Head of the Commercial Litigation, Financial Services and Restructuring Department
Head of the Commercial Litigation, Financial Services and Restructuring Department at Ellul & Co, Steven has practised in London and Gibraltar being responsible for multi-billion-pound disputes in a wide range of sectors, from oil exploration under Bilateral Investment Treaties to underlying private client disputes.
A multi-faceted lawyer, Steven engages in contentious and non-contentious corporate and commercial matters, with a particular expertise on complex and high value cross border corporate engagements. There is usually an international element to his instruction (although he also gets instructed over domestic matters); indeed, Steven is particularly well regarded in advising on ascertaining jurisdiction (in transnational cases) and/or recognising enforcing judgments in Gibraltar and overseas in complex corporate and maritime cases.
In addition to the above, Steven holds an Insolvency Practitioner’s Licence, and has acted as administrators of PLCs. He provides specialist advice as Counsel on restructurings to liquidators, administrators, receivers and any generally to security holders (e.g. enforcement of mortgages or charges), especially when there is a cross border element to the instructions, such as recovering an asset in foreign jurisdictions.
On the corporate transactional work, Steven has experience in the process of setting up licensed institutions (such as payment intermediaries) as well as sell or transfer a portfolio of assets between parties in different States (for example, being part of the team that sold Credit Suisse Gibraltar to Bank J. Safra Sarasin).
Steven is the trusted adviser to Managing Directors and CEOs of corporate groups, be it domestic or multinational entities (whether they engage on licensed activities or not). Steven has “seen it all” and provides practical advice on often complex issues.
In essence Steven is one of the very few seasoned practitioners in Gibraltar who can handle high value and complex litigious and transactional work.
What they say about Steven:
Chambers and Partners: General Business Law: Dispute Resolution - Gibraltar
Steven de Lara is a key new addition to the team at Ellul & Co. He has experience in litigation involving trusts and acquisitions, as well as in arbitration proceedings. Interviewees praise his "pragmatic ability to reach a compromise" in hard-fought cases, saying: "In cases that have many complex angles, he gets into the detail and researches the subject so that he knows what he's talking about." "He keeps the client abreast of all of the developments in the case and has a keen eye for spotting tactical opportunities," states another source.
Steven is bilingual in English and Spanish.