Charles Balmain > White & Case LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

White & Case LLP fields a ‘high calibre‘ team which acts for financial institutions, companies, states and individuals on the claimant and defendant side. Besides its high involvement in cross-border civil fraud disputes, it also regularly supports clients in bringing and defending applications for interim relief, including freezing orders, other orders relating to asset recovery and disclosure, and court orders in support of arbitration proceedings. John Rogerson is sought out by corporates from emerging markets and EMEA-based financial institutions; he is the key UK civil fraud contact, while Mark Clarke leads the wider commercial litigation group. Charles Balmain is ‘very considered and logical‘.

Noted for the global nature of its practice, White & Case LLP acts for investment banks, central banks, sovereign states and individual traders in both court proceedings and arbitration. The group has significant expertise in fraud claims and is also engaged to handle litigation related to loan facilities, distressed debt and market manipulation. Mark Clarke leads the overall commercial disputes team, while Charles Balmain serves as head of banking litigation. Swati Tripathi offers expertise in handling High Court proceedings, while Stephanie Stocker , who was made up to partner in January 2022, has a focus on financial disputes in the CIS region. The team has recently experienced some turnover, with John Reynolds, Chris Brennan and Amanda Cowell departing the firm and the well-regarded  Lawson Caisley joining from Allen & Overy LLP.

Working in close collaboration with its various European colleagues, White & Case LLP‘s London office enjoys a strong reputation among a varied roster of manufacturers, consumer goods companies, technology multinationals, and pharmaceutical conglomerates. The team is particularly active in follow-on litigation arising from cartel investigations, routinely appearing before the CAT, the Court of Appeal, and the High Court. The practice is jointly chaired by ‘extraordinary litigator’ Charles Balmain and the ‘gifted’ Marc Israel, a specialist in multi-jurisdictional proceedings. Working between the firm’s Brussels and London offices, Genevra Forwood is noted for her capabilities in state aid litigation, while Alexandra Rogers‘ ‘encyclopaedic knowledge‘ encompasses cross-border cartel defences in areas such as power cables, ball bearings, and Euribor derivatives. Counsel Raif Hassan is praised as an ‘ascendant figure‘ in damages actions.

The London litigation team forms a key part of White & Case LLP‘s global disputes offering, and spans private and public company litigation, with cases ranging from shareholder and M&A disputes through to contentious corporate and sovereign debt restructurings. Mark Clarke – who also co-chairs the firm’s global energy industry group – has recently been appointed team lead. Other noteworthy names include Charles Balmain, who has demonstrable cross-border expertise; Jenna Rennie, who brings her experience as co-head of the London technology disputes group to bear on her work; and highly regarded litigator Lawson Caisley, whose arrival from Allen & Overy LLP in October 2021 strengthened the capabilities and bench strength of the department further.