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Hailed as ‘a fantastic life sciences firm’, Arnold & Porter (UK) LLP has particular expertise in medical product liability claims, and is accustomed to representing multinational pharmaceutical companies. The team regularly gives non-contentious advice on product liability issues, and is adept at handling unitary and multi-claimant cases. Practice head Ian Dodds-Smith is highly rated, and his team includes several medically and scientifically qualified lawyers. Alison Brown, Lincoln Tsang, Adela Williams and counsel Elizabeth Driver are also recommended.

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP has ‘one of the leading practices in Europe’, with a particularly strong client base in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. It continues to advise AstraZeneca Insurance Company on over 30,000 claims relating to Seroquel. Practice head Simon Pearl and Alison McAdams are ‘brilliant strategic and tactical thinkers’, with ‘expertise and understanding of healthcare product safety that is second to none’. Michael Goldberg is also recommended, particularly for high-value claims.

Hogan Lovells International LLP’s ‘broad practice’ is ‘particularly renowned in the manufacturing sector’, and has ‘a number of very good and sensible lawyers’. Recent key instructions include representing Merck in Vioxx litigation in the UK and certain other parts of Europe. Other clients include Vodafone, Toshiba and British American Tobacco, and the team has also been representing various clients on food safety and asbestos claims. Practice head John Meltzer and Rod Freeman are recommended.

Ashurst LLP’s practice centres on tobacco and health-related claims, including pharmaceutical, life sciences and chemicals litigation, and the firm also advises on product safety regulations. It represented Deloitte, as the administrators of Land of Leather, in defending group litigation alleging allergic skin reactions from its furniture. Other clients include Imperial Tobacco and Aventis Animal Nutrition. Arundel McDougall is recommended, along with recently promoted partner Mark Clarke.

Baker & McKenzie LLP’s wide-ranging practice represents household names such as Starbucks, Apple, and Abercrombie & Fitch. The nine-partner team recently represented several clients in Environment Agency investigations into potential breaches of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006. Practice head John Leadley has considerable expertise across sectors including TMT, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and toys. Joanna Ludlam leads the multidisciplinary investigation team.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s ‘pragmatic’ team acted for InBev UK on two UK-wide product recalls, and advised JTI on regulatory matters. Other clients include Heinz and Smith & Nephew. The team is highly valued for its ability to advise multinational clients in multi-jurisdictional disputes. John Blain and Paul Bowden are recommended.

Herbert Smith LLP’s focus is very much on big-ticket work; clients instruct the team ‘when specialist expertise is required’, and its ‘speed of response is exceptional’. The outstanding Anthony Dempster ‘has the ability to summarise and simplify very complex issues, bringing one up to speed in a short period of time’. Howard Watson and Alexander Oddy are also recommended.

‘A dynamic firm’ that is ‘going places’, Kennedys combines ‘professional competence’ and ‘humanity’. The team has achieved considerable growth over recent years, and in 2011 recruited Anne Ware from Covington & Burling LLP. Recent highlights include acting for Rolls-Royce’s insurers in relation to a failure of propulsion units which led to high-profile litigation in Florida and England. Other clients include GE, which retains the firm for product matters. Trevor Davies and practice head Shane Sayers are recommended.

Addleshaw Goddard LLP is widely respected for its broad coverage, international capabilities and the reputation of John Kelleher. Recent instructions include defending GlaxoSmithKline against claims relating to its antidepressant drug Seroxat.

Mark Wing heads Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP’s ‘strong department’, which is ‘well grounded in this field’. Insurer clients include Zurich, Chartis and Munich Re. It recently acted for Chartis and Home Retail Group in the ‘toxic sofa’ litigation, in which claimants alleged a skin condition caused by furniture. Giles Kavanagh and Hugh Mullins are recommended. Jason Bright left for Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP.

Beachcroft advises insurers and reinsurers on high-value claims. Recent highlights include representing Zurich as the insurer of Land of Leather in the ‘toxic sofa’ litigation. Wendy Hopkins and Chris Wilkes head the department.

Clyde & Co LLP’s team gives ‘clear, concise advice’, and is flourishing following several hires from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP. Its expertise includes agriculture and food, engineering and automotive, and pharmaceuticals claims. Neil Beresford, Manoj Vaghela and Chris Harris are recommended.

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge UK LLP regularly represents insurers and reinsurers in large and complex claims, particularly regarding pharmaceuticals and medical devices. It also acted for Centre Re and Munich Re as reinsurers of T&N’s £500m asbestos liability policy. Laurence Harris and David Kendall head the team.

Reed Smith has ‘good knowledge of the industry, and provides good value for money’. Key contact Paul Llewellyn is ‘commercially realistic’, and gives ‘good, clear and timely advice’. It represents an impressive range of blue-chip clients from the automobile, medical devices and pharmaceuticals industries.

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP’s ‘very capable team’, headed by Stuart White, provides a ‘good and consistent level of service’. It regularly receives instructions from insurers including Allianz and QBE. In 2011, the practice recruited renowned expert Jason Bright from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP.

Covington & Burling LLP’s practice is now led by Grant Castle and Roger Enock, following Anne Ware’s departure to Kennedys. The firm enjoys an international reputation for acting on high-profile cases.

Mayer Brown International LLP’s clients include Omega Pharma and Selfridges. The ‘charming’ Ingrid Hobbs ‘pulls out all the stops for her clients’ and leads the insurance practice, while Miles Robinson leads on non-insurance matters.

Andrew Masterson leads Pinsent Masons’ national team, which advises on the preventative, crisis management and recovery aspects of product liability. Clients include IMI, Dixons Retail, Schneider Group and Saint Gobain.

Simmons & Simmons primarily acts for consumer goods, telecommunications and retail clients, including Orkla, Lantmannen, and Polaris. Mark Dewar leads the practice.

Jim Sherwood heads Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP’s London practice, which predominantly represents insurers, including Mitsui, Zurich and QBE.

Philip Pfeffer at Chadbourne & Parke (London) LLP has considerable experience in defending individual and class actions. Clients include British American Tobacco.

Clifford Chance advises on claims relating to healthcare, transport and asbestos. Julian Acratopulo is the key contact in London.

Eversheds LLP’s experienced team handles complex cases for clients such as Tyco. Richard Matthews and Simon Brooks are recommended.

Product liability is a specialism for Fox Hartley, which includes a number of motor manufacturers among its clients. It advises on matters such as group litigation and insurance coverage disputes. Trevor Fox is recommended.

Craig Shuttleworth is Jones Day’s key partner for product liability.

Manches LLP’s John Doherty is ‘a fantastic lawyer’ who ‘really understands the needs of clients’. The team acts for British American Tobacco and Wolseley, among others.

Shook, Hardy & Bacon International LLP’s ‘performance is consistently excellent’. Its clients include Philip Morris, Medmarc and Pfizer. Managing partner Simon Castley is recommended.

Birmingham-based Wragge & Co LLP’s practice continues to develop, particularly within the telecommunications sector. Andrew Smith and Andrew Litchfield are recommended.

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