Talia has a busy practice spanning commercial litigation, arbitration, public international law and public law. She has acted in proceedings at all levels of the English courts, representing both private and public sector clients, and is frequently instructed in international arbitration, with experience across a variety of institutional rules, including UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA and LMAA.
She is an experienced advocate, and has made oral submissions in the Supreme Court in Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV (led by Michael Collett KC), a landmark decision clarifying the limits of judicial intervention in appeals under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996.
Examples of her work include an arbitration involving a national procurement agent regarding the enforceability of a damages/penalty clause (valued at £10m+) (led by Julian Kenny KC); a dispute in the High Court concerning the enforceability of a reasonable endeavours clause (Salem v Salem) (led by David Lewis KC); and judicial review proceedings involving human rights issues related to welfare benefits and domestic violence support (R (Bui) v SSWP; R (BK) v SSWP & SSHD) (led by Edward Brown KC).
Talia also regularly undertakes advisory work for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), having spent six months on secondment in the FCDO Legal Directorate.
Talia completed her GDL at BPP in 2019, placing first in her year. She holds a BA (Hons) in History and an MPhil in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge.
Before joining chambers, Talia worked for UN Women in New York, focusing on rule of law and women’s access to justice. She continues to undertake consultancy work in this field.
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Commercial law
Selected cases:
- Salem v Salem [2024] EWHC 3311 (Ch) – dispute concerning the enforceability of a reasonable endeavours clause (led by David Lewis KC)
- Acted, led by Luke Pearce KC, in a Commercial Court CMC in a matter concerning the construction of a guarantee
- Acted for a small business making a claim for business interruption insurance resulting from COVID-19
- Appeared as sole counsel in the High Court to apply for a final charging order and oppose an application to set aside default judgment
- Advised the Financial Conduct Authority on regulatory issues related to investments, insurance and redress (part-time secondment)
Arbitration
Selected cases:
- Sharp Corp Limited v Viterra BV [2023] EWCA Civ 7; [2024] UKSC 14 – acted for the sellers, led by Michael Collett KC, in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The sellers’ success in the Supreme Court marks a significant development in arbitration law, clarifying the limits of judicial intervention in appeals under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996
- Acted, as junior counsel, for the buyer in an energy and commodities arbitration concerning the invocation of a material adverse change clause in response to sanctions
- Acted, led by Julian Kenny KC, in an arbitration involving a national procurement agent regarding the enforceability of a damages/penalty clause (valued at £10m+)
- Assisted in a dispute regarding an application to appoint an arbitrator under section 18 of the Arbitration Act 1996
Public international law and human rights
Selected cases:
- Advising the FCDO on sanctions and human rights law issues
- Assistant to Sir Daniel Bethlehem in his role as Co-Chair of the Expert Group on the Future Development of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
- Advised the FCDO on a range of issues across public international, public and commercial law during a six-month secondment in the Legal Directorate
- R (Bui) v SSWP [2022] UKUT 189 (AAC), [2023] EWCA Civ 566 – acting for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, led by Edward Brown KC, in a judicial review concerning the intersection of the Universal Credit administration with social security and human rights law
- R (BK) v SSWP and SSHD [2023] EWHC 378 (KB) – acting for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, led by Edward Brown KC, in a judicial review involving human rights law issues related to welfare benefits and domestic violence support
At UN Women, Talia worked on policy issues involving close consideration of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women as a contributor to A practitioner’s toolkit on women’s access to justice programming and the UN Women Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database.
Public and administrative law
Selected cases:
- R (Bui) v SSWP [2022] UKUT 189 (AAC), [2023] EWCA Civ 566 – acting for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, led by Edward Brown KC, in a judicial review concerning the intersection of the Universal Credit administration with social security and human rights law
- R (BK) v SSWP and SSHD [2023] EWHC 378 (KB) – acting for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, led by Edward Brown KC, in a judicial review involving human rights law issues related to welfare benefits and domestic violence support
- Advised the FCDO on a range of issues across public international, public and commercial law during a six-month secondment in the Legal Directorate
Before joining Chambers, Talia worked as a paralegal for SV Law and as a Tribunal Support Volunteer for the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA). Both roles involved appearing on behalf of clients in the First Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and she welcomes instructions in this area.
Civil fraud and asset tracing
Selected cases:
- Acted, as junior counsel, in a PCA arbitration concerning an unfair prejudice petition arising out of a joint venture in the oil and gas industry
Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement
Commodities and shipping
Selected cases:
- Sharp Corp Limited v Viterra BV [2023] EWCA Civ 7; [2024] UKSC 14 – acted for the sellers, led by Michael Collett KC, in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The case concerned the proper construction of the Gafta default clause
- Acted, led by Julian Kenny KC, in an arbitration with a national procurement agent regarding the enforceability of a damages/penalty clause (valued at £10m+)
- Acted, as junior counsel, for the buyer in an energy and commodities arbitration concerning the invocation of a material adverse change clause in response to sanctions
- Acting for a buyer regarding the alleged repudiation of a FOSFA contract (settled claim submissions)
- Advising on the alleged frustration of a Gafta contract as a result of the war in Ukraine
- Advising on the correct approach to calculating a party’s liability for bunkers while a vessel was off hire
