Lesley Anderson KC > Gatehouse Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Lesley Anderson KC

Position

Lesley Anderson KC is a senior silk who practises in all aspects of chancery and commercial disputes especially those involving companies, corporate and personal insolvency, professional negligence and commercial property.

She has appeared three times in the Supreme Court since 2013 – in Re Digital Satellite Warranty Cover Ltd [2013] UKSC 7; in Re North East Property Buyers Litigation: Rosemary Scott v Southern Pacific Mortgages Ltd [2015] AC 385 and in Gavin Edmondson Solicitors Ltd v Haven Insurance Co Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 1230.

Clients include banks, multi-nationals and major public companies as well as a number of smaller manufacturing and e-commerce companies and professional firms. She has acted for and against the Government including on public interest winding up and directors’ disqualification – most recently for the Official Receiver in the attempt to disqualify the directors of the failed high-profile charity: Keeping Kids Company.

Known for her expertise in complex and sensitive shareholder/unfair prejudice disputes, breaches of trust and fiduciary duties and share and asset sale claims.  Many of her cases arise in the context of difficult family breakdowns.  Lesley often works with those from other areas of the Bar (such as planning lawyers and personal injury lawyers) and with other professionals (such as planners, accountants and financial advisers).

Lesley sits regularly as a Deputy High Court Judge of the Chancery Division and as an arbitrator. Her decision (sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court) in Re Idessa UK Ltd [2011] EWHC 804 on the correct burden of proof on directors’ withdrawal of monies from a company is regularly cited and followed.

She acts often as a mediator (including multi-party and remote mediations) and offers Early Neutral Evaluation.  She also acts as an expert (including as an expert on the English law applicable to derivative claims in a claim about Standard Chartered Bank in New York); as an appointed expert under dispute resolution clauses (including recently in relation to the construction of a bridge over the River Mersey) and as Counsel in relation to expert determinations.

Lesley continued to work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and conducted several fully contested trials on a fully remotely and on a hybrid basis.  She also sat remotely as a Deputy High Court Judge and as a mediator.

Lesley is a former legal academic at the University of Manchester and former training manager for Norton Rose M5 Group and contributes regularly to legal and professional conferences and in- house training for solicitors and other professionals and to books and journals. She is the editor of five chapters in Tolley’s Insolvency Law and a member of the editorial board for Lexis Nexis Restructuring and Insolvency.

Lesley also practises (since 1991) at Kings Chambers in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. In 2016 she was shortlisted as Regional Silk of the Year in the Legal 500 Awards.

Memberships

• Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple (2011)
• Chancery Bar Association (including co-opted member of the Committee)
• Northern Chancery Bar Association (immediate past Chairman)
• Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
• Associate Member R3
• Northern Circuit
• North Eastern Circuit
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Lexis/Nexis PSL for restructuring and insolvency
• Honorary member of the Editorial Board of the Manchester Review of Law, Crime and Ethics

Education

• Deputy High Court Judge since 2008
• Recorder since 2006
• CEDR accredited mediator since 2000
• Arbitrator
• University of Manchester LLB (Hons)

Leisure

Lesley is married to Colin and has two grown-up step-children Gareth and Lindsay and three grandchildren (although two of them are in Australia). When not working she spends time in Edinburgh (for the food, culture and rugby), a small cottage in Sutherland (for the food, walks and spoiling Max, an adopted Shetland pony) and travel (most recently Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, USA and Dubai).