Year of Call
2015Areas of practice
“From the moment we met Hazel, we could see how informed and dedicated she would be for us. She gave us strength in very hard times we were facing.”
Client
Biography
Hazel practises predominantly as a commercial and property barrister, although she has a vast amount of experience in a number of areas. Hazel goes over and above for each and every one of her clients and is sensitive to their needs. She is a tenacious advocate and a formidable opponent. She has a remarkable talent to think on her feet. Hazel has a unique ability to persuade seemingly unwavering judges to support her clients’ cases and interests. Hazel is readily able to roll her sleeves up and hit the ground running with any case sent to her.
Hazel always bears a thought to the future and has an arsenal of tactical tools at her disposal to ensure favourable outcomes. In doing so she provides clients with a variety of options to tailor the best approach for their case; she possesses a foresight for variables throughout a matter and her advice covers all bases. From dealing with an array of clients and businesses, including high net-worth individuals and international corporations, she has a strong commercial awareness.
Her experience in the tax and accountancy industry has allowed her to develop an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of a range of different businesses enables her to tailor her approach to each client’s specific needs. Hazel always endeavours to put her clients at ease in their stressful journey throughout litigation.
Hazel is perspicacious and prides herself on meticulous preparation and her ability to think on her feet. Her previous experience practising in criminal law has given her extensive experience in advocacy and working under pressure. Hazel has received awards for her advocacy abilities including a bursary from the Criminal Bar Association for an “outstanding performance in advocacy.” Hazel’s advocacy is not only eloquent but tenacious.
In addition to her UK practice, she accepts instructions in international cases particularly those based in the DIFC courts in Dubai where she has previously worked. Hazel is also experienced in ADR and can represent clients in mediation and adjudication proceedings.
In addition to law, Hazel has experience in the tax and accountancy industry which makes her particularly good at understanding and advising companies. She is working towards her Chartered Tax advisor’s qualification specialising in trusts, IHT and owner-managed businesses.
Hazel received a scholarship from the Pegasus Scholarship Trust in 2019 to work in Dubai. During her time in Dubai, Hazel worked in the DIFC Courts assisting in the hearing and judgment of many international disputes. Hazel also spent a time at the well renowned international law firm, Al Tamimi, in which she dealt with international disputes spanning a range of jurisdictions. Whilst working as an associate in the International Litigation Group at Al Tamimi, Hazel worked on a variety of construction disputes, including one of the first cases to be issues in the DIFC Technology and Construction Court. She is very familiar with a variety of construction contract forms.
Hazel is a working door tenant at 5 Pump Court.
Commercial
Hazel has a breadth of experience in dealing with commercial matters, having advised in a wide range of contractual disputes involving ROT clauses, guarantees, recession, repudiatory breaches, fraud and misrepresentation. She has acted for many commercial clients and is very good at understanding both the practical needs of a business and the law, enabling her to provide well considered, pragmatic advice.
Hazel has experience of contentious and non-contentious company law applications including resurrection of companies, breach of director’s duties and bona vacantia property. Hazel also advises on partnership disputes and restrictive covenants.
Hazel is particularly well suited to insolvency matters because of her experience of accountancy and tax, and actively encourages instructions in these types of cases. She has acted for creditors in the UK and overseas, and acts in both corporate and personal insolvency proceedings. She advised creditors in a high value CVL in relation to the insolvency of a large development company which combined issues of wrongful trading and preferences. She has also dealt with matters involving pre-pack agreements and assignment of assets. In respect of personal insolvency, she has acted and advised in cases involving IVAs, bankruptcy and statutory demands.
Property
Hazel is a very experienced property barrister, acting in a very wide range of property disputes. She has a very good knowledge of the technical points of land law. Hazel acts in and advises on boundary disputes, access to neighbouring land disputes, as well as accretion and adverse possession matters.
Hazel has experience in commercial landlord and tenant matters, including forfeiture, breach of covenant, injunctions and service charge disputes in both the County Court and the First Tier Property Tribunal. She has acted in hundreds of possession proceedings and has developed a wealth of experience in residential landlord and tenant law, acting for both tenants and landlords.
In respect of her work for landlords, she has experience in the social housing sector, including ASB injunctions. She also has experience of regulatory proceedings particularly those relating to HMOs.
Hazel has acted in appeals against local authority homelessness decisions, appeals against possession orders and emergency injunctions in the High Court in Judicial Review proceedings.
Construction
In addition to her property practice, Hazel has experience in a variety of construction disputes having advised and worked on a variety of construction matters, including multi-million dollar complexes, residential developments and commercial refits. She has been involved in cases in the Technology and Construction Court, most notably a high value case involving the defective construction of a swimming pool. In the domestic setting she has worked on a number of cases involving listed properties, in particular disputes involving leaded lights and sash windows.
Hazel is familiar with construction contracts, in both a domestic and international setting. Hazel has acted for a number of clients in UK Construction Industry adjudications.
Contentious trusts and probate
Hazel advises in both contentious and non-contentious trusts and probate matters, including the interpretation and rectification of trusts, the rectification of wills, challenges to wills and estate administration.
In probate, Hazel is regularly instructed in will disputes. Her experience encompasses disputes involving lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence, fraud, fraudulent calumny, removal of executors and Inheritance Act claims. Hazel also has experience in disputes involving lifetime gifts. In the non-contentious sphere, Hazel also advises on general estate planning and administration issues, such as seeking Benjamin and Beddoe orders.
Hazel is regularly instructed in sole and joint name TOLATA cases, for both parties seeking to assert an interest and parties seeking to rebut. Her experience in both property and trusts law means that she is a natural fit for this type of work.
Instruct
To instruct Hazel, please contact Rob Johnstone.
Memberships
- Contentious Trusts Association
Prizes
- Pegasus Scholar 2019
- Criminal Bar Association Bursary Award 2015 for an outstanding performance in advocacy
- Wildcard Scholarship from University of Law for advocacy - 2014
Notable Cases
Goldsmith v Bissett-Powell [2021] EWHC 1591 (QB) – Hazel successfully defended a claim for defamation after a two-day trial in relation to posts made by her client on Facebook.
Arun District Council v H [2021]: Hazel successfully prosecuted a Defendant in the Criminal Courts for running a HMO without a licence, who was sentenced to a fine of £17,500.
L v S [2020]: Hazel obtained a freezing injunction on behalf of her client in the High Court in relation to a fraud of £200,000. Hazel was able to persuade the Judge that there was a real risk of the Defendant dissipating his assets. In this case, there was very little evidence available to demonstrate the fraud, although Hazel was able to utilise the information and her knowledge of financial investments to demonstrate that the investment manager was acting fraudulently. Hazel was able to not only protect the interests of her client but she was also able to secure return of her client’s funds.
S v B [2020] – Hazel obtained an emergency mandatory injunction in the High Court in a case of homelessness. Within hours of receiving the brief which due to urgency contact scant detail, Hazel was able to advise and put together the application and draft grounds for judicial review. The matter was heard at 1am, the Judge initially considered that the matter was not urgent and could be dealt with in the morning. As stated in his judgment, Hazel convinced the Judge that in a case such as this “every night matters and every day matters”. Mr Justice Fordham stated in his judgment “During the evening, in the run up to the application before me, Ms Hobbs of counsel for the Claimant was able to formulate in some considerable detail and at top speed some draught grounds for judicial review.”
C v B Ltd [2020] – After full trial, Hazel obtained a substantial judgment in her client’s favour in relation to a bespoke roofing dispute.
M v G [2019] – Hazel was successful at trial in bringing a claim for substantial damages in tort and breach of contract in a construction dispute. As well as successfully defending the Defendant’s counterclaim.
Childescu v Gheorghiu and Others [2019] CFI 074 (DIFC Courts) – A multi-million-dollar fraud case in Dubai involving complex trust and corporate structures in which Hazel worked with and was led by Patrick Dillon-Malone SC to obtain a worldwide freezing injunction. This case was highly complex due to the web of corporate structures and trusts used to conceal the fraud. These structures also spanned multiple jurisdictions and the assets were also held in separate jurisdictions.
Regina v H [2018]- Hazel successfully obtained a declaration of interest on behalf of an interested third party in proceeds of crime proceedings.