Stephanie Balsys

Stephanie is a Partner in Mishcon Private, specialising in complex cross-border disputes involving litigation and arbitration. Her clients include ultra-high net worth individuals, corporates and state bodies.

The subject matter of disputes she advises on is broad, ranging from breakdowns of shareholder and investor relationships, joint ventures or family business arrangements, to disputes over commercial assets, artwork, commodities trading and distribution contracts, construction projects (involving FIDIC contracts), financial and real estate. The matters she advises on often involve allegations of fraud and conspiracy, the defence or procurement of asset freezing and disclosure orders, and complex, cross-border disclosure processes involving issues of foreign law. She is adept at coordinating large teams and driving legal project management and strategy on complex multi-party cases.

She has acted on several of the most substantial civil litigation proceedings before the High Court in recent years, and also has notable experience advising clients in disputes subject to arbitration under the LCIA, ICC and UNCITRAL Rules.

Key Experience

• Advising on a multi-jurisdictional, multibillion pound fraud claim brought by a foreign bank against an individual UHNW client in the English High Court, involving asset searches and freezes, insolvency proceedings and complex cross-border disclosure.
• Advising an individual client in a dispute with a former business partner concerning interests in a Ukrainian bank, and injunctive remedies.
• Advising a European-based oil trader in respect of a breach of contract dispute with an overseas counterparty, including regarding obtaining injunctive relief.
• Advising an UHNW individual on a shareholder dispute concerning a complex holding structure of South American and European entities.
• Advising clients on the search, seizure and recovery of assets from various jurisdictions across Europe, and the settlement of a connected shareholder dispute.
• Advising a HNW client in relation to insolvency and enforcement proceedings in England and Ukraine.
• Representing a state body in a multi-million Euro cross-border construction arbitration brought under ICC Rules.
• Acting in a High Court claim between two businessmen concerning assets in North Asia, which produced a key judgment on domicile in the jurisdictional context.
• Acting for a HNW businessman in their multi-million Euro claim in the High Court against a foreign bank, involving freezing orders and proceedings in a number of foreign jurisdictions.
• Acting for an UHNW client in a multibillion pound fraud dispute involving asset freezes, applications for contempt of court and satellite trust-related litigation.