Lucy Ward

Commercial Litigation and Securities Litigation

Lucy is a commercial disputes expert specialising in banking and financial services litigation and fraud. She has particular expertise advising institutional investors in complex securities litigation and high value disputes. Lucy is ranked in the Legal 500 as a 'Next Generation Partner'. She was the lead partner in one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases for 2020 and described as a “heavy hitter”.

Lucy co-heads the commercial litigation department. Lucy’s clients include institutional investors and financial institutions, corporates, high net worth individuals and sovereign wealth funds.

Her experience covers complicated multiparty cases (including group litigation) in relation to mis-selling of complex financial products, s90 FSMA, professional negligence, breach of contract and fraud.  With experience acting for and against banks, Lucy is able to anticipate opponents’ strategy.  Her work often involves multi-jurisdictional issues.

A selection of Lucy’s key cases include:

Acting for 313 institutional investors in the first group securities litigation of its kind in England in a claim against RBS regarding its 2008 rights issue. Acting for Portigon AG (a legacy entity of WestLB) against RBS in a claim for breach of contract, negligence and misrepresentation in relation to CPDO notes. Acting for the investment authority of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKIA) in a claim against a businessman for fraudulent misrepresentation, conspiracy and breach of contract and defending allegations of hacking and abuse of process. Acting for RAKIA in RAKIA (& Ors) v Bestfort Development LLP (& Ors) [2017] EWCA Civ 1014, in which the Court of Appeal clarified the test required for the existence of assets in an application for a worldwide freezing order. Acting for an IT services company in a contractual dispute. Acting for 83 bankers in a successful claim against Dresdner Kleinwort and Commerzbank over unpaid bonuses (Attrill & others v Dresdner Kleinwort and Commerzbank [2012] EWHC 1189 (QB)). Acting for the successful defendant in a claim relating to an alleged written agreement (Gaydamak v Leviev [2012] EWHC 1740 (Ch)).