A go-to firm for group litigation in the banking and finance sector, Humphries Kerstetter LLP has a strong track record representing groups of bondholders and shareholders. Acting both for and against banks and financial institutions, the team is also experienced in derivatives disputes, fund mismanagement, and impropriety claims and structured product litigation. Joanna Pearson took over from ‘master tactician’ James Russell as managing partner in January 2024, specialising in disputes around partnership and director duties. Russell focuses on derivative and financial product litigation.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Humphries Kerstetter LLP deliver a highly focused client offering. They are very selective in the cases they take-on, and only assume cases after detailed rigorous analysis of the evidence, merits and potential counterfactuals. HK punches way above its weight.'
‘James Russell senior partner. James's speciality is contentious litigation often against banks and liquidators. He is fearless and never intimidated. A master tactician.’
‘More than a match for the big firms, Humphries Kerstetter has a sophisticated grasp of international litigation. It' smaller teams mean it can focus with maximum efficiency on the client and their objectives.’
‘Joanna Pearson is a hands-on partner who gets great results through careful analysis and identification of the winning point for her clients. She is also huge fun to work with.’
‘James Russell is outstanding and leads a strong and capable team.’
‘James Russell is super clever, experienced and a delight to work with.’
‘James Russell: combines mastery of the detail with great strategic insights. He's all over his matters and gives clients a great sense of confidence that their cases have been gripped. Joanne Pearson: great to work with. A real team player. Very personable and gets the best out of her team.’
‘James Russell is one of the most complete commercial litigators that I have ever worked with. He has high levels of academic and analytic ability; he also sees the big picture and thinks strategically; he is prepared to follow a hunch and back a difficult case.’
Key clients
- Uro Property Holdings S.A. (Santander)
- Grupo TSK
- Series 1 Bondholders in Blackmore Bond Plc
- Activist Shareholders in Core Venture Capital Trust plc
- Private Equity Investor
Work highlights
- Acting for Uro Property Holdings S.A. in a dispute with BNP Paribas relating to the acceleration of a €1.3bn securitised loan allegedly giving rise to a €250m bond make-whole payment.
- Acting for Grupo TSK in an exchange rate derivative dispute with Deutsche Bank.
- Acting for a group of bondholders to investigate and pursue claims on their behalf arising out of the collapse of Blackmore Bond Plc.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Joanna Pearson