Tamara Oppenheimer
Fountain Court Chambers
Temple
London , EC4Y 9DH United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7583 3335
Fax +44 (0)20 7353 0329
Tamara Oppenheimer

Tamara Oppenheimer

Call date

2002

Practice Areas

Tamara Oppenheimer has a broad commercial and civil practice (including all aspects of commercial litigation), specialising in the following areas:

  • Professional Negligence;
  • Banking & Finance;
  • Insurance & Reinsurance;
  • Conflicts of law & Private International Law;
  • Arbitration;
  • Civil Fraud; and
  • General Commercial Litigation

Recommendations (Practitioners' Guides)

Recommended as an up and coming junior for Commercial Dispute Resolution in Chambers and Partners.

Described in Chambers and Partners 2009 and 2010 as “young but extremely talented”, “very responsive and easy to get on with” and "highly experienced, represents great value for money and knows how to deal with the demands of a modern commercial practice."

Education

BCL, Christ Church, Oxford (distinction)
Diploma in Law, City University (distinction)
BA (Hons) Philosophy Politics and Economics, Merton College, Oxford (first class)

Prizes & Scholarships

Exhibition (Merton College, Oxford)
Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Scholarship (Inner Temple)

Appointments

Junior Counsel to the Crown (C Panel)

Other Qualifications

Former solicitor

Professional Experience

Tamara Oppenheimer is a barrister with experience in a number of different areas of commercial and civil law. She practises in the following areas: professional negligence, banking & finance, insurance & reinsurance, all aspects of commercial litigation, conflicts of law & private international law, civil fraud, arbitration and financial services/regulatory. Recent examples of her practice are set out below.

Recent Practice

Professional Negligence

  • Acted for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (with David Railton QC and Richard Handyside QC) in Financial Services Compensation Scheme v Abbey National Treasury Services and NDF Ltd, a negligence/breach of statutory duty claim relating to the alleged mis-selling of structured capital at risk products to retail investors. Also acted for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (with Richard Handyside QC) in Financial Services Compensation Scheme v GE Life, arising out of similar facts.
  • Acted for Christie’s (with Jonathan Sumption QC and Andrew Onslow QC) in Thomson v Christie Manson & Woods Limited and others [2005] PNLR 38, concerning duties of care of auctioneers. Also acted for Christie’s (with Andrew Onslow QC) at first instance: [2004] PNLR 42.
  • Acted for a fund manager (with Timothy Howe QC and Patrick Goodall) in arbitration proceedings in connection with professional negligence claims by one of its clients arising out of the “credit crunch”.
  • Acted (with Mark Simpson QC) for claimants in a professional negligence claim against solicitors.
  • Acted (with Mark Simpson QC) for defendants in a professional negligence claim against solicitors.
  • Acting for the BMIF in connection with a professional negligence claim against a barrister.
  • Acted for executor claimants in a professional negligence/fraud claim against a firm of solicitors.
  • Acted for a construction company in a negligence claim concerning defective construction.
  • Acted for solicitors and claimants in various professional negligence claims against solicitors.

Banking & Finance

Acted for banks (both retail and investment) and provided advice in a wide variety of disputes and matters, including the following:

  • Acting for/advising a major bank in relation to various claims arising out of the sale of payment protection insurance.
  • Acted (with Timothy Howe QC) for a foreign telecommunications company in connection with breach of contract claims brought by two major investment banks.
  • Acted for a fund manager (with Timothy Howe QC and Patrick Goodall) in arbitration proceedings in connection with claims arising out of the “credit crunch”.
  • Acted for the Bank of Scotland plc in Bank of Scotland plc v Paul Sutton, a claim in connection with a guarantee. Successfully obtained summary judgment before Christopher Clarke J.
  • Acted for/advised a major bank in connection with a £6 million breach of warranty claim.
  • Acted for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (with David Railton QC and Richard Handyside QC) in Financial Services Compensation Scheme v Abbey National Treasury Services and NDF Ltd, a negligence/breach of statutory duty claim relating to the alleged mis-selling of structured capital at risk products to retail investors.
  • Acted (with the late Christopher Carr QC) for a major investment bank in connection with a derivatives dispute.
  • Acted for the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (with Timothy Howe QC) in a claim relating to its investment in a textiles project in Central Asia.
  • Acted for a major UK bank in a claim brought by a number of solicitors concerning the misappropriation of funds by a partner.
  • Advised a major investment bank (with Bankim Thanki QC) in connection with the capacity of certain entities to enter into derivatives transactions.
  • Extensive experience of acting for lenders in mortgage repossession actions.
  • Advising banks on cases involving cheques, mistaken payments and guarantees.

Insurance & Reinsurance

  • Acting for/advising a major bank in relation to various claims arising out of the sale of payment protection insurance.
  • Acted (with Timothy Howe QC) for reinsurers in Carvill America Incorporated and another v Camperdown UK Ltd and others [2005] 2 Lloyds Rep 457, concerning a claim brought by reinsurance brokers relating to the payment of brokerage fees.
  • Acted (with Mark Simpson QC) for a major insurer in arbitration proceedings in connection with a 10 million pound business interruption claim. The insurer successfully defeated the entire claim.
  • Acted for/advised insurers (with Bankim Thanki QC) in a policy coverage dispute relating to a professional indemnity policy. 
  • Advised in connection with an income protection policy and successfully achieved a settlement for the insured.
  • Advised on insurance coverage issues relating to professional indemnity insurance

Commercial Litigation

  • Acted and advised in connection with a large variety of commercial contractual disputes. 
  • Acting (with Timothy Howe QC) for the claimants in Boris Berezovsky and others v Edminston & Co Ltd and others, a multi million pound claim in the Commercial Court relating to unpaid brokerage in connection with the sale of a yacht.
  • Acting (with Timothy Howe QC) for the defendant in Binyam Mohamed v Jeppesen UK, a damages claim concerning the claimant’s alleged unlawful renditions.
  • Acted for/advised Ernst & Young in connection with a breach of contract claim in the Commercial Court.
  • Acted for/advised a major bank in connection with a £6 million breach of warranty claim.
  • Acted for a company providing logistical services in relation to a £750,000 breach of contract claim.
  • Acted for an artist in connection with a claim made against her by her gallery/promoter
  • Acted for a retail company in a claim concerning the breach of a share sale and purchase agreement.

Conflict of laws & Private International Law

  • Acted (with Timothy Howe QC) for a foreign telecommunications company in connection with breach of contract claims brought by two major investment banks; including acting in connection with the defendant company’s jurisdiction challenge.
  • Acted for reinsurers (with Timothy Howe QC) in Carvill America Incorporated and another v Camperdown UK Ltd and others [2005] 2 Lloyd Rep 457.
  • Acted for the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (with Timothy Howe QC) in connection with various jurisdiction applications
  • Acted for Cricket Sri Lanka (with Timothy Howe QC) in connection with multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitration concerning TV rights in respect of Sri Lanka international cricket matches; included resisting enforcement of an arbitration award in the UK.
  • Acted for a Belgian company in connection with an application to resist jurisdiction of the English Court.
  • Acted (with the late Christopher Carr QC) for a major investment in connection with an application to resist jurisdiction.

Arbitration

  • Acting (with Michael Crane QC) for insurers of a major manufacturer in connection with a  claim by an airline company arising out of a mid-air plane collision.
  • Acted for a fund manager (with Timothy Howe QC and Patrick Goodall) in arbitration proceedings in connection with claims arising out of the “credit crunch”.
  • Acted (with Mark Simpson QC) in arbitration proceedings for major insurer in connection with 10 million pound claim under a business interruption policy. The insurer successfully defeated the entire claim.
  • Acted (with Timothy Howe QC) for Cricket Sri Lanka in connection with multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitration concerning TV rights in respect of Sri Lanka international cricket matches.
  • Acted for a construction company in a negligence claim concerning defective construction.

Financial Services

  • Acted for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (with David Railton QC and Richard Handyside QC) in Financial Services Compensation Scheme v Abbey National Treasury Services and NDF Ltd, a negligence/breach of statutory duty claim relating to the alleged mis-selling of structured capital at risk products to retail investors.
  • Also acted for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (with Richard Handyside QC) in Financial Services Compensation Scheme v GE Life, arising out of similar facts.

Civil Fraud

  • Acted with Brian Doctor QC, Patrick Goodall, Paul Sinclair and Rosalind Phelps in Tajik Aluminium Plant v Ermatov and others, a multi million dollar claim involving allegations of fraud and conspiracy relating to the aluminium industry in Tajikistan.
  • Acted for executor claimants in a professional negligence/fraud claim against a firm of solicitors.

Administrative & Public Law

  • Acted for regulators in judicial review proceedings.
  • Acted for the Law Society in various claims.

Reported Cases

Thomson v Christie Manson & Woods Limited and others [2005] PNLR 38 (and at first instance: [2004] PNLR 42).
Carvill America Incorporated and another v Camperdown UK Ltd and others [2005] 2 Lloyds Rep 457

Publications

Co-author of The Law of Privilege (ed. Thanki) (2006, Oxford University Press)

Other Experience

Former solicitor at Allen & Overy: trainee and subsequently assistant in the Litigation Department (Banking and Finance Group) (1998-2001)
Judicial Assistant to Lord Woolf (Master of the Rolls and subsequently Lord Chief Justice) (2000)
Legal assistant at the Treasury Solicitor (Judicial Review division) (1997/1998)
Legal assistant in Italian law firm, Tonon e Associati, Rome (1997)

Languages

Italian (fluent)
Russian (fluent conversational)