Rachel Oakeshott > Chambers of Lord Grabiner KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Rachel Oakeshott
Position
Rachel is ranked as a Leading Junior in Commercial Litigation by the Legal 500 2023: “She is a delight to work with; very bright, responsive, and she quickly gets to grips with both the detail and the strategic big picture points.” Rachel’s practice covers a broad range of commercial work in litigation and international arbitration (including under LCIA, ICC and UNCITRAL rules). “She always delivers to the highest standards and is carving out an excellent practice and portfolio of cases.” (Legal 500, Commercial Litigation, 2022) Regularly involved in large complex cases working as part of a team, she also has experience appearing without a leader in arbitrations and in the High Court. As well as experience in Chambers’ key areas including banking and financial services, civil fraud, and pharmaceutical disputes, Rachel is currently acting for a FTSE 100 company defending high profile group litigation claims.
Rachel accepts appointments as an arbitrator and has been appointed as an arbitrator by the LCIA Court.
Rachel’s current and recent work includes:
- Acting for a FTSE 100 company defending group litigation claims arising out of the suspension of the Woodford Equity Income Fund
- Acting with Richard Boulton KC for claimant investors in commercial real estate in Ukraine in four Bilateral Investment Treaty claims against the Russian Federation under UNCITRAL rules, resulting in a Final Award in October 2022 (PCA Case 2015-29)
- Acting with Neil Kitchener KC for defendants to a £25 million debt and fraud claim achieving dismissal of the claim following material non-disclosure by the Claimants on an ex parte application: [2021] EWHC 1415 (Comm) [2021] 6 WLUK 12
- Acting for Credit Suisse (UK) Limited in complex fraud proceedings
- Acting with Anthony de Garr Robinson KC for a pharmaceutical company in its USD $2.7 billion LCIA arbitration claim against a contract manufacturing organisation
- Acting for a life sciences company defending ICC claims arising out of a toll manufacturing agreement concerning poppy straws
- Acting with Stuart Isaacs KC and David Cavender KC for the defendants in two LCIA arbitrations concerning investments of over USD $1.5 billion in Indian real estate funds
- Acting as sole counsel for Maze sarl, a Luxembourg provider of corporate services, defending claims under Luxembourg law arising out of the sale of Bulgaria’s largest telecommunications business Vivacom, at a five day trial of preliminary issues of Luxembourg law in the Commercial Court in December 2017: [2018] EWHC 169 (Comm)
- Advising Seaway Heavy Lifting Offshore Contractors BV on its contractual arrangements regarding the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Project
- Acting (with Stuart Isaacs KC) for Stuart Wall against The Royal Bank of Scotland in one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases to watch in 2017. Mr Wall owned the Opal Property Group, once the UK’s third largest provider of student accommodation. Mr Wall claimed over £600 million in damages suffered as a result of RBS’s fraudulent misrepresentations, breaches of contract and negligence. The case concerned claims of swap mis-selling by RBS, allegations against RBS’s Global Restructuring Group, and allegations of LIBOR manipulation. The case was listed for a 12 week trial in the Commercial Court starting in October 2017, but settled shortly before trial
Career
Called 2006; Inner Temple.
Languages
Basic French and Russian
Memberships
ComBar; FSLA; FRU.
Education
[2000 – 2003] University College, Oxford: BA (Hons) English Literature and Language (First Class Honours and Oxford University Gibbs Prize)
[2004 – 2005] City University: CPE
[2005 – 2006] Inns of Court School of Law: BVC
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5Rachel Oakeshott –One Essex Court ‘Rachel is bright, hardworking and full of good ideas.’
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
‘A class outfit and a really strong chambers for all things energy and broader commercial work’, One Essex Court ‘has extraordinary strength in depth.’ Members regularly appear in many of the main arbitral centres, representing clients in arbitration proceedings across a broad spectrum of industries, including aviation, construction and infrastructure, energy and mining, finance and banking as well as transport and telecoms. Recent examples include Hulley Enterprises Limited, Yukos Universal Limited and Veteran Petroleum Limited v The Russian Federation in which Laurence Rabinowitz KC, leading Henry Hoskins, acted for the Russian Federation in proceedings brought by the claimants in the Commercial Court for the recognition and enforcement of arbitration awards made in an international arbitration pursuant to the Energy Charter Treaty. Notable practitioners include Sa’ad Hossain KC on the senior end – Henry Forbes Smith KC and Marcos Dracos KC joined the silk ranks in March 2023. Nehali Shah, Michelle Menashy and Rachel Oakeshott are strong and sought-after juniors.