The Legal 500

Work Department

Dispute resolution.

Position

Deirdre Walker is a dispute resolution lawyer based in London where she is group head of litigation and dispute resolution. Deirdre handles a variety of significant domestic and international disputes of a commercial nature. She has experience in all forms of dispute resolution including litigation, mediation and arbitration as well as general banking and commercial dispute resolution with a particular specialism in commercial fraud and interlocutory applications. She has extensive experience of urgent applications for freezing injunctions and ancillary relief and in the recovery of assets. Previous instructions include advising on and securing discharge of a freezing injunction obtained in circumstances which prevented the disposal of significant property interests in Zimbabwe; advising Drax in connection with unlawful access by protestors on to its site and obtaining injunctive relief preventing unnamed persons from doing so, including preventing access over a public footpath; successfully advising a major financial institution In respect of its exposure following the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Current instructions include advising a major international corporate in connection with a dispute arising out of the correct treatment of net debt following a major acquisition through a joint venture vehicle. The claim involves both arbitration proceedings and an expert determination; advising a major financial institution in connection with claims brought by partners in its hedge fund subsidiary alleging unfair prejudice; advising on a range of matters arising out of the collapse of Sigma Finance Ltd.

Career

Called to Bar 1986; joined the Government legal Service at the department of trade and Industry 1987-89; Norton Rose 1989; requalified as solicitor 1991; partner Norton Rose 1997; elected London managing partner 2002; accredited mediator 2003; group head commercial real estate and disputes 2010.

Member

Law Society.

Education

Quinton House School, Northampton; Polytechnic of Central London; (1984 BA Hons Law 2(1)); Bar finals (1985); Law Society finals (1991).

Leisure

Spending time with family.

Practice Areas

Arbitration, ADR, mediation; Fraud; Litigation - commercial