England - South East • Dispute resolution
Sherrards Solicitors LLP
Praised for its ‘serious, rigorous, but inventive approach’, the St Albans-based practice at Sherrards Solicitors LLP is proficient in dispensing advice on a variety of areas, including high-value asset disputes, white-collar defence, and trust disputes. Practice head Paul Marmor has extensive experience in international banking and finance disputes with the ‘rigour of a classic commercial litigator’, while the ‘excellent and creative’ Marta Grieve primarily handles matters relating to the CIS and eastern Europe regions. Karen Dobson leads on matters concerning contentious insolvencies and professional negligence claims, and the ‘excellent and extremely professional’ Barney Laurence frequently appears before the High Court and the Commercial Court in restraint of trade injunctions within the franchising sector.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is highly responsive and demonstrates high levels of knowledge that bring about the right result in complicated matters. City levels of expertise.’
‘Having worked with Paul Marmor and Charles Burrell, I really couldn’t have asked for more attention to detail and responsiveness.’
- 'Greg Pooler is very hard working and bright, a capable pair of hands, and someone to watch.’
‘Sherrards' team is commercially very astute. From my perspective, they adopt a serious, rigorous, but inventive approach to commercial litigation. I have worked with them primarily on sanctions issues arising in the context of ongoing litigation and they have handled a series of novel issues with considerable astuteness. They may be a regional firm, but they provide a high-quality City-level service.’
‘Paul Marmor combines the rigour of a classic commercial litigator with ingenuity and adaptability when faced with novel problems. He is also a delight to work with.’
‘The team has a great combination of excellent skills, client focus, creativity, and aggressiveness. They really know the market they operate in and can quickly bring their expertise to support us in a very timely manner.’
‘Marta Grieve is an excellent and creative lawyer who listens to the client's requirements and circumstances very attentively and finds the best solution for them.’
‘Barney Laurence is excellent, extremely professional, and able to easily explain complex legal concepts in a straight forward manner. He has a very practical sense of how best to support us.’
Key clients
- Vital Electronics Limited
- HBL Bank UK Limited (formerly Habibsons Bank)
- Aurora Leasing Limited
- Cambria Automobiles Limited
- Winkworth Estates & Lettings
- Villa Plus
- Berry Recruitment Limited
- 111 Skin Limited
- The Jewellery Channel Limited
- ParentPay Limited
Work highlights
- Advising a Chinese manufacturer and exporter of food products around the world, which suffered a fraud. The firm is pursuing this against multiple defendants, with injunctive relief and actions in multiple jurisdictions including England, Hong Kong and the BVI.
- Representing an international bank which is claiming $24m from a customer and its guarantors. This has included injunctive pre-action relief and dealing with an anti-suit injunction, being fought through the High Court, including Summary Judgment proceedings, applications for Security for Costs, and considering the impact of sanctions on the parties in this multi-jurisdictional case.
- Acting for a leading international cosmetics business in two matters. In the first it suffered a fraud by its former finance director, and the second case involves a failed distribution agreement.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Next Generation Partners
Partner in the commercial litigation and dispute resolution department, handling all types of commercial disputes, specialising in actions involving High Court injunctions and injunction-related litigation, in particular in the recruitment and franchising sectors, with a particular niche in restrictive covenant cases. The majority of Barney’s work involves High Court litigation and mediation. Barney is very active in the recruitment sector and heads-up the firm’s recruitment division. On the franchising side, clients include Headmasters, Winkworth Plc, Chips Away, Property Search Group, Countrywide, Pirtek and Stagecoach, and Barney had particular success in the widely-reported High Court case of PSG Franchising Ltd v Lydia Darby Ltd [2012], a case involving breaches of restrictive covenants. High-profile cases in the Court of Appeal, House of Lords and Supreme Court include TRM Copy Centres (UK) Limited and others v Lanwall Services Limited [2009], where Barney guided the claimant to success, obtaining a landmark ruling that defined the meaning of what can be considered a ‘consumer hire agreement’, and he also represented Alan Beesley at the Supreme Court stage in the widely-publicised “barn case”, involving a building constructed as a dwelling house but disguised as a barn. Clients remark that Barney 'acts with extreme diligence and speed, leaving no stone unturned'; that he '…offers practical advice and offers clarity in what can be emotionally charged circumstances'; and that his 'considered judgement and expertise has been invaluable over the years'. Further clients comment that 'He's professional, ethical and effective. His advice is realistic and based on expert knowledge.'
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Paul Marmor