Banking litigation in North West

Addleshaw Goddard

Addleshaw Goddard is noted for its expertise in high-profile disputes concerning major UK clearing banks, international financial institutions, challenger banks and other alternative providers within the fintech sector. The firm is particularly well regarded for its excellence in niche areas, including asset finance, regulated lending, and digital assets. ‘Stand-out operator‘ Harold Brako  – who is singled out by one client as a ‘real force in the industry‘ – heads up the practice. Legal director Helen Collinge and managing associate Ashlee Simms are also noted as ‘brilliant‘ supporting practitioners.

Practice head(s):

Harold Brako

Other key lawyers:

Helen Collinge; Ashlee Simms; Patricia Elder

Testimonials

‘Great industry knowledge, very responsive.’

‘Harold Brako is a real force in the industry and has significant knowledge and expertise. In addition he’s always calm and measured.’

‘Highly knowledgeable, commercial awareness, quick to respond and provide advice.’

‘Very friendly, amenable and approachable. Harold Brako as partner leads the team with a first class approach.’

‘Addleshaw Goddard is unique in a way that they are very good at the complicated and more challenging cases – attention to detail and well explained advice is always apparent. Billing is always clear and concise. Communication between employees is always great as well.’

‘Harold Brako – affable and consummate professional. Approachable, well connected and discrete.’

‘Harold Brako leads with clear vision. He sees the bigger picture in a case, and so thinks several steps ahead. Harold’s approach is always practical and seasoned with commercial insight. Helen Collinge is extremely hardworking and thorough and is collaborative in her approach to resolving a case. Ashlee Simms is always on the ball and focuses on getting the job done well. She gets to the heart of a legal issue and its implications swiftly.’

‘Harold Brako is a stand-out operator. A strong lawyer with outstanding commercial skills and the ability to communicate effectively with clients. He is very ably supported by the brilliant Helen Collinge and Ashlee Sims.’

Key clients

Paragon Bank plc

Aldermore Invoice Finance

Seneca Trade Partners Limited

Aldermore Bank

Santander UK plc

Amicus Asset Finance Limited

Ultimate Finance Limited

Bibby Financial Services Limited

Praetura Asset Finance Limited

Genser Energy Ghana Limited

Röwer & Rüb GmbH

Dell Bank Interntional d.a.c trading as Dell Financial Services

Ultimate Finance Limited

Goldcrest Finance Limited

Elevar Finance SPV Photon LLC

Reward Finance Group

Kroll Advisory Ltd

Work highlights

  • Representing Kroll Advisory in a £300m worldwide freezing injunctions claim against the directors of the Arena Television Group.
  • Representing Bibby Invoice Discounting before the Court of Appeal in a case which will have a significant impact on the ability to redact commercially sensitive information.
  • Representing Genser Energy Ghana in a $17.6m dispute stemming from the supply of propane gas in Ghana.

DLA Piper

The ‘leading banking litigators‘ at DLA Piper are particularly renowned for their expertise in two core industry areas: retail banking and payment services, including handling cases relating to all aspects of credit card processing, merchant acquiring and consumer credit for major players in this sector, and asset and aviation finance. Manchester-based ‘class act‘ Stewart Plant acts as the global co-chair of the firm’s payments group and is ably supported by a roster of recommended practitioners, including senior associate Benjamin Fellows. Over in the Liverpool office, corporate investigations expert John Gollaglee is the key contact.

Practice head(s):

Stewart Plant; John Gollaglee

Other key lawyers:

Leontia McArdle; Benjamin Fellows; Andrew Horton; David Cook; Philip Williams

Testimonials

‘Pretty much the top of the tree for banking lit in the North of England, and have been for decades.’

‘Benjamin Fellows is very down to earth, but reliable in steering the case to settlement or victory.’

‘DLA overall are an incredibly commercial firm who are excellent in rapidly understanding the dispute and manoeuvering quickly to put the client in the best position possible. The people go above and beyond and are always available when required.’

‘DLA are all over the details and are very experienced when it comes to banking.’

‘The members of the team are very hardworking and knowledgeable and a delight to work with.’

‘Stewart Plant is a class act when it comes to banking litigation.’

‘Leading banking litigators experienced in all areas of banking work.’

‘The team is always easy to contact, despite its huge workload.’

Key clients

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (incl. NatWest, Lombard, RBS Invoice Finance)

The Co-operative Bank

Close Brothers Group

Elavon Financial Services

First Data Corporation

Worldpay (UK) Limited

Metro Bank

Payvision

Lloyds Banking Group (incl. HBOS and C&G)

Global Payments

New Day

National Asset Management Agency

Work highlights

  • Representing Close Brothers in relation to claims made by multiple customers (comprising companies, sole traders and partnerships), alleging misrepresentation and breach of contract agaisnst the client and a finance broker.
  • Acting for NewDay in the defence of mass Payment Protection Insurance claims with a value in excess of £10m, brought by customers and former customers of the client.
  • Defending JD Williams & Company in mass claimant litigation relating to the mis-selling of retail finance products to customers and former customers.

DWF

DWF stands out as a firm of choice for FCA-regulated motor vehicle recoveries work and is noted for its track record of successful representation of major players in the wake of the commission mis-selling wave. The department also has a nationally renowned asset finance litigation offering, which acts for institutional and challenger banks, as well as private lenders. Practitioners in the team are lauded by one client for being ‘extremely capable and creative in their approach to dispute resolution‘. John Perez, Ritchie Irvine and Ben Johnson are the key senior contacts in the group.

Practice head(s):

John Perez; Ritchie Irvine; Ben Johnson

Other key lawyers:

Mahesh Vara

Testimonials

‘Easy to deal with. Excellent sector knowledge. Commercial approach to litigation. Great availability of partners and associates. Extremely capable and creative in their approach to dispute resolution. Good access to expertise within other teams.’

‘They are all highly knowledgeable, supportive, tenacious and generally great people to work with.’

‘We deal with Ben Johnson and Mahesh Vara. They both have excellent knowledge of the asset finance sector and I have always found them easy to deal with and very collaborative in their approach. The cases we have referred to them have been progressed promptly and at proportionate cost.’

‘Strong desire to provide exceptional service and the right outcome.’

‘Good experience, knowledge and expertise.’

‘I have been working with DWF for many years on a wide variation of simple and complex cases. They are all highly knowledgeable, supportive and tenacious. I look forward to working them closely in the years to come.’

Key clients

Lloyds Banking Group, including Lloyds Bank plc, Bank of Scotland plc and Lloyds Commercial Finance.

Santander Consumer (UK) plc trading as Santander Consumer Finance.

Shawbrook Bank Limited

The Mortgage Lender

Metro Bank Plc

RBS Group, including National Westminster Bank Plc

Brown Shipley & Co Limited

PSA Finance UK Ltd

UK Asset Resolution Limited (UKAR), including Bradford & Bingley plc, Mortgage Express and NRAM plc (formerly called Northern Rock plc).

Money Barn

Barclays Partner Finance

NextGear Capital UK Limited (part of the Cox Automotive Group)

Elavon Financial Services DAC

Work highlights

  • Representing a number of motor finance companies and dealers in relation to a wave of alleged mis-selling claims involving DiC Commission structures and the application to the APR/Interest Rate on regulated agreements.

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP is able to utilise both its global reach and its involvement with many of the leading bodies within the financial services sector to expertly handling a range of disputes from investment mis-selling to professional negligence. The team is also regularly involved with regulatory investigations and strategic complaint handling issues. Practice head James Southworth welcomed senior associate Victoria Rogers, formerly of RPC, to the group in May 2021, thus increasing its inter-jurisdictional capabilities even further.

Practice head(s):

James Southworth

 

Other key lawyers:

Victoria Rogers; Lindsey Roberts

Testimonials

‘A strong team able to handle large banking disputes, including those with international elements. The team is well resourced and has strength in depth. They have particularly excelled at managing a large counsel team and liaising effectively with the client. Eversheds has the international reach to handle multi-jurisdiction disputes.’

‘James Southworth has good judgement and is very capable. He has made the right calls and works collaboratively with the counsel team and his fellow partners.’

‘Victoria Rogers is a very capable senior associate who has effectively managed large-scale banking litigation.’

‘The team had great depth and breadth of experience in banking work and is comfortable dealing with the most complex and high-profile disputes.’

‘James Southworth works closely with clients to understand their needs and is excellent at coordinating large teams and driving litigation forward.’

‘Very personable team and good diversity of practice backgrounds.’

‘James Southworth is adept at client management and the team has strong personalities and good engagement.’

Key clients

The Co-operative Bank Plc

Santander UK Plc/Santander Cards UK Limited

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Work highlights

  • Acted for a major international bank in seeking to recover losses flowing from a multi-national fraudulent conspiracy worth $6bn.
  • Defended a number of major financial services firms against significant volumes of mis-selling claims.
  • Acted for a public sector body in relation to a multi-million pound dispute arising from pensions administration regulations, involving a combination of Part 7 proceedings and judicial review.

Hill Dickinson LLP

As well as maintaining a strong reputation for the gamut of finance litigation work, the team at Hill Dickinson LLP is regarded as a leader in the asset-based lending sector, especially in the areas of invoice discounting and receivables finance. Under the expert leadership of Sharon Williamson, the group is also carving out a name for itself in fraud-related cases. Consultant Iain Campbell continues to be the key contact for CCA-regulated matters. John Quicler is the name to note at senior associate level.

Practice head(s):

Sharon Williamson

Other key lawyers:

John Quicler; Iain Campbell

Testimonials

‘Despite being a large practice, it maintains a very personal approach and you often forget you are dealing with such a large firm. Particularly, I am always impressed with the fact that the telephone is always picked up by the fee earners themselves and there is never a need to leave messages with secretaries or get through gatekeepers. Calls and emails are always returned quickly and the advice is to the point, relevant and efficient.’

‘Our main engagement with the firm is with Sharon Williamson. I find that she is particularly good at gauging level of understanding and delivers her advice consummate to this. Matters are not complicated by legal jargon. Sharon always makes us feel completely confident that the advice and strategy recommended is the correct one, though at the same time she is a great listener, taking account of our aims and goals also. She has delivered great results within reasonable fee margins.’

‘I’ve found them proactive, responsive, communicative and reasonable cost-wise.’

‘I have dealt with Sharon Williamson, who has a deep understanding of the asset-based lending market and can be trusted to provide proportionate and commercial advice, whilst being easy to deal with personally.’

Key clients

Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited

Bibby Commercial Finance Limited

Bibby Factors Limited

Bibby Invoice Discounting Limited

Bibby Factors Scotland Limited

Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC (formerly known as Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC).

Metro Bank t/as SME Invoice Finance

Hyde Park Finance Limited

Crossbarfx Limited

Work highlights

  • Successfully obtained a proprietary and freezing injunction against the defendant and an indemnifier who had misappropriated funds on behalf of Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance.
  • Acted for Bibby Factors in recovering a debt pursuant to the terms of factoring facilities afforded to two associated companies and a number of indemnifying parties.
  • Handling a recovery strategy for sums advanced to a client, involving the duplicate assignment of invoices to a Polish factoring company and services supplied to a Danish company, on behalf of Bibby Commercial Finance.

Squire Patton Boggs

At Squire Patton Boggs, practice head Anthony Taylor‘s ‘natural talent for identifying the best strategies for successful resolution‘ ensures that the firm maintains its stellar reputation for expertise in financial services litigation on both the national and international stage. The group is particularly well known for representing lenders in high-value professional negligence claims and handling complex PPI and investment mis-selling disputes. Legal director Peter Lees is another key name to note in this ‘excellent team of hugely committed banking lawyers‘.

Practice head(s):

Anthony Taylor

Other key lawyers:

Peter Lees

Testimonials

‘An excellent team of hugely committed banking lawyers – and a match for any London city firm.’

‘Anthony Taylor – excellent client service, and great team player. Brilliant at boosting client morale.’

‘Anthony Taylor is exceptionally dedicated to his clients. Really understands the commercial issues and fights hard on his client’s behalf.’

‘The banking litigation team is a pleasure to work with – the client service is excellent and the advice is consistently clear, comprehensive and of an exceptionally high quality, incorporating both success prospects and the commerciality of any claim.’

‘Anthony Taylor is a highly skilled and knowledgeable litigator whose advice is always of exceptional quality. He has a natural talent for identifying the best strategies for successful resolution which leads to outstanding client results and an excellent sense of humour complements a friendly, helpful and proactive approach.’

Key clients

Manchester Building Society

Lloyds Banking Group (this includes Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Private Bank, Birmingham Midshires, Intelligent Finance, Colleys, Black Horse, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Halifax, and The Mortgage Business)

Mortgage Express

NRAM Limited

Close Brothers Asset Finance

Work highlights

  • Represented Manchester Building Society in a £47m professional negligence claim against Grant Thornton.
  • Representing Close Brothers Asset Finance in a claim against DWF for the negligent drafting of a security document.

TLT

The ‘excellent, diverse, and resourceful‘ team at TLT comprises ‘knowledgeable and efficient litigators‘ who are singled out by one client for their ability to provide a ‘London city level, Rolls Royce quality service‘. Under the leadership of James Chadwick, the group deals with the gamut of contentious issues which impact financial services providers in the regulated space, interfacing with customers, regulators and other third parties, as well as their advisors. The firm also fields a roster of recommended legal directors; established names Roisin McGlinn and Chantal Peters were recently joined at this level by Steve Walpole, formerly of Addleshaw Goddard.

Practice head(s):

James Chadwick

Other key lawyers:

Roisin McGlinn; Chantal Peters; Steve Walpole

Testimonials

‘Huge strength in depth; the largest banking litigation team in the North by quite some way and one that can offer across the full spectrum of banking clients’ needs.’

‘An excellent, diverse, and resourceful team that provides a London city level, Rolls Royce quality service, but at a regional cost. I cannot recommend the team highly enough.’

‘Steve Walpole – experienced, direct and well used to dealing with banking clients. Appreciates the wider implications of what, on its face, is small scale litigation, but which has wider ramification for the bank involved.’

‘Competitive with London firms in a range of financial services disputes areas, but at lower cost.’

‘James Chadwick and Chantal Peters have provided some really practical and pragmatic support.’

‘Knowledgeable and efficient litigators, able to deal effectively with litigation of all kinds.’

‘James Chadwick – partner leading from the front; accessible, commercial and knowledgeable about the legal landscape. He is fast becoming the go-to banking litigation partner in the UK, not just the North. A title rectification wizard too; he can get the results others cannot.’

‘Collaboration, flexibility and engagement is strong.’

Key clients

Santander UK plc

Nationwide Building Society

Triodos Bank

One Savings Bank

Co-operative Bank plc

TSB Bank plc

Skipton Building Society

UKAR

West Bromwich Building Society

Yorkshire Building Society

Computershare

Bank of America

Hampshire Trust Bank

The Cumberland

Darlington Building Society

Seneca Finance Limited

Work highlights

    Kennedys

    Kennedys has 'a very solid all-round banking team which is adept at conducting banking litigation, particularly against banks'. Key names in Manchester include 'legendary litigator' Reuben Berg.

    Practice head(s):

    Reuben Berg

    Other key lawyers:

    Geraldine Wharton

    Testimonials

    ‘A very solid all-round banking team which is adept at conducting banking litigation, particularly (in my experience) against banks.’

    ‘Reuben Berg – an outstanding team leader. Geraldine Wharton – brilliant at marshalling the facts and completely on top of her cases.’

    ‘Kennedys retains a leading position as a team of customer-focused litigators in banking, especially in the areas of interest rate swaps and other misselling claims.’

    ‘Reuben Berg: a legendary litigator. Knows all the tricks, how to handle them and to pull them off.’