Leona Powell

Leona has an extensive commercial practice.  Her clients frequently include banks and large insurers. She is regularly instructed in cases involving large scale and complex mortgage frauds, bribery and corruption, employee and supplier frauds, and breach of fiduciary duty.  She is recognised by Chambers UK as a leading junior in civil fraud and commercial litigation.

Leona has acted as counsel in a large number of confidential commercial arbitrations, in particular in relation to commodities disputes. She has experience of UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA and DIFC-LCIA arbitrations. She has also acted as an arbitrator in relation to an UNCITRAL arbitration concerning the non-delivery of a consignment of steel billets.

Leona also has extensive experience of professional negligence actions and trials, involving accountants, auditors, financial advisers, solicitors, barristers, insurance brokers and construction professionals. She is recognised by the Legal 500 as a leading professional negligence junior.

• Re Standard Bank (Comm Ct) (2010 - 2011 ongoing)
  Acting for the Claimant bank in a very high value recovery action against a high net worth individual in a claim pursuant to personal guarantees. Freezing orders obtained. Consequential applications for cross examinaton as to assets and summary judgment.
• Bauer v Edwards (QBD) (2011)
  Acting for the Claimant in this claim in relation to funds misappropriated from the purported sale of a high value Ferrari. Freezing, disclosure, delivery up and passport orders were obtained. Consequential committal proceedings were also issued, with a suspended sentence imposed upon the Defendant.  
• Gutermann Messtechnik v Hartley (QBD) (2011, ongoing)
  Acting for the Claimant in this high value claim involving breach of confidence, misuse of confidential information, breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriations of company funds.
• AB v XY & Others (Ch D) (2009 – 10)
  Acting for the Claimant valuers in relation to a £multi m claim for damages and indemnity declarations in relation to a very large scale mortgage fraud. The case required detailed pre-action analysis and planning for the underlying investigation. Multiple search orders, freezing orders and delivery-up orders were obtained against a large number of Defendants. A set of sample transactions are due to proceed to a 4 week trial in October 2010.
• Bank of Scotland v Rana & Others (QBD) (2009 – 10)
  Acting for the Claimant bank in a multi £m recovery action in relation to a large scale mortgage fraud involving a large portfolio of properties. Multiple freezing orders were obtained.
• Solaglas Ltd v Hartley & Others (QBD) (2010)
  Acting for the Claimant company in relation to this claim involving bribery, breach of fiduciary duty, false invoicing and conspiracy. Freezing orders and disclosure orders have been obtained.
• SOCA v Perry (Admin) (2009 – 10)
  Appointed by SOCA to act as independent counsel in relation to a very high value proceeds of crime recovery investigation.
• EMDA v GEV Offshore & Others (Comm) (2010)
  Acting for two of the Defendants in a fraud case involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, deceit, conspiracy and passing off.  The case also concerns issues in relation to Swiss and BVI law.
• Ghadami v Lyon Cole Insurance Group Limited (CA) (2010)
  Acting for the Defendant insurance brokers in relation to a claim involving allegedly negligent broking of a combined commercial insurance policy. Successfully defended the action at trial and recently appeared in the Court of Appeal in relation to the scope of the indemnity in relation to costs. Judgment awaited.
• Platform Home Loans v Various solicitors (QBD) (2009- 10)
  Acting for Platform Home Loans in relation to a series of actions against several firms of solicitors, involving allegedly negligent failure to give proper advice in relation to lending on property portfolios in the North East.
• Bank of Scotland v Ferguson Bricknell (2009)
  Acting for the Claimant bank in relation to this high value recovery action against solicitors alleged to have negligently facilitated a large mortgage fraud conspiracy.
• Jewson v Newman & Others (QBD) (2009)
  Acted for the Claimant company in relation to a high value claim for damages/ restitution in relation to bribery, breach of fiduciary duty and conspiracy against an ex senior marketing director and others. Multiple freezing and disclosure orders were obtained. Action settled in 2009.
• Legal & General v Mitchell & Others (QBD) (2009)
  Acted for the Claimant insurers in this claim involving  insurance mis-selling, deceit and conspiracy. Multiple freezing orders were obtained. Action settled in 2009.
• Cooper v Warner Goodman (2009)
  Acted for the Defendant solicitors in relation to an alleged failure to give adequate advice over a mortgage and trust deed. Successfully defended at trial in 2009.
• Various Commercial Arbitrations (2010)
  Currently acting in two ICC confidential commercial arbitrations concerning share sale agreements, breach of warranty and breach of fiduciary duty by deliberate sale of business assets at an undervalue. 

• Ghadami v Lyon Cole Insurance Group Limited (Court of Appeal) [2010] 6 Costs LR 903 
• RCPO v (1) R (2) Lloyds TSB Plc (Admin) [2007] EWHC 2393
• K Limited v National Westminster Bank [2007] 1 WLR 311; [2006] 4 All ER 907; [2006] 2 Lloyd's Rep 569
• EFT v SS for Home Department & ors [2006] 1 WLR 1316; [2006] 4 All ER 285; [2006] ACD 8
• Independents Advantage v Cook & Co (CA) [2003] Lloyds PN 109 (ChD); [2003] EWCA Civ 1103

VAT registration number:  782323920