Gretel Scott
Call: 2021; 2018 (Solicitor)
Practice Overview
Gretel is quickly developing a varied practice, focusing on commercial litigation with related interests in civil fraud, insolvency, art law and cryptoassets. Since taking tenancy in October 2022, Gretel has been led in an appeal in the Supreme Court on standing in bankruptcy law and in two High Court trials (a 7-day art law trial in the Wemyss case and a 5-week trial concerning a joint venture and allegations of fraud). Gretel also welcomes instructions unled and is currently instructed in several matters as sole counsel including providing advice, drafting pleadings, and appearing in the County Court. She volunteers with the Chancery Bar Association’s CLIPS scheme, representing litigants in person in the High Court (and received a Pro Bono Champion Award for 2023).
Gretel is a former solicitor with a keen academic interest in the Law. In 2020-2021, Gretel was the judicial assistant to Lord Briggs in the Supreme Court where she was exposed to a wide variety of cases including researching points of general commercial, trusts, tax, public and shipping law. Gretel enjoys writing articles and is available to give talks.
Gretel trained as a solicitor at Slaughter and May (2016-2018) with a secondment to Hengeler Mueller in Düsseldorf (2017), and qualified into the Disputes and Investigations team (2018). She was part of the data protection working group and is interested in innovation and emerging technologies.
Commercial Litigation and Arbitration
- Acting for a specialist pipeline company in a claim for unpaid invoices and defending a counterclaim for various alleged breaches of the contract (Guernsey, settled successfully at mediation in January 2024)
- Tribunal assistant in an ICC arbitration governed by Swiss law (ongoing)
- Advising on a contractual dispute arising out of a development management agreement for a construction project (settled successfully at mediation in March 2024)
- Various County Court applications for an energy company
- Libyan Investment Authority v King [2023] EWHC 265 (Ch) – 5-week trial in the High Court (led by Andrew Onslow KC and Kate Holderness) concerning a joint venture and allegations of fraud in a property investment
- Andrew v Flywheel IT Services Ltd [2021] EWHC 3746 (Comm) – resisting a stay of execution of a judgment debt (as a pupil, with Andrew Onslow KC)
Banking and Financial Markets
- Various County Court hearings related to payment protection insurance (PPI) claims
- Acting for the defendant in a dispute concerning matched principal brokerage services and claims in contract, deceit, misrepresentation and conspiracy (led by Farhaz Khan KC and Kate Holderness)
- Resisting a strike out for a limitation bar in a group litigation claim under section 90A FSMA (as a pupil, with Peter de Verneuil Smith KC)
Civil Fraud and Asset Tracing
- Freezing injunction and asset recovery proceedings to enforce a judgment debt obtained in the High Court (ChD) (with James Potts)
- Ajayi v Ebury Partners Limited (Commercial Court, ongoing, led by Jamie Riley KC) – defending a claim to set aside a judgment for fraud
- Guy v Foster (Commercial Court, led by William Day) – acting for the purchaser of a rural estate and wedding business in Dorset in an £18m deceit claim against the seller
- Libyan Investment Authority v King [2023] EWHC 265 (Ch) – 5-week trial in the High Court, Chancery Division (led by Andrew Onslow KC and Kate Holderness) concerning a joint venture and allegations of fraud in a property investment
- Tinkler v Esken Ltd (formerly Stobart Group Ltd) [2022] EWHC 1375 (Ch) – 10-day trial in the High Court acting for Mr Tinkler in his claim to set aside for fraud the judgment obtained by Esken Limited (as a pupil, supervised by James McWilliams)
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law
- Brake v The Chedington Court Estate Ltd [2023] UKSC 29– acting for The Chedington Court Estate Ltd in its successful appeal to the Supreme Court (led by Andrew Sutcliffe KC and William Day) concerning standing under section 303(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986
- Winding up petition in the Companies Court
- Application to set aside a statutory demand
Art Law
- Acting for an auction house in a contractual claim against a seller (ongoing)
- Feilding v Simon C Dickinson Ltd [2022] EWHC 3091 (Ch) – 7-day trial in the High Court (led by Andrew Onslow KC) acting for the trustees of the Wemyss Heirlooms Trust concerning a claim in professional negligence against an art dealer
Insurance and Reinsurance
- Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd [2020] EWHC 2448 (Comm) – acting for one of the defendant insurers in a test case under the Financial Markets Test Case Scheme concerning business interruption insurance and Covid-19 (as a solicitor)
Conflict of Laws
- Joyvio Group & Ors v Moreno & Ors (Commercial Court, ongoing, led by Tim Penny KC, Jack Watson and William Day) – acting for Chinese food conglomerate in $1bn fraud claim arising from acquisition of Chilean salmon farm business. Jurisdiction challenge to be heard in June 2024.
Intellectual Property
- easyGroup Limited v Easy Hotel Wi-Fi Ltd & Ors (High Court, ChD) – obtaining an order for default judgment including declaratory and injunctive relief against the Defendants in a claim for trade mark infringement and passing off
- Acting for a hospitality company in a claim for breach of a franchise agreement (ongoing)
