The Legal 500

Providing service ‘of the highest quality’, Beachcroft LLP’s five-partner department is led by the renowned Tania Sless, who has significant expertise in defending claims involving occupational stress and upper limb disorders, as well as product liability claims for retailers and manufacturers. Current active clients include Allianz Insurance, BP, Marks & Spencer, and Zurich Insurance. The team features the ‘knowledgeable’ Patricia Baxter, head of strategic litigation Andrew Parker, and Paula Jefferson, who heads the firm’s national disease group and is experienced in child abuse claims. Duncan Rutter is the national practice head.

Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP’s ‘excellent’ 16-partner practice is led by Michael Pether. It centres around defending cases involving occupational disease, catastrophic injury, motor claims, abuse and public sector clients. Headline clients include Royal & SunAlliance, Norwich Union, NFU Mutual and Zurich. Notable individuals include Jenny Moates and Nick Pargeter, who head the catastrophic injury and occupational disease unit respectively. Also recommended are Terry Renouf and Boris Cetnik.

A ‘real star’ in the field of defendant personal injury, Malcolm Henke heads the catastrophic injury group at Greenwoods Solicitors, while Steven King heads the firm’s liability insurance group. Fielding nine partners in total, the team is praised as ‘providing a service that is hard to beat’. Norwich Union, Direct Line, Churchill, NIG and EDF Energy are active clients. The ‘recommended’ Charles Ashmore heads the firm’s motor claims team. The team has two new partners in Chris Crook, who recently joined the firm, and Tanja Neuhoff.

Providing an ‘excellent level of service’, the ‘extremely responsive’ five-partner team at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP is led by Kevin Bitmead. High-profile work in 2008 included acting for the Coroner of the De Menezes Inquest. Notable clients include Zurich Financial Services, Catlin, BBC and UPS. David Knapp specialises in the defence of claims against public bodies, and John Goodman has particular experience in stress-related claims. The ‘pragmatic’ Danielle Singer and the ‘impressive’ Charles Brown are also recommended.

Howard Watson leads the renowned eight-partner department at Herbert Smith LLP, specialising in complex high-value claims. It continues to advise Chevron over claims following the Buncefield explosion. Royal and SunAlliance, Caterpillar and Panasonic are other headline clients.

The ‘extremely helpful’ team at Kennedys is led by Tim Wilson and was as a result of the firm’s merger with Davies Lavery boosted by the arrival of Mark Burton. Praised as performing at a ‘consistently high level’, Burton is the lead partner representing the ten local authorities in the policy triggers test litigation, which examines employer’s liability in mesothelioma cases. The team was also joined by a number of partners from Hextalls LLP in 2009, including Joe McManus and Charles Martin.

Tim Oliver, Tim Roberts and Andrew McDougall lead a vast team at Plexus Law, a division of Parabis Law LLP spread across the firm’s London, Croydon, Leeds and Colchester offices. It has a dedicated occupational disease unit and catastrophic loss team, and clients include Royal & SunAlliance, SAGA, RBS and Zurich. Now incorporating Badhams Law, the team includes the recommended Kathryn Oldfield.

Now boasting ten partners, DWF LLP has grown significantly in the past 12 months; it recently welcomed six partners from Weightmans LLP including former managing partner Mark Whittaker and the ‘recommended’ Dan Mitchell. The ‘renowned’ Graham Dickinson and Claire Bowler established DWF LLP’s London office, which specialises in large loss or complex personal injury claims, catastrophic injury cases, coverage disputes, accidents abroad and cross-border claims. Notable clients include Fortis Insurance, Hastings Direct, Norwich Union and Royal & SunAlliance.

The ‘respected’’ Allison Dias leads the practice at Davies Arnold Cooper LLP, where specialist expertise includes asbestos cases as well as employer’s and public liability. It also boasts an impressive international practice, advising clients from the travel and leisure industry throughout Europe on high-value claims brought against them. John Smith has strong expertise in cases involving brain damage and paraplegia, including serious motor claims and public liability matters, and Simon Pearl is recognised for his knowledge in defending high-profile claims relating to the whooping cough vaccine, HIV, MMR and Hepatitis C. Warren Collins is also recommended.

Mark Newman leads the four-partner department at Vizards Wyeth, which acts for key composite insurance clients, local authorities and multinational companies in the areas of employer’s liability, public liability and product liability.

Niche insurance practice Watmores is well respected in the market. With experience in motor and rail claims, the firm advisees clients on disease, workplace injury and serious injury cases. Managing partner Jon Grunewald, Andrew Mayne and consultant Nigel Goss are recommended.

Ian Evans leads the ‘exceptionally skilled’’ team at Weightmans LLP. Despite recently losing a number of partners to DWF LLP, it maintains a good client base. It successfully defended a high-profile case involving a near fatal road traffic collision involving a police driver on an emergency call. Noel Walsh is a specialist in workplace violence cases, and Sarah Hamilton has ‘good all-round strengths’.

David Maggs is the key partner at Browne Jacobson LLP, where headline clients include Gallagher Bassett, JLT Municipal Risks, Municipal Mutual and Travelers.

Andrew Nathan remains the practice head at Hextalls LLP, specialising in serious injury and occupational disease cases. The firm lost a team of eight fee-earners to Kennedys.

Notable client wins for Hill Dickinson LLP’s personal injury practice include Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Disney Cruises. Maria Pittordis ‘does a very active job of managing her team to ensure client focus’. A ‘very safe pair of hands’, John Caddies heads the firm’s industrial disease practice.

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s specialist personal injury practice excels in the shipping arena, under Paul Dean. Notable work includes representing one of Europe’s premier tour operators in the defence of personal injury claims on an international basis.

Ince & Co’s two-partner team is led by Charlotte Davies, specialising in high-value cases for clients in the marine, offshore oil and gas, transport, hotel, and aviation industries. Significant clients include Volvo Car UK Ltd, Steamship Mutual, Axa Global Risks and Elf. Gillie Belsham is also recommended.

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP’s ‘recommended’ three-partner practice in 2008 handled a wide range of cases including claims relating to brain injuries, amputations and paralysis as well as a number of fatal accident claims. Its industrial disease practice continues to expand, and it is experienced in claims relating to asbestos-related disease, mesothelioma, occupational asthma and noise induced deafness. Head of the firm’s general liability team Gavin Reese, James Miller, and catastrophic injury expert Nick McMahon are recommended.