The Norwich office of regional powerhouse Mills & Reeve LLP is a key pillar of its firm-wide litigation group, which handles a growing caseload of national and international work, as well as many of the biggest cases emerging from the East Anglia region. Practice head Rachel McDonnell is 'an exceptional lawyer with great instincts'. She has notable expertise in financial services disputes, including regulatory investigations, economic crime and enforcement proceedings. In her 'proactive, very client-friendly' team, consultant Rachel Higgs, who handles high-value fraud, breach of warranty and shareholder and partnership disputes, and associate Abaigh Compton, who excels in defamation and restrictive covenant matters, are key practitioners.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘I have worked with Abaigh Compton on an ongoing matter since July 2023. I have always found her personable and professional. I have been particularly impressed by her initiative in that she frequently looks ahead to deal with upcoming matters. This really adds value to our work as a team.’
‘The practice is lead by an exceptional professional (Rachel McDonnell) who is technically strong and very professional. The wider team is also strong. The team is diverse and they work and collaborate well with other professionals.’
‘Rachel McDonnell stands out as being technically strong, a good communicator, proactive and works effectively with both her clients and external professionals.’
‘A well-oiled machine when it comes to dealing with commercial litigation, very clear steers on procedure to clients so that expectations are properly managed. They are commercial and pro-active when it comes to handling their clients' disputes.’
‘Rachel McDonnell is excellent and her recent elevation to partner was richly deserved, she is wonderful combination of commerciality and legal precision. She is mentally agile and can give extremely focused practical advice over short-time scales. Abaigh Compton is extremely thorough and has an wonderful manner with lay clients.’
‘A friendly and responsive team, they take the initiative and don't leave everything to counsel. Proactive, very client-friendly and just a pleasure to work with.’
‘Rachel McDonnell - really user-friendly, very organised, commercially minded and pragmatic.’
‘Rachel McDonnell is an exceptional lawyer with great instincts.’
Key clients
- Anglian Windows Limited
- Breedr Limited
- Aquaterra Energy
- Bernard Matthews Foods Limited
Work highlights
- Representing Anglian Windows Limited in Part 8 proceedings regarding the distribution of a fund surplus (approximate value £2.4 million).
- Acting in a product liability dispute in respect of a robotic milking machine system.
- Successfully defending a USD 4.5 million shareholder dispute in UNCITRAL arbitral proceedings.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Rachel McDonnell