"She is absolutely superb. Her advocacy is very strong ... She is really first class - her work is very prompt and all of the highest quality, as is her advocacy."
Laura Newton is widely regarded as one of the stars of the junior commercial Bar. She is an experienced senior junior with a commercial practice which sees her regularly instructed in high value international commercial disputes and arbitrations, often with a fraud aspect. She regularly appears unled in high value disputes in the High Court, often against leading silks.
Laura’s recent instructions include acting for a number of lenders in proceedings arising out of the $2 billion “tuna bond” scandal involving allegations of bribery and corruption in Mozambique; acting for a City law firm in proceedings arising out of hacking of a businessman’s data; acting for a group of Chinese banks in a $700 million claim against the Indian businessman Anil Ambani; and acting for a number of individuals and corporate defendants in the high-profile Avonwick proceedings between Ukrainian oligarchs. She has recently appeared for the successful Appellant in the Privy Council in relation to an issue of Trinidad & Tobago banking law. She is also admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
She has previously been ranked as one of the top 10 commercial juniors at her level. The directories include the following commentary on Laura’s capabilities: "She has a really sharp brain and is very clear in her advice." "Very smart and highly capable, she is going places." "Clients really like her and she is completely on top of all of the documents." "She is super bright and very academically able." "Extremely bright. Her written work is fantastic and she is a very gifted advocate. Clients find her reassuring and approachable"; "She is extremely able and disarmingly bright"; "Extremely personable and someone who punches above her weight"; "Highly intelligent"; "A real star in the making"; “Extremely clever and enormously diligent. The quality of her written work is well beyond her years”; “Very accomplished, particularly for her level of call”; “She assimilates the facts quickly and has good recall”; "She grasps material and produces high-quality work in very quick time".
Laura’s abilities have been recognised as exceptional for someone of her seniority: she was one of just 10 barristers selected for inclusion in The Lawyer Hot 100, and was also featured as one of the Legal Week 10 Stars at the Bar. The Lawyer noted that, “At just seven years’ call Laura Newton has been dubbed a ‘superstar’ by QCs for her record of bringing in significant commercial litigation mandates and being a ‘driving force’ in complex case management.” Legal Week referred to her as “winning plaudits left, right and centre”.
Laura frequently deals with substantial commercial cases, most of which have an international aspect. Under the umbrella of commercial litigation, Laura’s practice spans contractual disputes, civil fraud, banking and finance, and professional liability.
Laura also has experience of shareholder disputes, applications against directors, applications under the Companies Act 2006, applications under the Insolvency Act, and advising in relation to company law issues.
International arbitration forms a large part of Laura’s practice. She has been involved as sole Counsel, as well as being led, in a number of substantial LCIA and ad hoc arbitrations. Examples of recent instructions include:
Hatfield College, Durham University:
LLB (Dunelm), First class honours
Baxter Prize for top performance in college
Cervantes Prize for top performance in year
St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford:
BCL (Oxon), Distinction
Allen & Overy Prize for the Best Performance in Global Comparative Financial Law
Allen & Overy Prize for the Best Performance in Corporate Insolvency Law
College honours for top performance in the BCL
Astbury Scholarship, Middle Temple
University College London: Visiting Tutor in Tort Law
King’s College London: Examiner in Trusts Law
COMBAR
Chancery Bar Association
LCIA
YIAG
Commercial Fraud Lawyers’ Association
Young Fraud Lawyers’ Association
Chambers & Partners, 2022 (Commercial Dispute Resolution)
"She has a really sharp brain and is very clear in her advice."
Chambers & Partners, 2022 (Fraud: Civil)
"She is absolutely superb. Her advocacy is very strong and she is really strong on complex fraud issues." "She is really first class - her work is very prompt and all of the highest quality, as is her advocacy."
Chambers & Partners, 2022 (Chancery: Commercial)
"Her advice is excellent. She is super bright and just very nice to work with."
Chambers & Partners, 2021 (Commercial Dispute Resolution)
"Very smart and highly capable, she is going places." "Clients really like her and she is completely on top of all of the documents."
Chambers & Partners, 2021 (Fraud: Civil)
"She is super bright and very academically able."
Chambers & Partners, 2021 (Chancery: Commercial)
"Very user-friendly and always on top of the detail."
Chambers & Partners UK & Global, 2020 (Commercial Dispute Resolution)
"Hard-working and bright, she is very responsive and very good at getting on top of all the issues and thinking them through."
Chambers & Partners, 2020 (Fraud: Civil)
"She's one of the quickest barristers - she turns around high-quality work in no time at all." "She's really impressive, easy to work with and makes time to take calls."
Chambers & Partners, 2019 (Chancery: Commercial)
"Extremely personable and someone who punches above her weight."
Chambers & Partners, 2019 (Commercial Dispute Resolution)
"Laura Newton is very user-friendly, hard-working, good to have on a team and very mature; she comes across as so much more than a junior." "She's a rising star."
Chambers & Partners, 2019 (Fraud: Civil)
"Extremely bright. Her written work is fantastic and she is a very gifted advocate. Clients find her reassuring and approachable." "Highly intelligent."
Chambers & Partners, 2018 (Chancery: Commercial)
"Very nice and very willing to help out, she really does make herself available." "A superb junior, who despite her outstanding legal abilities is very modest."
Chambers & Partners, 2018 (Commercial Dispute Resolution)
"Extremely easy to deal with and very friendly, she helps put clients at ease." "She produces things very quickly and she really masters the evidence."
Chambers & Partners, 2018 (Fraud: Civil)
"Bright, hard-working and praised by her leaders. She has a great future." "Extremely easy to deal with. Very friendly."
Chambers & Partners, 2017 (Fraud: Civil)
"She is very personable and very diligent, and has judgement beyond her years." "She grasps material and produces high-quality work in very quick time."
Chambers & Partners, 2017 (Chancery: Commercial)
"She is extremely able and disarmingly bright."
The Legal 500, 2022 (Commercial Litigation)
"Extremely talented and a huge pleasure to work with. Proactive and very user-friendly."
The Legal 500, 2021 (Commercial Litigation)
‘An outstanding junior who deals with issues of complexity and gravity with great confidence.’
The Legal 500, 2020 (Commercial Litigation)
'Delightful to work with and always makes herself available.'
The Legal 500, 2022 (Fraud: Civil)
"First rate – very easy to work with and extremely knowledgeable."
The Legal 500, 2021 (Fraud: Civil)
‘Highly intelligent and analytical, always completely on top of the detail, has a collaborative working style, a very sharp mind and is a pleasure to work with.’
The Legal 500, 2020 (Fraud: Civil)
'A very clear thinker and her pleadings are clear, thoughtful and well-measured.'
The Legal 500, 2018-19 (Commercial Litigation)
‘Sensible, pragmatic responsive, and understands solicitors’ practices from previous experience.’
The Legal 500, 2017 (Commercial Litigation)
‘An up-and-coming star.’
The Legal 500, 2018 (Fraud: Civil)
‘A great team player who provides fantastic support to leaders and solicitors.’
The Legal 500, 2017 (Fraud: Civil)
‘Very clever, hardworking and very good at keeping a strong market profile.’
The Legal 500, 2016 (Commercial Litigation – Top Ten Under Eight Years’ Call)
‘She continues to impress with her knowledge and approach to cases.’
The Legal 500, 2016 (Fraud: Civil)
‘A real star in the making.’
The Legal 500, 2015 (Fraud:Civil)
“She is diligent, personable, and intelligent, with judgement beyond her years.”
Chambers & Partners, 2016 (Fraud)
Very well-regarded junior counsel who is capable of appearing unled in high-value cases. “Extremely clever and enormously diligent. The quality of her written work is well beyond her years and she is also a very good team player with a very warm personality.”
Chambers & Partners, 2016 (Chancery: Commercial)
Handles a wide and varied commercial litigation caseload, and is often involved in cases considering points of company and insolvency law. “She assimilates the facts quickly and has good recall. She is always very personable and friendly. You can work well with her in a team.”