Successful in group action cases, Hugh James specialises in environmental nuisance and industrial disease claims. Product liability is another area of expertise; the team is particularly active in the medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs space. Neil Stockdale leads the firm’s group actions department from Cardiff, while Kathryn Singh leads the industrial disease team, specialising in multi-party group litigation. Also in Cardiff, Stephanie Eedy specialises in environmental matters and James Gibson is experienced in multi-party actions, representing claimants with respiratory disease and cancer. In London, Mark Harvey has a strong track record in product liability claims. Rebecca Andrews and James Coleman are further key names to note in Cardiff.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘They have an almost unique niche in claimant environmental group litigation over the last 20 years. I have been instructed by them and have also experience of representing their opponents, and they are excellent and sensible litigators.’

  • ‘Stephanie Eedy has been the lead partner in environmental group litigation for some time now and is very knowledgeable about group litigation procedures and putting together a team to run the case. Kimberley Sutton is the main associate for these actions and has a great deal of experience in them.’

  • ‘Gwen Morgan-Evans has excellent judgment, is a brilliant lawyer and is very easy to work with.’

  • ‘Without parallel the most experienced group litigation team in the country. Their experience cuts across product liability, clinical negligence, cross border and disease claims.  They have both pioneered the use of GLOs and also bespoke common case management, according to whatever best suits the claim at hand.’

  • ‘Mark Harvey is a star individual. Respected across the industry and with unrivalled experience. Aidan Lloyd is an associate to watch. He has a good strategic mind and is meticulous on detail. James Gibson is a pleasure to work with. A very capable technical lawyer who is also good at understanding the strategic implications of a group claim.'

  • ‘The Hugh James solicitors with some I have worked closest are James Gibson and Richard Green. Both have impressed me with their knowledge of asbestos claims and parent company liability, the strategic thinking in relation to the litigation where we have worked together and the clarity and precision of their instructions.’

  • ‘Mark Harvey and Pauline Roberts are standout lawyers in this firm. Vastly experienced; highly competent; understand how to run the claims efficiently and profitably.’

  • ‘Hugh James has carved out an enviable reputation in professional negligence claims of a financial nature. They are particularly adept at building and running large-scale claims where numerous clients suffered losses arising from the same, or similar, failed investment scheme(s).’

Key clients

  • Andrews & Others -v- Kronospan Limited (The Chirk Nuisance Group Litigation)
  • Residents in Preston -v- Gafoor Pure Halal Limited
  • The Personal Representatives of the Estate of Maurice Hutson (deceased) and others v Tata Steel UK Ltd
  • Robert Mervyn Pearce and Others v (1) Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) (2) Coal Products Limited (3) National Smokeless Fuels
  • Cohort of clients who worked at a smokeless fuel plant previously owned and operated by British Coal and Coal Products Limited
  • Cohort of Oculentis Intraocular lens claimants
  • Cohort of vaginal mesh claimants

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Neil Stockdale

Other key lawyers

Kathryn Singh, Stephanie Eedy, James Gibson, Mark Harvey, Rebecca Andrews, James Coleman, Kimberly Sutton, Gwen Morgan-Evans, Aidan Lloyd, Pauline Roberts, Richard Green