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Rowena Page

Call: 2012

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Overview

Rowena specialises in commercial chancery litigation, with a strong emphasis on insolvency, company and business disputes. She has extensive experience acting in both a national and an international context.

Rowena has extensive experience in the High Court and is a determined and effective advocate. She is regularly instructed by officeholders, shareholders and directors, in addition to her corporate and individual clients.

 

Rowena’s practice also embraces all aspects of commercial and insolvency litigation. She has built up a wealth of experience in disputes with an insolvency angle, with particular expertise in breach of directors’ duties claims, officeholder claims and all kinds of asset tracing/asset recovery actions. Much of Rowena’s work takes place in the High Court and Insolvency and Companies Court.

Although her primary focus is on insolvency and business disputes, Rowena also has considerable experience in property and trust-related matters. Rowena’s work in these areas complements and often coincides with her other areas of practice, and she is always happy to accept new challenges and explore new or developing areas of law.

Rowena’s work has been publicly recognised in the Chambers UK Directory since 2019. Clients have particularly commended her thorough, commercially focussed advice and her strength as an advocate.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Rowena read Law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from which she graduated with the fifth-highest First Class Degree in her year.

Rowena is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands.

Terms of Business 

The clerks are happy to discuss the basis on which Rowena will act in any given matter. In the absence of express written agreement otherwise, the terms under which Rowena accepts instructions are The Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services By Barristers to Authorised Persons 2020 (as updated from time to time) referred to in the BSB Handbook.

Publications

Landlord and Tenant Factbook, Sweet & Maxwell (Jan 2015 – March 2020)
R3 Recovery Magazine, case updates contributor (March – October 2016)
Butterworths Property Insolvency, ed. T. Calland (2015)

Education

BPTC (Outstanding) – Kaplan Bar School
MA (Cantab), Law – Emmanuel College, Cambridge, First Class (1st in College; 5th in University)

“Very pragmatic, and sees the bigger picture. She is a star for the future.” (2022)

Chambers UK
Chancery: Commercial

“She is very good - very measured and strong on the technical legal arguments." "A tremendous barrister.” (2022)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She combines her excellent technical knowledge and unflappable manner with superb tactical and advocacy skills.” (2022)

Legal 500 UK
Insolvency

“She is very, very thorough in her preparation and extremely knowledgeable.” (2021)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

Expertise

Insolvency & Restructuring 

Overview

Insolvency work makes up the core of Rowena’s practice.

Her work embraces a wide range of personal and corporate insolvency litigation, including disputes involving directors’ duties/misfeasance, antecedent transaction avoidance claims, winding up and bankruptcy petitions, applications to challenge or remove officeholders, property/TLATA disputes, and administration applications. She has specific experience in winding up partnerships and LLPs, and is familiar with the particular considerations that arise in such cases.

Rowena acts for both officeholders and the respondents to such actions, whether individuals or corporates. She has particular experience in cases with a cross-border or international element, including applications under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulation 2006.

Rowena was first ranked as an “up and coming” junior in Restructuring/Insolvency in 2019 and has been consistently ranked since then. The directories have recently described her as ‘extremely knowledgeable’, ‘hugely commercially minded’ and ‘unflappable on her feet’.

Notable Cases

  • Re PJSC Bank Finance and Credit [2021] EWHC 1100 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application for recognition of a Ukrainian bank’s liquidation under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006.
  • Re Goremsandu (a bankrupt) (2021). Sole counsel. A two-day trial concerning an application for possession and sale of jointly owned property in exceptional circumstances.
  • Re New World Resources PLC (2021). Sole counsel. A substantial remuneration application in which Rowena acted for the liquidators.
  • Re S.J. Henderson & Company Ltd [2019] EWHC 2742 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application to regularise an out-of-hours appointment of administrators.
  • Amin v Redbridge London Borough Council and others [2019] BPIR 1. Sole counsel. Acting for the petitioning creditor in an appeal regarding liability for bankruptcy expenses and costs following rescission of the bankruptcy order.
  • Re Electric Trucks Ltd (in liquidation) (2019). Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the liquidators of Electric Trucks Ltd in successful misfeasance proceedings against its former directors.
  • Re Brique et Mortier Ltd. Sole counsel. Acting for a contributory in contested contributory’s winding up proceedings.
  • Re JP Dunn Construction Ltd. Sole counsel. Rowena successfully restrained advertisement of a winding up petition presented in respect of alleged service charge arrears.
  • Abdulrida and others v Al Najar and others: sole counsel. Acting for the trustee in bankruptcy of a defendant in substantial fraud proceedings. The claimants allege that millions of pounds of their money was diverted into property purchased in the name of the defendants. The case is currently proceeding in the Chancery Division.
  • Zinc Hotels (Investment) Ltd and another v Beveridge and others [2018] BCC 968. Led by Stephen Davies KC. Acting for the applicants in proceedings seeking the appointment of additional administrators.
  • AIB Group (UK) Plc v Constantin Nicholas Peridakis. Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the petitioning creditor in disputed bankruptcy proceedings arising from a director’s liability under a personal guarantee.
  • Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd v Depa (UK) Ltd. Led by Christopher Parker KC in proceedings brought by the liquidators of Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd against a charge-holder.
  • Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd v Armstrong and others. Led by Christopher Parker KC in a claim seeking to avoid sale of a property at an undervalue by a mortgagee under its power of sale.

Commercial Disputes 

Overview

Rowena has considerable experience in commercial disputes.

In recent years she has acted as part of large counsel teams in multi-million and multi-billion pound claims proceeding in the High Court, in addition to acting in her own right. Her commercial work frequently has an international or cross-border angle. 

Notable Cases

  • Municipality of Mariana and others v BHP Billiton Plc and others.  Acting as part of a counsel team for the claimants in a c.£5bn class action against BHP Billiton Plc over the collapse of a mining dam in Brazil in 2015.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.
  • Wilson James SPRL v MSL Recruitment Ltd. Acting as junior to James Pickering KC for the claimants in substantial Commercial Court proceedings concerning the supply of workers in mainland Europe.
  • Sullivan v Royal Bank of Scotland. Sole counsel. Acting for the Bank of Scotland in a claim brought by a former director against RBS alleging that it improperly distressed a property portfolio following the financial crash of 2007/8.
  • Flax v Papaloizou [2015] EWHC 1055 (QB). Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the respondent in successfully resisting an appeal regarding interpretation of a Tomlin Order.

Company, Partnerships & LLPs 

Overview

Company and partnership related work makes up a substantial proportion of Rowena’s practice.

She has particular experience in unfair prejudice petitions, shareholder disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims and partnership claims in which the existence of the alleged partnership is challenged.

Notable Cases

  • Newland v Southern Commercial Trucks and Trailers Ltd. Sole counsel. Acting for the claimant in a partnership dispute in which the continued existence of the partnership is in dispute.
  • A v B. Acting for a party claiming a beneficial shareholding in a limited company.
  • Fiddlesticks Games Ltd v Curve Digital Publishing and others [2019] 6 WLUK 461. Sole counsel. Acting for the directors of a company in a successful application to strike out proceedings issued in a company’s name by a former director without authority.
  • Taparis Ltd v Siddiqi. Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the claimants in successfully obtaining specific performance of a share sale deed.
  • Advising shareholders in respect of a proposed unfair prejudice petition.

Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery 

Overview

Rowena’s fraud and asset recovery work both sits alongside and complements her broad insolvency practice.

She has particular experience in national and international asset recovery work, for both domestic and overseas clients. Recent work has included acting as junior in a multi-jurisdictional fraud claim worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

In an insolvency context, Rowena has extensive experience acting in antecedent transaction claims and s423 Insolvency Act 1986 claims. Her work often involves claims and applications with an unusual, novel or urgent element.

Notable Cases

  • Acting as sole counsel for the trustee of a high-profile bankrupt found to have defrauded a company out of millions of pounds. Rowena and her client seek to recover the monies misappropriated and paid out by him for the benefit of the estate.
  • Acting as junior counsel for offshore liquidators in a proposed breach of fiduciary duty and/or fraud claim.
  • Acting as junior counsel in proposed proceedings to be brought by a bank which has been defrauded out of hundreds of millions of pounds.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.

International & Offshore 

Overview

In recent years Rowena’s practice has taken on an increasingly international outlook in both a commercial and an insolvency context. 

Rowena frequently acts for offshore officeholders in asset recovery and fraud actions. She is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands.  

Notable Cases

  • Re PJSC Bank Finance and Credit [2021] EWHC 1100 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application for recognition of a Ukrainian bank’s liquidation under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006.
  • Re New World Resources PLC (2021). Sole counsel. A substantial remuneration application in which Rowena acted for the successful liquidators of an English registered parent company with Czech subsidiaries in the mining industry.
  • Bradford Metropolitan District Council v Northern and Western Insurance Company Ltd & Others. Sole counsel. Acting for offshore liquidators of a company incorporated in St Kitts & Nevis in proceedings concerning a plot of land in Bradford, UK.
  • Wilson James SPRL v MSL Recruitment Ltd. Acting as junior to James Pickering KC for the claimants in substantial Commercial Court proceedings concerning the supply of workers in mainland Europe.
  • Municipality of Mariana and others v BHP Billiton Plc and others.  Acting as part of a counsel team for the claimants in a c.£5bn class action against BHP Billiton Plc over the collapse of a mining dam in Brazil in 2015.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.

Directory quotes

Chambers UK
Chancery: Commercial

“Very pragmatic, and sees the bigger picture. She is a star for the future.” (2022)

Legal 500 UK
Insolvency

“She combines her excellent technical knowledge and unflappable manner with superb tactical and advocacy skills.” (2022)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She is very good - very measured and strong on the technical legal arguments." "A tremendous barrister.” (2022)

 

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She is very, very thorough in her preparation and extremely knowledgeable.” (2021)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She gives excellent advice and is hugely commercially minded and very proactive on cases.” (2020)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She is assertive and fair and is a real force to be reckoned with in court. She is a determined and eloquent advocate.” (2020)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She is absolutely excellent, super sharp and friendly. She’s great to work with, gets straight to the point and is unflappable on her feet.” (2019)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“She is technically robust, provides excellent client service and is a pleasure to work with.” (2019)

Chambers UK
Restructuring/Insolvency

“Very bright and hard-working, with good commercial sense” (2019)

Memberships

  • R3 Association of Business Recovery Professionals
  • Insolvency Lawyers’ Association
  • INSOL
  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Property Bar Association

Qualifications

  • BPTC (Outstanding) – Kaplan Bar School
  • MA (Cantab), Law – Emmanuel College, Cambridge, First Class (1st in College; 5th in University)

Awards

  • Advocacy Scholar, Kaplan Bar School
  • James Crouch Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
  • Cambridge University Mistress of Moots

Articles 

 clerks@maitlandchambers.com                                                                  

  +44 (0)20 7406 1200

Rowena Page

Call: 2012

rjpage@maitlandchambers.com

“Very pragmatic, and sees the bigger picture. She is a star for the future.” (2022)

Chambers UK

Chancery: Commercial

Overview

Rowena specialises in commercial chancery litigation, with a strong emphasis on insolvency, company and business disputes. She has extensive experience acting in both a national and an international context.

Rowena has extensive experience in the High Court and is a determined and effective advocate. She is regularly instructed by officeholders, shareholders and directors, in addition to her corporate and individual clients.

Rowena’s practice also embraces all aspects of commercial and insolvency litigation. She has built up a wealth of experience in disputes with an insolvency angle, with particular expertise in breach of directors’ duties claims, officeholder claims and all kinds of asset tracing/asset recovery actions. Much of Rowena’s work takes place in the High Court and Insolvency and Companies Court.

Although her primary focus is on insolvency and business disputes, Rowena also has considerable experience in property and trust-related matters. Rowena’s work in these areas complements and often coincides with her other areas of practice, and she is always happy to accept new challenges and explore new or developing areas of law.

Rowena’s work has been publicly recognised in the Chambers UK Directory since 2019. Clients have particularly commended her thorough, commercially focussed advice and her strength as an advocate.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Rowena read Law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from which she graduated with the fifth-highest First Class Degree in her year.

Rowena is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands.

Terms of Business 

The clerks are happy to discuss the basis on which Rowena will act in any given matter. In the absence of express written agreement otherwise, the terms under which Rowena accepts instructions are The Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services By Barristers to Authorised Persons 2020 (as updated from time to time) referred to in the BSB Handbook.

Publications

Landlord and Tenant Factbook, Sweet & Maxwell (Jan 2015 – March 2020)
R3 Recovery Magazine, case updates contributor (March – October 2016)
Butterworths Property Insolvency, ed. T. Calland (2015)

Education

BPTC (Outstanding) – Kaplan Bar School
MA (Cantab), Law – Emmanuel College, Cambridge, First Class (1st in College; 5th in University)

Memberships

  • R3 Association of Business Recovery Professionals
  • Insolvency Lawyers’ Association
  • INSOL
  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Property Bar Association

Qualifications

  • BPTC (Outstanding) – Kaplan Bar School
  • MA (Cantab), Law – Emmanuel College, Cambridge, First Class (1st in College; 5th in University)

Awards

  • Advocacy Scholar, Kaplan Bar School
  • James Crouch Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
  • Cambridge University Mistress of Moots

Articles 

Insolvency & Restructuring

Insolvency work makes up the core of Rowena’s practice.

Her work embraces a wide range of personal and corporate insolvency litigation, including disputes involving directors’ duties/misfeasance, antecedent transaction avoidance claims, winding up and bankruptcy petitions, applications to challenge or remove officeholders, property/TLATA disputes, and administration applications. She has specific experience in winding up partnerships and LLPs, and is familiar with the particular considerations that arise in such cases.

Rowena acts for both officeholders and the respondents to such actions, whether individuals or corporates. She has particular experience in cases with a cross-border or international element, including applications under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulation 2006.

Rowena was first ranked as an “up and coming” junior in Restructuring/Insolvency in 2019 and has been consistently ranked since then. The directories have recently described her as ‘extremely knowledgeable’, ‘hugely commercially minded’ and ‘unflappable on her feet’.

  • Re PJSC Bank Finance and Credit [2021] EWHC 1100 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application for recognition of a Ukrainian bank’s liquidation under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006.
  • Re Goremsandu (a bankrupt) (2021). Sole counsel. A two-day trial concerning an application for possession and sale of jointly owned property in exceptional circumstances.
  • Re New World Resources PLC (2021). Sole counsel. A substantial remuneration application in which Rowena acted for the liquidators.
  • Re S.J. Henderson & Company Ltd [2019] EWHC 2742 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application to regularise an out-of-hours appointment of administrators.
  • Amin v Redbridge London Borough Council and others [2019] BPIR 1. Sole counsel. Acting for the petitioning creditor in an appeal regarding liability for bankruptcy expenses and costs following rescission of the bankruptcy order.
  • Re Electric Trucks Ltd (in liquidation) (2019). Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the liquidators of Electric Trucks Ltd in successful misfeasance proceedings against its former directors.
  • Re Brique et Mortier Ltd. Sole counsel. Acting for a contributory in contested contributory’s winding up proceedings.
  • Re JP Dunn Construction Ltd. Sole counsel. Rowena successfully restrained advertisement of a winding up petition presented in respect of alleged service charge arrears.
  • Abdulrida and others v Al Najar and others: sole counsel. Acting for the trustee in bankruptcy of a defendant in substantial fraud proceedings. The claimants allege that millions of pounds of their money was diverted into property purchased in the name of the defendants. The case is currently proceeding in the Chancery Division.
  • Zinc Hotels (Investment) Ltd and another v Beveridge and others [2018] BCC 968. Led by Stephen Davies KC. Acting for the applicants in proceedings seeking the appointment of additional administrators.
  • AIB Group (UK) Plc v Constantin Nicholas Peridakis. Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the petitioning creditor in disputed bankruptcy proceedings arising from a director’s liability under a personal guarantee.
  • Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd v Depa (UK) Ltd. Led by Christopher Parker KC in proceedings brought by the liquidators of Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd against a charge-holder.
  • Skelwith (Leisure) Ltd v Armstrong and others. Led by Christopher Parker KC in a claim seeking to avoid sale of a property at an undervalue by a mortgagee under its power of sale.

Commercial Disputes

Rowena has considerable experience in commercial disputes.

In recent years she has acted as part of large counsel teams in multi-million and multi-billion pound claims proceeding in the High Court, in addition to acting in her own right. Her commercial work frequently has an international or cross-border angle. 

  • Municipality of Mariana and others v BHP Billiton Plc and others.  Acting as part of a counsel team for the claimants in a c.£5bn class action against BHP Billiton Plc over the collapse of a mining dam in Brazil in 2015.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.
  • Wilson James SPRL v MSL Recruitment Ltd. Acting as junior to James Pickering KC for the claimants in substantial Commercial Court proceedings concerning the supply of workers in mainland Europe.
  • Sullivan v Royal Bank of Scotland. Sole counsel. Acting for the Bank of Scotland in a claim brought by a former director against RBS alleging that it improperly distressed a property portfolio following the financial crash of 2007/8.
  • Flax v Papaloizou [2015] EWHC 1055 (QB). Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the respondent in successfully resisting an appeal regarding interpretation of a Tomlin Order.

Company, Partnerships & LLPs

Company and partnership related work makes up a substantial proportion of Rowena’s practice.

She has particular experience in unfair prejudice petitions, shareholder disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims and partnership claims in which the existence of the alleged partnership is challenged.

  • Newland v Southern Commercial Trucks and Trailers Ltd. Sole counsel. Acting for the claimant in a partnership dispute in which the continued existence of the partnership is in dispute.
  • A v B. Acting for a party claiming a beneficial shareholding in a limited company.
  • Fiddlesticks Games Ltd v Curve Digital Publishing and others [2019] 6 WLUK 461. Sole counsel. Acting for the directors of a company in a successful application to strike out proceedings issued in a company’s name by a former director without authority.
  • Taparis Ltd v Siddiqi. Sole counsel. Rowena acted for the claimants in successfully obtaining specific performance of a share sale deed.
  • Advising shareholders in respect of a proposed unfair prejudice petition.

Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery

Rowena’s fraud and asset recovery work both sits alongside and complements her broad insolvency practice.

She has particular experience in national and international asset recovery work, for both domestic and overseas clients. Recent work has included acting as junior in a multi-jurisdictional fraud claim worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

In an insolvency context, Rowena has extensive experience acting in antecedent transaction claims and s423 Insolvency Act 1986 claims. Her work often involves claims and applications with an unusual, novel or urgent element.

  • Acting as sole counsel for the trustee of a high-profile bankrupt found to have defrauded a company out of millions of pounds. Rowena and her client seek to recover the monies misappropriated and paid out by him for the benefit of the estate.
  • Acting as junior counsel for offshore liquidators in a proposed breach of fiduciary duty and/or fraud claim.
  • Acting as junior counsel in proposed proceedings to be brought by a bank which has been defrauded out of hundreds of millions of pounds.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.

International & Offshore

In recent years Rowena’s practice has taken on an increasingly international outlook in both a commercial and an insolvency context. 

Rowena frequently acts for offshore officeholders in asset recovery and fraud actions. She is admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands.  

  • Re PJSC Bank Finance and Credit [2021] EWHC 1100 (Ch). Sole counsel. An application for recognition of a Ukrainian bank’s liquidation under the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006.
  • Re New World Resources PLC (2021). Sole counsel. A substantial remuneration application in which Rowena acted for the successful liquidators of an English registered parent company with Czech subsidiaries in the mining industry.
  • Bradford Metropolitan District Council v Northern and Western Insurance Company Ltd & Others. Sole counsel. Acting for offshore liquidators of a company incorporated in St Kitts & Nevis in proceedings concerning a plot of land in Bradford, UK.
  • Wilson James SPRL v MSL Recruitment Ltd. Acting as junior to James Pickering KC for the claimants in substantial Commercial Court proceedings concerning the supply of workers in mainland Europe.
  • Municipality of Mariana and others v BHP Billiton Plc and others.  Acting as part of a counsel team for the claimants in a c.£5bn class action against BHP Billiton Plc over the collapse of a mining dam in Brazil in 2015.
  • Acting as part of a counsel team for Brazilian claimants in a substantial cartel claim.
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