Profile
Work Department
Position
Managing Partner
Career
James Oldnall is one of the founding partners of Milberg London and a member of the senior management team.
James is a commercial litigator specialising in claims against large institutional defendants. He has an in-depth understanding of disputes involving financial markets and products, private equity, hedge funds, data protection, shareholder and companies’ issues, fraud, and mis-selling. James forged his career at London’s leading litigation houses – Freshfields, Clyde & Co, and Mishcon de Reya – before establishing Milberg's London office. He has worked on many of the UK's highest profile and industry-recognised commercial disputes, frequently appearing in national and international press.
In 2016, James had two cases named in ‘The Lawyer’s’ Top 20 Cases of The Year. One of those cases involved a claim worth more than £2bn against Citibank, arising from a private equity house’s acquisition of music label EMI. The other case was a claim against Barclays on behalf of a small business owner who had been mis-sold a product alongside thousands of others. After a hearing on that case, James was named The Times Lawyer of the Week.
In the same year, James launched the ground-breaking data protection claim Lloyd v Google which went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2021. As he told the Financial Times at the time, the case was an important step in the economic reckoning of consumers’ personal data, which historically there has been limited protection for.
Due to changes to the UK litigation landscape over the last decade, including more money coming into the market, technology, and procedural innovation, James believes that more group actions can be successfully pursued. He felt the time was right to establish a forward-looking UK law practice that reflected the growing importance of group actions, which he views as essential for holding corporate giants to account.
James is part of the team at Milberg London acting on behalf of tens of thousands of motorists in various emissions group claims. In addition, he assists on competition matters and leads on case origination, ATE insurance and litigation funding across the business. James continues to work on general commercial disputes and investigations within Milberg London’s Commercial Litigation practice.
He has previously been named The Times, Lawyer of the Week and was nominated for Dispute Resolution Team of the Year at the 2016 Legal Business Awards for work on Holmcroft Properties Ltd Vs KPMG LLP.
James is ranked Band 2 by Chambers for Group Litigation: Claimant. James is also recognised as a Leading Partner by The Legal 500.
Education
LLM/BA in Law from The University of Auckland, 1996 to 2001
Content supplied by Milberg London
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Superb service offered by this niche firm that competes with ease with the larger law firms working in this space.’
‘James Oldnall is a highly skilled litigator with excellent commercial awareness. Natasha Pearman has excellent judgment and is a skilled strategist with superb client management skills.’
‘Milberg London has quickly distinguished itself as a dynamic and highly capable force in the group litigation space. The team brings together sharp legal minds with a strategic and forward-thinking approach to claimant work, particularly in complex and high-value collective actions. Their commitment to innovation, client care, and rigorous case preparation is evident in every matter they handle. Milberg’s ability to navigate challenging legal and procedural issues with confidence and clarity makes them a standout presence in this field. It is always a pleasure to engage with them.’
‘Natasha Pearman is a truly impressive practitioner whose legal brilliance, strategic clarity, and deep commitment to claimant rights set her apart in the field of competition litigation. She has an exceptional ability to translate complex legal and economic concepts into clear, persuasive arguments and to lead sophisticated collective actions with precision and foresight. Natasha combines technical excellence with sound judgement, particularly in the nuanced and fast-evolving space of digital markets and abuse of dominance claims. Her expertise in securing litigation funding and managing high-stakes group claims is second to none. She is a natural leader in this area, and a trusted voice in shaping the future of collective redress in the UK.’
‘Excellent at group actions, particularly those involving complex technical issues and evidence. ’
‘James Oldnall - great strategist; Ed Cardington - excellent technical knowledge, stemming from a scientific background; Katherine Silverleaf - very able associate lawyer.’
‘Very knowledgeable and hardworking team that are great to work with. Well-resourced firm that is involved in some of the biggest and most high-profile group actions.’
‘Polly Blenkin: An excellent person to run point on a large case. She is across all the issues, delegates well to her team, and is tenacious when necessary (which is often) with the other side.’
‘Milberg London has made a real splash in collective proceedings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. They have real presence in the area and a great sense of dynamism.’
‘Natasha Pearman is excellent at engaging with class representatives and getting claims off the ground.’
Key clients
- Group of tens of thousands claimants v Mercedes (NOx emissions claim) Group of tens of thousands claimants v Vauxhall (NOx emissions claim) Group of tens of thousands claimants v BMW (NOx emissions claim) All GLO Claimants v Mercedes and 15 Car Manufacturers (the “Pan-NOx” GLO proceedings) Group of tens of thousands claimants v Jaguar Land Rover (engine defect claim) Alex Neill Class Representative v Sony Vicki Shotbolt Class Representative v Valve