Grace FERRIER

Grace practises commercial litigation and international arbitration. She is particularly experienced in high-value and complex commercial disputes involving international elements, including most recently, acting for the Claimants in Município de Mariana v BHP, one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2020, 2022 and 2024, the liability trial for which commenced in October 2024 and concluded in March 2025. Grace’s international arbitration experience includes representing or advising parties in proceedings under LCIA, ICC and ad-hoc rules as well as in associated court applications including challenges, enforcement and injunctive relief. Grace’s other areas of expertise include group litigation, civil fraud, banking and financial services and commercial employment.

Recent highlights include:

Município de Mariana v BHP [2024] EWHC 953 (TCC), [2024] EWHC 954 (TCC), [2024] EWHC 952 (TCC), [2024] EWHC 207 (TCC), [2024] EWHC 192 (TCC), [2024] EWHC 23 (TCC): Acting for the Claimants in a multi-billion-pound dispute arising from Brazil’s largest environmental disaster and the largest class action by claimant size in English legal history (with Alain Choo Choy KC, Andrew Fulton KC and others). At trial, Grace was the lead junior on the Claimants’ environmental liability claims and the Brazilian law aspects of the Claimants’ civil liability claims.
Aon UK Limited & Ors v Howden Group Holdings Limited & Ors: Acting for Howden in defence of a multi-million-pound team move conspiracy claim arising out of the recruitment by Howden of employees in the UK and Brazil (with David Craig KC and others). Claims arising from the Brazilian recruitment are to be determined under Brazilian law.
BTI 2014 LLC and another v Finbarr O’Connell and others [2025] EWHC 2115 (Ch): Acted for BTI 2014 LLC and BAT Industries LLC in a successful application to remove the Joint Administrators of Windward Prospects Limited under paragraph 88 of Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986 (with James Sheehan KC and William Willson).
Confidential: Advising on strategy in a high-profile class action (with Angeline Welsh KC and Eloise Hewson).
Grace has experience conducting the various tasks that accompany heavy litigation and arbitration including drafting pleadings, orders, opening and closing submissions, Disclosure Review Documents, Redfern Schedules, Lists of Common Ground Issues and Case Memoranda (and any necessary associated inter partes negotiation of the same); appearing led at interlocutory hearings (interim applications, Case Management Conferences, Disclosure Guidance Hearings and Pre-trial Reviews); and cross-examination preparation. In addition to appearing as junior counsel, Grace has appeared unled in the County Court.

As a fluent Portuguese speaker, Grace is well-suited to acting in Lusophone and Latin American disputes. She also has extensive expertise in Brazilian law, especially the law pertaining to Brazilian Environmental, Civil and Corporate Liability, limitation and waiver, and associated issues of Civil Procedure.

Grace completed an accelerated Law (Jurisprudence) degree at the University of Oxford on a full tuition fee scholarship, graduating with a multi-prize winning first, including prizes for best performance in private law, contract, tort and criminal law. She subsequently taught contract law and tort law at the University of Oxford. Before that, Grace was an Associate at JP Morgan and later worked as an independent consultant to other City banks, having graduated with a BA in History and Portuguese from St. John’s College, Oxford in 2014.

Grace is a David Karmel, Bedingfield and Atkin Scholar of Gray’s Inn (the Inn’s top scholarships each year).