Jennifer Haywood

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Jennifer Haywood has practised at Serle Court as a commercial Chancery barrister for over 20 years, and increasingly practises ADR as a neutral, helping parties to resolve their disputes by acting as an arbitrator, mediator or conducting binding or non-binding evaluations and private FDR’s.

Jennifer’s experience as an arbitrator includes disputes involving partnerships, pharmaceuticals, companies, media contracts and finance agreements. She has been appointed to many of the major arbitral institution lists, including those of BVI IAC, HKIAC, AIAC and DIAC. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She has acted as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator.

Her experience as a mediator includes both commercial and private client disputes, reflecting her experience as counsel and her recognised client handling skills and commercial approach. She has particular experience of difficult partnership/joint venture disputes but she has also mediated company, commercial, property, wills and trusts disputes. She is experienced at remote mediations as well as in person mediations and has also conducted mediations with multiple parties. She is recommended as a mediator by Legal 500 and Lexology.

Jennifer is able to draw on both her experience as a commercial chancery barrister and her medical science background. Her practice as a barrister has covered the breadth of commercial chancery practice, including litigation, drafting and advisory work, with a strong emphasis on disputes involving breach of fiduciary duty, company, partnership, trusts and probate and fraud.

Particularly well-regarded for her commercial outlook and client interaction, Jennifer is praised by The Legal 500 as being “exceptionally user-friendly, easy work with and a great team player”, and Chambers & Partners rank her in Band 1 for her Partnership work stating that “she attracts particular praise for her excellent, candid and common sense-based client service.”

Areas of Expertise

Arbitrators

A fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Jennifer has been appointed as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator in arbitrations covering a wide range of issues and sectors, including one dealt with on an expedited basis and two involving non-participating parties.

She has experience as counsel of ad hoc and LCIA disputes, a range of contractual disputes and disputes governed by foreign laws.

Recent Cases

Co-arbitrator in LCIA arbitration by multinational professional services LLP against a member.
Co-arbitrator in LCIA arbitration by multinational media company against a Turkish joint venture partner.
Sole arbitrator in LCIA arbitration between Indian and US companies arising out of a pharmaceutical supply agreement, involving alleged regulatory breaches.
Sole arbitrator in LCIA arbitration between Malaysian and Irish companies arising out of a pharmaceutical supply agreement, involving jurisdictional issues, regulatory problems and claims of wrongful exercise of a discretion.
Co-arbitrator in LCIA arbitration by Luxembourg finance company for US$89m under personal guarantee.
Sole arbitrator in LCIA arbitration of professional services/property dispute, involving expert valuation evidence.
Presiding arbitrator in LCIA arbitration arising out of a settlement agreement.
Co-arbitrator in DIAC arbitration between two shareholders in Dubai registered companies.
Sole arbitrator in Cayman Islands ad hoc arbitration between shareholders.
Multiple domestic partnership ad hoc arbitrations.

Civil Fraud

Jennifer has acted for both claimants and defendants in several substantial fraud cases, as well as smaller ones.

Recent Cases

Republic of Djibouti & Ors v Boreh [2016] EWHC 405 (Comm) – Led by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on the instructions of Gibson Dunn LLP, in a fraud claim against Djibouti’s former port manager.
Aeroflot v Berezovsky & Ors [2014] EWCA Civ 20 – Led by Philip Jones KC on the instructions of Boodle Hatfield LLP on the defence of two claims by Aeroflot by Nikolay Glushkov, Aeroflot’s former, Deputy Director General.
Fiona v Privalov [2006] 2583 (Comm) – Led by Philip Jones KC and instructed by Ince & Co on a fraud and bribery claim by Russian state-owned shipping enterprises.

Commercial Litigation

Recent Cases

Soprim Constructions Sarl v Djibouti [2016] EWHC 3864 (Comm) – An appeal on a point of law from an arbitration award.
Experience Hendrix LLC v PPX Enterprises Inc & Anor [2003] EWCA Civ 323 – Led by Michael Briggs QC and Philip Jones in the Court of Appeal on a challenge to a decision about the availability of negotiating damages for breach of contract.
Secretary of State for Health v Norton Healthcare & Ors – Led by Michael Briggs KC, Philip Jones KC and David Drake and instructed by Peters & Peters LLP on a claim against generic drug companies in relation to price fixing.

Partnership

Legal 500 says that Jennifer Haywood is “a star in the making” who “is always available, and always has an answer.

Jennifer’s partnership experience covers both contentious and non-contentious work and has involved general partnerships, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships.

Her clients have included professional services firms (including legal, accounting, surveying and medical firms), financial services firms (including a major retail/investment bank), investment vehicles, property partnerships and individual partners / members (including LP investors and general partners in such firms). She has advised on LLP conversions, amendments to deeds, LLP members’ duties in an insolvency, repudiation of LLPs, transfer of business opportunities, expulsions, enforceability of restrictive covenants, valuation of goodwill, salaried partners’ status, s994 CA 2006 / just and equitable winding up, recovery of overdrawn profits and challenges to the exercise of discretion, amongst other issues.

Jennifer has handled dozens of disputes but most of Jennifer’s partnership work is confidential.

Recent Cases

Bluecrest Capital Management (UK) LLP v Commissioners for HM Revenue & Customs – On appeal from [2025] EWCA Civ 23, a decision on the interpretation and application of the Salaried Members Rules.
Flanagan v Liontrust Investment Partners LLP [2015] EWHC 2171 (Ch) – Led by John Machell KC on the instructions of Macfarlanes LLP on the defence of an unfair prejudice claim, in which Henderson J determined that the doctrine of repudiatory breach does not apply to LLP agreements governing LLPs with more than two members.

Trusts & Probate

Jennifer is an associate member of ACTAPs and has broad experience of contentious trusts and probate work, including disputes over the validity and/or construction of wills and trust deeds, breach of trust claims, mental capacity issues, undue influence, Inheritance Act claims, Beddoes applications, proprietary estoppel, conflicts in relation to the appointment and removal of trustees and constructive trust claims. She has acted for offshore firms as well as onshore firms.

Recent Cases

Barnes v Tomlinson [2006] EWHC 3115 (Ch) – Instructed by Withers LLP on the defence of a claim for breach of trust.
Nissim, Wettreich v Wettreich – Claim to set aside power of attorney on ground of undue influence and/or exercise of power of attorney for mistake. Led by John Machell QC and instructed by Fladgate LLP.
Wandsworth v Barnett – Claim for revocation of grant of letters of administration and admission of will to probate, accompanied by application for freezing injunction, appointment of administrator under s117 SCA 1981, order for disclosure and delivery up of estate assets and order for execution of letters authorising transfer of such assets by a Master pursuant to s39 SCA 1981.

Mediators

Jennifer is a CEDR accredited mediator, with experience of over seventy mediations (in person and virtual). Several have included multiple parties.

The subject matter of the disputes has included commercial matters, insolvency disputes, property disputes and trusts/probate matters (including estoppel, Family Provision, TOLATA and undue influence). Jennifer has particular experience of difficult partnership, company, LLP and joint venture disputes.

Jennifer’s approach varies from facilitative to evaluative, depending on the case in hand. Whenever possible she likes to hold pre-mediation video-calls with each of the parties and she is keen to assist parties to resolve issues relating to the mediation itself and broader procedural issues relating to the matrix proceedings. Jennifer is proactive in suggesting solutions to impasses and remain in contact with the parties if there is no final settlement on the day of the mediation.

Company

Jennifer has experience in this field across a wide range of matters.

International

Jennifer has experience in this field across a wide range of matters.

Matrimonial Finance: Trusts & Company Law

Jennifer has experience in this field across a wide range of matters.

Testimonials

“Jennifer Haywood is an absolute stalwart in this area, who is unshakeable when on her feet.”

Chambers UK 2026

“Jennifer Haywood is a very commercial lawyer, who provides very good legal analysis. Her advocacy style is very attractive and she has very good people skills.”

Chambers UK 2026

“Jennifer Haywood is fabulous. She's a formidable opponent who offers an impressive combination of people skills, creativity and commercial awareness.”

Chambers UK 2025

“A sophisticated barrister with very strong commercial vision, whose general level of service is very high.”

Chambers UK 2025

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