Carola Binney

Professional practice

Carola has a diverse commercial practice. She is recognised as a “Rising Star” in Commercial Litigation and Civil Fraud by the Legal 500 and as “Up and Coming” in Banking and Finance by Chambers & Partners. The directories describe her as “a stand out junior” who is “exceptionally clever” and who acts “way above her years of experience”.

Carola is regularly instructed in complex and high-value commercial disputes, including two of The Lawyer’s “Top 20 Cases”. She acted for the successful claimants in Suppipat v Narongdej and others [2023] EWHC 1988 (Comm), in which judgment for $850m was obtained following a 19-week trial. She has considerable experience of securities fraud disputes under the Financial Services and Markets Act, having acted in claims against G4S, Serco, Barclays and Standard Chartered.

Carola is comfortable acting both led and unled. She regularly appears as sole counsel in the High Court and has recently appeared unled in the Court of Appeal (acting for the successful appellant in Gluck v Endzweig and Anor [2026] EWCA Civ 145, an Arbitration Act dispute).

Alongside her commercial practice, Carola is an experienced sports junior. She regularly advises and represents athletes with respect to disciplinary and contractual matters and has acted in several high-profile disputes. She has experience of proceedings before a range of sports tribunals, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport, FA, Premier League and ICC disciplinary panels and FA Rule K arbitral proceedings.

Carola is a contributor to the forthcoming second edition of Civil Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure.

What Others Say

“Carola is a stand out junior. Hard working, exceptionally clever, loves the law and is a pleasure to work with.” (Legal 500)

“Carola is a specialist in complex civil fraud.” (Legal 500)

“Carola is acting way above her years of experience; she really gets into the detail but also has the ability to stand back and think about strategic elements.” (Chambers & Partners)

“She is a great junior who is incisive in her presentation and can turn things around and formulate a plan very quickly.” (Chambers & Partners)

“Carola has a wonderfully incisive mind. She continues to impress with the quality of her written work and the thoughtfulness of her advice.” (Legal 500)

Examples of Recent Cases

Gluck v Endzweig and Anor [2026] EWCA Civ 145: acting as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal in a significant enforcement application under section 66 of the Arbitration Act.
Various Investors v Serco: acting for the claimants in claims under section 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act arising from a major accounting fraud on the Home Office. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024.
Suppipat & Ors v Narongdej & Ors [2023] EWHC 1988 (Comm): acting on behalf of the successful claimants in a 19-week fraud trial with a significant foreign law dimension, in which damages of US$850m were awarded. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2022.
HPII (In Liquidation) & Others v Ruhan & Stevens [2022] EWHC 383 (Comm): acting in a £100m Commercial Court trial involving allegations of fraudulent breach of directors’ duties, equitable compensation and dishonest assistance.
Belarus Tennis Federation v International Tennis Federation: acting for the ITF in successfully resisting the BTF’s appeal to the CAS in respect of its expulsion from ITF membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UKAD v Victoria Ohuruogu: successfully defending a prominent British 400m sprinter in high-profile anti-doping proceedings under the ‘prohibited association’ rules.

Arbitration & related court applications

Carola has extensive experience of proceedings under the Arbitration Act, including enforcement applications and challenges under sections 67 and 68. Her recent experience includes:

Gluck v Endzweig and Anor [2026] EWCA Civ 145: acting as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal in a significant enforcement application under section 66 of the Arbitration Act.
Acting for an international hotel chain in a section 68 challenge concerning allegations of bias against a party-appointed arbitrator.
Acting in a procedurally complex section 68 challenge in which it was alleged that one arbitrator had been excluded from the tribunal’s deliberations.
Acting in a challenge under sections 67 and 68 to an award alleged to have sought to determine matters outside the scope of the arbitration agreement.

Banking & financial services

Carola is recognised as an “Up-and-Coming” Banking & Finance junior in Chambers & Partners, where she is described as a “great junior” who is “acting way above her years of experience”. She has broad experience of proceedings under the Financial Services and Markets Act and regularly acts for and against financial services providers, including mortgage lenders and payment service operators. She frequently deals with technical expert evidence in fields including (recently) share price economics, high frequency trading and the disclosure obligations of listed companies.

Carola’s recent experience includes:

Various Investors v Standard Chartered: acting for c. 200 institutional investors in Standard Chartered in claims under sections 90 and 90A. The claims, which were pleaded at £1.5bn, arose from breaches by the bank of sanctions against Iran.
Various Investors v Barclays: acting for the claimants in claims arising from misconduct in Barclays’ ‘dark pool’ trading system. The proceedings produced a significant first-instance decision on the reliance requirement for claims under section 90A and the operation of the statutory dishonest delay liability ([2024] EWHC 2710 (Ch)).
Various Investors v Serco and Various Investors v G4S: acting for the claimants in related claims arising from a major accounting fraud on the Home Office. Serco was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024 and the first group securities fraud claim to reach trial in the UK.
4VVV Ltd and Others v Spence & Others: acting for over 400 claimants in successful claims worth c. £45m arising from the collapse of fraudulent unauthorised collective investment schemes.
Cashdash v BigSky: acting for a payment services provider in a claim for restitution of sums paid in reliance on an incorrect FX rate.

Civil fraud & asset recovery

Carola frequently acts in high value, contested proceedings involving serious allegations of dishonesty. She has significant trial experience in this area, including in two of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases (2022 and 2024). She is recognised as a “Rising Star” for fraud work in the Legal 500, where she is described as a “specialist in complex civil fraud”. Her recent experience includes:

Suppipat & Ors v Narongdej & Ors [2023] EWHC 1988 (Comm): acting on behalf of the successful claimants in a 19-week fraud trial with a significant foreign law dimension, in which damages of US$850m were awarded. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2022.

Various Investors v Serco: acting for the claimants in claims under section 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act arising from a major accounting fraud on the Home Office. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024.

HPII (In Liquidation) & Others v Ruhan & Stevens [2022] EWHC 383 (Comm): acting in a £100m Commercial Court trial involving allegations of fraudulent breach of directors’ duties, equitable compensation and dishonest assistance.
4VVV Ltd and Others v Spence & Others: acting for over 400 claimants in deceit and unlawful means conspiracy claims arising from the collapse of a fraudulent property investment scheme.
Trafalgar v D&A Nominees: acting for the defendant company director in proceedings arising from a fraud on a pension transfer fund.

In addition to her practice, Carola is a contributor to the forthcoming second edition of Civil Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure (eds. Grant and Mumford).

Commercial dispute resolution

Carola is recognised as a “Rising Star” for Commercial Dispute Resolution in the Legal 500, where she is described as “a stand out junior. Hard working, exceptionally clever, loves the law and is a pleasure to work with”. Her recent work includes:

Gluck v Endzweig and Anor [2026] EWCA Civ 145: acting as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal in a significant enforcement application under section 66 of the Arbitration Act.
Various Investors v Serco: acting for the claimants in claims under section 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act arising from a major accounting fraud on the Home Office. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024 and the first group securities fraud claim to reach trial in the UK.
Suppipat & Ors v Narongdej & Ors [2023] EWHC 1988 (Comm): acting on behalf of the successful claimants in a 19-week fraud trial with a significant foreign law dimension, in which damages of US$850m were awarded. The case was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2022.
HPII (In Liquidation) & Others v Ruhan & Stevens [2022] EWHC 383 (Comm): acting in a £100m Commercial Court trial involving allegations of fraudulent breach of directors’ duties, equitable compensation and dishonest assistance.
4VVV Ltd and Others v Spence & Others: acting for over 400 claimants in deceit and unlawful means conspiracy claims arising from the collapse of a fraudulent property investment scheme.
Trafalgar v D&A Nominees: acting for the defendant company director in proceedings arising from a fraud on a pension transfer fund.
Various Investors v Barclays: acting for the claimants in claims arising from misconduct in Barclays’ ‘dark pool’ trading system.

Professional negligence

Carola frequently acts for and against a wide range of professionals, including solicitors, accountants, litigation funders, surveyors, valuers, developers and architects. Her recent experience includes:

Acting on behalf of a litigation funder in a claim brought against the firm of solicitors responsible for the conduct of the funded litigation.
Acting in a successful appeal against a first instance decision finding a lender’s mortgage valuer liable to the borrower in respect of an error made in the valuation report.
Acting, as sole counsel, on behalf of a mortgage lender in a £1m claim arising from the negligent valuation of a property.
Acting, as sole counsel, in a £800,000 negligence claim against two firms of solicitors in a dispute arising from a collapsed property investment scheme.
Acting for a company director in proceedings for alleged breach of the director’s duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence under section 174 of the Companies Act.

Sports Law

Carola is an experienced sports junior. Her recent work includes:

Advising a top Premier League club on complex jurisdiction and governing law issues.
Successfully defending British 400m sprinter Victoria Ohuruogu in high-profile proceedings brought by UK Anti-Doping under the prohibited association rules.
Acting for the International Tennis Federation in proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Advising a footballer at a European Premier League-equivalent club on his contractual termination rights.
Representing an international cricketer in ICC disciplinary proceedings (as sole counsel).
Representing a footballer charged with using racially abusive language before a FA Disciplinary Panel (as sole counsel).
Representing an international long-distance runner in anti-doping proceedings brought by the Athletics Integrity Unit, involving complex Substantial Assistance issues (as sole counsel).
Representing a martial arts coach in safeguarding proceedings brought by the British Judo Association (as sole counsel).
Acting in a FA Rule K arbitration on behalf of the claimant football intermediary.
Representing a professional event rider on appeal to the Tribunal of the Fédération Equestre International, the international governing body of equestrian sports (as sole counsel).
Advising a national cricket governing body in respect of an offer made to a member of its men’s national cricket team to play for a First Class English club (as sole counsel).
Advising the British Wrestling Association on its selection policies.