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FS Legal > Altrincham, England > Firm Profile

FS Legal Offices

FS Legal company logo
FS Legal
Capital HOUSE
12 Oxford Road
ALTRINCHAM
WA14 2EB
England
Email firm Visit website 0161 714 4520
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FS Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: elsewhere in the North West Tier 1

Specialist litigation firm FS Legal represents corporate and individual clients in national commercial disputes of significant value, including a High Court case and one before the CMA. These include high-profile cases involving household name individuals and companies. The firm is led by 'heavyweight' Kit Sorrell, whose practice encompasses contractual disputes, warranty claims, arbitration, and construction disputes. 'Class act' Julia Norris  represents clients in high-profile sports agency cases, urgent injunctions, and high-value financial claims proceedings. Legal director Christine Newton represents clients in the manufacturing, construction and engineering sectors.

Leading individuals

Julia Norris - FS Legal

Hall of Fame

Kit Sorrell - FS Legal

Practice head(s):

Julia Norris; Kit Sorrell

Other key lawyers:

Christine Newton

Testimonials

‘FS Legal is a very experienced firm in dispute resolution/commercial litigation, with a deservedly good reputation for providing a top quality, commercial service to its clients. The practice is very commercially minded, and all its lawyers that I deal with/that instruct me on commercial litigation matters are very hard working, diligent and knowledgeable. The practice also on a regular basis funds work for some time before billing some clients.’

‘Kit Sorrell and Julia Norris, both of whom, apart from being excellent litigators, are client focused and responsive, thorough, and commercially aware.’

‘The Team at FS Legal are top drawer. They deal with heavyweight and complex litigation.’

‘Senior partner, Kit Sorrell is a heavyweight litigator and hugely experienced – the real deal. Julia Norris, also a partner, is a class act, very bright and goes the extra mile.’

‘Approachable and responsive team willing to invest time in understanding issues and devising appropriate strategies in response’

‘Julia Norris has a tenacity that is particularly impressive.’

‘Julia and her team bring a common sense approach to the areas they specialise in. Having sought their advice on several matters they have as well as being competent and giving excellent legal advice including recommending excellent counsel when required they always bring sound commercial common sense to the table , weighing the costs of litigation against any benefits. This has helped enormously with some of the decisions we have had to make over the years.’

‘I work with Julia and Christine. They both return calls very quickly and as I outlined above can get to the heart of an issue quickly to help me as a decision maker decide what course of action to take. They do not sit on the fence! ’

Key clients

Paul Steel and Jaqueline Foster

George Urquhart

Clients of Blackstar (Europe) Limited (in Liquidation)

Work highlights

  • Representing private individuals against proceedings brought by the FCA, seeking a ground-breaking extension of the provisions of Section 382(2) FSMA to authorised IFA individuals.
  • Representing a football agent, initially in a high-profile case relating to the payment of commission to football agents.
  • Representing a number of former clients of Blackstar (Europe) Limited in fraud and negligence claims.

Insurance > Professional negligence Tier 2

Litigation boutique FS Legal is highly regarded as a claimant firm, particularly in tax negligence and professional services disputes. Julia Norris is particularly known for her experience in financial services and tax negligence; she jointly heads the team with experienced litigator Kit Sorrell. Senior associate Nicola Stanley is noted for her handling of claims acting for banks against solicitors and valuers.

Leading individuals

Julia Norris - FS Legal

Hall of Fame

Kit Sorrell - FS Legal

Rising stars

Nicola Stanley - FS Legal

Practice head(s):

Julia Norris; Kit Sorrell

Other key lawyers:

Christine Newton; Mubarik Haider; Nicola Stanley

Testimonials

‘FS Legal is a very experienced firm in professional negligence work, with a deservedly good reputation for providing a top quality, commercial service to its clients.’

‘Kit Sorrell and Julia Norris are excellent litigators, client focused and responsive, thorough and commercially aware.’

‘We were very pleased with FS Legal and the way they dealt with our claim – very diligent in all they did. We would use them again. Christine Newton was absolutely brilliant.’

‘Kit Sorrell and Julia Norris are stars in their field. Christine Newton and Nicola Stanley back them up with tremendous support.’

‘Julia Norris is commercially astute and very dedicated to her clients.’

‘Christine Newton is very thorough; brings clear judgement and wide experience.’

‘Our main point of contact has been Julia Norris who inspires confidence and certainly made me sure that we were being advised correctly at all times. She was very happy to explain the legal issues I did not understand, and throughout she remained sympathetic, sensitive and reassuring regarding the commercial problems we faced.’

Work highlights

  • Acted for a number of former clients of Blackstar (Europe) Limited (in Liquidation) in fraud and negligence claims.
  • Represented 600+ individual clients nationwide in relation to the leasehold scandal.
  • Instructed by a football agent in a case involving tax avoidance schemes.

Dispute resolution > Banking litigation Tier 3

FS Legal > Firm Profile

Recognised by both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as a leading firm, FS Legal Solicitors LLP (FS Legal) is a specialist firm of lawyers which focuses on complex and high-value litigation while also providing corporate support services.

FS Legal has recently been awarded The Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’ in the fields of both professional negligence (insurance)  and commercial litigation.

FS Legal, is also a member of the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Partnership Programme. It is one of a growing number of businesses from across the North that is part of the network. Through the scheme, partners work towards building a Northern Powerhouse in four main areas; connectivity and transport, skills, science and innovation, quality of life and culture, and devolution.

The firm typically acts on multi-million-pound claims for high-profile and well-known individuals and companies who seek out the firm based on reputation and word-of-mouth recommendation alone. FS Legal does not act for banks, insurers or other large institutions and prides itself on remaining conflict-free.

The firm: With offices in Manchester and Birmingham, FS Legal has a national presence and boasts a team of highly skilled litigators and corporate lawyers who are renowned as specialists in their field. The firm also has a national network of retained clients who are regulated by the financial regulators (the FCA and PRA) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The firm specialises in litigation and is particularly renowned for high-profile tax negligence claims in which it frequently recovers seven-figure settlement sums for its clients. FS Legal is also known for dealing with complex commercial litigation including shareholder disputes, contract litigation and construction disputes for national corporations and high net worth individuals as well as professional negligence claims against a wide range of professionals and their insurers.

FS Legal’s lawyers have been recognised individually by The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners along with the Manchester Law Society and Birmingham Law Society in their respective annual legal awards. They are frequently quoted in the press including the Financial Times, The Mail on Sunday, FT Adviser, Citywire, Moneymarketing and IFA Online.

Manchester partner, Kit Sorrell, has become the first lawyer in the North West to be inducted into The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for professional negligence work. Kit has been recognised for being at the pinnacle of the legal profession for  the last ten years and has also been awarded Hall of Fame status for commercial litigation.

Kit’s Hall of Fame entry for commercial litigation makes him one of only seven lawyers in the North West of England to receive this honour.

Manchester partner, Julia Norris, was invited by Sir Eric Pickles to write a submission on the industry and best practice in the inaugural Law and Justice edition of the 2018 Parliamentary Review with forewords from Prime Minister Theresa May and President of the Law Society, Joe Egan.

Types of work undertaken
Litigation and dispute resolution: the firm advises on general commercial litigation (business and individuals), high-value and complex professional negligence claims, construction disputes, commercial contracts, sports litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes, breach of warranty and guarantee claims and international asset tracing. It has a unique and exceptionally high level of experience in the financial services sector, acting for both the professional advisor industry and individual investors and has successfully recovered millions of pounds for investors caught up in failed tax schemes and high-profile fund collapses.

Construction disputes: FS Legal has a specialist team with extensive experience of the technical, legal and practical issues that can arise during construction projects, including claims for payments, damages and defects in design and construction. This team includes nationally renowned litigators. The firm also advises on other forms of resolution that may be available including arbitration, adjudication, ADR, dispute review boards, expert determination or mediation. Where litigation does prove necessary, clients benefit from the team’s recognised contentious capability. It has extensive experience in the Technology and Construction Court and has successfully represented well-known corporate clients and local authorities in disputes with architects, surveyors, engineers, project managers and developers.

Corporate: FS Legal advises many firms on a wide range of issues. The firm’s focus is mainly on SME and owner-managed businesses of all kinds (whether limited companies, limited liability partnerships or unincorporated businesses). It has a down-to-earth and straightforward approach to the matters clients raise, and covers incorporation advice; business sales and purchases; advice to directors and shareholders; shareholder agreements; partnership and LLP agreements; and restructurings.

Commercial contracts: from contracts with suppliers and customers to the engagement of self-employed individuals, FS Legal can provide a variety of agreements to protect businesses, including terms of business; appointed representative agreements; introducer agreements; self-employed contracts; and exclusivity agreements.

Employment: FS Legal has specialist employment lawyers who understand the regulated sectors as well as the dynamic employment law background. The firm covers both contentious and non-contentious employment matters. These include: drafting employment contracts; preparing policies and handbooks; advice on and representation at employment tribunals; compromise (settlement) agreements; and advice on restrictive covenants and business protection.

Pensions including pension schemes and trustee responsibilities: Trevor Clarke, who advises in this field for the firm, has over 25 years of experience in this specialist and highly complex area of law, advising employers, trustees, members and other beneficiaries, investors, investment advisers, fund managers and IFAs, insolvency practitioners, actuaries and accountants, and law firms that require a specialist outsourced pension law service. The firm also provides advice in respect of SSAS and SIPPS.

Notable cases
Halsall v Champion Consulting Ltd [2017] EWHC 1079 (QB)
Represented the claimants in a £6m claim arising out of tax avoidance schemes. This widely reported case is believed to be one of the first claims of this type to reach the courts.

Anthony Barness and Otrs v Formation Group Pls & Otrs
Representing one of the 150 defendants in this multi million pound claim brought by over 260 separate claimants. The claims concern tax avoidance schemes, football agent disputes and allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation.

Representing the claimants in a £9m action arising out of EBT and EFURBs tax mitigations schemes in a claim against their tax advisers and accountants.

Represented a high profile claimant in a £22m claim against his former solicitors, a well known national firm, concerning the acquisition of a substantial shareholding of a UK PLC.

Acting for a group of high-net-worth individuals in a £5m claim against an international law practice arising out of negligent conduct of litigation initially brought against their accountants and tax advisers.

Acting for a client in a seven-figure professional negligence claim against Gibraltar based IFA company arising out of the clients’ investment into a £50m failed investment scheme.

Acting for minority shareholder in a shareholder dispute in relation to his holding in a highly successful engineering company. Action resolved with an order for the purchase of his shares on very satisfactory terms.

Acting for a national property/property development company in Judicial Review proceedings challenging enforcement orders made by the Authority which threatened a regeneration scheme the value of which ran to many hundreds of millions of pounds.

Acting for a sports management company in a dispute over the ‘ownership’ of a very high profile premier league professional footballer.

Acting for Morris Homes Group, the country’s largest privately owned house builder, in a number of complex seven-figure claims against various property professionals.

Representing the claimants in a £4m+ claim against a firm of solicitors in a loss of opportunity claim.

Represented 300+ claimants in a £3m+ claim against a firm of solicitors arising out of the promotion and sale of a land banking scheme involving four substantial land sites across the UK.

Main Contacts

DepartmentNameEmailTelephone
Managing partner, Manchester Julia Norrisjulia.norris@fsl.legal0161 714 4520
Senior partner, Manchester Kit Sorrellkit.sorrell@fsl.legal0161 714 4520
Managing partner, Birmingham Paul Crutchleypaul.crutchley@fsl.legal01384 88 99 00
Senior partner, Birmingham Gareth Fatchettgareth.fatchett@fsl.legal01384 88 99 00

Lawyer Profiles

PhotoNamePositionProfile
Mr Mubarik Haider photo Mr Mubarik HaiderLegal DirectorView Profile
Christine Newton photo Christine NewtonLegal Director Before joining FS Legal as a Legal Director in December…View Profile
Mrs Julia Norris photo Mrs Julia NorrisPARTNERJulia is recognised as a Leader in the Field in Professional Negligence…View Profile
Sunny Patel photo Sunny PatelSOLICITORSunny has a wide range of litigation experience involving high value and…View Profile
Mr Kit Sorrell photo Mr Kit SorrellPARTNERKit is personally ranked as a Leader in the Field in both…View Profile
Nicola Stanley photo Nicola StanleySenior Associate Nicola has 16 years’ experience in Dispute Resolution and has…View Profile

Staff Figures

Number of UK partners : 4
Number of other UK fee-earners : 15
:

    Top Tier Firm Rankings

  • Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: elsewhere in the North West

    Firm Rankings

  • Insurance > Professional negligence
  • Dispute resolution > Banking litigation
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