Chloë Bell

Chloë is regularly instructed on complex, high value commercial disputes either as sole counsel or as part of a larger team. She is ranked as a leading junior in commercial litigation by the Legal 500 and has been described as “thoughtful in her written work and in-person. Committed” and “Chloë Bell is building a strong reputation for civil fraud work”.

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

(1) Foundever Operating Corporation (2) Foundever Europe Limited v (1) DAZN Limited (2) DAZN Dach GmbH (3) DAZN Spain SL (CL-2025-000011) (ongoing): led by Sa’ad Hossein KC (One Essex Court). Complex breach of contract claim involving a long running services agreement.

(1) Bank Sarasin-Alpen (ME) Limited (in liquidation) (2) Ms Georgina Marie Eason (in her capacity as Official Liquidator) v (1) Elie Vivien Sassoon (2) Stephane Emile Astruc (3) Edmund Carton (4) Bank J Safra Sarasin Limited (5) J Safra Sarasin (ME) Limited (DIFC) (CFI-009-2023) (ongoing): led by Tom Montagu-Smith KC and acting with Carmine Conte (Blackstone Chambers) and Ram Lakshman (Wilberforce Chambers): Chloë is instructed in complex proceedings involving multiple allegations of civil fraud in the winding up of Bank Sarasin-Alpen (ME) Limited and the setting up of J Safra Sarasin (ME) Limited.

Crypto-exchange v Law Firm (ongoing): led by Daniel Saoul KC (4 New Square). Arbitration involving allegations of professional negligence arising from advice given by a law firm to a crypto exchange about its regulatory status.

Vanquis Banking Group Plc v TMS Legal Limited [2025] EWHC 1599 (KB) (ongoing): led by Saima Hanif KC. Novel claim involving allegations by a bank against a claims management company that it caused loss by unlawful means.

MMBL v (1) Renault UK Limited (2) Nissan Motor (GB) Limited (3) RCI Financial Services Limited (LM-2025-000270) (ongoing): led by Jonathan Nash KC. Breach of contract and inducing breach of contract claims arising out of the termination of a number of complex contractual agreements between a car dealership and car manufacturers and their finance house.

Nest Performance Limited v Lumi Therapy Limited (KB-2025-000716) (ongoing): sole advocate. Debt claim and breach of contract counterclaim arising out of advertising and creative agreements.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber v (1) Sheikh Walid Bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim (2) Sheikh Majid Bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim (CL-2015-000687): led by Farhaz Khan KC. Enforcement proceedings on behalf of the successful defendants following long running litigation.

Sidique and others v Emirates Consulting Group (DIFC) (2025): Chloë successfully appealed against three orders of the DIFC SCT on grounds of procedural unfairness and serious procedural irregularity.

(1)Vincent Jean-Jacques de Groot (2) Tyrone Ricardo de Groot v RIMC Hotels & Resorts GmbH) (2024): sole counsel. Chloë successfully obtained an asset preservation order pursuant to section 25 of the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982 to aid proceedings in German Courts. She also successfully obtained an order for service out of the jurisdiction and

JD Wetherspoon Plc v AB InBev UK Limited t/a Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I (CL-2023-000017) (2024) (settled before trial): led by Adrian Beltrami KC Chloë was instructed for Budweiser in proceedings relating to the construction of a long-term trading agreement.

Payward Inc v Chechetkin [2023] EWHC 1780 (Comm): leading Henry Reid (Outer Temple Chambers). Chloë successfully resisted the enforcement of a JAMS arbitration award in England on the rare basis of it being an infringement of public policy under section 103 of the Arbitration Act 1996.

Chechetkin v Payward Ltd [2022] EWHC 3057 (Ch), [2023] 2 All ER (Comm) 181: leading Henry Reid. Chloë successfully resisted Payward’s challenge to the jurisdiction of the English court under CPR Part 11.

MF Tel Sarl v Visa Europe Ltd [2023] EWHC 1336 (Ch): Chloë was instructed by Visa to apply to strike out Particulars of Claim which referred to French law on the basis that the correct applicable law was English law in a dispute relating to overseas transaction fees.

LCIA-DIFC Arbitration (2022): Chloë was instructed in a dispute relating to the enforceability of restrictive covenants following the termination of an employment contract.

Chloë has a busy banking and financial services practice. She is ranked as a leading practitioner in the Legal 500 for Financial Services Regulation and is described as: “very analytical, bright and is also extremely level headed and calm under pressure. She is very well respected in financial services and in Fintech work she is a real trailblazer- mounting cutting edge arguments and understanding the evolution of this area of the law”.

She spent 3 months on secondment in the General Counsel’s Division at the Financial Conduct Authority in 2019. During this period of time she gained significant insight into a wide range of financial services matters from the regulator’s perspective.

Chloë also has experience of running large-scale financial services enquiries and acting for regulators in their enforcement capacity. She has acted as counsel for Lloyd’s of London in a number of enforcement cases some of which involved allegations of non-financial misconduct.

Chloë is one of the authors of the forthcoming editions of Financial Services Law (OUP) and Banking Litigation (OUP).

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

Crypto-exchange v Law Firm (ongoing): led by Daniel Saoul KC (4 New Square). Arbitration involving allegations of professional negligence arising from advice given by a law firm to a crypto exchange about its regulatory status.

Group claims against crypto exchanges (ongoing): led by Peter de Verneuil Smith KC. Chloë is instructed by a number of groups of claimants bringing claims for breach of FSMA 2000 and FCA Handbook rules by crypto exchanges for providing financial products to investors in breach of the general prohibition and rules on financial promotions.

Large-scale regulatory inquiry into non-financial misconduct (2023): led by Farhaz Khan KC. Chloë was instructed in a large-scale inquiry by Lloyd’s of London into non-financial misconduct. The inquiry culminated in the resignation of a number of senior individuals at the firm in question.

The Lloyd’s Enforcement Board v Atrium Underwriters (2022): Chloë was instructed by Lloyd’s of London led by Farhaz Khan KC in Lloyd’s first ever enforcement proceedings for non-financial misconduct. The proceedings resulted in the largest ever fine being issued to a firm by the regulator: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60767614.

The Lloyd’s Enforcement Board v Mr Gregory White (2021): Chloë acted as sole counsel for Lloyd’s of London which successfully brought enforcement proceedings against Mr Gregory White (a private client director at Hampden Agencies Ltd) for discreditable conduct due to his involvement in the facilitation of loans between members of the Society who were clients of his employer in return for commission payments.

Shurbanova v FX Capital markets LLC [2017] EWHC 2133: junior counsel led by Farhaz Khan. Acted for the successful defendant in a breach of contract claim. The Court accepted FXCM’s defence that the claimant’s profitable trades were the result of market abuse and ‘front running’.

Advisory work: Chloë regularly advises clients on financial services law. She has advised clients on the mis-selling of pensions products and on the effects of a restitution order under section 382 of FSMA for the liquidators of an insolvent company.

Chloë is one of few genuine experts in cryptoasset litigation at the London Bar and is instructed on some of the most cutting-edge cases in this area.

Chloë is a Band 1 ranked barrister by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 in the law of cryptoassets:

• “There is no question that Chloe is a star in the crypto asset litigation world. She has deep knowledge. She thinks creatively and is the one you want for difficult or novel cases. She has a deft hand with clients. Chloe is a forceful and effective court advocate and demands respect from opponents, KCs, and judges”.
• “Chloë Bell is an undisputed expert in crypto lit. She is amazing and brilliant with clients”
• “Chloë is an exceptional junior providing thorough and clear advice on a complex and novel area of law. She is very user-friendly and commercial”.
• “She is one of the handful of my absolute go-tos in this space. Her capabilities in this area and experience enable her to handle difficult cases with serene control and confidence.”
• “She’s one of the top juniors. She has really good technical knowledge which is helpful on crypto claims.”
• “She’s imaginative, punchy, bright, willing to get stuck in and easy to work with.”
• “Very bold, imaginative and willing to take a punchy or robust position. Very user-friendly, she is forging an excellent reputation for herself.”
• She has also been nominated as the Technology, Data and Crypto Junior of the Year in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023.

Chloë not only acts as an advocate in cases before the English courts, but she is heavily involved in academic discussion and consultations concerning the development of English law on cryptoassets. She led COMBAR and the Chancery Bar Association’s Response to the Law Commissions recent consultation on digital assets, she is regularly invited to speak at conferences on digital assets and has written various articles on challenging topics in this area.

• Chloë is the co-author (with Hodge Malek KC and James Potts) of the forthcoming chapter on Cryptoassets in The Law of Financial Services (OUP, forthcoming).
• Chloë sits on the Steering Committee of the Tech Disputes Network.

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

Crypto-exchange v Law Firm (ongoing): led by Daniel Saoul KC (4 New Square). Arbitration involving allegations of professional negligence arising from advice given by a law firm to a crypto exchange about its regulatory status.

Ongoing advice to National Crime Agency: led by Daniel Saoul KC (4 New Square). Chloë regularly advises the NCA on the scope of its enforcement powers in respect of cryptoassets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Bybit Technology Limited (ongoing): sole counsel. Chloë is instructed by Bybit to set aside a number of injunctions and orders made against the exchange.

Several arbitrations involving a cryptoasset exchange (DIFC) (ongoing): led by Zoe O’Sullivan KC (Serle Court Chambers) and Adam Temple. Chloë is instructed by a cryptoasset exchange in several arbitrations involving claims of breach of contract arising from margin calls and the liquidation of investors’ trades on the exchange.

Tippawan Bonnyaem v Persons Unknown (ongoing): sole counsel. Chloë is instructed on behalf of a defendant to set aside a summary judgment alleged to have been wrongfully obtained against him.

Group claims against crypto exchanges (ongoing): led by Peter de Verneuil Smith KC Chloë is instructed by hundreds of claimants bringing claims for breach of FSMA 2000 and FCA Handbook rules by crypto exchanges for providing financial products to investors in breach of the general prohibition and rules on financial promotions.

Payward Inc v Chechetkin [2023] EWHC 1780 (Comm) Chloë successfully challenged the enforceability of a Californian arbitration award made in favour of the Kraken cryptoasset exchange on the rare ground of public policy. It is the first challenge of its kind in the cryptoasset space in the English jurisdiction. This enabled her client to pursue his claim against the Kraken exchange under FSMA 2000 in the English courts which is also the first claim of this nature filed in English courts.

Chechetkin v Payward Ltd [2022] EWHC 3057 (Ch) Chloë successfully resisted Payward Ltd’s challenge the jurisdiction of the English High Court under CPR Part 11.

Injunctive relief Chloë regularly appears in injunction proceedings (for claimants and defendants) in cases involving digital assets. She is regularly instructed on freezing and proprietary injunctions, disclosure orders and applications for permission to serve proceedings out of the jurisdiction. Notable injunction cases include:

• Tai Mo Shan Limited v Oazo Apps Limited (6 March 2023, Commercial Court): Chloë acted for Oazo Apps in which the applicant sought a mandatory injunction requiring code to be written to transfer stolen cryptocurrency to a trust wallet held by the victim’s solicitors.
• Ellis v Digit Europe Limited (CL-2021-000753): Chloë was junior counsel for a defendant in one of the first contested injunction return dates involving allegations of a multi-million pound cryptocurrency fraud. In a last minute change of position the claimant agreed to withdraw its application against Chloë’s client and to discontinue the claim against it.
• Mr Dollar Bill Limited v Huobi (unreported, 14 January 2022, Chancery Division): Chloë obtained one of the first delivery up orders of Bitcoin held in a Huobi wallet for the victim of a crypto fraud.
• Lubin Betancourt Reyes (2) Custodial Management Solutions v (1)-(3) Persons Unknown (4) Tether Holdings Limited (5) Binance Holdings Limited (unreported, April 2021, London Circuit Commercial Court): Chloë acted as sole counsel and successfully obtained a worldwide freezing order and an asset preservation order against Persons Unknown together with permission to serve out of the jurisdiction and by alternative means. She also successfully obtained a Norwich Pharmacal and Banker’s Trust Order together with permission to serve out of the jurisdiction and by alternative means against D4 and D5. The case concerned the misappropriation of USD Tether by Persons Unknown 
• Ms C v HSBC (Financial Ombudsman Service, DRN-840917): Chloë successfully obtained compensation on behalf of her client from HSBC for breach resulting from a cryptoasset related APP fraud on the basis of Quincecare principles before the FOS: Financial Ombudsman Decision
• Taxation of cryptoassets: in her capacity as a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of counsel Chloë has advised HMRC on the application of capital gains tax to cryptoassets.

Advisory matters: Chloë regularly advises entities providing digital asset products and facilities facing litigation and individual investors. Notable advisory work has included:

• The prospects of successfully obtaining a freezing injunction in a group crypto fraud case.
• The impact of the de-centralised structure of digital asset entities and the impact of such structures on traditional English legal principles and litigation.
• The FCA’s regulatory perimeter as it applies to cryptoassets.
• The likely remedies available to claimants for breaches of FSMA 2000 involving cryptoassets.
• Jurisdiction and law applicable to various cryptoasset disputes.
• The enforceability of boiler plate clauses in cryptoasset exchange general terms of service.

Chloë has also advised foreign jurisdictions on appropriate reforms to their laws to facilitate the integration of cryptoassets into their financial systems.

Chloë has a burgeoning practice in group litigation. She is instructed in some of the most high profile group litigations in the English Courts.

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

Dieselgate Pan NOx Litigation (ongoing): led by Oliver Campbell KC (Henderson Chambers) and Adam Kramer KC. Chloë is instructed by the Claimants in one of the largest pieces of group litigation to go through the English courts (and one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025) involving claims of breach of statutory duty, breach of warranty and deceit against major car manufacturers.

David Hamon and others v University College London (KB-2023-000930) (ongoing): led by Adam Kramer KC and Claire Darwin KC (Matrix Chambers). Chloë is defending UCL in a claim brought by several thousand students for breach of contract arising from tuition being provided online during Covid-19.

Group claims against crypto exchanges (ongoing): led by Peter de Verneuil Smith KC. Chloë is instructed by a number of groups of claimants bringing claims for breach of FSMA 2000 and FCA Handbook rules by crypto exchanges for providing financial products to investors in breach of the general prohibition and rules on financial promotions.

Chloë is ranked as a leading junior in Pensions in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500:

• “She delivers very good service, she was fully plugged in very quickly and she was quick to get into the team.”
• “Chloë has a super-sized brain”
• “Chloë is very intelligent and user-friendly. She is a pleasure to work with and gets on top of issues very quickly”.

Her pensions practice includes a number of matters before domestic courts and tribunals as well as international courts.

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

Beckmann, Proctor & Gamble claims (ongoing): leading Gretel Scott. Chloë is instructed for a number of claimants who are claiming rights to redundancy payments under TUPE and the Beckmann line of case-law. Chloë’s expertise in EU law makes her well placed to advise on these claims and other aspects of pensions law which interact with European law frameworks.

Trustees of the Leggett & Platt Pension Assurance Scheme (2022): led by Farhaz Khan KC. Chloë was instructed in a professional negligence claim relating to the closure of a scheme and the preservation of the final salary link. Settled prior to trial.

Re Atos Railways Pension Scheme (2021): Chloë was instructed as junior counsel in a Part 8 claim raising issues of construction of the Railways Pension Scheme established under the Railways Act 1993.

Re LMPA (2021): led by Richard Hitchcock KC (Outer Temple Chambers). Chloë successfully obtained an order for rectification in a claim relating to the closure of a defined benefit scheme to future accrual.

Mr Robin Phillips & 69 Others v Edwards Limited (2020) (settled before trial): led by Richard Hitchcock KC and Lydia Seymour (Outer Temple Chambers). Chloë was instructed in a case concerning the scope of the exclusion of pension rights transferring under the TUPE Regulations and its interaction with redundancy benefits contained in a pension scheme. Settled before trial.

Briggs & ors v Clay & ors (2019): led by Ben Hubble KC (4 New Square) and Saaman Pourghadiri. Chloë was instructed in a £60,000,000 multi-party professional negligence claim listed for an 8-week trial arising from the judgment of Newey J in Re Gleeds [2014] EWHC 1178 (Ch). Settled on day one of trial.

C-171/18 Safeway v Newton & Ors EU:C:2019:839: led by Andrew Short KC and Michael Uberoi (Outer Temple Chambers) in the Court of Justice of the European Union (Luxembourg) concerning the retrospective levelling down and equalisation of pension benefits.

Advisory matters: Chloë regularly provides advice on a range of pension matters, including government pension schemes.

Chloë’s expertise in pensions law provides a solid grounding in commercial trusts and general chancery law. She is therefore well-equipped to advise and appear in general chancery matters, including insolvency.

Examples of Chloë’s experience in these areas includes:

• Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Sohail Jazz Shahzad (CR-2023-004714) (2023): Chloë was instructed for the Secretary of State in director’s disqualification proceedings.
• In the matter of Miller Harris Limited (In Administration) (CR-2020-003542): Chloë was instructed to appear in the ICC to apply validate an administrator’s appointment in reliance on the Tokenhouse VB [2020] EWHC 3171 (Ch) line of case-law.
• Interim applications: Chloë regularly appears in the Chancery Division interim applications list to obtain injunctive relief.
• Advisory matters: Chloë has advised liquidators of an insolvent company on the interaction of their duties with restitution orders under section 382 of FSMA 2000.

Chloë gained vast experience in public law matters at the highest level as a judicial assistant at the UK Supreme Court.

Since returning to chambers, she has been appointed by the Attorney General to the Panel of Civil Counsel and is regularly instructed on a variety of matters by government and government agencies.

Chloë is particularly interested in cases where public law principles and private/commercial interests intersect and the public law analysis of the interaction between different regulatory regimes.

Chloë has significant expertise in cases with a European or international element due to her experience at the Court of Justice at the European Union. She has had her academic work on the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the EU cited by the Court of Justice of the European Union:

• C Bell and N Bačić Selanec ‘Who is a “spouse” under the Citizens’ Rights Directive? The prospect of mutual recognition of same-sex marriages in the EU’ (2016) European Law Review 655-686, cited with approval by AG Wathelet in C-673/16 Coman EU:C:2018:2, paragraph 80.

Examples of Chloë’s recent and current cases include:

Ongoing advice to National Crime Agency: led by Daniel Saoul KC (4 New Square). Chloë regularly advises the NCA on the scope of its enforcement powers in respect of cryptoassets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Eurasian Natural Resources Corp Ltd v Director of the Serious Fraud Office (ongoing): led by Simon Colton KC (One Essex Court) and Tom Richards KC (Blackstone Chambers). Chloë is instructed by the SFO on the phase 2 trial in which the issue of remedies and damages is to be considered following phase 1 judgment [2023] EWHC 3280 (Comm).

Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Sohail Jazz Shahzad (CR-2023-004714) (2023): Chloë was instructed for the Secretary of State in director’s disqualification proceedings.

SSWP v Mr RP (2021): Chloë acted as sole counsel for the SSWP. She successfully obtained a final anti-harassment injunction against Mr RP and an order for service by alternative means.

C-624/19 Tesco Stores EU:C:2019:624 (2021): Chloë appeared as junior counsel to Keith Bryant KC, Naomi Cunningham and Stephen Butler in a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning whether the principle of equal pay for male and female workers can be relied upon directly in respect of ‘equal work’ and ‘work of equal value’.

Lee v Ashers Baking Co Ltd [2018] UKSC 49: Chloë assisted Sarah Crowther KC as a pupil and separately sat on this case as a judicial assistant , concerning the right of a bakery to refuse to bake a cake with the slogan ‘support gay marriage’.

In the Matter of an Application by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission of Judicial Review (Northern Ireland) [2018] UKSC 27: as a judicial assistant, Chloë sat on this case which concerned the law of abortion in Northern Ireland and whether it was incompatible with Articles 3, 8 and/or 14 ECHR

R (on the application of Black) v Secretary of State for Justice [2017] UKSC 81: Chloë sat on this case as a judicial assistant, concerning the application of the smoking ban in prisons.

R (on the application of Tag Eldin Ramadan Bashir and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 47: Chloë sat as a judicial assistant in this case, concerning the application of the Refugee Convention to refugees residing in UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.