Georgina Petrova > Brick Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Georgina Petrova

020 7379 3550 georgina.petrova@brickcourt.co.uk

Position

Georgina undertakes a broad range of commercial work in litigation and arbitration. Before joining chambers, Georgina practised as part of the International Dispute Resolution Group in a leading US law firm. She has represented states, multinational companies and high net-worth individuals in complex, high-value disputes relating to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Russia and the CIS.

Examples of Georgina’s recent court cases include:

• AutoStore v Ocado: acting for AutoStore, a Norwegian warehouse robot technology innovator, in a high profile patent infringement dispute with Ocado, which gives rise to (inter alia) novel and complex conflict of laws issues in breach of confidence claims (led by Vernon Flynn QC). The High Court trial took place in March and April 2022.
• Bourlakova v Bourlakov and 12 others: acting for Loudmila Bourlakova, wife of deceased oligarch Oleg Bourlakov, against her deceased husband’s relatives and associates in claims arising from a conspiracy to defraud Mrs Bourlakova and her daughters of their rightful share of the family’s assets (led by Helen Davies QC).  The claimants successfully defeated multiple challenges to the English Court’s jurisdiction. Trower J’s judgment is available here: [2022] EWHC 1269 (Ch)
• EnQuest v. BP: acting for EnQuest, a UK-based petroleum exploration and production company,   in a dispute with British Petroleum regarding the operation costs of one of Europe’s largest oil terminals (led by Fionn Pilbrow QC). The High Court trial is listed in March 2023.
• VTB v Sberbank and others: acting for Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, in a High Court dispute with VTB involving allegations of fraud in the context of the insolvency of one of Russia’s largest oil refineries (led by Lord Goldsmith QC and James Willan QC). The dispute gives rise to complex and novel issues of jurisdiction relating to proceedings commenced in support of London-seated arbitration proceedings. Sberbank successfully challenged the English Court’s jurisdiction. Cockerill J’s judgment is available here [2021] EWHC 1758 (Comm)
• Hinduja v Hinduja: acting for the Hinduja brothers in a multi-billion dollar High Court dispute over the family’s assets (led by Lord Goldsmith QC).
• The Federal Republic of Nigeria v Royal Dutch Shell plc and others [2020] EWHC 1315 (Comm): acting for the Shell defendants in multi-billion dollar High Court proceedings commenced by Nigeria and involving allegations of fraud and bribery of senior public officials including four former Nigerian presidents in relation to the grant of a prospecting licence over one of Africa’s largest oil deposits (led by Lord Goldsmith QC and James Willan QC). The Shell defendants successfully challenged the English Court’s jurisdiction. Butcher J’s judgment is available here [2020] EWHC 1315 (Comm)
• United Company Rusal Plc v Crispian Investments Ltd and Whiteleave Holdings Ltd [2018] EWHC 2415 (Comm): acting for Vladimir Potanin’s company, Whiteleave Holdings, in a multi- billion dollar dispute involving Rusal and Roman Abramovich’s company, Crispian, with respect to shares in Norilsk Nickel (led by Lord Goldsmith QC and Daniel Toledano QC).
• Investec v Glenalla Properties Ltd and others [2018] UKPC 7: acting for Robert Tchenguiz and trusts associated with him in nine complex, long-running, conjoined appeals to the Privy Council from the Guernsey Court of Appeal involving issues of trusts law, contract and restitution (led by Lord Goldsmith QC).

Georgina’s arbitration practice includes disputes under all major institutional rules and ad hoc, as well as related court proceedings in England and abroad. Examples of her recent work in arbitration are listed below.

Georgina graduated from University College London (UCL) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München with First Class Honours and various academic prizes and scholarships. She completed an LLM (with Distinction) in international commercial law at UCL and since October 2017 has held a Teaching Fellowship in contract law at UCL’s Laws Faculty.

Georgina is fluent in Bulgarian and German and has working knowledge of French and Russian.

Career

Call: 2011

Languages

Fluent: German, and Bulgarian
Proficient: French and Russian

Memberships

COMBAR

LCIA

Education

2017 –  ongoing:  Teaching Fellow in Contract Law, University College London

2013:  Judicial Assistant to the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Lloyd at the Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

2012: LLM in International Commercial Law, University College London (Distinction)

2011: Bar Professional Training Course, Kaplan College (Very Competent) completed under the Inner Temple’s Princess Royal Scholarship (one of the most prestigious academic scholarships awarded by the Inn)

2010: LLB in Law with German Law, University College London (First Class Honours)

2008 – 2009: Certificate in Rechtswissenschaft (Law), Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (Equivalent to First Class Honours)