Nicola Timmins

Areas of practice

Litigation and advice in the areas of commercial litigation and arbitration (with a particular focus on matters involving private international law), company law, corporate insolvency and bankruptcy.

Commercial litigation and arbitration

In her previous position as a solicitor Nicola gained experience acting in a wide range of commercial disputes.  Key matters on which Nicola worked include:

• Acting for a toy developer in a multi-jurisdictional dispute with another toy developer/distributer.
• Acting for an Indian company and its UK subsidiary in an action involving challenging the jurisdiction of the English High Court.
• Acting for a state owned gas company in a dispute concerning concessions in Africa.
• Acting for the purchaser of a national chain of shops for damages for breach of warranty in the sale and purchase agreement.

 Nicola gained further experience in this field during her pupillage, most notably:

• Assisting Richard Hill and Robert Hildyard QC in an arbitration under the LCIA rules concerning gas concessions in Africa and subsequently in follow on High Court proceedings.
• Assisting Richard Hill and Gregory Denton-Cox in Benedetti v Sawiris [2009] EWHC 1330, a commercial court action concerning a quantum meruit claim for arranging the then largest ever European leveraged buy-out.

 Nicola is currently acting for:

• An investment bank as a junior in a commercial court action against a major bank.
• A football club and its chief executive in an action under the FA Arbitration Rules
• An IT company in a dispute concerning commission for making referrals.

Company Law

During pupillage Nicola assisted her pupillage supervisors advise on unfair prejudice actions.  Nicola also assisted in advising and drafting pleadings in an action arising out of a failed joint venture which included an unfair prejudice petition, a derivative action for breach of fiduciary duties and an action for breach of the joint venture agreement.

Insolvency & Reconstruction

Nicola gained experience acting for insolvency practitioners as a solicitor, particularly in relation to antecedent transactions, liens and retention of title clauses.

Bankruptcy

Nicola regularly acts for petitioning creditors in the bankruptcy court.

Academic

MA and LLM (Emmanuel College, Cambridge).

Awards: Porter Scholarship, Rodwell Prize, College Prize (Emmanuel College).

Publications and articles: 

"Freezing injunctions and instructive litigation", Fraud Intelligence, January and February 2008 (co-authored with Andrew Keltie).

"The Effect of the UNCITRAL Draft Convention on Electronic Communications in International Contracts on the Hague Conventions", produced for Member States by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (co-authored with Dr Andrea Schulz).