Sophia Hurst > Essex Court Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Essex Court Chambers Offices
24 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3EG
England
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Sophia Hurst
Position
Sophia has a broad commercial and chancery practice, encompassing a range of commercial litigation, fraud and asset recovery, banking and financial services, company, insolvency, and contentious trusts litigation.
Much of Sophia’s work has an international dimension; she is called to the bar in BVI and registered in DIFC and has a substantial practice before the courts of offshore jurisdictions and arbitral tribunals. She frequently advises on issues of jurisdiction and enforcement raised in cross-border disputes.
Sophia’s current and recent work includes acting in a complex cross-border banking fraud, and as part of the claimant team in Toucan Energy Holdings Ltd & Anr v Wirsol Energy Ltd & Ors [2021] EWHC 895 (Comm), a substantial Commercial Court dispute in the renewable energy sector.
Sophia is a contributing author to Gough on Company Charges and has delivered seminars and appeared on panels on a variety of topics, including at the ICC FraudNet 33rd conference, and the Private Client Global Elite Rising Leaders’ Forum 2021.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Sophia Hurst – Essex Court Chambers ‘Sophia is incredibly bright and is able to quickly digest huge volumes of information and complex law, and then distill this all down into a compelling and precisely drafted skeleton argument. Sophia is also a pleasure to work with and incredibly user-friendly from a client care perspective.’
Essex Court Chambers handle high-profile and high-value international banking and finance litigation, with members regularly for blue-chip city and US firms, offshore and in domestic litigation. Joe Smouha KC is noted for his ‘strong advocacy, and precise and persuasive presentation,‘ and alongside Louise Hutton KC represented the Prime Minister of Georgia against Credit Suisse’s Bermuda life insurance subsidiary for losses incurred to the assets held by two life insurance policy wrappers as a result of fraud of the relationship manager in Bidzina Ivanishvilli v Credit Suisse Life (Bermuda) Ltd. Stephen Houseman KC is focused on disputes within banking, finance and investment, acting for both major banks and financial institutions. Sophia Hurst acts for major banks and funds as well as regulators, and has experience on the consumer credit aspects of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. James Sheehan KC took silk in 2024.
London Bar > Insolvency
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5Sophia Hurst – Essex Court Chambers ‘Sophia is an excellent junior with a superb eye for detail. Her written work is excellent and her instincts are great. She thinks outside the box and is able to present creative, workable ideas to problems.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 5Sophia Hurst – Essex Court Chambers ‘A star of the future – creative, perceptive and very good judgement. Excellent on paper. One to watch.’
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Sophia Hurst – Essex Court Chambers ‘Sophia is extremely persuasive and very client-oriented.’
Middle East: The English Bar > Commercial
(Leading juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Sophia Hurst – Essex Court Chambers ‘Sophia’s knowledge of the caselaw of the DIFC Courts and increasingly the ADGM Courts is exceptional. She has deep experience of the interplay with the civil law courts of the UAE, and she advises with confidence. She is a team player, and her oral advocacy is always well considered and prepared.’