Practice Overview
Lisa Linklater K.C. is a leading silk with an established reputation nationally for her expertise, advocacy, advice and strategic excellence in the following areas:
- Company, LLP and Partnership disputes, particularly shareholder disputes,
- Insolvency and Restructuring,
- Commercial Dispute Resolution,
- Commercial Fraud and
- Property and Trusts
As a silk, Lisa has rapidly established a heavyweight litigation and advisory practice, acting for high profile clients nationally and internationally, being sought after as a result of her reputation and the results she has achieved in her cases. Lisa’s practice is often high value, high profile and/or with complex legal, factual or valuation issues and/or cross border issues.
Lisa is recommended as a Band 1 silk by both Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2025 and Legal 500 UK Bar 2025, which recognise the strength of Lisa’s skills in Commercial Dispute Resolution, Chancery and Insolvency and Restructuring. Recent clients also note the high quality of Lisa’s service and client care. For example, a client Lisa successfully represented in a shareholder dispute that concluded in 2023 stated “Lisa provided a great service and her insight into the case was very helpful. Her communication was always prompt.”
She has an outstanding reputation in company law (particularly shareholder disputes), insolvency litigation and technical applications and related commercial fraud, property and trust issues, as reflected in the strength of her practice in these areas. She is currently instructed in shareholder disputes involving minority shareholdings valued at over £10 million, disputes relating to property portfolios with a value of over £10 million and in a claim against a director in a high profile corporate insolvency involving alleged accessory liability to alleged breaches of trust of over £12 million. In 2023 Lisa acted in respect of a number of high profile corporate insolvencies for office holders, directors and creditors, including Safe Hands Plans Limited (in administration) and Volta Trucks Limited (in administration), as well as for the liquidators in Re Torotrak plc (in liquidation)[2023] EWHC 115 (Ch).
Lisa also has an excellent practice and reputation in high value contractual claims of all types (including share and business sale agreements, shareholder agreements, finance agreements and contracts involving the public sector), including the arbitration of such disputes or their resolution by expert determination. Current instructions include acting on behalf of a bank in respect of a substantial claim under a guarantee and for a seller of shares in a claim for £11 million in respect of deferred consideration under a share purchase agreement. Further example recent instructions include acting in respect of a public contract relating to a very substantial joint venture property development in the North West, involving issues relating to public procurement law.
Lisa brings a commercial, creative, collaborative, strategic and practical approach to advancing her clients’ objectives. She is valued for her ability to bring out the best in the legal teams she is leading, cultivating cohesive and collaborative teams to effectively advance the clients’ cases.
Lisa served as Junior Counsel to the Crown (Attorney General’s Regional Panel) for three consecutive terms (18 years) and was regularly instructed by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in high-profile, complex company director disqualification applications and public interest winding up petitions, as well as by HM Revenue and Customs in precedent-setting cases and multi-million pound tax fraud cases. She is currently instructed as lead Counsel by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade in a complex and high profile director disqualification in the retail sector.
Lisa’s experience and expertise as lead trial Counsel in the Business and Property Courts of the High Court of Justice and in the Court of Appeal underpins the strength of her oral and written advocacy and strategic excellence at all stages of disputes. While a substantial part of Lisa’s work is in the Business and Property Courts of the High Court of Justice in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, Lisa is also regularly instructed in cases in London, Birmingham and Bristol and she takes cases from across England and Wales. Lisa is instructed on behalf of clients by regional, national and international law firms.
Lisa is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Company Lawyer, a specialist journal, published by Sweet and Maxwell. She is widely published in company and insolvency law including in R3’s Recovery and Sweet & Maxwell’s Insolvency Intelligence. Recent seminars presented by Lisa to leading insolvency practitioners, accountancy firms and regional, national and international law firms include shareholder disputes, legal professional privilege and directors’ duties. In 2023, Lisa was chair of a prestigious panel of international experts at the 40th Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime. She is a fellow of R3 and full member of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association.
She is Vice-chair of the Northern Business and Property Bar Association.
For further detail as to Lisa’s expertise and experience please refer to each of Lisa’s bespoke practice area CVs (see opposite).
