Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP Offices

21 LOMBARD STREET
LONDON
EC3V 9AH
England
Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil Tier 3
A ‘brilliant choice’, boutique law firm Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP represents both corporate and private clients in complex fraud work. Civil fraud and asset recovery specialist Lydia Danon is ‘a superb lawyer’; Jon Felce is routinely engaged to act in claims involving deceit, breach of trust, conspiracy and misrepresentation, including in relation to employee and cyber fraud; Sinead O’Callaghan is experienced in financial sector-related fraud; and Natalie Todd ‘knows how to get results for clients’. The practice further includes Stephen Elam, who acts for crypto exchanges and coin issuers in litigation, and technology and finance disputes specialist Sam Roberts.Other key lawyers:
Lydia Danon; Jon Felce; Sinead O’Callaghan; Natalie Todd; Stephen Elam; Sam Roberts; Rosie Wild; Elizabeth Meade
Testimonials
‘Excellent sector knowledge and vast experience of disputes makes CYK a brilliant choice.’
‘Young, ambitious, clever, capable, and user friendly. They are very quick to respond and happy to roll their sleeves up. Absolute professionalism, commitment and quality advice. CYK is just excellent.’
‘Demonstrates high levels of engagement, responsiveness and professionalism. The addition of new partners in recent years (particularly Jon Felce and Natalie Todd) has brought real strength and depth to its offering.’
‘Jon Felce is a highly cerebral litigator who knows the law inside out.’
‘Natalie Todd is a brilliant leader who knows how to get results for clients.’
‘Natalie Todd and Jon Felce are expert civil fraud litigators. Specialists in the heaviest, most complicated civil fraud litigation in England and abroad.’
‘Jon Felce is fast, pragmatic and knowledgeable – he is able to explain the intricacies of complex and highly formalistic English enforcement rules and suggest the best way forward.’
‘Lydia Danon is a superb lawyer – responsive, great with clients, and forensic. Rosie Wild is an extremely smart lawyer, who will never give up until a solution is found.’
Key clients
Merbau Synergy
Cally Shipholdings
Vital Shipping Corporation
Dainford Navigation
Tamara Shipholdings
Tuscany Maritime
Novoship (UK)
Joyvio Group Co
BJ Joyvio Zhencheng Technology Co
Food Investments
Australis Seafoods
Australis Mar
Acuícola Cordillera
Salmones Islas del Sur
Salmones Alpen
Procesadora de Alimentos Australis
Melville Consulting Partners
Melville Consultancy
Regal Consultancy International
ThinkMarkets
JNFX
PL Holdings
Work highlights
- Acting for two defendants in a $14bn conspiracy claim relating to the alleged seizure of assets, including various strategic port facilities in Russia.
- Acting for two defendants in a £6bn claim brought by Tulip Trading, in relation to the alleged hack of Dr Wright’s home network and theft of private keys for approximately 110,000 bitcoin and related digital assets.
- Acting for the defendants in a $91m matter, which relates to an underlying fraud and secret profits dispute concerning sex tapes, secret documents and a Conservative peer.
Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail Tier 3
Conflict-free boutique Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP excels in litigation against banks and financial institutions. The firm has also noticed a recent influx of mandates from overseas banks. Specialising in commercial disputes within the finance sector, Sinead O’Callaghan advises a diverse roster of clients, from high-net-worth individuals to UK FTSE 100 companies to international corporates. Stephen Elam is an expert in financial services litigation, bringing in-house experience to the team, and ‘exceptional tactician’ Jon Felce is regularly called upon by clients from Russia and the CIS region. Lydia Danon and Sam Roberts are other names to note, and Rosie Wild was promoted to the partnership in April 2023. Kajal Patel also boasts a broad banking disputes practice.Other key lawyers:
Sinead O’Callaghan; Stephen Elam; Jon Felce; Lydia Danon; Sam Roberts; Rosie Wild; Kajal Patel; Natalie Todd; Mikhail Vishnyakov
Testimonials
‘Sam Roberts – the man is a genius, particularly in respect of crypto disputes. He’s also a lot a fun and is very easy-going.’
‘Jon Felce is a highly cerebral litigator who knows the law inside out. Natalie Todd is a brilliant leader who knows how to get results for clients.’
‘Jon Felce, Natalie Todd and Mikhail Vishnyakov are excellent and experienced litigators with particular experience of disputes involving Russia and the former CIS states.’
‘Stephen Elam, Sinead O’Callaghan, Natalie Todd, Jon Felce and Sam Roberts are hungry, tenacious, technically gifted and commercial sensitive. Rosie Wild standouts, too.’
‘The team provides a very high standard of service, with significant levels of partner input.’
‘Stephen Elam (partner) – knows the financial services industry extremely well, is intelligent and very sensible, and is very alert to clients’ commercial interests. Kajal Patel (associate) – very intelligent, tough and client-focused.’
‘Sinead O’Callaghan and Lydia Danon are the exceptional standout lawyers! First class!’
‘Jon Felce is an exceptional tactician and fraud litigator who can see angles and approaches that others would miss; Natalie Todd is absolutely someone to watch – she is in high demand from clients and held in high regard by her peers. Rosie Wild is absolutely a name to watch – I have worked with her since she was a junior associate, when she was trusted by the leading partner to run the matter on a day-to-day basis. She is an exceptional leader, with a wealth and depth of litigation expertise of a much more seasoned litigator.’
Key clients
ThinkMarkets
JNFX Limited
Daniel and Toby Ward
Kai Midgley
Kemnal Investments Ltd
Giovanni Rollino
Fantasia Holdings Group
Tether Holdings Limited
Work highlights
- Acted for ThinkMarkets group companies in Commercial Court proceedings, brought by IS Prime Limited, which claims that ThinkMarkets executed FX, swap, and other trades elsewhere in breach of an obligation to trade exclusively with IS Prime.
- Advised Fantasia Holdings Group Co., Limited, which missed a $206m bond repayment and filed a notice with the Stock Exchange indicating it was unable to do so.
- Advising Russian bank National Bank Trust on various significant matters arising from the consolidation of bad debts from other Russian banks.
Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes Tier 3
Litigation boutique Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP has a broad focus on international arbitration, enforcement and asset recovery, and it is increasingly involved in commodities arbitration. ‘Excellent sector knowledge and vast experience of disputes make the firm a brilliant choice‘, remarks one commenter. Mikhail Vishnyakov is the standout practitioner, though clients also recommend ‘highly cerebral litigator‘ Jon Felce and Natalie Todd, who ‘combine rigorous legal analysis with strong tactical ability‘. Sinead O’Callaghan is frequently involved in commercial disputes emanating from Africa, South and Central America, Russia and former CIS countries.Practice head(s):
Mikhail Vishnyakov
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘CYK has a strong commodities practice that complements its market-leading expertise in commercial litigation.’
‘Jon Felce and Natalie Todd stand out as excellent and dynamic partners who are able to combine rigorous legal analysis with strong tactical ability.’
‘Excellent sector knowledge and vast experience of disputes make CYK a brilliant choice. The addition of new partners in recent years (particularly Jon Felce and Natalie Todd) has brought real strength and depth to its offering.’
‘Jon Felce is a highly cerebral litigator who knows the law inside out. Natalie Todd is a brilliant leader who knows how to get results for clients.’
‘The law firm is very responsive and experienced. It is always a pleasure to work with Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP. The team offers truly exceptional support, with great expertise and availability.’
‘John Felce and Rosie Wild are great.’
Key clients
Joyvio Group Co., Ltd
BJ Joyvio Zhencheng Technology Co., Ltd
Food Investments SPA
Australis Seafoods S.A and five of its subsidiaries
Work highlights
- Acted for the Chinese Joyvio Group (owned by Lenovo) and Chilean salmon farming company Australis and some of its subsidiaries in a high-profile and high-value dispute with Chilean billionaire Isidoro Quiroga, two of his sons and another former director, concerning the latter’s sale of Australis to Joyvio in 2019.
Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious Tier 4
Drawing upon 'excellent technical skill and commercial nous', commercial litigation boutique Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP provides 'client-focused, streamlined and commercial' advice to corporates and individuals across a range of complex supervisory and enforcement proceedings and associated litigation. Under the guidance of 'intelligent, sensible and commercial' team head Stephen Elam, the practice continues to grow its expertise in the crypto currency space, an area that the 'very impressive' Sam Roberts is particularly adept. Unfettered by any conflicts, the firm also excels at prosecuting complex and significant claims against banks.Practice head(s):
Stephen Elam
Other key lawyers:
Sinead O’Callaghan; Sam Roberts; Elizabeth Meade
Testimonials
‘It is a team at the leading edge of crypto work, with the ability to think strategically with the end goal in mind.’
‘Responsive, client-focused, streamlined and commercial.’
‘They have excellent technical skill and commercial nous, key capabilities are deep experience in prosecuting complex and significant claims.’
‘Stephen Elam is an intelligent, sensible and commercial solicitor.’
‘Sam Roberts has a brilliant mind and is always thinking strategically.’
‘Sam Roberts – a very impressive partner with leading tech and finance focus.’
‘Elizabeth Meade is always on top of the detail and good at cutting through to the key points.’
Key clients
ThinkMarkets (FCA and ASIC-regulated online trading broker)
iFinex Inc (trading as Bitfinex)
Jason Cox and Amaury Sechet
Tether Holdings Limited (“Tether”)
JNFX Limited (Giwa)
JNFX Limited (Ploutheos)
Daniel and Toby Ward
Giovanni Rollino
Work highlights
- Acting for ThinkMarkets group companies in its defence and counterclaim in proceedings brought by IS Prime Limited (part of the ISAM Capital Markets group) relating to the basis upon which IS Prime provided matched principal brokerage services to ThinkMarkets on exclusive terms.
- Acting for major cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitfinex in various proceedings, involving novel issues as to duties owed (and resulting potential claims) against crypto exchanges, and the interplay of financial services regulation and legislation on overseas cryptoasset firms.
- Acting for two defendants in the £6bn claim brought by Tulip Trading Ltd (a corporate alter ego of Australian computer scientist, Craig Wright) in relation to the alleged hack of Dr Wright’s home network and theft of private keys for approximately 110,000 bitcoin and related digital assets.
Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium Tier 5
Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP’s disputes practice spans corporate, commercial and financial services litigation, with an increasing specialism in the technology sector. ‘Strategically savvy partner’ Sinead O’Callaghan represents a diverse roster of clients, encompassing high-net-worth individuals, multinationals, and government entities. Stephen Elam specialises in commercial disputes in the financial services sector. Lydia Danon has an active multijurisdictional practice, while Sam Roberts focuses on the fintech and technology spaces. Jon Felce is another name to note, alongside Natalie Todd. An ‘intellectually immense industry leader’, Rosie Wild was promoted to partner in April 2023.Other key lawyers:
Sinead O’Callaghan; Stephen Elam; Lydia Danon; Jon Felce; Natalie Todd; Sam Roberts; Rosie Wild; Kajal Patel; Elizabeth Meade; Florence Sandberg; Mikhail Vishnyakov
Testimonials
‘Sam Roberts, Liz Meade and Florence Sandberg. All very approachable and on top of the detail.’
‘Sinead O’Callaghan – very strategically savvy partner who remains serenely calm under stress. Sam Roberts – legally and commercially astute partner who is often at least one step ahead. Liz Meade – an incredibly bright and hardworking senior associate, who has a phenomenal eye for the detail.’
‘Natalie Todd and Jon Felce specialise in extremely high-value and fiendishly complicated civil fraud claims. They are incredibly smart, efficient and have excellent commercial and strategic instincts. Wonderful to work with.’
‘Jon Felce is a highly cerebral litigator who knows the law inside out. Natalie Todd is a brilliant leader who knows how to get results for clients.’
‘I have worked with Lydia Danon and Mikhail Vishnyakov. They are both superb. They know the detail, but never lose sight of the big picture. They have excellent client manners and they are a real pleasure to work with.’
‘Rosie Wild is intellectually immense industry leader who is hardworking and a fantastic to work with.’
‘Lydia Danon – a shrewd intellect and delight to work with. Rosie Wild – never a task not done on time.’
‘Jon Felce and Florence Sandberg are names to watch out for. They are strategic, commercial and walk the extra mile to fight in the client’s best interest. They work very closely together in a seamless team, are always available, and a pleasure to collaborate with.’
Key clients
i) Domidias Limited and Mr Andrey Severilov; and ii) Domidias Limited and Merbau Synergy Limited
Jason Cox and Amaury Sechet
ThinkMarkets (FCA and ASIC-regulated online trading broker)
Topalsson GmbH
Sovcomflot company defendants: Cally Shipholdings Inc, Vital Shipping Corporation, Dainford Navigation Inc, Tamara Shipholdings SA, Tuscany Maritime SA, Novoship (UK) Limited
iFinex Inc (trading as Bitfinex).
Investors in Echosense, a MedTech business
PL Holdings Sarl (PLH)
Seyed Ehsan Dastghaib
Mex (1) – Stewart Owen Ford, (2) Brian Robert Cormack, (3) Melville Consulting Partners Limited, (4) Melville Consultancy Ltd, and (5) Regal Consultancy International Ltd
Joyvio
Michael v Michael
Work highlights
- Acting for two defendants in the multi-billion dollar claim brought by Tulip Trading Ltd, a corporate alter ego of Dr Craig Wright, alleging that it is the owner of c. 110,000 BTC (along with equivalent tokens on three other forked blockchains) and that the private keys to those BTC were stolen during an undetected hack of Dr Wright’s home network.
- Acting for Domidias Limited and Mr Andrey Severilov as defendants to $14bn conspiracy proceedings commenced by Mr Ziyavudin Magomedov (“ZM”) and nine connected parties in the Commercial Court.
- Representing the Sovcomflot company defendants in a high-profile dispute, which started when entities now part of the Sovcomflot Group brought proceedings against Wilmer Ruperti and his companies for taking secret profits connected to charters to the PDVSA.
Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 5
With ‘significant expertise in arbitral procedures’, Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP‘s recent mandates include heavyweight international arbitrations, and award enforcements and challenges. The boutique practice is also increasingly acting in claimant-side investor-state disputes. Promoted to partner in April 2023, Mikhail Vishnyakov ‘fights hard for clients’. Sinead O’Callaghan is an expert in commercial disputes concerning entities in Africa, Russia, CIS countries, and South and Central America. Jon Felce ‘knows the law inside out', and Natalie Todd regularly assists with enforcing arbitration awards.Other key lawyers:
Mikhail Vishnyakov; Sinead O’Callaghan; Jon Felce; Natalie Todd; Sam Roberts; Julia Ogievetsky; Tulsi Bhatia
Testimonials
‘Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP has an exceptional team in dispute resolution and, in particular, international arbitration.’
‘They are great both at strategic and tactical levels, always aiming to achieve the best possible results.’
‘Very qualified and has significant expertise in arbitral procedures, which makes the difference in the conduct of the case. They are fast and very organised in their arguments, and they find the best solutions for cases.’
‘Excellent sector knowledge and vast experience of disputes make CYK a brilliant choice. The addition of new partners in recent years (particularly Jon Felce and Natalie Todd) has brought real strength and depth to its offering.’
‘Jon Felce is a highly-cerebral litigator who knows the law inside out.’
‘Jon Felce is fast, pragmatic and knowledgeable. He is able to explain the intricacies of complex and highly formalistic English enforcement rules and suggest the best way forward.’
‘Natalie Todd is a brilliant leader who knows how to get results for clients.’
‘Mikhail Vishnyakov is a tenacious litigator, who fights hard for clients and is fearless in the face of the opposition. From a barrister’s perspective, he is a great solicitor to work alongside, marshalling the case to trial with great vigour.’
Key clients
MXV
PL Holdings
Joyvio Group Co
BJ Joyvio Zhencheng Technology Co
Food Investments
Australis Seafoods
Work highlights
- Successfully defended MXV against Section 68 challenges to two arbitral awards, arising out of an LCIA arbitration.
- Acted for PL Holdings in a high-profile case concerning the impact of the Court of Justice of the European Union decision in Achmea v Slovak Republic.
- Acted for Chinese Joyvio Group and Chilean salmon farming company Australis (and some of its subsidiaries) in a high-value dispute with Chilean billionaire Isidoro Quiroga, two of his sons, and another former director, concerning the latter’s sale of Australis to Joyvio in 2019.
Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP > Firm Profile
Cooke, Young & Keidan LLP is a leading specialist firm of commercial disputes lawyers. We specialise in undertaking substantial English Court litigation, international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, working for businesses in the UK and abroad as well as for high-net-worth individuals.
We are known for outstanding successes in complex cases thanks to our experience, innovation and tenacity. Our specialist focus assists us to remain free of conflicts of interest, meaning that we can act fearlessly against most financial institutions and substantial multinational companies.
The firm: Since our foundation in 2009 we have built a formidable reputation for achieving results for our clients in high-value commercial disputes, including both court litigation and international arbitration cases. Offering a combination of commercialism, strategic thinking and tenacity, we are also able to act creatively and flexibly in a way that sets us apart from our competitors. We offer exceptional, personalized service.
We are known for our adroit handling of complex cases, and our specialist focus assists us to avoid the conflicts of interest often experienced by larger firms with transactional departments, meaning that we can act fearlessly against financial institutions and substantial multinational companies.
Our reputation was built initially on landmark high-profile cases against major UK banks, but we now offer a broad range of commercial dispute resolution expertise.
CYK is a destination of choice for referrals from leading domestic and international law firms and barrister chambers, as well as from elsewhere in the professional services sector. CYK is proud of its reputation for being a tenacious firm, helping clients to achieve significant success in high-value, (and sometimes high-profile) claims.
Types of work undertaken: CYK undertakes a range of complex and high-value commercial and corporate litigation and international arbitration for domestic and international corporates, private equity houses, hedge funds, professional services firms and high-net-worth individuals, as well as various forms of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation.
We have significant expertise in international arbitration, banking and financial services disputes, civil fraud, enforcement and asset recovery, partnership, company and shareholder disputes, private wealth disputes, professional negligence, regulatory disputes, sanctions and technology across a wide range of markets and industry sectors. A significant proportion of the firm’s work has an international element and the firm has particular experience and connections with the following jurisdictions: USA, EU, India, Russia/CIS, The Middle East, Offshore, Africa and Latin America.
CYK has acted in a number of ground-breaking cases. The work of the firm has been praised in the main legal directories and its lawyers have been named as some of the top legal professionals in the UK.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Financial services disputes | Sinead O'Callaghan | ||
Financial services disputes | Stephen Elam | ||
Financial services regulatory | Stephen Elam | ||
Fraud and corruption | Lydia Danon | ||
Fraud and corruption | Jon Felce | ||
Insolvency | Jon Felce | ||
Insolvency | Natalie Todd | ||
Insurance and reinsurance disputes | Stephen Elam | ||
Insurance and reinsurance disputes | Lydia Danon | ||
Private wealth disputes | Sinead O'Callaghan | ||
Private wealth disputes | Natalie Todd | ||
Professional negligence | Sinead O'Callaghan | ||
Professional negligence | Stephen Elam | ||
Technology | Sinead O'Callaghan | ||
Technology | Sam Roberts |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Ms Lydia Danon | Partner | View Profile |
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Mr Stephen Elam | Partner | View Profile |
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Mr Jon Felce | Partner | View Profile |
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Ms Sinead O’Callaghan | Managing, Partner | View Profile |
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Mr Sam Roberts | Partner | View Profile |
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Natalie Todd | Partner | View Profile |
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Mr Mikhail Vishnyakov | Partner | View Profile |
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Ms Rosie Wild | Partner | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK lawyers : 19Languages
English French Greek German Gujarati Hindi Italian Romanian Russian SpanishMemberships
IBA London Solicitors Litigation Association ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE and Disputes Commercial Fraud Lawyers Association RAIIDAR IWIRC Tech Disputes Network Financial Services Lawyers Association Professional Negligence Lawyers Association Association of Regulatory & Disciplinary Lawyers Association of Partnership Practitioners Society of Computers and Law AIJA CIARB ICC YAF LCIA YIAGDiversity
The firm is proud of the diversity across all levels of its fee earners. One third of the firm’s fee earning partners and about half of its associates are female. A partner and a number of associates are in the LGBT community and we have five BAME associates. We are also very international with associates and paralegals from India, Russia, Greece, Romania, New Zealand and Australia to name but a few and speak a wide range of languages.