• "Lydia is an excellent advocate and brings confidence and quick thinking to the court room. She can give quick and to-the-point advice in simple format which is greatly appreciated." (Legal 500, 2025)

Lydia has a broad commercial practice and frequently deals with cases with a financial dimension. Lydia is particularly interested in the law of unjust enrichment, knowing receipt and commercial conspiracy. 

Examples of work include: 

• Dispute arising out of a contract for the sale of ammunition with allegations of bribery and fraud.
• Preparing and drafting an application for an interim injunction to obtain a freezing order to prevent the dissipation of assets in Dubai.
  
   

Lydia has a keen interest in all matters involving international trade and is frequently instructed as sole counsel in an advisory capacity and as an advocate and has been commended for her skills as an advocate. Lydia often acts against senior counsel (including KCs) and has been praised for her calmness under pressure and ability to think on her feet.

Examples of work include: 

• Dispute involving alleged damage and/or short delivery of cargo and counterclaim for deadfreight. 
• Acting as sole counsel against a Silk in a challenge to a GAFTA arbitral award under s67 of the Arbitration Act 1996 in the High Court. The case was subsequently reported in the Lloyd’s Law Reports. 
• Acting as sole counsel in a Swiss Seated Arbitration concerning the provision of industrial grade fermented ethyl alcohol. Issues involved included whether a contractual variation was effective and the interpretation of the ‘product’, ‘specification’ and force majeure clauses. 
• Advising on the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on standard term GAFTA and FOSFA contracts. 
• An arbitration arising out of a dispute as to the existence and terms of a contract for the purchase of petroleum coke. 

Lydia is frequently instructed in insurance disputes and is developing a strong insurance and reinsurance practice.

Examples of work include:

• Advising on limitation periods under the Limitation Act 1980 in relation to a claim under the Third Parties (Rights against insurers) Act 2010. 
• Dispute in which Lydia acted as junior counsel involving the proper interpretation of VOYWAR and CONWAR clauses contained in a series of time and voyage charterparties.
• Dispute involving the interpretation of an insurance policy concerning limitation and the applicability of a limitation of liability clause. 
• Application in the High Court for the disclosure of an insurance policy pursuant to the Third Parties (Rights against insurers) Act 2010.

Lydia has a keen interest in private international law having a bi-jurisdictional legal education. Lydia can advise on European conventions including Rome I and Rome II as well as on the Brussels Recast Regulation and the Hague and Lugano Convention from an English and a French perspective. 

Examples of work include: 

• Application to the High Court for an anti-suit injunction to prevent proceedings being initiated in France on the basis that the UK court was the forum conveniens for the dispute. 
• Application to the Admiralty Court for an anti-suit injunction to restrain foreign proceedings in a salvage dispute and protect the jurisdiction of the UK court (Junior Counsel).
• Advising on the impact of Brexit on the Limitation Act 1980.
• A dispute concerning the arrest of a vessel and the applicability of Regulation No. 1215/2021 on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (recast). 

Lydia’s core practice is in shipping both wet and dry and she has developed a very successful practice in this area. Lydia is frequently instructed to draft submissions, advise on matters of charterparty interpretation and as an advocate in domestic and international seated arbitrations. Lydia has a keen interest in bills of lading and has written on the Hague Visby rules.

Examples of work include: 

• Arbitration proceedings involving the termination of twenty-four shipbuilding contracts for repudiatory and/or renunciatory breach by the builder. Damages claimed exceed USD 1 billion (Junior Counsel). 
• A claim for loss of enjoyment damages and diminution in value under a charterparty for the hire of a superyacht. 
• Advising owners in relation to potential termination of a charterparty following non-provision of cargo by charterers. 
• Dispute concerning the grounding of an ultra large container vessel in the Suez Canal (Junior Counsel). 
• Multi-million dollar claim in an LCIA arbitration for various breaches under a transhipment agreement. 
• Disputes involving off-hire claims arising following the COVID-19 pandemic and the current conflict in Ukraine.
• Application to the High Court for an anti-suit injunction to prevent proceedings underway in Milan, Italy from undermining a London seated arbitration and award (Junior Counsel). 
• A dispute involving the charter of a superyacht with issues involving the quality of service required under such contracts as well as issues of penalty clauses and loss of enjoyment damages. 
• London seated arbitration which sought to determine whether a party to a charterparty had signed in its own name or in the name of, and for the account, of another associated company. 
• Demurrage disputes arising following the COVID-19 pandemic and current conflict in Ukraine.