Zoe O'Sullivan KC


Year of Call: 1993 Year of Silk: 2015

“Zoe O'Sullivan KC is brilliant. She is super responsive, really intelligent and very, very practical. She is always available at the other end of the phone. She is very thorough but also very quick to get to the point, and concise with her advice.”

Chambers Global, 2022
Portrait of  Zoe O'Sullivan KC

Practice Overview

Zoe O’Sullivan KC is a robust and experienced advocate who thrives on the challenges of oral advocacy and cross-examination.  She is recommended by Chambers UK Bar for Commercial Dispute Resolution, Banking & Finance, International Commercial Arbitration and Information Technology. Zoe is also recommended as a leading silk in Dispute Resolution (The English Bar - United Arab Emirates) by Chambers Global and the Legal 500.

Zoe is described in Chambers UK as “very easy to work with and very hands-on”, “very technically able” and “formidably bright”.  The Legal 500 says: “Zoe is - even by the standards of the commercial bar - highly intelligent and extremely diligent: she is seriously very hard-working. As a result she displays complete mastery of the documents and of the law. She is an extremely tough, but always fair and decent, opponent. A star silk for the future.”

Zoe’s commercial/Chancery practice spans a broad range including shareholder disputes/joint ventures, directors’ duties, banking and finance, civil fraud, asset recovery, IT and outsourcing disputes, oil and gas, and shipbuilding. She is frequently instructed in jurisdiction disputes and in key interim applications including freezing orders, anti-suit injunctions, and applications under section 44 of the Arbitration Act 1996.

Zoe is also ranked by both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 as a leading silk in international commercial arbitration.

Zoe is registered in the DIFC and admitted to the Bar of the BVI.

News & Events

  • News

    Legal 500 EMEA Rankings 2025

    Serle Court is delighted to once again be recognised as a leading set in the Legal 500 Europe, Middle East, and... Read More

    News

    Serle Court sponsors Essay Prize for Cambridge Law Review: Volume 10, Issue 2 | Submission Deadline, 15 December

    We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Cambridge Law Review to sponsor a monetary award for... Read More

  • Events

    Riyadh International Disputes Week

    Location: Hilton Riyadh Hotel Granada
    Read More

    Events

    The Commercial Bar Association (Combar): 3rd Gulf Round Table 2025

    Location: The Capital Club, Dubai
    Read More

  • "Zoe always rolls her sleeves up and gets into the detail. She is very good at explaining matters in lay terms and at adapting technical and complex issues into digestible advice."

    Chambers & Partners, 2025
  • "Zoe is an amazing individual, a real expert in international arbitration."

    Chambers & Partners, 2025
  • "A very nice advocacy style and particularly gifted in putting very difficult arguments to best advantage."

    The Legal 500, 2025
  • "Zoe’s strengths are a combination of her incredible sharp mind and the speed at which she can deliver comprehensive, thought-through advice to issues as they arise. As an advocate, she has the gift of keeping the relevant adjudicator fully invested in her presentation."

    The Legal 500, 2025

Education & Qualifications

Oxford University, MA English Language and Literature (Congratulatory First)

City University, Diploma in Law (Distinction, Arbitrators’ Prize)

Appointments

2021: Admitted to the BVI Bar

2019: Registered as Advocate before the DIFC Courts

Memberships

Member of the Society for Computers and Law Adjudication Scheme Panel

Languages

Zoe has a working knowledge of French and Spanish.

News & Events

  • News

    Legal 500 EMEA Rankings 2025

    Serle Court is delighted to once again be recognised as a leading set in the Legal 500 Europe, Middle East, and... Read More

    News

    Serle Court sponsors Essay Prize for Cambridge Law Review: Volume 10, Issue 2 | Submission Deadline, 15 December

    We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Cambridge Law Review to sponsor a monetary award for... Read More

  • Events

    Riyadh International Disputes Week

    Location: Hilton Riyadh Hotel Granada Read More

    Events

    The Commercial Bar Association (Combar): 3rd Gulf Round Table 2025

    Location: The Capital Club, Dubai Read More