DLA Piper advises major financial institutions on complex banking disputes, with work spanning fraud, mis-selling, professional negligence, class actions, and cross-border enforcement. The practice is particularly active on large-scale and strategically sensitive mandates, including disputes with broader regulatory and reputational implications for clients. Chris Harvey heads the team, while Adam Ibrahim remains a key name for high-value contentious financial services work. Claire Clayton-Stead is closely associated with major bank-side litigation and class actions, and Sohail Ali adds further strength in fraud, asset recovery, and international disputes. Paul McNamee has a strong profile in professional negligence and fraud-related disputes, with wider experience across complex financial services litigation.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The DLA team has enormous strength and depth of knowledge on retail banking issues. Their frequent instruction in the full spectrum of disputes, from small to multi-year test cases, means that there is rarely a twist in litigation or legal issue that they haven't encountered before. That allows them to give valuable strategic advice from the early stages of disputes and to manage them into the best outcomes for clients. Members of the team also have honed instincts for the likely future path of litigation that informs that strategic advice.
- Claire Clayton Stead is an excellent new partner. She fully understands and anticipates client concerns, has a deep knowledge of the sector as well as a brilliant eye for detail, while always keeping in mind the broader strategic picture. Paul McNamee is superb. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of banking and procedural law, great strategic intuition, and is swiftly on top of the intricate details of both a case and the client.
- Claire Clayton-Stead is the complete package - experienced, super clever, and a pleasure to work with.
- Probably the best institution-side banking litigation team outside London. They have bags of experience and are very strategic.
- Clare Clayton-Stead is a great leader, organising a team across many offices and working closely with counsel to drive both strategy and the detail.
- DLA's banking litigation practice is surely unique, with the firm yielding high-quality multi-partner teams seamlessly across offices, including Leeds (Clare Clayton-Stead and Adam Ibrahim). It is common to have teams with individuals from London, Leeds, and Edinburgh, all working together as a seamless team. They have particular expertise in group litigation.
- Sohail Ali is an outstanding partner: the doyenne of banking litigation, he combines his sharp intellect with an excellent commercial instinct. He oozes charm - clients love him and rightly so.
- A strong team of high-caliber lawyers with a global reach, which has been invaluable.
- Claire Clayton-Stead - an excellent partner; a deep thinker but also very practical and commercial. Paul McNamee - a first-rate details man. Extremely hard-working and a master of the finer details of a case.
- Deep experience with banking litigation. Efficiently run. Responsive.
Key clients
- Morgan Stanley
- Leeds Building Society
- Bank of Ireland
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Chris Harvey
Other key lawyers
Adam Ibrahim; Claire Clayton-Stead; Sohail Ali; Paul McNamee