Julia Schaefer

Senior Associate

Julia is a senior associate in the dispute resolution and litigation team in Guernsey, where she advises local and international clients on a wide range of contentious matters, in particular trust and  high-value commercial disputes and regulatory investigations. . Julia is ranked by Legal 500 UK in 2020 and 2021 as a "Rising Star" for Dispute Resolution in Guernsey, notably for providing an 'excellent and responsive service'.

Most recently, Julia's work has included:

• Acting for the successful claimant mother in A and C v PQ, RS and T Trustees Limited ([2019]GRC013) in an application for the variation of an international footballer's Guernsey pension scheme in support of an English High Court child maintenance order, a case which is believed to be the first of its kind in Guernsey.
• Advising the Trustees in the landmark decision of the Court of Appeal in M v St Anne's Trustees (Guernsey Judgment 21/2018), providing welcome clarification on the application of the application of the so-called rule in Hastings Bass in Guernsey law.
• Representing the successful claimant in a high-value multi-jurisdictional debt enforcement action, which had been commenced in Guernsey outside of the prescription period.  The claim succeeded on the evidence of demonstrating that there had been an oral variation of the contract, and the Guernsey-specific (and rarely litigated) principle of empêchement d'agir (Garfield v Glass-Garfield (Guernsey Judgment 40/2018)).
• On the criminal and regulatory side Julia has long-standing involvement in advising Guernsey corporate and director clients against criminal charges in a foreign tax authority investigation.  She was part of the small team defending an MLRO client facing unprecedented charges under anti-money laundering legislation, in a high-profile case which concluded with the Prosecution dropping all charges against the MLRO.

Julia is a member of INSOL and the Guernsey International Legal Association (GILA). 

Career

Julia is a bilingual German speaker and also fluent in French. She was admitted as an Advocate of the Royal Court of Guernsey in November 2019.  Juliahas practised in Guernsey since 2014, joining Carey Olsen in 2017 from another offshore litigation practice.  Before moving to Guernsey, Julia practised law in the City of London as a solicitor of England & Wales, and spent some time working in the European Parliament.

A keen sailor who enjoys local and ofshore racing and cruising, Julia is the current and first female Commodore of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club (Guernsey).