Our Barristers
  • Overview

    Laura became a tenant in March 2021 following a period of six monthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-webster-1595aa33/hs as a pupil barrister at New Square Chambers. Whilst at New Square Chambers Laura has developed a thriving commercial chancery practice and represents clients in mediations, in the County Court, in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and in the High Court.

    Laura’s 12-month pupillage was completed with Wilberforce Chambers. Prior to her pupillage Laura completed an LLM at UCL focused on financial and commercial law, and from 2011 to 2015 Laura served as a District Councillor on South Norfolk Council.

  • Insolvency

    Laura regularly appears in the County Court and the Insolvency and Companies Court and has experience with regards to a wide range of insolvency applications, including:

    • winding-up petitions and bankruptcy petitions (dozens of hearings in respect of each)
    • applications to set aside statutory demands
    • applications to set aside bankruptcy orders
    • applications to annul bankruptcy orders
    • an application to suspend the automatic discharge from bankruptcy
    • applications for validations orders
    • an application for a person to provide documentation and to attend an examination in court
    • applications to extend administration orders
    • an application for an administration order with retrospective effect
    • an application by a trustee in bankruptcy for an order for sale and vacant possession
  • Property

    Laura has been instructed in respect of property cases in the County Court, the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and the High Court. Laura’s experiences include the following:

    • possession claims made on the following grounds: section 8, section 21, mortgage arrears, and trespass (including defences based on constructive trust of the home and provision under the Inheritance Act (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975)
    • applications to set aside possession orders
    • applications to suspend warrants of eviction
    • advising and drafting pleadings with regards to dilapidations and disrepair
    • advising, drafting, and representing clients at hearings concerning service charge disputes
    • applications for final charging orders
    • advising and drafting with regards to the right to access a property under a lease
    • advising with regards to rectification of the land register
    • assisting with regards to a High Court claim concerning disputed easements

    Laura’s experiences as a pupil included assisting with the following: a hearing in the Court of Appeal concerning fencing easements (Churston Golf Club Ltd v Haddock), and a trial concerning an application for the modification of a restrictive covenant.

  • Trusts, Wills & Estates

    Laura has experience of trusts and estates disputes, and she has a distinction in the STEP Certificate in Trusts and Estates (England & Wales). Laura’s experiences include:

    • acting in respect of several mediations concerning claims for provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975
    • an application to revoke letters of administration
    • applications to remove executors
    • constructive trusts of the home
    • advising in respect of a charitable gift in a will where the charity has ceased to exist
    • assisting Alexander Learmonth KC with a professional negligence claim in which a solicitor had not advised their client of a potential 1975 Act claim
  • Company & Partnership

    In addition to Laura’s extensive experience with regards to corporate insolvency, Laura has undertaken the following work:

    • an application for the restoration of a company to the register
    • an application for the removal of accounts from the register
    • drafting an application for rectification of the charges register

    As a pupil Laura produced notes on matters that included:

    • the merits of an unfair prejudice claim and the potential breach of directors’ duties
    • pre-emption rights and the transfer of shares
    • damages for breach of warranty in the context of a sale of shares

    Laura obtained an outstanding in the company law module on the Bar Professional Training Course.

  • Commercial Litigation

    Laura has experience with regards to a wide range of commercial cases, including cases involving the following: disputed loans, indemnity agreements, unpaid solicitor fees, commissions with regards to the sale of land, unpaid management fees, the supply and installation of steel, manufacturing agreements, hire agreements, architect services, data hosting and document review services, interior design and property renovation, building works, misrepresentation in brochures, and claims for specific performance in the context of a contract for the sale of land.

    As a pupil Laura produced a Response to a Request for Arbitration under the LCIA Rules in the context of a dispute over whether various insurance agency agreements had been unilaterally terminated within the meaning of a deed of undertaking.

  • Qualifications / Education

    • Bar Professional Training Course, City Law School (Very Competent)
    • LLM, University College London (Merit) (Dissertation Title: ‘Circumvention of a non-assignment clause: an analysis from the perspective of contractual interpretation’)
    • Graduate LLB, BPP University (First Class Honours)
    • BA in International Relations and Politics, University of East Anglia (First Class Honours)
  • Awards

    • £5,000 Postgraduate Scholarship (City Law School)
    • Hardwicke Entrance Award (Lincoln’s Inn)
    • Prize for Distinguished Performance in Second Year Assessment (University of East Anglia)
  • Memberships

    • Property Bar Association
    • Chancery Bar Association
  • ADR

    • Accredited Mediator
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