James Oldnall
Milberg LondonMilberg London plays a leading role in the Pan-NOx Emissions Group Litigation against major car manufacturers. The team boasts extensive court experience and is regularly called upon to lead in the handling of expert evidence and technical issues. Noting a particular increase in claims within the gaming space, the practice is also active in group litigation in the competition sector. With an established track record in commercial litigation, James Oldnall specialises in claims against significant institutional defendants. Natasha Pearman leads the firm’s competition litigation team and focuses her practice on consumer protection, particularly related to data dominance. Noted for his background in environmental matters, head of the group litigation practice Edward Cardington is leading the firm’s work in the diesel emissions cases. Polly Blenkin is another key contact on the team, along with Nicola Vinovrski, who spearheads the firm’s work on the Vauxhall emissions case. Nicola Little plays an active role in claimant group actions and commercial litigation.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Natasha Pearman - Superb strategic thinker, excellent client handling skills, thrives under pressure.’
‘James Oldnall: excellent lawyer and tactician. Oliver Lawson: extremely good on technical and engineering issues. Ed Cardington: always on top of the detail and responsive.’
‘At the forefront of seemingly every major group litigation taking place at the moment. Commercially savvy, knowledgeable but also a pleasure to work with. Take their practice and their opponents very seriously, but not themselves.’
‘James Oldnall - commercially savvy and a great strategist. Polly Blenkin - on top of everything and shown herself to be particularly adept at handling huge complex disputes and difficult defendants.’
‘Fantastic team, able to effectively run complex consumer class actions with a proven track record.’
‘Natasha Pearman knows her stuff and was an early first mover in the area. Hadley Zielonka is also highly regarded, bright and incredibly lovely to deal with.’
‘The firm has a young and technically literate team lead by James Oldnall who have built a significant capability in being able to onboard and manage large volumes of claimants where they not only represent them in class actions, but also keep them involved in the twists and turns the of journey the action takes.’
‘James Oldnall is the managing partner who has a clear vision of where he wants the firm to go that is built on a history of complex claims commercial litigation. In Edward Cardington he has not just a partner who is an excellent lawyer but also a ridiculously intelligent man who can grasp any matter in an instant. Polly Blenkin and James Taylor are partners in the team that have a human touch that when wedded to their dedication mean the clients have a real feeling of mattering and that their position is recognised.’
Key clients
- Group of tens of thousands claimants v Mercedes (NOx emissions claim)
- Group of tens of thousands claimants v Vauxhall (NOx emissions claim)
- Group of tens of thousands claimants v BMW (NOx emissions claim)
- All GLO Claimants v Mercedes and 15 Car Manufacturers (the “Pan-NOx” GLO proceedings)
- Group of tens of thousands claimants v Jaguar Land Rover (engine defect claim)
- Alex Neill Class Representative v Sony
- Vicki Shotbolt Class Representative v Valve
Work highlights
- Advising 70,000 consumers in a claim against Mercedes for diesel emissions cheating, the lead case amongst the 15 car manufacturer cases being case-managed together by the Court in the Pan-NOx Proceedings.
- Acting on behalf of 36,000 motorists in a claim against Jaguar Land Rover for defective components in a range of popular diesel models, including Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery.
- Acting on behalf of the class representative, Alex Neill Class Representative Limited, commenced opt-out collective proceedings against Sony on behalf of 8.9 million UK consumers in relation to alleged abusive conduct concerning the distribution of digital PlayStation games and in-game content.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Natasha Pearman
Milberg LondonNext Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Polly Blenkin
Milberg LondonPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
James Oldnall, Edward Cardington, Natasha Pearman