Natalie Stopps
Call Date
2000
Practice Areas
Natalie Stopps has a wide-ranging commercial and civil law practice, with a particular interest in the following fields:
- Aviation
- Banking & Finance
- Civil Fraud
- Commercial Litigation
- Information Technology
- Insurance and Reinsurance
- Professional Discipline
- Professional Negligence
Education
MA (Hons) Classics, Trinity Hall, Cambridge (Double First)
Diploma in Law, City University (Distinction)
Prizes & Scholarships
Reid Scholarship, Gray’s Inn (2000)
Annual Mooting Award, Gray’s Inn (2000)
Worshipful Company of Arbitrators Award for Diploma in Law results (1999)
David Karmel Award, Gray’s Inn (1998)
Angus Prize for Classics, Trinity Hall (1998)
Elected Scholar of Trinity Hall (1996, 1997 and 1998)
Trinity Hall Prizes for Tripos Results (1996, 1997 and 1998)
Henry Arthur Thomas Travel Exhibition, Cambridge Faculty of Classics (1996)
Henry Arthur Thomas Prize, Cambridge Faculty of Classics (1996)
Professional Experience
Natalie advises upon and acts in a wide variety of commercial and civil matters, appearing regularly in the High Court and the County Court. She is equally at home acting on her own and as part of a team of counsel. In addition to her appearances as a trial advocate, Natalie also undertakes a broad range of interim applications, including those in which freezing orders and ancillary disclosure orders are sought, often at very short notice. Natalie regularly acts on behalf of High Street banks and building societies in relation to the enforcement of mortgages and other securities. She has a special interest in contractual disputes requiring detailed analysis of factual and technical material and is keen to develop her existing experience of civil fraud-related litigation.
Recent Practice
Aviation
Natalie has advised on and drafted pleadings in a number of aviation-related matters, including claims under aircraft lease and maintenance agreements, disputes concerning liability for defective aircraft components, and personal injury litigation arising out of air accidents. She recently acted (with Akhil Shah) on behalf of an aircraft lessor seeking delivery up of an aircraft pursuant to the terms of the relevant lease agreement.
Banking & Finance
Natalie has worked on a wide variety of banking cases, involving bankers’ drafts, cheques, bankers’ negligence, fixed and floating charges, guarantees, mortgages and other loan agreements. She regularly represents a number of High Street banks and building societies in residential possession claims and other banking litigation. Natalie recently acted successfully for a lender in relation to the enforcement of a multi-million pound judgment against a defendant subject to various freezing orders and associated undertakings in this jurisdiction and elsewhere.
Civil Fraud
Natalie has advised on and acted in a number of cases based upon or involving allegations of civil fraud. Recently, she has:
- Represented two of the numerous defendants to a multi-million pound Commercial Court claim arising from an alleged mortgage fraud.
- Advised on a claim to have a judgment set aside on the ground that it was obtained by fraud.
- Successfully acted for claimants seeking an account of monies due to them from their former agent, who was alleged to have committed long-standing and systematic financial fraud in the management of the claimants’ business affairs (4-day trial in the Chancery Division).
- Obtained summary judgment for a manufacturer in a substantial Queen’s Bench Division claim arising out of false invoicing (proceedings included obtaining a worldwide freezing order, various third party disclosure orders and a separate hearing to determine quantum).
- Acted (with Jonathan Hirst QC, Andrew Mitchell and Patrick Goodall) on behalf of Cable & Wireless Plc in proceedings against former employees arising out of alleged civil fraud in an insurance/reinsurance context.
- Advised a defendant in relation to suspected forgery or material alteration of a series of contracts which the claimant sought to enforce.
- Acted successfully for a mortgage lender in proceedings for the quantification of a mortgage debt in which the defendant was alleged to have adduced false evidence of alleged payments towards the outstanding balance.
- Prepared and made a number of High Court applications for freezing orders (domestic and worldwide) and ancillary disclosure orders.
Commercial Litigation
Major Commercial Litigation
Natalie’s experience of acting in large-scale and high-value commercial disputes includes the following:
- Currently acting on behalf of the defendants to a substantial Commercial Court claim for alleged breach of various warranties in a share sale and purchase agreement.
- Currently instructed on behalf of a fire safety company to defend a multi-million pound claim for losses arising from fire damage to the claimant’s industrial premises.
- Junior Counsel for a large manufacturer in a multi-million pound claim against a supplier for misrepresentation and breach of collateral warranty (led by Philip Brook Smith QC).
- Acted (with Jonathan Hirst QC, Andrew Mitchell and Patrick Goodall) on behalf of Cable & Wireless Plc in proceedings against former employees arising out of alleged civil fraud in an insurance/reinsurance context.
- Instructed on behalf of the Royal Bank of Canada to assist Guy Philipps QC and Richard Handyside with pre-trial preparations in an action arising from an Enron-related swap transaction.
- Acted (with Leslie Kosmin QC and Derrick Dale) for Cable & Wireless Plc in a major contractual dispute.
- Junior Counsel for the South African government in a contractual dispute concerning South Africa’ strategic fuel stocks (led by Brian Doctor QC).
- Junior Counsel for a website developer in a contractual claim relating to the design and construction of a website for retail purposes (led by Guy Philipps QC).
- Acted (with Brian Doctor QC and Richard Coleman) in the Cape litigation (group action against Cape Plc involving thousands of foreign claimants seeking damages for asbestos-related injuries).
Other Commercial Matters
Natalie has advised on and acted in a variety of contractual disputes of different sizes. Examples include:
- The sale and supply of goods and services
- Claims for commissions and reservation fees in relation to the sale of new properties
- Recruitment agency claims for fees and commissions
- Disputes regarding the payment of consultancy fees
- Marketing and publicity agreements
- Retention of title clauses
- Penalty and liquidated damages clauses
- Misrepresentation
- Bailment
- Factoring of debts
- Property rental agreements
- Credit agreements
- A dispute concerning the supply of television broadcasting services
- The enforceability of recruitment agency restrictive covenants
- Solicitors’ recovery of unpaid costs
- Defending claims against manufacturers for allegedly defective goods
- Defending a software company against a claim for breach of contract or payment of a quantum meruit
- Advising a global financial organisation on a claim for breach of an agreement to provide a high-specification database and associated technology
- Specific Performance
- Defending claims against former employees for breach of restrictive covenants
Employment
Natalie has acted for defendants to employers’ claims for breach of restrictive covenants and represented claimants in various claims relating to the alleged fraud of employees and agents (please see above).
Information Technology
Natalie has acted in a number of IT-related contractual disputes. Recent examples include:
- Acting in a claim against a supplier for breach of a contract to supply and maintain software sold for use in the processing of credit, debit, loyalty and gift card transactions.
- Defending a software company against a claim for breach of contract or payment of a quantum meruit.
- Advising a global financial organisation on a claim for breach of an agreement to provide a high-specification database and associated technology.
- Acting as Junior Counsel for a website developer in a contractual claim relating to the design and construction of a website for retail purposes (led by Guy Philipps QC).
Insolvency
Natalie has acted for creditors on winding-up petitions and applications to set aside statutory demands. She recently advised upon the construction, effect and validity of an agreement between creditors as to the application of the assets of an insolvent company.
Insurance and Reinsurance
Natalie has worked on various insurance and reinsurance-related matters. Recently, she has:
- Advised a policyholder regarding the avoidance of a decreasing term assurance and critical illness policy on the grounds of material non-disclosure.
- Acted (with Jonathan Hirst QC, Andrew Mitchell and Patrick Goodall) on behalf of Cable & Wireless Plc in proceedings against former employees arising out of alleged civil fraud in an insurance/reinsurance context.
- Provided advice on coverage issues relating to professional indemnity insurance (including that of architects and engineers) and commercial premises insurance.
- Drafted pleadings in a prospective High Court action concerning breach of the duty to insure (acting for the insured against his former employers).
- Advised a major insurer on rights of subrogation against third parties in the event of the insured’s insolvency.
Professional Discipline
Natalie has been instructed to act in a number of Law Society matters. She recently acted for the Law Society in proceedings for the recovery of intervention costs and Compensation Fund grants from a former solicitor. She has provided advice on the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 upon interventions into solicitors’ practices. Natalie also appeared for the Law Society at the trial of a claim for the payment out of client monies allegedly held on trust following an intervention into the practice of a bankrupt solicitor.
Professional Negligence
Natalie has provided advice and/or pleadings in professional negligence claims involving solicitors, barristers, valuers and insurance brokers.
Publications
Contributor to Sweet & Maxwell’s Civil Procedure Reports 2001 – 2004.