Clara Johnson > South Square > London, England > Barrister Profile
South Square Offices
3-4 SOUTH SQUARE, GRAY'S INN
LONDON
WC1R 5HP
England
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Clara Johnson
Position
Clara specialises in domestic and cross-border Restructuring and Insolvency, Civil Fraud and Company law and has been recommended as a leading junior in Restructuring and Insolvency, and Offshore for a number of years.
Clara is frequently instructed to act for companies, office holders, directors, creditors and individual debtors in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency and restructuring. She has been instructed in respect of numerous high profile cases including McDermott, Hong Kong Airlines, Empire Cinemas, Babylon, Mothercare, BHS, the Bell Group, Marme Inversiones and BetIndex.
She has particular experience of provisional liquidations, and of cases where urgent injunctive relief is required, most often, freezing or asset preservation orders, freezing orders against third parties under the Chabra jurisdiction, search orders, orders for disclosure in relation to the whereabouts of assets or the tracing of funds under section 236 of the Insolvency Act and the Bankers Trust jurisdiction. Clara is frequently instructed on cases which have cross-border elements and acts for foreign office holders in respect of offshore insolvencies.
Clara’s civil fraud practice has particular emphasis on multijurisdictional claims in a range of civil and commercial contexts. Clara also regularly acts in shareholder and company law disputes, including claims against directors, unfair prejudice petitions, winding up petitions and derivative claims.
She is commended in the legal directories for “having total command of her subject area, including all of its darker recesses. She uses that knowledge to produce excellent strategic insight” as well as being “excellent on her feet” and “well-liked by clients”.
Career
Called to the Bar in 2005
Memberships
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association
Education
2003 UCL – Masters in Legal and Political Philosophy (Distinction)
2001 University College, Oxford, BA (Honours) Politics, Philosophy and Politics (2:1)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Insolvency
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Clara Johnson – South Square ‘Clara is a specialist in world-class drafting. She routinely turns in word-perfect briefs that balance comprehensiveness and conciseness. She also boasts an impressively strategic mind.’
The English Bar Offshore > Commercial disputes
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Clara Johnson – South Square ‘Clara is the best team member you could ever hope to add to your dispute. She is supremely capable, knows the law inside and out, has excellent judgement and is a pleasure to work with.’
For the members of South Square, offshore mandates surrounding the financial services, insolvency and company law, and fraud-related disputes are key pillars of practice. The set boasts a strong bench of reputable silks, including David Allison KC, who is representing Aston Martin in a case surrounding a just and equitable winding up petition in the Jersey courts. Barry Isaacs KC has substantial knowledge of insolvency and banking and finance work, while Tom Smith KC is a specialist in offshore and funds work in the Cayman Islands; he acted for the claimants in Primeo Fund v HSBC, a $2bn claim regarding allegations of fraud and negligence against a former administrator and custodian. Felicity Toube KC has expertise in international proceedings and is especially experienced in major corporate restructurings. David Alexander KC is skilled in civil fraud cases, Glen Davis KC has notable expertise in litigation proceedings arising out of Gibraltar, and Richard Fisher KC frequently handles insolvency and commercial matters in the BVI, Cayman Islands, and Channel Islands. Jeremy Goldring KC is another key silk at the set handling banking and finance and company law matters. Making silk in the 2024 round, Adam Al-Attar KC is a key name to note in the insolvency and restructuring space. Amongst the set’s juniors, Clara Johnson has a particular strength in disputes with cross-border elements, especially those involving injunctive relief. She represented the joint liquidators in a case surrounding the collapse of a global construction company that had debts of $2bn (Joannou and Paraskevaides (Overseas) Limited (In Liquidation) v Dakis Joannou and others).