Devon Airey
Call: 2022
Practice Overview
Devon’s practice encompasses the full range of commercial litigation, arbitration and advisory work. Devon has experience working in counsel teams of various sizes and in appearing as sole counsel in the County Court and High Court. Devon has a particular interest in matters concerning Banking and Finance, Civil Fraud, and Commercial Dispute Resolution. Recent highlights include:
- Gibson v TSE Malta LP t/a Betfair: representing the defendant gambling operator (led by Sarah Tulip and Jonathan Davies Jones KC) in a two-week trial for a claim for breach of contract, breach of statutory duty, negligence, knowing receipt and unjust enrichment.
- G I Globinvest Ltd (& Ors) v XY ERS UK Ltd (& Ors): acting for defendant companies in a €47m claim for conspiracy to defraud arising out of investments made in an alternative investment fund.
- Equity Real Estate (Bracknell) Ltd & Ors v Capstan Capital Partners LLP & Ors: assisting the claimant SPVs in a complex property fraud, including claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt.
In addition to her busy court practice, Devon writes on commercial law topics. Recent and forthcoming chapters include: Politics, Policy and Private Law (Hart Publishing, December 2023); Fraud and Risk in Commercial Law (Hart Publishing, June 2024); and Mandatory and Default Rules in Contract and Commercial Law (Hart Publishing, 2025). Devon has also co-edited the chapter on ‘Financial Regulation in Commercial Disputes’ in the forthcoming edition of Walker, Hodge and Purves’s Financial Services Law alongside Farhaz Khan KC. She is currently co-authoring ‘A Practical Guide to Financial Ombudsman Service Claims’ alongside Adam Temple.
Devon is a Bye-Fellow in Law at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, where she supervises Equity and Trusts.
Prior to joining 3VB, Devon worked at Goldman Sachs where she supported the EMEA CEO and Chairman in matters concerning regulatory affairs, business strategy and client relations.
Devon studied Law at the University of Cambridge, graduating with First Class Honours and ranking 3rd out of 212 students. She is a scholar of Lincoln’s Inn and achieved a Distinction in her bar studies.
Civil Fraud & Asset Tracing
- G I Globinvest Ltd (& Ors) v XY ERS UK Ltd (& Ors): acting for defendant companies in a €47m claim for conspiracy to defraud arising out of investments made in an alternative investment fund.
- Equity Real Estate (Bracknell) Ltd & Ors v Capstan Capital Partners LLP & Ors: assisting the claimant SPVs in a complex property fraud, including claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt.
- Assisted in research and preparation for interim applications where fraud was alleged – including worldwide freezing orders and proprietary injunctions (as a pupil).
Commercial Dispute Resolution
- Gibson v TSE Malta LP t/a Betfair: representing the defendant gambling operator (led by Sarah Tulip and Jonathan Davies Jones KC) in a two-week trial for a claim for breach of contract, breach of statutory duty, negligence, knowing receipt and unjust enrichment.
- Successfully represented a defendant charity in claims brought by a former trustee for breach of contract, defamation and breach of human rights.
- Successfully represented a bank in a possession hearing in the County Court (sole counsel).
- Advised and drafted pleadings in respect of a partnership dispute (sole counsel).
- Assisted in drafting and research for several advisory/agency commission claims – including in relation to M&A advisory services, corporate finance advisory services and estate agency commissions (as a pupil).
- Assisted in drafting a claim for the delivery up of vehicles under a hire-purchase agreement (as a pupil).
Banking and Financial Services
- Resisted an application for pre-action disclosure on behalf of a bank in the context of Authorised Push Payment fraud (sole counsel).
- Successfully acted for an individual in a challenge to a Financial Ombudsman decision that it had no jurisdiction to hear the complaint (led by Adam Temple).
- Successfully acted as sole counsel for a defendant bank in a claim for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties and negligence for a purportedly “unlawful” overdraft.
- Assisted in research and drafting for a claim concerning the alleged mis-selling of an interest rate swap (as a pupil).
- Assisted in a 5-day trial in the DIFC concerning the validity and enforceability of a convertible loan agreement and a guarantee (as a pupil).
- Assisted in drafting and research for various matters concerning the definition of ‘Collective Investment Scheme’ under s.235 FSMA 2000 and purported contraventions of s.19, s.21 and s.90 of FSMA (as a pupil).
Professional Negligence
- Assisted in research for a dispute between a property-development company and a solicitors’ firm on the negligent provision of advice in relation to a development finance loan agreement (as a pupil).
- Assisted in advising on a possible negligence claim in respect of advice provided by an energy broker (as a pupil).
Energy & Natural Resources
- Assisted in advising on the construction of Spent Fuel agreements (as a pupil).
- Assisted in advising on a possible negligence claim in respect of advice provided by an energy broker (as a pupil).
