Expertise

Fiona has acted for states, state entities (including central banks), corporates, institutional investors and private individuals, whether as claimants or defendants.

Her matters often have an international dimension, whether representing international clients, acting in claims involving aspects of foreign law or in coordinating proceedings in both England and other jurisdictions.

She has worked on some significant and high profile cases including the RBS Rights Issue Litigation and one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2020 (National Bank of Kazakhstan and Republic of Kazakhstan v The Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV London Branch, Anatolie Stati, Gabriel Stati, Ascom Group SA & Terra Raf Trans Traiding Limited) which also became the first ever Commercial Court trial to be conducted on a fully remote basis (due to the Covid-19 pandemic) in late March 2020.

Experience

• Acting for an Australian mining company in defending a claim for in excess of US$200m in relation to an alleged breach of a mezzanine lending commitment letter
• Acting for a company, whose business includes the export of oil products, in successfully challenging the jurisdiction of the English Court to determine a US$300m Russian law governed claim against it. [2021] EWHC 1758 (Comm)
• Acting for a State and its National Bank in claims relating to a Global Custody Agreement with an international bank. [2020] EWHC 916 (Comm)
• Co-managing the FSMA s90 claim issued in 2013 by over 300 financial institutions and other institutional investors in the group litigation against RBS in relation to its April 2008 £12bn rights issue. A confidential settlement was reached in December 2016, three months before the start of a six-month liability only trial.

Recognition

The Legal 500 says Fiona is “adept at handling claims against banks, including litigation involving complex financial products”; “hard working with an eye for detail”; and “’simply brilliant and a pleasure to work with’”.

Previous editions of the Legal 500 and Chambers have described her as “very able lawyer who has a great touch with client”; ’“innovative and unflappable”; and “very determined”.

Career

Fiona joined Stewarts in 2010 as a partner after spending four years at a litigation boutique and six years prior to that at an international full-service firm. Fiona studied a joint English and French law degree (King’s College, London/the Sorbonne, Paris).

Publications and Media

• Keeping justice going: the UK Commercial Court’s swift move to virtual trials– The Law Society

Personal

Having grown up in Switzerland and spent nine years in the local schooling system, Fiona is a bilingual English/French speaker.