Naomi Simpson

Naomi is a Partner in the Fraud and Dispute Resolution department. She manages multi-jurisdictional, complex and high value fraud and general commercial disputes, internal investigations and international arbitrations.

Naomi advises clients in both bringing and defending claims, with a particular focus on complicated fraud and asset tracing work. She has particular experience in relation to freezing orders, search orders, Norwich Pharmacal Orders and other asset recovery strategies. Naomi typically project manages disputes across jurisdictions, including Cyprus, Bahamas, Bermuda, the US, Monaco and BVI. She has represented clients in the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. 

Naomi understands that each dispute requires a bespoke solution and is a dedicated strategist and problem solver, who seeks to use the draconian powers available from the English Courts as effectively as possible.

Naomi's clients include high-net worth individuals, global institutions, corporates and financial institutions. She has particular experience working with clients from the CIS and Middle East regions having spent two years working in the UAE.

Key Experience

• Acting in a multi-billion pound dispute for high-net worth individuals in a highly contested global fraud and estate matter across numerous jurisdictions including England, Panama, Monaco, Latvia, Cyprus, Switzerland and the USA (Bourlakova v Bourlakov).
• Advising a high-net worth individual in various complex claims relating to a transaction at an undervalue, involving Bermudan, South African and Singaporean assets.
• Acting for an investment firm in investigations and arbitral proceedings in connection with fraud and corruption in African power projects.
• Acting for a listed mining company in a dispute involving several applications for injunctive relief, complex jurisdictional issues and English company law claims, arising out of the attempted 2016 coup d'état in Turkey, including a successful Supreme Court jurisdiction decision, which dismissed a substantial part of the claim (Akçil v Koza Ltd [2019] UKSC 40).
• Defended two businessmen associated in a multi-million dollar claim and worldwide asset freezing injunction brought against them by a Kazakh oligarch's daughter.
• Advising a high-net worth individual and hotelier in arbitral proceedings relating to a family dispute involving fraud and construction issues.
• Acting for Ocado Group PLC in their search order against founder Jonathan Faiman, former employee Jonathan Hillary and their start-up grocery delivery services business 'T0day'.
• Advising a financial institution in relation to the recovery of a yacht by way of enforcement of a charge, including proceedings in England and Spain.
• Obtaining privacy orders for a Libyan family, involving issues of right to life.
• Acted for high-net worth individual Mukhtar Ablyazov in relation to his long-running fraud claim against JSC BTA Bank, worth approximately US$6 billion and which involved receivership orders, contempt proceedings and applications for the disclosure of privileged information. The matter involved issues in a variety of jurisdictions including the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Russia.
• Represented a plc company on the investigation of significant financial frauds within the UAE arm of its business.
• Advised a national airline carrier as to potential injunctive relief and the causes of action against a service agent who was threatening a breach of contract.
• Obtaining third party disclosure orders from banks and internet service providers, to assist in locating assets and tracing wrongdoers.

Career History

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Legal Director, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Managing Associate, Addleshaw Goddard (Middle East) LLP
Managing Associate, Addleshaw Goddard LLP
The University of Manchester, Law