Holly Stebbing
Biography
Holly Stebbing is a commercial litigation and dispute resolution lawyer based in London. Her practice focuses on disputes in the energy, infrastructure and natural resources sectors, both domestic (including UKCS) and international.
Holly has a wide range of experience, including litigation in the Commercial Court, Technology & Construction Court, Chancery Division and appellate courts, institutional and ad hoc commercial arbitration (LCIA, ICC, SCC, LMAA, SIAC), all forms of ADR and incident response (including representing clients in the Crown Court and Coroner's Court).
Holly's clients include IOCs and NOCs, mining companies, renewable energy providers, oilfield services contractors, construction companies, utilities and petrochemical companies. She advises on all forms of commercial dispute, including licencing and concession arrangements, joint venture and shareholder disputes, construction matters, M&A litigation, decommissioning, third-party access to infrastructure, offtake and trading agreements and transportation and processing arrangements.
Holly is a member of our 24/7 incident response team, advising clients in the aftermath of industrial accidents, with particular experience in corporate manslaughter investigations. She is BOSIET- and CA EBS-qualified to work offshore.
Holly has a Masters' degree in Energy and Natural Resources Law. She is on the committee of the Energy Arbitration Club and is one of the contributing editors to Getting the Deal Through: Energy Disputes.
"[Holly] is phenomenal. Unflappable disarmingly intelligent, and an incredibly smooth operator. She encourages real trust in clients and rightly so. Her intuition is always on point and she has a real talent for seeing the wood for the trees and identifying precisely what it is that a case turn on" Legal 500
"[Holly] is very impressive as the manager of a litigation team; she keeps everyone focussed and sets the agenda very clearly" Legal 500
"[Holly]'s ability to recall specific details is impressive, especially when discussing dormant matters and she shows a great appreciation of commercial issues that impact a business' decision making, resulting in appropriate tailored advice that can be easily executed" Legal 500
"[Holly] has an innate understanding of arbitration tactics, especially how to present the evidence and prepare for a full hearing" Legal 500
"[Holly] is energetic, very knowledgeable, experienced and specialised in energy disputes" Chambers UK 2025
"[Holly] has a helpful 'no-nonsense' approach to dispute resolution and provides clear, honest advice" Chambers UK 2025
["Holly] is very user-friendly, commercial, straightforward and straight-talking" Chambers UK 2025
Professional experience
Representative experience
Representative experience
Advising / acting for:
- ExxonMobil subsidiary – decommissioning security dispute, Apache North Sea Ltd v Neo Energy Central North Sea Limited (1) Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited (2) Shell UK Limited (3) BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (4) [2023] EWHC 1345 (Comm) and parallel expert determination
- A South Asian refiner - LNG price review dispute
- An IOC - simultaneous Part 8 Commercial Court claim and expert determination on an offtake pricing review
- A US refiner – disputed termination claim worth USD90m+ following cancellation of crude oil cargoes post Russia's invasion of Ukraine
- An energy company – shareholder dispute relating to Egyptian oil and gas project (ICC, English law)
- An energy company - arbitration for a post-M&A dispute following disposal of assets in Mexico worth +USD80m (ICC, English law)
- A PE firm – dispute relating to termination of EPC and O&M contracts for an energy from waste project (IChemE, English law)
- A NOC - in US$10 billion arbitration proceedings related to a joint venture in the Middle East (LCIA, English law)
- A wind turbine developer - arbitration relating to a highly contested joint venture dispute over the enforceability of JV exclusivity arrangements (ad hoc, English law)
- An IOC - post M&A breach of warranty and indemnity claims exceeding US$130m following the sale of its onshore business in a West African state (LCIA, English law)
- A NOC - for disputed variation claims exceeding US$80m brought by a drilling contractor for well decommissioning West Africa (LCIA, local law)
- A dual-listed gold mining company and its subsidiary - in a multimillion dollar London seated arbitration claim brought against it by its earthworks and civils contractor in connection with a gold mine in West Africa
- ExxonMobil subsidiary - relating to the payment of decommissioning security. Apache UK Investment Limited v Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited [2021] EWHC 1283 (Comm) and parallel expert determination
- An international oil company - in a High Court claim for alleged diminution in value to a multi-million pound private property caused by illegal tapping of the company's pipeline by fuel thieves
- Star Energy - on its high-profile dispute with Bocardo SA in relation to UK onshore drilling rights. The case reached the Supreme Court and was a test case for horizontal drilling in the UK, leading to a favourable result for Star Energy and the onshore oil and gas industry generally
- A multinational oil major - on one of the UK's first investigations under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, and representing the company in a subsequent health & safety prosecution and related civil proceedings
Power distributor - USD100m+ claims against the host state arising from the expiry of a long term concession agreement (UNCITRAL London arbitration, local law)
An IOC – acting in English High Court proceedings following the boarding of a vessel and FPSO by Greenpeace protestors
An IOC – acting in English High Court injunction proceedings relating to climate related protests at UK operating sites
Rankings and recognitions
Rankings and recognitions
- Holly is ranked Band 2 by Chambers UK 2025 for ‘Energy and Natural Resources: Disputes'
- Chambers Energy Disputes, Up and Coming Partner
- Legal 500, Oil and Gas, Commodities, International Arbitration
- Holly Stebbing and India Furse are both exceptional. Both are stars in the making (Legal 500 UK 2023)
- Holly Stebbing is hardworking, pragmatic, and gives clear advice (Legal 500 UK 2023)
- Holly Stebbing is incredibly bright, hardworking and tactically astute (Legal 500 UK 2023)
- Holly Stebbing is a real arbitration specialist – able to take on the really big complex and technical cases and win them (Legal 500 UK 2023)
- Holly Stebbing is top-class and very knowledgeable of the industry (Legal 500 UK 2025)
- Holly Stebbing is a standout figure. She combines fearsome intelligence with a practical and user-friendly approach (Legal 500 UK 2025)
Admissions
Admissions
- Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales 2009
Memberships and activities
Memberships and activities
- Association of International Energy Negotiators
- Energy Arbitration Club
Insights and news
Insights
