A go-to firm for group professional negligence claims against solicitors, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP fields extensive court experience, from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court. David Niven and David O’Brien head the group actions team. Michael Brown is experienced in representing shareholders and investors in group litigation. Charlotte Hill was promoted to partner in April 2023, while Kamran Rehman replaced Clare Arthurs as head of commercial dispute resolution in April 2024. Colin Hayes and Nicole Blakely are names to note, along with Tom Stables.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘David Niven: a group action supremo; unflappable, tough, fearless and hugely experienced. David O'Brien: one of the cleverest lawyers in the City who spots points that elude the most successful silks. A brilliant lawyer and team player; a masterful tactician and a thoroughly decent person. Tom Stables: hard-working; on top of the detail; never fails to respond with a solution. Nicole Blakey: dedicated, clever, supportive and a reassuring presence for clients.’
‘Michael Brown is a very knowledgeable and insightful lawyer, dedicated to client care.’
‘The team are extremely experienced, from the top through to the junior end. Their level of experience and expertise is unparalleled, making them one of the best in this market for this type of work. Plenty of strategic thinking and understanding of how to get the best results for their clients. Great team work across within this team and across others. Very good use of technology and very responsive.’
‘David Niven is extremely well versed in this work, great experience and knowledgeable. He knows how to find pressure points and push on them. Also, a very friendly individual. Breaks down the complex positions into bitesize chunks. Colin Hayes. A very experienced litigator, who knows precisely how to write compelling letters and draw out weaknesses in the other side's case. A bright and pleasant person to work with.’
‘Highly professional firm willing to take on highly complex cases to deliver justice for their clients.’
‘David Niven was a stalwart leading this litigation and through his hard work and determination to win was able to deliver justice for myself and the other clients.’
‘The team at Pennington took on board our class action and ran the whole process. Regular updates and their ability to seek out and negotiate agreements with both the SRA, bond suppliers and the claimant made the process easy for me as a total novice at this type of litigation. The team's resilience and ability to maintain a large number of claimants was exemplary.’
‘Outstanding - they know what they are doing. All are good communicators and excellent lawyers.’
Key clients
- 134 Former Clients of Williams & Co
- Various Former Clients of Metis Law
- Various Business Interruption Insurance Policyholders
- Various NFU Mutual Policyholders
- Various investors in the Sky Building
- Various former clients of Ackland & Co Solicitors
- Various claimants as listed in claim form against AIG
Work highlights
- Acting for 134 claimants pursuing a high value claim for professional negligence against Williams & Co Solicitors.
- Acting for various claimants as listed in claim form against AIG.
- Acting for many dozens of policyholders in respect of business interruption claims against their insurers arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Kamran Rehman, David Niven, David O’Brien