XXIV Old Buildings - Leading Commercial / Chancery Barristers
+44 (0)20 7691 2424
Jessica.Lavelle@xxiv.co.uk
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Jessica Lavelle is a commercial chancery barrister whose busy practice spans chambers’ core areas, with interests in civil fraud and asset tracing, commercial disputes, trusts litigation, company law, and insolvency law. She is instructed regularly in both domestic and offshore matters.

A Legal 500 “Rising Star”, Jessica has been described as “a pleasure to work with” and someone who “is good at focusing on the key issues and makes sure the clients know she is on their side”.

Jessica has appeared both led and unled in the High Court and appears regularly in the County Courts as well as working as part of a larger team on complex multi-national disputes.

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She regularly carries out pro bono work and was a Chancery Bar Association Pro Bono Champion awardee in 2023.

Expertise

  • Acting in contempt proceedings in Aslani v Sobierajska [2024] EWHC 1045 (KB) and in the successful application for permission to appeal. Jess continues to act in the ongoing appeal (with Steven Reed).
  • Acting in respect of a claim brought by a well-known international businessman for defamation by a former business partner over social media (with Steven Reed).
  • Acting for a film distribution company in a dispute with a producer over the payment of fees owing under a sales agreement.

Jessica has experience of aviation matters both as sole counsel and as part of a larger team, including:

  • Advising the claimant airline on issues of disclosure and privilege in a multi-million pound claim relating to damage to aircraft (Qatar Airways QCSC v Airbus SAS)
  • Obtaining a garnishee order for the enforcement of judgment in Times Travel UK Ltd & Nottingham Travel UK Ltd v Pakistan International Airlines Corporation
  • Acting on behalf of defendant airlines in EU Regulation 261/2004 claims.
  • Tower Bridge International Services v Viney & Ors: Acting for the second defendant in this substantial fraud claim involving allegations of misappropriation of some £25m.
  • Yuntian 10 Leasing Co DAC v Dream Aircraft Ltd & Ors: Acting as junior counsel on behalf of an airline leasing company seeking to enforce a judgment debt by means of a final charging order over a property held on trust (with Andrew Holden).
  • Prior to commencing pupillage, Jessica was involved in a substantial committal hearing arising out of a failure to comply with a disclosure order in a tracing claim (Kea Investments Ltd v Watson [2020] EWHC 2599 (Ch)).

Jessica regularly assists with drafting pleadings and evidence in a range of commercial matters, for example:

  • A multi-million pound breach of contract and misrepresentation claim.
  • Claims for breach of contract in relation to the provision of professional services.
  • Claims for breach of contract in relation to the provision of construction and site management services.

She also regularly appears in court in interim applications on commercial disputes and has trial experience in various commercial matters, including:

  • Sole counsel in a trial for breach of contract relating to the provision of civil engineering services.
  • Sole counsel in a trial for breach of contract relating to the management of cryptocurrency.

Jessica’s commercial and trusts work often involves questions of company law. Her company law experience includes:

  • Dodson and another v Shield and 7 others: Assisting Steven Reed with preparation for the Court of Appeal in an appeal relating to an unfair prejudice petition where there are allegations of the diversion of a multi-million pound business opportunity into another company.
  • Arkle v Registrar: Appearing for the Claimant in an application for rectification of the register in respect of an incorrectly entered partial satisfaction of a charge.

Jessica is ranked as a “Rising Star” in the Legal 500 Insolvency Rankings 2024. She accepts instructions across a range of personal and corporate insolvency cases and represents office-holders, directors, individuals and companies. As well as appearing in court, she is often instructed to assist with the drafting of proceedings and evidence.

Her experience includes:

  • Advising on and appearing in winding-up petitions and connected applications to restrain their presentation and advertisement.
  • Applications with respect to office-holders’ remuneration.
  • Berkeley Applegate applications.
  • Applications concerning challenges to office-holders’ decisions and/or their removal.
  • Applications concerning a range of matters where office-holders seek directions from the court.
  • Claims to challenge antecedent transactions.
  • Advising on and appearing in bankruptcy petitions.
  • Applications to set aside statutory demands.

Ranked in the Legal 500 Caribbean guide for Offshore: Trusts, clients comment “Jessica is undoubtedly one of the best junior juniors. Intelligent and dedicated to her craft with the ability to inject a healthy dose of reality into any situation, she picks up technical points very quickly.”

Her offshore experience includes:

  • Acting for the corporate trustee on a confidential matter involving allegations of improperly retained fees in Guernsey (with Elspeth Talbot Rice KC) .
  • Acting for members of a high status family in a dispute over the BVI estate of the deceased patriarch (with Elspeth Talbot Rice KC) .
  • Acting for the Applicant in a dispute relating to the proper interpretation of a will in Guernsey (with Edward Cumming KC) .
  • Acting advising a HNW family in respect of a dispute over beneficial ownership of an Isle of Man hybrid company (with Nicole Langlois).
  • Advising a Guernsey trustee regarding limitation under English law for potential claims for breach of trust.
  • Acting for the trustees of a substantial Bahamas family trust in a dispute over disclosure (with Elspeth Talbot Rice KC) .

Trusts

  • Velutini Perez v Equiom Trust Corp (UK) Ltd [2023] EWHC 615 (Ch); [2023] WTLR 349, [2022] EWHC 2996 (Ch). Claim concerning the revocation of a large trust, and consequent issues of retention and indemnity (while on secondment to Mishcon de Reya).
  • Advising on various applications for the removal of trustees and protectors from family trusts.
  • Advising a professional trustee on the disposal of a trust fund as bona vacantia following the dissolution of the corporate beneficiaries.

 

Probate & Estates

    Jessica has acted in a variety of contentious probate matters, including:

    • Advising the trustee and administrator ad colligenda bona of a substantial estate where the will did not benefit from an anti-Bartlett clause and the main asset of the estate was a company
    • Acting for both parties in challenges to the validity of wills on the basis of lack of capacity and undue influence
    • Jessica also has experience of applications to appoint personal representatives under CPR 19.12.
‘Jessica is undoubtedly one of the best junior juniors. Intelligent and dedicated to her craft with the ability to inject a healthy dose of reality into any situation, she picks up technical points very quickly.’- Offshore: Trusts, Legal 500 Caribbean 2025
‘In court, Jessica is a strong performer for her call, with the natural and confident delivery of far more experienced barristers. She is good at focusing on the key issues and makes sure the clients know she is on their side. She is also a pleasure to work with. She has a bright future ahead of her.’ Insolvency, Legal 500 UK Bar 2025
+44 (0)20 7691 2424
Jessica.Lavelle@xxiv.co.uk
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  • BA, Classics (First Class), Selwyn College, Cambridge
  • PGCE, Institute of Education
  • GDL and BPTC, City University, London
  • Call to the Bar of the BVI
  • Committee Member of the Chancery Bar Association
  • Combar
  • Court of Protection Bar Association

 

  • Denning Scholarship – Lincoln’s Inn
  • Sing Prize – Selwyn College, Cambridge
  • Henry Arthur Thomas Prize – University of Cambridge

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Jessica Lavelle listed as a Pro Bono Champion for her work with CLIPS (Chancery Litigant in Person Scheme)
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