Susanna Charlwood

Practice Areas

Susanna is an accomplished litigator who represents clients in complex, high-profile commercial disputes. She has extensive experience of litigating before the English Court, in addition to advising clients on disputes involving proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. Susanna has broad experience, covering shareholder and joint venture disputes, disputes arising from M&A transactions and investments, and civil fraud litigation. She has particular experience in handling disputes concerning distressed or insolvent companies, representing companies, creditors and office holders. Susanna also assists clients with navigating UK and international regulatory investigations. Susanna is recognised as a leading litigator by legal directories, which note she is a “complete superstar” with “her eye on every detail whilst managing to maintain a thoroughly positive energy in the entire team”, and is “outstanding, clever, savvy and a delight to work with” (Legal 500 UK, 2021).

Susanna represents leading companies in high-profile and high-value disputes, frequently involving parallel proceedings in more than one jurisdiction.

Recent experience includes representing:

Etihad Airways in its high value, multi-jurisdictional dispute with the insolvency administrator of Air Berlin concerning alleged funding commitments made by Etihad to Air Berlin prior to its 2017 insolvency.

Virgin Active in the first ever contested UK Restructuring Plan, which was successfully sanctioned.

Certain directors of DFCU Bank and Arise BV in proceedings in the English Court concerning the sale of Crane Bank Limited to DFCU Bank.

ENKA Insaat ve Sanayi in its successful action for anti-suit relief, resulting in a seminal judgment of the Supreme Court on the subject of anti suit relief in support of English arbitration.

The administrators of Greensill Capital on contentious aspects of the administration.