded claims were dismissed.

Gudavadze v Anisimov (2014): Instructed by Signature Litigation as part of a team led by Paul Girolami KC and Jonathan Adkin KC for the Claimants in a claim for over $1.5bn concerning the Russian mining company Metalloinvest.

Sophie advises on company disputes including unfair prejudice petitions, derivative actions, shareholder disputes, and claims against directors for breach of duty.

Sophie's recent matters include:

Aroncorp v Shah (ongoing): Led by John Machell KC and instructed by Boodle Hatfield, Sophie acts in claims against directors accused of siphoning off money from the claimant company. Proceedings were originally commenced derivatively prior to a change of board control.

Muncipio de Mariana v BHP Group Plc (ongoing): Acts as part of a team to recover corporate losses suffered by 600 Brazilian businesses caused by the collapse of the Fundão Dam which took place in November 2015. The litigation establishes the corporate responsibility of Dual Listed Anglo-Australian Company, BHP.

Acted as sole counsel in a shareholder dispute arising from the attempted division of a company specialising in commissioning and computer aided design. Successfully defended claims for a contribution against one of the shareholders personally.

Led by Hugh Norbury KC, Sophie acted on behalf of Ms Prokofyeva defending dishonest assistance claims and claims under the Insolvency Act. The claims were connected to the Shlosberg litigation (e.g. ShloIsberg v Avonwick Holdings Ltd [2016] EWCA Civ 1138) in which it is alleged that Mr Shlosberg (Ms Prokofyeva’s husband) unlawfully diverted a receivable said to be worth in excess of US$170m (Webinvest v Prokofyeva (2018)).

Advised directors whether a multi-million pound dividend distribution could be set aside under the rule in Hastings-Bass due to unexpected tax consequences.

Advised liquidators of a charitable company and its trading subsidiary as to potential breach of duty claims against the former directors.

Sophie has experience of advising liquidators of companies, LLPs and charities. Sophie’s work involves claims against directors and shadow directors of companies in liquidation following suspected fraud or breach of duty, including claims for misfeasance and actions challenging transactions at an undervalue and preferences. For previous cases, see Company (above).

Sophie’s work often has an international element, often involving foreign entities, jurisdiction challenges, and conflicts of laws.

Sophie regularly advises in relation to offshore trust disputes, including acting in the long running Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse litigation which took place before Courts in Singapore, Bermuda, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Sophie also has experience of advising trustees involved in foreign matrimonial or enforcement proceedings.

Sophie has been instructed in matters taking place before the Courts of Singapore (including acting as junior counsel in hearings before the Singapore International Commercial Court and Singapore Court of Appeal), Bermuda, Bahamas, BVI, Jersey, Guernsey, and New Zealand. For previous cases, see Private Client Trust and Probate above.

Sophie has considerable experience of commercial chancery group litigation, and currently acts in the largest piece of group litigation before the English Courts.

Muncipio de Mariana v BHP Group Plc (formerly BHP Billiton): Sophie acts on behalf of over 200,000 claimants for loss caused by the collapse of the Fundão Dam in November 2015 (considered to be the worst environmental disaster in Brazil). Sophie has been instructed since the pleading stage in 2019. The stage 2 trial, to determine quantum, is listed to commence in 2027.

Various Claimants v British Airways: Led by David Blayney KC, Sophie acted for the lead solicitors in the group litigation arising against British Airways. The claim for compensation under the General Data Protection Regulation arises from a breach of British Airways security systems (announced in September 2018) which led to loss of personal data belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers.

Sophie also advised claimants in the anticipated data breach litigation against easyJet following the announcement that personal data of 9 million of its customers had been wrongfully accessed as a result of a security breach.