Sophie Eyre

I am a partner and co-head of our International Dispute Resolution Group, as well as the London team. I specialise in complex disputes, often of a cross border nature, and have particular expertise in the aviation & defence sector, commercial life science, and in matters involving fraud.

Heading-up Bird & Bird's fraud team, I have considerable experience in obtaining urgent remedies both in the UK and overseas to trace and preserve assets, asset recovery and in the recovery and protection of trade secrets. Fraud is not sector-focused and can hit businesses when and where they least expect.

My passion for the aviation sector comes from having been raised on the smell of aircraft fuel in a family of pilots. The team is involved across the sector acting for airlines in redelivery disputes and in disputes with OEMs, engine manufacturers, suppliers, financiers and lessors. For lessors we are also involved in redeliveries, repossessions, and in the cross border insolvency issues that arise on an airline's demise. For airports, we advise on a variety of issues including obtaining statutory fleet liens.

In the defence sector, we are security cleared and well versed in issues that arise in defence contracts from a commercial and legal perspective.

Commercial life science disputes are all too common - we at Bird & Bird have both the technical, scientific knowledge and the commercial disputes knowledge to ensure that disputes do not subsume the business and that the client achieves the best result.

I conduct proceedings at all levels of the English Court, in major arbitration, and in Courts in the BVI, Gibraltar, and the Isle of Man. I also have extensive experience of ADR techniques including mediation.

In recent years, together with my team, I have been recognised in Who's Who of Asset Recovery 2013-2018, nominated for FT Innovative Disputes Team Award 2015, Asset Recovery Team of the Year 2015 (Lawyer Monthly) and Asset Recovery Team UK 2014 & 2015 (Finance Monthly).

• London Luton Airport: taking emergency action upon the administration of Monarch Airlines – exercising a statutory fleet lien, dealing with actions and threatened in injunctions by Lessors and Administrators. Successfully recovering all funds owed.
• Global Energy Horizons Corporation: representation in an enquiry following a determination by the Court that a party owed a fiduciary duty to the Claimant and had made secret profits.
• V&M Aviation Limited/Vistajet: acting in a claim for breach of contract against Air X Charter Limited involving a contested repossession.
• Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, National Association and BOC Aviation Limited: acting in a breach of lease claim against Borajet, a Turkish Airline for unpaid rent and maintenance reserves in relation to 2 aircraft operating in Turkey. Judgment for $89m.
• Smith & Nephew v Convatec - damages enquiry.