Howard Kennedy LLP‘s ’dispute resolution team can compete with any London practice’. The group covers the gamut of commercial and corporate litigation, including contractual disputes, misrepresentation, warranty claims and M&A conflicts. It demonstrates expertise in joint venture-related disputes, corporate governance issues, and shareholder and partnership disputes. Commercial dispute resolution head Dominic Offord specialises in contractual disputes, large-scale cross-border fraud and contentious insolvencies. Joel Leigh is ‘a great litigator’ and Duncan Bagshaw acts in energy disputes involving Africa. India group chair Arish Bharucha focuses on commercial litigation, civil fraud and international arbitration. James Wingfield, Hannah Hooper and Ayesha Salim are also experienced commercial litigators.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Howard Kennedy’s dispute resolution team can compete with any London practice. They are an efficient team that works well together. They use their excellence in legal technicalities to achieve strategic outcomes for clients.’

  • ‘Very strong team for this size of firm. Great client base, very high success rate and an excellent work product. This a brilliant team that is characterised by its efficiency and creative approach to litigation.’

  • ‘The work product is always excellent, and their lawyers are brilliant at working together as a cohesive team.’

  • ’Duncan Bagshaw - charming and energetic personality with a keen interest in the law and also the commercial/international context of his cases.’

  • ‘Joel Leigh - a great litigator who is very approachable and responsive. He is a calm and steady presence in any fraught litigation and a pleasure to deal with.’

  • ‘Dominic Offord is an exceptionally capable lawyer and consistently a delight to collaborate with; and James Wingfield is ultra-commercial and has very sound judgement.’

  • ‘Arish Bharucha is both involved and efficient: he's a great combination of being across the detail without taking a disproportionate amount of time.’

  • ‘Ayesha Salim is outstanding. Her attention to detail and technical legal expertise are remarkable. Clients would always prefer to have her on their side rather than opposing them.’

Key clients

  • ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel Middle East FZE
  • MW High Tech Projects UK
  • WTUK
  • 360 ONE WAM
  • 360 ONE Asset Management (Mauritius)
  • 360 ONE Capital PTE

Work highlights

  • Successfully acting for Isaltina Lucas, the former Director of Treasury and Deputy Finance Minister of Mozambique, in a claim brought by the Republic of Mozambique against Credit Suisse and other parties, arising out of the scandal known as both the Hidden Debts Scandal and the Tunabond scandal.
  • Acting for a German industrial group (and its UK subsidiary) in respect of £200m-plus claims against three former directors for breach of their Companies Act duties.
  • Acting for AMNSME, a joint venture between global giant ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, in a $50m claim against Liberty IQS Pte, a Singapore company owned by Sanjeev Gupta's Liberty House Group.

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.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Dominic Offord

Other key lawyers

Joel Leigh, Duncan Bagshaw, Arish Bharucha, James Wingfield, Hannah Hooper, Ayesha Salim