Elizabeth Asher
Elizabeth Asher
Legal Director, Litigation
+44 (0)20 7467 8788
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Elizabeth is a Legal Director with a broad practice focused on commercial and insolvency litigation. She regularly advises high net worth individuals, companies and insolvency practitioners on matters such as contractual disputes, negligence, insolvency processes and infringement of intellectual property rights. Her engagements are often international, involving multiple defendants and very significant sums.
Elizabeth also deals with non-contentious insolvency matters and regularly advises insolvency practitioners, creditors and other stakeholders in respect of high value restructuring and insolvency procedures.
Elizabeth has particular experience in obtaining urgent injunctions and worldwide freezing orders in order to protect clients’ interests as litigation progresses. She frequently deals with enforcement against assets including obtaining orders for sale, writs of control and the appointment of receivers.
The 2024 edition of Legal 500 notes that “Elizabeth Asher deals coolly and effectively with tough fights”. In recent years, the same publication has described Elizabeth as “extremely cool under very high pressure and produces consistently high-quality products - highly efficient and competent” and as “fantastic to work with”. Legal 500 has also noted that Elizabeth is“very effective and efficient at managing the constant demands of a hard-fought speedy trial and dealing with a difficult client” and “just great, human, responsive”.
“Professional, knowledgeable and meticulous. Elizabeth is an exceptional lawyer who navigates complex legal challenges with ease and clearly communicates the way forward. I would recommend her to anyone.”
Work Highlights
Commercial Litigation
Advising two individuals in relation to their defence of a claim for in excess of £9 million for breach of warranty arising from the sale of their business including comprehensively overturning an adverse first instance judgment in the Court of Appeal and defeating the opposing party’s application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Advising an international design and construction business regarding a high value joint venture dispute relating to HS2.
Acted for Dan Fallows, a Formula One chief aerodynamicist in contentious expedited High Court proceedings relating to his well-publicised move from Red Bull to Aston Martin.
Acting for a leading private equity owned provider of tailored welfare to work services in respect of a multimillion pound Commercial Court claim brought against it by a European provider of digital transformation services.
Representing a 138-strong group of corporate, pension fund and offshore high net worth individual investors in respect of their multimillion-pound High Court claim against a developer concerning the intended purchase of hundreds of units in an off-plan apart-hotel development at a prestigious central London location.
Advising a high net worth individual in relation to a £50 million commercial dispute defending multiple claims arising from the sale of a worldwide logistics business.
Advising a firm of premium international estate agents in relation to a passing off and trademark dispute and obtaining a permanent injunction against further infringement.
Restructuring and insolvency
Acting for commercial landlord in relation to the recovery of substantial arrears owed by Cineworld, a large cinema chain and subsequent insolvency issues.
Advising a large commercial landlord regarding the effect of on a UK tenant on a parent company entering Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States
Advising a property manager regarding a challenge to the hotly contested Virgin Active group restructuring proposed under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006.
Advising a minority shareholder in two real estate investment companies in an unfair prejudice petition worth in excess of £10 million involving allegations that the directors had, among other things, acted in breach of their fiduciary duties.
Representing the Liquidators of an oil company in relation to claims for wrongful trading against the former directors.
Advised a large commercial landlord in relation to the insolvency of several well-known tenant companies arising from the covid-19 pandemic, including CVAs, administrations and liquidations, and claims arising against guarantors and chargeholders.
Advising a private equity owned medical services company in respect of its claim against a well-known bank concerning a mortgaged bank account over which the bank claimed a right of set off raising complex legal issues regarding the law of priorities and contractual, equitable and insolvency set off.