Lisette specialises in art-related disputes and transactions, and also has a general commercial litigation background. During her 12 years as a senior in-house lawyer at Sotheby’s, Lisette worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the art world. Lisette’s auction-house background has given her extensive experience of handling issues arising from questions of authenticity and attribution, provenance and ownership, World War II restitution, cultural property claims, export, loss and damage, and copyright, both in Europe and Asia. Lisette also advises on contracts relating to the purchase and sale of art, both at auction and privately, as well as settlement agreements and confidentiality agreements. She frequently works with private and corporate collectors, trustees and family representatives, artists and artists’ estates, dealers, art advisors, museums and independent art experts.
Lisette is fluent in French, with a good understanding of German and Spanish.
Expertise
- Auctioneering practice and business terms
- Authenticity and attribution
- Provenance and ownership
- World War II restitution
- Cultural property claims
- Art loss and damage claims
- All art-related contracts
- General commercial litigation
Experience
- Won at trial the case of Lancelot William Thwaytes v Sotheby’s [2015] EWHC 36 (Ch), successfully defending a negligence claim concerning the attribution and auction sale of a copy of Caravaggio’s “The Cardsharps”.
- Won at trial the case of Lord Coleridge v Sotheby’s [2012] EWHC 370 (Ch), successfully defending a negligence claim regarding the 18th-century dating of an alleged Tudor gold judicial chain of office.
- Successfully defended a misrepresentation claim in relation to the authenticity of a painting by a Russian artist.
- Resolved a family dispute in relation to the allocation and valuation of art forming part of an inheritance division.
- Resolved an ownership dispute between an artist’s estate and a collector, enabling the auction sale of that artist’s work.
- Liaised with law enforcement agencies in relation to the identification and return of antiquities.
- Acted on an arbitration under the ICC rules.
- Acted for ABN Amro bank in a dispute concerning its Moroccan subsidiary.
- Appointed to the arbitrator panel for the Court of Art Arbitration in the Hague, specifically set up to deal with art disputes.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by Chambers UK 2023 for Art and Cultural Property Law
“She’s very intelligent and has a proper understanding of the art world. She’s really bright and has a very nice manner.” Chambers UK 2023
“She’s very calm and does the right thing. She listens and you feel she’s there for you 100%. She’s thoughtful, kind and amenable.” Chambers UK 2023
“Lisette is somebody I have nothing but praise for. She’s an excellent person who is very committed to her clients.” Chambers UK 2023
Named in the Private Client Global Elite Directory as a specialist in art law
Recognised in Spear’s 500 2022 as a Top Recommended Art Lawyer
Recognised in Chambers UK 2022 and in Chambers High-Net-Worth 2021 and 2022 for Art & Cultural Property Law
“Lisette is somebody I have nothing but praise for. She’s building her own art law practice and it’s doing very well ” Chambers High Net Worth 2022
“She’s doing a lot of transactional stuff and she will be doing litigation. I think she’s an excellent person who is very committed to her clients and she’s very bright and clever.” Chambers High Net Worth 2022
“She’s very calm and does the right thing. She listens and then explains. She does a great job and she understands the art world. You feel she’s there for you 100%. She’s done a fantastic job. She has a good manner and she’s great at explaining things. She’s thoughtful, kind and amenable.” Chambers High Net Worth 2022
“She is very measured, thorough and takes the time to understand the full picture of a transaction.” Chambers UK 2022
“She knows everything there is to know in this area.” Chambers High Net Worth 2021
“She would be up there on my list – she has fantastic hands-on experience.” Chambers High Net Worth 2021
Recognised in Spear’s 500 2021 as a Top Recommended Art Lawyer
Selected as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Art in The Hague
Winner of Legal 500 In-House Litigation Team of the Year 2015.
Features in Dutch photographer Carla van de Puttelaar’s “Women in the Art World” portrait series (www.womenintheartworld.com).
Career
Lisette qualified as a solicitor in 2001. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, she worked at the following firms:
- Sotheby’s
- Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
- Slaughter and May