Josephine Mathew
Josephine Mathew
Partner, Litigation
+44 (0)20 7467 8794
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Josephine joined Wallace in 2018, having trained at a Magic Circle firm and subsequently spent 6 years at a leading disputes-only firm.
Josephine has a broad commercial disputes practice, specialising in complex and high-value commercial litigation and arbitration, often with an international dimension. Josephine has particular experience of claims involving fraud, partnership and joint venture disputes, shareholder actions, professional negligence claims and jurisdiction issues.
Josephine acts for high-net-worth individuals and corporates and has significant experience of all stages of the litigation process, including securing litigation funding and ATE insurance.
Josephine has been ranked as a “Next Generation Partner” for Commercial Litigation by Legal 500 (2025 edition). Josephine was previously ranked as a “Rising Star” for Commercial Litigation by Legal 500 three years running (2022-2024)
The Legal 500 notes that Josephine “has strong tactical insight, the confidence and ability to run a difficult case by herself and her drafting is worthy of a barrister. She will go far”.
The Legal 500 further notes that “clients only have praise for Josephine Mathew” who is “always on top of the detail and considering new angles”, “efficient”, “very good at managing clients” and “an absolute pleasure to deal with”.
“Josephine is really easy to work with. She is a bright, highly motivated, technically capable and determined lawyer who is resilient under pressure.”
Work Highlights
Acting for the Aaqua Group and its Dutch billionaire CEO in successfully discharging worldwide freezing injunctions on terms that the claimant pay indemnity costs and that there be an inquiry into damages for losses caused by the injunctions ([2022] EWHC 2442 (Comm).
Acting for the Libyan sovereign wealth fund in its USD 2.1bn fraud claim for rescission of a series of trades purportedly entered into with the SocGen group which involved members of the latter making allegedly fraudulent payments totalling USD 58m to a Panamanian company. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for 2017. (The Libyan Investment Authority v. Société Générale SA & others [2017] EWHC 1155 (Comm), [2017] EWHC 781 (Comm), [2017] EWHC 780 (Comm), [2017] EWHC 390 (Comm), [2016] EWHC 3277 (Comm), [2016] EWHC 1915 (Comm), [2016] EWHC 1826, [2016] EWHC 375 (Comm), [2015] EWHC 550 (Comm), [2014] EWHC 4043 (Comm)).
Acting for a Russian defendant in its successful jurisdiction challenge further to a claim for USD 20m brought by one of a syndicate of European banks pursuant to a loan facility entered into with a Russian borrower and guarantor, both in liquidation (Erste Group Bank AG v. JSC “VMZ Red October” & others [2015] EWCA Civ 379, [2013] EWHC 2926 (Comm))..
Acting for a proprietary trading firm based in the UAE in relation to claims that it conspired with the outgoing sellers of a multi-national brokerage to artificially inflate revenue so as to trigger a final earn-out payment in excess of US $40 million.
Acting for the respondents to an ICC arbitration in relation to claims for misrepresentation and breach of contract arising out of a joint venture project in Eastern Europe.
Acting for a minority shareholder in two property investment companies in an unfair prejudice petition worth several millions of pounds.
Acting for the claimant in relation to the division of partnership assets in the form of a substantial family-owned property portfolio. The proceedings took place on an expedited basis and involved multiple interlocutory applications including for injunctive and security for costs relief (J. Ackerman v. N. Ackerman & others [2012] EWCA Civ 768, [2011] EWHC 3428 (Ch), [2011] EWHC 2183 (Ch)).
Qualifications
Qualified: 2011
Accolades: Next Generation Partner for Commercial Litigation (Legal 500, 2025); Rising Star for Commercial Litigation (Legal 500, 2022-2024)