Clients praise the Sheffield-based team at CMS for being ‘efficient, assiduous, attentive and always displaying the utmost degree of professionalism’. The practice is able to cover the full range of commercial, contractual and company disputes, with special knowledge of the healthcare and life sciences, sports, leisure and retail sectors. Further areas of note are international disputes as well as procurement litigation. Group head George Lubega is a trusted adviser for several large corporations, and senior associate Stephanie Cheung divides her time between Manchester and Sheffield.
Commercial litigation: Sheffield, South Yorkshire in Yorkshire And The Humber
CMS
Practice head(s):
George Lubega
Other key lawyers:
Stephanie Cheung; Chris Gorman
Testimonials
‘We have dealt with George Lubega and Stephanie Cheung numerous times and have always found them to be approachable, knowledgeable and professional. They take the time to understand the issue and the associated business impact.’
‘All members of the team I have worked with have a high level of legal/technical expertise, are commercially aware and strategically astute. They are efficient, assiduous, attentive and always display the utmost degree of professionalism. They work seamlessly together (both within the Sheffield team and with other CMS offices), combining their skills and strengths to secure the best possible outcome for the client.’
‘George Lubega (Partner) – Maintains a high level of engagement with any matter and is always on top of the case without needlessly trespassing into the more everyday matters that can be entrusted to his highly competent team. He is always in control with a wealth of high level litigation/arbitration/commercial experience to draw on to add value to any matter.’
‘George Lubega is very bright, calm and experienced. Both he and Chris Gorman are very easy to work with and responsive.’
Key clients
Holland & Barrett Retail Limited & Holland & Barrett International Limited
Gym King Limited
HealthTrust Europe LLP
Serco Limited
Collegiate Marketing Limited and Collegiate AC Limited
Troi Sports LLC
Work highlights
- Advised Holland & Barrett on business-critical disputes, including strategic supplier advice.
- Representing a fast-growing athleisure company which secured a multimillion-pound investment from JD Sports Fashion in a critical claim for 10% of the company’s future value brought by a former consultant.
- Acting for Serco in a range of ongoing contractual disputes.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper has a ‘commercially minded team of litigation specialists who understand the technology world and strive to help the client to achieve its goals’. The broad practice is well versed in the TMT, industrial, mining, transport, construction and banking spaces, and acts in the full range of commercial disputes including contract, tort, fraud and restitution mandates, injunctions and enforcement issues. Team leader Richard Norman has particular knowledge of the IT and telecoms area, while Mick Lawlor is often involved in cross-border cases. Senior associate Barney Connell is another key name.
Practice head(s):
Richard Norman
Other key lawyers:
Daniel Jones; Barney Connell; Mick Lawlor
Testimonials
‘DLA has been extremely responsive each time we have asked for their support. They genuinely try to find a solution and have a great team of specialists to address the various complex issues we can be facing. They value the client relationship and transparently share any potential conflict situation seeking our views.’
‘Richard Norman has demonstrated a perfect understanding of our business, is hands on and really supportive.’
‘Commercially minded team of litigation specialists who understand the technology world and strive to help our business achieve its goals.’
‘The DLA Piper attorneys really know our company well and provide knowledgeable and valuable guidance.’
‘It is always great to work with Richard Norman who understand our needs and have a ‘can-do’ attitude to solving our problems.’
Key clients
Atos
DB Cargo
Coal Authority
Boots plc
CBRE
Arconic
Robert Bosch UK Holdings Limited
Gamma Telecom
Tata Communications
Adobe
Telenor
Verizon
Crowdstrike Inc
IP Integration
ADM
Neos Networks
NTT
Work highlights
- Defending the University of Law up to the Court of Appeal against allegations of discrimination.
- Acting for Arconic Architectural Products SAS in defence of various claims brought in respect of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Freeths LLP
Led by James Hartley and James Berry, the team at Freeths LLP represents clients in shareholder disputes, breach of warranty claims, unfair prejudice proceedings and injunctive relief issues. Managing associate Gary Duffy also knows ADR options well and director Ciaran Dearden has experience in contract cases.
Practice head(s):
James Hartley; James Berry
Other key lawyers:
Ciaran Dearden; Gary Duffy
Work highlights
Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell
impresses with notable expertise in the insurance, retail, professional services, insurance, IT and manufacturing sectors. The team handles cases spanning corporate governance disputes, restrictive covenant litigation, injunctive relief work, and shareholder and derivative claims, among others. Dorrien Peters, who is ‘calm and unflappable in the face of pressure‘, and Steven Beahan jointly lead the team.
Practice head(s):
Steven Beahan; Dorrien Peters
Other key lawyers:
Chloe Eyre
Testimonials
‘Irwin Mitchell Sheffield are able to offer a full commercial litigation service on a par with medium-sized London city firms without the costs. The team is well led and able to draw on support from Irwin Mitchell’s other offices around the country.’
‘Dorrien Peters – partner and head of team: Dorrien is calm and unflappable in the face of pressure, and an experienced and able leader of the commercial litigation team in Sheffield. He has in my experience shown his adaptability in seamlessly stepping in to oversee work of other more junior fee earners offices at short notice.’
‘Dorrien Peters is a commercially minded lawyer. He is excellent to work with and exceptionally practical and knows when a deal should be struck.’
‘The team was very knowledgeable and communicated extremely well. They brought in colleagues from other disciplines as appropriate.’
‘Chloe Eyre was responsive and effective.’
Key clients
Pegler Yorkshire Group
Westfield Health
Natural Instinct Limited
Herbold Meckesheim GmbH
Arc Legal Assistance Ltd
DAS
Aviva PLC
Allianz
Sheffield International Venues
Tandem Properties
Reusch Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH
McCalls Special Products Limited t/a Macalloy Limited
ATG Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd
Work highlights
- Represented a manufacturer of construction products in relation to a product liability claim valued by the claimant at c£33m.
- Instructed to act on behalf of Tandem Properties Limited concerning the failed Heart of the City project to redevelop Sheffield City Centre.
- Acting for a property consultant in respect of a claim for over £10m regarding the fee payable under a property development agreement regarding a residential property development in North Yorkshire.
Lupton Fawcett
Lupton Fawcett is often approached by local SMEs and high-net-worth individuals to handle contentious cases. The team, which is led by Simon Lockley, is experienced in a range of corporate and commercial disputes. Rob Cooke left for BRM Solicitors in May 2021.
Practice head(s):
Simon Lockley
Work highlights
Wake Smith Solicitors Limited
Led by property specialist Elizabeth Shaw, the dispute resolution group at Wake Smith Solicitors Limited handles a variety of commercial conflicts for local and national clients. Director Michael Doherty assists clients in contractual disputes, negligence claims and insolvency related disputes, among others.
Practice head(s):
Elizabeth Shaw
Other key lawyers:
Michael Doherty
Testimonials
‘I would highlight Michael Doherty, who is an excellent and commercially astute lawyer. Michael dives into his cases and identifies all of the salient and strategic points. He is able to deliver pragmatic and reliable advice and is always a pleasure to work with.’
‘Wake Smith provides both commercial and personal legal services across the board. Based on my own professional experience, I particularly rate them for their business and property lawyers, who are indeed specialists in their fields very capable of providing extremely high-quality advice of a calibre matching national firms but at charge-out rates which are more competitive.’
‘Mike Doherty is a very astute practitioner, providing excellent tactical input and direction in any dispute with a confidence-inspiring and straightforward manner that gets to the heart of any matter by bringing his clear insight and bags of experience to bear.’