CALL: July 2011 - The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn

I am a fully qualified barrister with full rights of audience practising from chambers in London, 3 Hare Court and an accredited mediator.  You can see my chambers profile here: https://www.3harecourt.com/barrister/charlotte-pope-williams/banking-and-financial-services=legal-service/. I previously worked at leading multinational firm Pinsent Masons LLP ("Pinsents") in the contentious financial services team albeit that I regularly worked on non-contentious matters too.   Before working at Pinsents I worked for the UK's central bank, the Bank of England for just under half a decade, having completed pupillage in a chambers specialising in commercial, common law and criminal regulatory law.  To date my work experience has taken me from an internship (known as a stage)  in DG COMP in the European Commission to commercial litigation in Canada and the Caribbean. 

I specialise in financial services disputes.  I am particularly interested in the intersection between financial services commercial litigation, contentious financial services regulatory matters and public law.  Charlotte is keen to continue to build on her financial services disputes practice and develop and expand her mediation and international arbitration practice.  She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIarb).

Charlotte is also eager to develop her practice in the Caribbean and often undertakes work arising from the Bahamas and Cayman Islands in particular.

Charlotte is currently studying for her ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency in an effort to ensure that her insolvency and bankruptcy practice is even more credible.

I was Employed Barrister of the Year in a Law Firm 2022/2023 having won this accolade at the Employed Bar Awards 2022 (see Winners (barcouncil.org.uk)) 

As at 1 September 2021 I was appointed as an Independent Governor of the University of Aberdeen for a three year term.  Independent Governors sit on the University's Court which is similar to a board of directors and which is the governing body of the university.  My term ended in August 2024 when I demitted from office.

As at summer 2021 I completed the Bar Council's inaugural Leadership Programme.  The Programme provided an opportunity for 36 Barristers selected through a competitive process to develop their leadership skills.  The Programme aims to facilitate a powerful network of new leaders of the Bar of England and Wales now and in the future.

EXPERTISE: Commercial and Chancery, Regulatory and Professional Discipline, Public and Administrative.

RECENT EXPERIENCE: My most recent experience includes but is not limited to:

• Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International & Ors [2024] EWHC 1957 (Comm): acting on behalf of the Credit Suisse Deal Team (led by Peter Knox KC and Rupert Butler) in a multi-billion-dollar civil fraud ("tuna bonds") claim concerning the enforceability of state guarantees. 

• Acting for a global investment bank in the context of a Part VII FSMA banking business transfer

• Cryptocurrency civil fraud case . Charlotte successfully represented the Claimant on a pro bono basis in a claim for the tort for deceit, failure of basis and unlawful means conspiracy. 

• Acting for a leading energy supplier in a contractual dispute with an agent worth over £2M

• Acting for leading insurers and banks in relation to how to construe the Equality Act 2010 when designing and providing financial services.

• Acting for a financial services firm in a compensation scheme worth over c. £200 million relating to the alleged misselling of financial products to certain consumers.

• Acting for a public authority in a multi-jurisdictional civil fraud claim worth over c. £1.5 billion.

• Acting for a financial services firm with over £20 billion assets under management in a breach of contract and professional negligence claim.

• Conducting an investigation for and on behalf of an FCA regulated firm which had the potential to impact almost 1 million consumer accounts.

LANGUAGES:  English (Native Speaker), French (Proficient)