Banking, Litigation, Civil Fraud

Senior Associate

Expertise and Practice

Claudia Scherman is a senior associate who is dual qualified, having first practised as a Barrister and Solicitor in Toronto, Canada from 2007. Following a move to the UK, she qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and has been practising commercial litigation in London since 2017.

Claudia has considerable experience acting for clients in relation to a breadth of commercial disputes, including directors’ and officers’ liabilities and shareholder disputes. She also has significant expertise in civil fraud, most often with an international element. Additionally, she has notable experience in tax proceedings and, more recently, cryptocurrency disputes.

Project Highlights

Claudia’s recent experience includes:

The Public Institution for Social Security v Fahad Maziad Rajaan Al Rajaan & Ors

Representing four of 41 defendants in a US$874 million claim brought by the Kuwaiti Pension Fund, which alleges losses for unlawful and unauthorised secret commissions. The Commercial Court proceedings are among the most significant pieces of international fraud litigation currently before the English courts, with the matter listed among The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases of 2020”. The litigation demands a substantial consideration of the application of Kuwaiti, Swiss and English Law against a complex factual matrix spanning nearly two decades.

Tulip Trading Ltd (Seychelles) v Bitcoin Association for BSV & Ors

Represented a stand-out defendant among 15 others in complex, cross-border cryptocurrency proceedings issued by an entity associated with Dr Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of bitcoin (“Satoshi Nakamoto”). Having alleged that more than US$4.5 billion worth of digital assets were stolen from Dr Wright’s computer, the Claimant sought both a declaration that Dr Wright was the owner of the assets, as well as an order against defendant bitcoin developers to restore his access to the same and/ or for damages for breach of fiduciary duty.

Dell Emerging Markets (EMEA) Limited & Anor v IB com SA

Represented a Moroccan telecommunications company against a High Court anti-suit injunction brought by two Dell entities, with the related proceedings ongoing in the Commercial Court in Casablanca.

Beneficial House (Birmingham) Regeneration LLP & Anor v HMRC, Inverclyde Property Renovation LLP & Anor v HMRC

Represented taxpayers on a collective basis in UK-wide judicial review and tribunal proceedings in which they challenged, among other things, HMRC closures notices and assessments.

Fortress Capital Partners Limited v Chamberlain (Five Ways) Holdings Limited & Anor Represented a corporate creditor in a £5m+ claim which sought, among other relief, a declaration in respect of the transfer and ownership of shares pursuant to the terms of a charge. Data Housewares Limited v Nitesh Sharma & Ors

Obtained a freezing injunction order and initiated related proceedings in the Chancery Court on behalf of an English company that formed part of a major manufacturing group in India. The £2m+ fraud claim against the company’s most senior employee and related persons included allegations of misappropriation of funds, conspiracy, knowing receipt, forgery of documents and the unauthorised possession of company assets and records.

Career

Claudia practised as a Barrister and Solicitor for over seven years in Toronto, where she regularly represented her clients in the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal and the Human Rights Tribunal. Her practice focussed largely on directors’ and officers’ liability, with an emphasis on defending breach of trust, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims. She also regularly acted for professionals in claims of negligence, most often in the context of construction disputes.

After moving to London, Claudia has focused on commercial disputes and civil fraud claims, at first practising under the tutelage of a seasoned commercial and tax litigation solicitor and thereafter, in a litigation boutique in Farringdon.

QLTS Certificate, Kaplan, London, England (2016) LLB, Western University, London, Canada (2006) BA with Distinction, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2002) International Baccalaureate, Toronto French School, Toronto, Canada (1998)