With ‘a wide range of expertise and strength in depth’, Burges Salmon LLP covers shareholder, financial services, professional negligence, and energy and natural resources disputes. The Bristol-based litigation practice also comprises sector specialists in pensions, IP, transport and procurement, and corporate and financial crime. Commercial disputes expert Andrew Burnette ’leads the dispute resolution team very well’. Matthew Kaltsas-Walker acts in financial services, insurance, corporate and commercial disputes, while Ian Tucker specialises in transport litigation. Michael Ward is praised by clients as ‘a very fine litigator’. Other key practitioners are Richard Binns, Brian Wong and David Hall. Former disputes head Ann Metherall retired in May 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Burges Salmon has a proper dispute resolution team, with a wide range of expertise and strength in depth.’

  • ‘The Burges Salmon team is full of diligent lawyers who think critically about everything that they do.’

  • ’Clients are struck by the team's ability to get across all of the detail in a short period of time. The team works across a range of sectors, which contributes to the team's ability to think flexibly and view each case in a fresh way.’

  • ‘They are diverse, with a wide range of skill sets and very results focused.’

  • ‘Michael Ward is a very fine litigator - dedicated to his clients and a clever tactician, he brings dynamism and creativity to the resolution of clients' disputes.’

  • ‘Richard Binns is very modern, super-efficient and approachable. Very impressive for his depth of knowledge of cases, pragmatism and ability to bring a team together.’

  • ‘Matthew Kaltsas-Walker is brilliant - a great technical lawyer, who is very bright, highly knowledgeable and great with clients.’

  • ‘Chris Jackson is a seasoned, big-ticket litigator; Ian Tucker is especially insightful and hard working; and Andrew Burnette leads the dispute resolution team very well.’

Key clients

  • P3P Partners
  • UK Hydrographic Office
  • PSGS Trust Corporation
  • Rockpool Investments
  • Nathurst
  • URE Energy
  • Discovery Corporate Services
  • FSCS

Work highlights

  • Acting for URE Energy in proceedings against housing association Notting Hill Genesis, arising from the termination of a long-term electricity supply and energy saving contract.
  • Acting for Rockpool Investments in linked Part 7 and unfair prejudice proceedings, relating to an alleged dishonest scheme to dilute the capital interests of various classes of investor members.
  • Acting for Discovery in connection with its High Court claim against a former agent, arising out of the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Andrew Burnette

Other key lawyers

Michael Ward, Matthew Kaltsas-Walker, Ian Tucker, Richard Binns, Brian Wong, David Hall, Chris Jackson, Caroline Brown, Andrew Matheson, Hannah Miller