Vassia’s practice has a focus on international trade and commodities. She advises and represents clients, mainly commodity trading houses and banks, on both dispute and transactional matters relating to the purchase, sale, and transportation of commodities, particularly food and feedstuffs, vegetable oils, oilseeds, cotton, biofuels, coal, crude oil, and petroleum products. She has considerable experience in arbitration before major trade associations and international bodies, as well as in High Court litigation, including before the appellate courts. She also regularly advises clients in the execution of physical commodity contracts with a view to early dispute resolution. Vassia is recognised as a leading individual in Commodities in both The Legal 500 and Chambers, as follows:
- The Legal 500 UK, 2026: “Vassia Payiataki provides good practical advice and is highly responsive”.
- Chambers UK, 2026: “Vassia Payiataki is an excellent lawyer. She is very dedicated and has great knowledge of the commodities trading world.”
- Chambers UK, 2024: “Vassia is an extremely good lawyer. She’s accessible and responsive.”
- Chambers UK, 2022: “She is an excellent lawyer who provides high-level legal advice and combines great analysis with a practical sense.”
- Chambers UK, 2019: “She is super user-friendly and really good in the physicals space.”
- The Legal 500 UK, 2019: “[She] has a very calm manner, which instils the utmost confidence in the advice being given.”
- Listed as a Leading Lawyer in The Legal 500 UK for Commodities: Physicals, 2015-2019, and Commodities: Disputes, 2020-2022.
- The Legal 500 UK, 2016: Referenced Vassia as having “successfully acted for [a] client in [the] Supreme Court”.
Experience
Representative matters
Representative matters
Acted for Viterra B.V. in High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings in relation to an appeal from two GAFTA Appeal Awards concerning the assessment of default damages under the GAFTA default clause: Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV [2023] EWCA Civ 7 and [2022] EWHC 354 (Comm)
Acted for Bunge SA in High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court proceedings in relation to an appeal from a GAFTA Appeal Award concerning the construction of the GAFTA prohibition clause and default clause: Bunge SA v Nidera BV [2015] UKSC 43, [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep [2013] EWCA Civ 1628
Acted for Glencore Grain BV in High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings concerning an appeal from a GAFTA Appeal Award in a case relating to the construction of the GAFTA prohibition clause: Seagrain LLC v Glencore Grain BV [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 598 and [2013] EWHC 1189 (Comm)
Acted for Viterra B.V. in High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings in relation to an appeal from two GAFTA Appeal Awards concerning the assessment of default damages under the GAFTA default clause: Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV [2023] EWCA Civ 7 and [2022] EWHC 354 (Comm)
Acted for Bunge SA in High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court proceedings in relation to an appeal from a GAFTA Appeal Award concerning the construction of the GAFTA prohibition clause and default clause: Bunge SA v Nidera BV [2015] UKSC 43, [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep [2013] EWCA Civ 1628
Acted for Glencore Grain BV in High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings concerning an appeal from a GAFTA Appeal Award in a case relating to the construction of the GAFTA prohibition clause: Seagrain LLC v Glencore Grain BV [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 598 and [2013] EWHC 1189 (Comm)
Advising multiple trading clients in the agricultural sector in relation to issues arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affecting their business
Advising clients on negotiations of terms with customers regarding the purchase of biofuels under long term agreements
Involved in a large number of commodity arbitrations for different clients in relation to prohibition issues arising out of Russian and Ukrainian maize purchase contracts
Representing clients in disputes arising out of the contamination of Ukrainian sunflower seed oil
Providing support to clients on "live" matters in relation to the execution of physical commodity contracts
Drafting general terms and conditions of sale and purchase for trading houses in relation to various commodities
Assisted in a number of Chinese CIETAC arbitrations for a commodity client who was the successful foreign claimant
Involved in a large scale High Court litigation arising out of a Brazilian warehouse financing deal
Recognitions
- Ranked in Chambers UK for UK-wide Commodities: Physicals, 2019-2026
- Included in The Legal 500 UK 2026 ‘Hall of Fame’ for Commodities Disputes
- Recognised in 2024 Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyers listing
Credentials
Education
Education
- University of Southampton, LL.M., Carriage of goods by sea, marine insurance, and admiralty
- University of Athens, Department of Law (Bachelor)
Professional admissions & qualifications
Professional admissions & qualifications
- Greece
- England and Wales
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