Stephenson Harwood

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

• ‘A very experienced team with a strong track record. Their stand out skill is coordinating large set piece disputes and long term campaigns.’

• ‘Ros Prince, Priya Grigoriadis and Alan Bercow are the key partners. The house style is notable for being pragmatic, realistic and capable of dealing with the most difficult claims with the minimum of drama.’

• ‘Stephenson Harwood are committed to achieving the goals of their clients, giving the right advice efficiently and effectively. Stephenson Harwood provide a far-reaching international service, but not compromising on the importance of local expertise and culture.’

• ‘Alan Bercow, Ros Prince and Priya Grigoriadis have worked hard as a great team to deliver the best for their clients. Priya is absolutely a rising star, providing excellent advice and service levels for her clients. Ros is a market leader when it comes to civil fraud; she knows the needs of her clients and is extremely hands-on.’

• ‘The team has unparalleled experience across the whole range of fraud litigation - and all related aspects of commercial litigation generally. They are a true Rolls-Royce outfit.’

• ‘Ros Prince is enormously savvy and clever. She also leads the team with boundless energy. Priya Grigoriadis has recently been promoted to Partner, and has slotted right in as one of the leading fraud litigators in London.’

• ‘Alan Bercow is a senior statesman in this area, and deservedly so. Calm and cunning, he makes a difficult opponent and a great leader of his teams. Priya Grigoriadis is a brand-new partner who much deserves her recent promotion: she is a class act, who works hard, has excellent tactical nous, and who manages teams, including counsel, with skill, humour and care.’

• ‘Ros Prince - formidable, competent, caring, commercial. Alan Bercow - highly experienced.’

• ‘The team are specialists in fraud and asset tracing with a solid grounding in commercial litigation. They have a focused depth and breath of knowledge in this area which is stand out from other firms.’

• ‘Ros Prince and Alan Bercow are top-notch - commercial and practical as well as specialist fraud litigators.’

Key clients

Work highlights

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Ros Prince

Hall of fameStephenson Harwood

Ros is head of our market leading fraud and asset recovery team. She has extensive experience of high value cross border fraud cases, and obtaining and defending injunctions, including freezing orders and search orders. Chambers & Partners' global Asset Tracing & Recovery guide ranks her as one of just 5 leading lawyers ranked in Band 1 in the world. The Legal 500 UK list Ros in the 'Hall of Fame' and Chambers & Partners UK list her as a 'Leading Individual' in Band 1 for Fraud. Chambers & Partners UK 2023 describe Ros as "a hands on partner who knows her cases inside out". Ros has acted on a number of the largest fraud and asset recovery claims, both in England and globally. Clients praise her ability and commitment, with The Legal 500 2023 describing her as “enormously savvy and clever" and "formidable, competent, caring and commercial" and Chambers UK 2023 reporting that she has "a ferocious ability to progress matters and her client's interests in a positive manner." Ros has particular expertise in the enforcement of arbitration awards and judgments, and injunctions in support of arbitrations and foreign proceedings. Ros has acted on numerous cases both for and against states and state owned entities, and has deep expertise in questions of state immunity in the context of asset recovery litigation.  Most of her cases are international, and she has particular expertise in cases originating from Russia, CIS and other emerging markets. She has acted against Russian state owned entities, and more recently the state itself, for over 15 years. Ros has extensive experience of disputes involving offshore structures and parallel litigation in jurisdictions such as BVI, Cyprus, Cayman, Mauritius and the Isle of Man. She often works on cases involving parallel civil and criminal proceedings, both domestically and internationally. She is a solicitor-advocate with full rights of audience before the English High Court. Ros’ expertise is highly regarded internationally, and she has been asked to speak on asset recovery related topics at events organised by the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and a number of governments.

Leading partners

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Alan Bercow

Stephenson Harwood

Co-head of our market-leading fraud and asset recovery team, Alan Bercow is “technically adept” and  is “all over the detail - clients trust him because they know that he knows everything about their case” (Chambers UK 2021). He advises clients, including major corporates and high net worth individuals, in relation to litigating disputes as well as tracing and recovering assets across multiple jurisdictions. Alan's practice is international and The Legal 500 praises Alan, saying he “is particularly experienced in cases involving Russia and the CIS”. Alan acts on a broad range of corporate and commercial disputes, which have included some of the largest cases before the English courts. His clients include companies, directors, high net worth individuals and insolvency practitioners. Alan has extensive experience of parallel, multi-jurisdictional cases involving Russia and the CIS, and also offshore jurisdictions such as BVI, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus and the Isle of Man. Alan co-heads our market-leading fraud team, which is ranked in tier 1 by The Legal 500. He has significant experience of high value, complex fraud and asset recovery claims, often involving freezing orders, disclosure orders, anti-suit injunctions and gagging orders. He is listed as a leading individual by both The Legal 500 and Chambers UK. Alan has significant experience of cases involving insolvency. He has acted for and against insolvency practitioners, both in the UK and abroad. He also advises regularly on directors' duties

Next Generation Partners

Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Priya Grigoriadis

Stephenson Harwood

Priya is a partner in Stephenson Harwood's market leading fraud and asset recovery team, ranked Tier 1 in Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. She advises clients in large scale complex litigation, including tracing and recovering assets across multiple jurisdictions. Priya is recognised in the directories as a leading lawyer for civil fraud, reporting that she is "seemingly able to do a hundred things at once, all to a very high standard." Priya has acted on some of the largest claims to come before the English courts in recent years. Clients praise her ability, with sources reporting: "Priya is one of the best solicitors I've ever come across"; "She manages issues very swiftly and efficiently, knows all the minute details and is so responsive and great with clients". She has significant experience of large-scale, complex fraud and asset recovery cases, including obtaining and defending freezing orders, disclosure orders and search orders. Most of her cases are international often involving parallel litigation in jurisdictions such as the BVI, Cayman Islands, Southeast Asia and the UAE. Priya is currently acting for a leading trading house in a £600+ million cross-border fraud claim. She also represents the former shareholders of Yukos Oil Company in relation to the enforcement in England of a US$54+ billion arbitration award against the Russian Federation, the largest enforcement action in legal history. Priya is also a leading member of Stephenson Harwood's India group and acts for a number of the leading Indian Banks. Her clients include high net worth individuals, major corporates and insolvency practitioners.