Sophie Holcombe

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Sophie Holcombe has a commercial chancery practice, with a particular focus on contentious domestic and offshore trusts and civil fraud. Sophie’s work is often multi-jurisdictional, involving issues of private international law.

Sophie recent cases have included high-value and complex, fraud, company law, and trust disputes, including claims arising from alleged fraudulent mismanagement of investment portfolios and actions to recover misappropriated trust assets. Sophie currently acts in the largest piece of group litigation before the English Courts, which builds on her experience in chancery commercial group litigations.

Sophie is ranked as a leading junior in Chancery: Commercial, Civil Fraud and Offshore and is commended in the directories as being “absolutely brilliant” and “all over the detail”, as well as being “robust” and “a pleasure to work with”.

Areas of Expertise

Civil Fraud

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.

Recent Cases

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.

Commercial Litigation

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.

Recent Cases

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 Prof 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.

Company

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

Recent Cases

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.

Insolvency & Restructuring

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.

Trusts & Probate

Sophie advises and acts on contentious domestic and offshore trust matters, often involving multiple jurisdictions and complex corporate structures.

Recent Cases

Acting pro bono in a probate dispute, successfully challenging a will on the grounds of lack of capacity and want of knowledge and approval.
Bidzina Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust [2024] SGCA(I) 5; [2023] SGHC(I) 9; [2020] SGCA 62 – Acting on behalf of a Georgian billionaire and his family, as beneficiaries of a Singapore and New Zealand Trust, in relation to a dispute against the trustees and their agents for losses over mismanagement of an investment portfolio said to be worth over USD 1 billion. Following trial at the end of 2022, judgment in favour of the claimants was handed down by the Singapore International Commercial Court in May 2023.
Advised on trustee’s duties to intervene in the management of an international group of companies operating in the offshore oil and gas industry to prevent default bond worth over USD 400 million secured against the companies’ assets. Concerned novel issues of trustee’s duties in circumstances where the settlor of the trust has reserved powers to himself in the trust deed.
Advised beneficiaries in relation to potential claims to culturally significant art works estimated to be worth £20 million (or the proceeds of sale of such art works), potentially transferred in breach of trust.
Acted for the trustee of an Employment Benefit Trust in relation to a dispute regarding the Trust’s interest in a Limited Partnership.
Z Trusts [2015] JRC 214; [2015] JRC 031; & [2015] JRC 196C – Instructed by Voisin Law in the Z Trusts I to VIII litigation in Jersey during 2014 and 2015. The litigation involved consideration of the appropriate procedure for winding down a Jersey Trust in circumstances where the net liabilities of the trust exceed its net assets; issues of priority between former and current trustees’ liens over trust assets; and the proper exercise of fiduciary powers, namely the power to appoint additional trustees. This litigation is connected to the Equity Trust v Halabi litigation recently before the Privy Council ([2022] UKPC 36).
Advised trustees on potential enforcement of orders in French succession proceedings over assets situated in London owned by a trust governed by Jersey law in advance of Beddoe application in Jersey.
Acted as junior counsel (led by Richard Harrison KC) for a Jersey trust in private English matrimonial proceedings regarding London situated property.
Advised on the domicile of a testator for the purposes of determining the validity of his will and advising on the construction of will trusts and the obligations of trustees in relation to the same.

International

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 experience under Private Wealth.

Group Litigation

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

Recent Cases

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.
Harcus Sinclair v Your Lawyers [2017] EWHC 2900 – Acted for the defendant in an expedited trial (led by Richard Coleman KC), successfully obtaining an injunction to prevent Harcus Sinclair from acting for approximately 45,000 clients in the VW Emissions Litigation following breach of a solicitors’ undertaking given in a non-disclosure agreement.
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.

Testimonials

“My favourite senior junior for commercial chancery work. I hope that she gets silk soon.”

Chambers & Partners 2026

“Sophie Holcombe is very good, diligent, incredibly hardworking, calm and persuasive.”

Chambers & Partners 2026

“Sophie is absolutely brilliant and really considered in everything she does. If you send a random query to her, you don't get a half-baked answer. She is all over the detail and good at what she does.”

Chambers & Partners 2026

“Sophie Holcombe produces very clear and comprehensive advice. She's a pleasure to work with.”

Chambers & Partners 2026

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Latest

Recent Cases

Município de Mariana v BHP [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)

Judgment has been handed down following the trial of liability in Município de Mariana v […]

Core VCT v Soho Square Capital & Others [2025] EWHC 1918 (Ch)

David Blayney KC and Sophie Holcombe acted for the successful defendants in a High Court decision clarifying the application of section 32 of the Limitation Act 1980.

The Singapore Court of Appeal has handed down its judgment in the long running trust dispute Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust Ltd [2024] SGCA(I) 5

The Singapore Court of Appeal has handed down its Judgment in the long running trust […]

Recent News

Sophie Holcombe and Jamie Randall writes for Trusts & Trustees: Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust: (not) limiting trustee’s liability

This article focuses on three ways in which Credit Suisse Trust sought to avoid liability.

View all latest news

: Email Sophie
: +44 (0)20 7242 6105
: Contact Practice Managers
: vCard
: Download CV
: Shortlist

For general enquiries and instruction advice, please contact our Practice Management Team:

Call: +44 (0)20 7242 6105
or email: clerks@serlecourt.co.uk

Recommendations

Chancery: Commercial (Chambers UK & Chambers Global)
Offshore (Chambers UK & Chambers Global)
Civil Fraud (Legal 500)
English Bar Offshore: Trusts & Private Wealth (Legal 500)
Commercial Litigation (Legal 500)

Publications

“Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust: (Not) Limiting Trustee’s Liability”, Trusts and Trustees, vol 31, Issue 4, May 2025, pages 151-156
Uncovering trustees’ reasons, Trusts and Estates Law & Tax Journal, May 2018.
Circumventing Schmidt v Rosewood: a beneficiary’s right to disclosure under Data Protection legislation, Trusts & Trustees, Vol. 23, No. 7, September 2017, pp. 770–778.
PLC Variation of Trusts.

Memberships

Commercial Bar Association
Chancery Bar Association

Education & Qualifications

BVC (Outstanding), Cardiff Law School
LLB (First Class), Cardiff University

BSB Registration

Sophie Marie Holcombe

VAT Number

125131557

Areas of Expertise

Civil Fraud

Recent Cases

Commercial Litigation

Recent Cases

Company

Recent Cases

Insolvency & Restructuring

Trusts & Probate

Recent Cases

International

Group Litigation

Recent Cases

Testimonials

Latest

Recent Cases

Município de Mariana v BHP [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)

Core VCT v Soho Square Capital & Others [2025] EWHC 1918 (Ch)

The Singapore Court of Appeal has handed down its judgment in the long running trust dispute Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust Ltd [2024] SGCA(I) 5

Recent News

Serle Court barristers named in 2026 Pro Bono Recognition List

Serle Court Recognised in The Legal 500 Caribbean 2026: The English Bar Offshore

Serle Court achieves outstanding results in The Legal 500 UK Bar 2026

Sophie Holcombe and Jamie Randall writes for Trusts & Trustees: Ivanishvili v Credit Suisse Trust: (not) limiting trustee’s liability

Recommendations

Publications

Memberships

Education & Qualifications

BSB Registration

VAT Number

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