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Dr Zhen Ye

Year of Call: 2016
Email Address: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7583 8055

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Clerks Details

  • Clerk Name: Stephen Evers
  • Clerk Telephone: 020 7583 8055
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]
  • Clerk Name: David Fielder
  • Clerk Telephone: 020 7583 8055
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]

Overview

Dr Zhen Ye is a busy advisory and court practice specialising in commercial, insolvency, company, construction and property law.

Zhen regularly appears in the High Court and County Court, acting for a wide range of clients. She is gaining recognition for her compelling and efficient advocacy, consistently demonstrating meticulous preparation. Her clients comment that Zhen is a “skilled advocate”, she is “diligent, intelligent and pragmatic as ever in difficult circumstances”, “exceedingly thorough, and “excellent…… both in preparation and in court”. Zhen is appraised for her “exemplary handling” of dispute and “meticulous preparation and command of the brief was masterful''.

Zhen is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese and proficient in Cantonese Chinese and is especially in demand by China and South East Asia clients who value her approachability and attention to details.

Outside her busy work diary, Zhen’s interests are reading, especially Chinese literature, and hot yoga.

Publications

These include Controlling insider dealing through criminal enforcement in China, Journal of Financial Crime and Regulation of Insider Trading in China, Research Handbook on International Financial Crime.

 

Expertise

  • Commercial
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    Zhen Ye has a busy commercial practice focusing on disputes arising from commercial contracts, company law, and insolvency. A significant proportion of the matters in which she acts raise complex questions of commercial and contract law in multi-party and cross-border arrangements, frequently involving corporate governance, partnership structures, and distressed entities.

    She is regularly instructed in cases with an international element and has experience acting as both sole and junior counsel in the High Court, Commercial Court, arbitral proceedings, and specialist international courts. Zhen has a particular interest in cross-border commercial disputes and international arbitration, informed by her academic background in competition law and financial regulation studied in a comparative context, and her involvement in a number of international arbitration matters.

    Her commercial practice encompasses high-value contractual disputes, franchise litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes, unfair prejudice petitions, and insolvency-related proceedings, including urgent injunctive relief and asset realisation. She regularly acts for and against directors, shareholders, insolvency practitioners, trustees, creditors, and debtor companies.

    Recent cases (Commercial)

    • Broderick [2022] EWHC – Assisting David Parratt KC in a £5 million dispute concerning a partnership-at-will between a world-famous sculptor and other partners, including issues relating to continued use of artistic moulds and alleged infringement of asserted intellectual property rights.
    • GLAS SAS (London Branch) v European Topsoho SARL & Ors – Acting in a Commercial Court claim brought by a trustee against the issuer of €250 million secured exchangeable bonds for failure to pay on maturity, arising out of a contested battle for control of a luxury fashion company listed on Euronext Paris. Led by Francis Tregear KC.
    • GLAS SAS (London Branch) v European Topsoho SARL & Ors – Acting on a related application for a Norwich Pharmacal Order. Led by Seb Oram.
    • DIFC franchise dispute – Drafting pleadings and advising on the successful defence of a jurisdiction challenge in the DIFC Courts in a cross-border franchise dispute.
      Multi-jurisdiction franchise dispute – Acting for the franchisor in proceedings involving allegations of fee violations and breaches of contract across multiple jurisdictions. Led by David Parratt KC.
    • A T I & E C Ltd – Advising on a challenge to an LMAA arbitration award under section 67 of the Arbitration Act 1996. Led by David Parratt KC.
      Phones 4U Limited (in administration) v EE Limited & Ors – Acting in a junior capacity, instructed by Mischon de Reya for Telefónica, in proceedings alleging conspiracy between major telecommunications providers and their parent companies.
      Toucan Energy Holdings Ltd & Anor v Wirsol Energy Ltd [2021] EWHC 895 (Comm) – Assisting in a £7 million Commercial Court dispute arising in the energy and telecommunications sector, instructed by Enyo Law.
    • SX v [M]QM & CTMH Ltd & Ors – Defending a complex unfair prejudice petition seeking changes to company management and alleging corporate misconduct. Led by David Berkley KC.
    • Unfair Prejudice Petition – Successfully acting as sole counsel for the petitioner in High Court proceedings.
    • Partnership dispute – Advising in a partnership dispute arising out of cross-border joint venture arrangements.
    • Injunctions – Successfully acting as sole counsel for the applicant in obtaining injunctions restraining the presentation and advertisement of a winding-up petition.
    • Asset realisation – Acting for joint trustees in bankruptcy in proceedings to realise assets within the bankruptcy estate.
    • Statutory demand – Successfully acting as sole counsel for a debtor in an application to set aside a statutory demand.
    • Individual Voluntary Arrangements – Advising debtors in relation to proposed IVAs.
  • Construction and engineering
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    Zhen Ye has a busy construction practice and is regularly instructed by individuals, commercial clients, and insurers to represent them in court, adjudication and arbitration, and advise them on a wide variety of construction and engineering disputes.

    Recent cases include:

    • Acting for the developer in an arbitration in a defects claim
    • Successfully acting for the homeowner in a “smash & grab” adjudication
    • Acting for the employer in an arbitration in respect of their termination of the contract
    • Successfully acting for the contractor defendant in relation to allegations of defective works carried out at a dwelling
    • Successfully acting for the contractor claimant in relation to unpaid invoices and defending the defendant’s counterclaim of the alleged defective works
    • Successfully acting for the contractor defendant in an application for security for costs
    • Successfully acting for the homeowner claimant in a restitution claim
    • Advising on recovery where unknown to the parties
    • Advising on the enforcement of adjudication decision
  • Property and Estates
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    Zhen Ye acts for landlords and tenants in both residential and commercial property disputes. She also has significant experience in residential possession proceedings for rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, and claims involving defences of disrepair.

    Zhen also appears frequently in the County Court and First-tier Tribunal on behalf of the landlords and tenants in claims concerning residential and commercial service charges, breaches of covenant and forfeiture proceedings.

    Recent work:

    • Successfully acting for a landlord in a claim against the former tenants for rent arrears and defending the former tenants’ counterclaim for disrepair
    • Successfully defending a tenant in the First-tier Tribunal for alleged breaches of restrictive covenants
    • Successfully acting for a leasee in an enfranchisement claim
    • Successfully acting for the landlord respondent to oppose the tenants’ application for permission to appeal of a possession order
    • Advising a leasee in respect of the landlord’s restrictive covenants
    • Acting for a tenant in forfeiture proceedings
    • Advising a leasee on its ground and ability to terminate the lease and how to protect itself against any excessive dilapidation charges.

     

  • Articles

    • Valbonne Estates Ltd v City Value Estates Ltd

      9th Aug 2021

      Valbonne Estates Ltd v City Value Estates Ltd

      Dr Zhen Ye has analysed the impact of this property dispute between two property developers, owned by members of the same ultra-orthodox Jewish community, over a failed purchase of the Beckton Arms in East London.

      View Article
  • Recommendations

    ‘Zhen is perceptive, analytical, and willing to listen to clients and solicitors.’
    Legal 500 2026/Commercial Litigation/South Eastern/Leading Juniors - Tier 1

    ‘Zhen has a very efficient and pragmatic approach to dealing with the technical requirements of the Insolvency Courts. She is exceptionally personable, a pleasure to deal with, and her advice is commercial at all times.’
    Legal 500 2026/Company and Insolvency/South Eastern/Leading Juniors - Tier 1

    ''A heartfelt thank you for your exemplary handling of my dispute.
    Your meticulous preparation and command of the brief was masterful''
    Client

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