January 17, 2022
The Lawyer describes Lara as the “barrister of the moment” in the context of the collapse of over 20 energy supply companies in the second half of 2021. Lara has worked on energy supply company insolvencies since the collapse of GB Energy in 2016 (a case in which she was led by Nicholas Cox, and which developed the novel form of High Court declaratory relief which continues to permit OFGEM’s appointment of a Supplier of Last Resort in cases of smaller energy supplier insolvencies). Since then has acted as sole advocate numerous times for the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority in such matters. Recently she was instructed with Andrew de Mestre QC in the Bulb Energy insolvency described by The Lawyer as “the most important in recent decades”, being the first case to utilise the special administration regime set up in 2011.
As The Lawyer notes, Lara’s practice goes well beyond energy. She has a busy commercial chancery practice specialising in the full range of Chambers’ work, including commercial litigation, company law, insolvency, banking and financial services, regulatory work and civil fraud. In 2020, she acted (led by Richard Hill QC and Andrew de Mestre QC) in Travelport & Ors v WEX, which remains the leading case on the interpretation of material adverse change clauses. She also acts (led by Richard Hill QC, Sharif Shivji QC and Tom Gentleman) for Dr Michael Lynch in the well-publicised Autonomy litigation (described by the press as the UK’s biggest ever civil fraud trial), and is due to appear (led by Joseph Wigley) in the “highly-anticipated” Derek Quinlan bankruptcy case in June 2022.
View The Lawyer’s “Hot 100” for 2022.
Lara is ranked as a Rising Star in Tier 1 in Commercial Litigation in Legal 500 2022 she is quoted in the directory as ‘Very clever and inordinately hard working. She does a fantastic job.’
