Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Our Contracts & Trusts practice is led by Pauline Lépissier. We advise on the full lifecycle of contractual disputes, including issues of formation and misrepresentation, disputes over interpretation and breach, and the termination of commercial arrangements. Our advice is grounded in how contracts operate in practice and focused on achieving outcomes that protect value and manage risk.

We have particular strength in disputes arising from complex Private Finance Initiative projects across sectors such as healthcare, education and custodial services. This includes claims relating to performance and availability deductions, change mechanisms and disputes between contractors and subcontractors.

We also act in disputes involving trusts and contentious probate, including complex, high-value and multi-jurisdictional claims where careful strategic coordination is essential.

Recent cases include:

• Securing an adjudication award for additional costs arising out of change of law provisions in an NHS PFI contract
• Successfully defending a claim for unpaid commission in the double glazing industry (Gulzar v HPAS Ltd Trading as Safestyle UK [2022] EWHC 2692 (Comm))
• Acting in proceedings which clarified the rest for sham trusts (JSC Mezhdunarodniy Promyshlenniy Bank & Anor v Pugachev & Ors [2017] EWHC 1936 (Ch))

Our Public Law team is led by Nikki Bowker. We advise on a broad range of public law matters, acting for applicants, respondents and interested parties in complex and sensitive proceedings.

We have particular experience in the private custodial sector and understand the operational and legal pressures involved in running custodial services in compliance with Policy Frameworks and statutory obligations. Our team regularly defends threatened and issued judicial review proceedings brought by prisoners, including challenges relating to searching regimes, mother and baby separation, and the use of segregation. All such claims pursued to final hearing have been successfully defended by our team.

We also act in damages claims alleging breaches of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, advising on liability, evidence and proportionality from an early stage.

In addition, we represent applicants, interested parties and respondents in a wide range of judicial reviews beyond the custodial context, including challenges to coronial findings and novel proceedings such as crowdfunded judicial reviews in the transport sector.

Our recent cases include:

• Judicial review application challenging the Coroner’s findings in the Clonoe Inquest
• SGM 15's Application and In the matter of the findings and verdict of Coroner McGurgan on 6 September 2022 arising from the inquest into the death of Master Stephen Geddis [2024] NIKB 56
• R (on the application of AA) v Secretary of State for the Home Department & Ors [2023] EWHC 3215 (Admin)

Our protection of brands and reputations practice is led by Nikki Bowker. Our dispute resolution advice is shaped by the potential reputational impact on you and your organisation. We consider brand, public perception and stakeholder confidence alongside the legal merits at every stage.

We have particular experience in reputational and brand management, including advising on whether to bring or defend claims in libel and slander, and acting in matters involving harassment or malicious communications, often where the opposing party is unrepresented.

We also guide clients through the practical management of adverse press or social media attention, helping you decide what action to take internally and externally to limit escalation and protect your position.

In addition, we represent clients in intellectual property disputes, including passing off, copyright and trade mark infringement, where legal strategy and reputational considerations are closely intertwined.

Our success stories include:

• Securing the removal of an anonymous defamatory Facebook group about one of our clients within weeks of instruction in a cost-effective manner after obtaining disclosure of identifying information from Facebook through a consent order
• Obtaining binding undertakings from third party companies to cease using our client’s intellectual property

Our Professional services & Regulatory practise is led by David Pack. We advise on a wide range of matters involving professional services, regulation and disciplinary proceedings, often where regulatory scrutiny or reputational risk is acute.

We have longstanding experience acting for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, including in investigations, interventions and enforcement proceedings. This work has involved claims for the delivery up of client files, the recovery of substantial sums from client accounts and disputes relating to professional indemnity insurance.

We also regularly represent clients subject to investigation or enforcement action by regulators including the Financial Conduct Authority, Competition and Markets Authority, the Charity Commission and the Regulator for Social Housing, advising on strategy, engagement and outcomes.

In addition, we act for professionals and office-holders facing disciplinary or misconduct allegations across a range of sectors, and have significant experience advising politicians on Parliamentary and party investigations and procedures.

Key cases include:

• Acting on the largest and most high-profile recent matter in the field of solicitors’ regulation, representing the directors of Axiom Ince, following its collapse after a £64m fraud
• Representing Owen Paterson MP in challenging his investigation and suspension from Parliament
• Quinn Direct Insurance Ltd v The Law Society of England and Wales [2010] EWCA Civ 805 - solicitors’ regulation

Our Insurance and Reinsurance team, led by Stephen Netherway, advises on complex domestic and international insurance and reinsurance disputes, including coverage issues arising across commercial and financial lines.

We act across all major classes of first- and third-party insurance, including professional indemnity and negligence, marine, directors’ and officers’ liability and other financial lines, crime and fidelity, property and title risk, business interruption (including COVID-19 claims), construction risks (contract works, building warranties and contractors’ all-risk), accident and health, travel and personal lines, life and critical illness, public and products liability, surety and bonds, trade credit, contingency and cancellation, employers’ liability, specie, ATE and FOS-related regulatory claims.

We also advise on domestic and international treaty and facultative reinsurance disputes, across both life and non-life business, including claims involving brokers, intermediaries and delegated authority arrangements.

We act for clients at all levels of the courts in England and Wales and have extensive experience in both domestic and international arbitration, where strategic coordination and technical precision are often critical.

Notable Recently Reported Cases include:

• Watford Community Housing Trust v Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited [2025] EWHC 743 (Comm) - A key case involving law of double insurance and also broker liability
• Bellhouse & Anor v Zurich Insurance Plc [2025] EWHC 1416 (Comm); [2025] EWHC 1551 (Comm) – Indemnity costs awarded against insurer in relation to a summary judgment/strike out application
• Peabody Trust v National House-Building Council [2024] EWHC 2063 (TCC) and Peabody Trust v National House-Building Council [2025] EWCA 932 (CA) - Summary judgment/strike out application over proper construction of insuring provisions and issues of limitation

Our Shareholder and Director disputes practice is led by David Pack and is core offering of the team. We advise across a broad range of shareholder and director disputes from owner-managed private companies, partnerships, to advising the boards of multinational companies. No two disputes are the same and often arise from breach of director’s duties, fraud, disagreements over the structure of compensation packages or simply differing strategic visions for how to grow the business.  

We work with directors/shareholders/partners across a range of industries and sectors to overcome operational deadlock, obtaining resolution through negotiation/mediation, or, when all else fails, resolution by way of court action issuing unfair prejudice petitions or derivative claims.

We have a very good track record, whilst working alongside our commercial restructuring and regulatory teams, to achieve a settlement that works for everybody involved and protect the operations of the company.  

Our Corporate Crime team is led by David Pack supported by a team of highly experienced practitioners. We work with individuals and organisations that are the victims of or have been exposed to accusations of corporate fraud, financial crime, money laundering, breach of sanctions, bribery and corruption. We regularly work with the Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, National Crime Agency, HMRC, US Department of Justice and the Insolvency Service, during an investigation and any subsequent prosecution. We are experienced at both defending and commencing private prosecutions.

We represent politicians, celebrities, ultra/high-net-worth individuals, chief executive officers, charities, and soldiers/British army. We are trusted by our clients to formulate an effect strategy to ensure justice is done. We coordinate with leading counsel and a global network of professional service providers to achieve our clients’ goals.

Our leading Debt Recovery team is led by Jim Varley. The team is experienced at quickly and efficiently recovering personal, business and commercial debts. Our clients can benefit from a seamless instruction process using our bespoke software, which allows debts to be uploaded and managed electronically. We have a proven track record of recovering high value debts and international asset tracing.