Burges Salmon LLP’s Bristol-based offering is described by one client as providing ‘city law firm quality out of London’. The claimant-focused firm is particularly well regarded for its lender-side expertise, which is a key area of focus for practice head Andrew Burnette, and its stellar track record of conducting pensions-related professional negligence claims, with Justin Briggs and Suzanne Padmore standing out for their expertise in this type of work. The team’s industry know-how spans the banking, legal, construction, environmental, energy, accountancy, surveying, tax, brokerage, IT and fund management sectors, among others.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Burges Salmon are an extremely formidable force on the claimant-side of professional negligence claims. They deal with very high-value claims with precision and prepare them extremely well. Many of the cases settle at an early stage because Burges Salmon have achieved such a good result for their clients.'
'They work closely to the client's budget, with a realistic approach to conducting litigation, and very good relationships with litigation funding and ATE insurance brokers. I expect to see Burges Salmon leading the charge on high-value commercial property professional negligence disputes on behalf of lenders.’
‘Andrew Burnette is clearly highly experienced in professional negligence claims, and deals robustly with defendant panel firms. He understands professional negligence claims inside out and always knows the best experts to instruct. I would recommend Andrew to any lender who wishes to bring a claim.’
‘Providing city law firm quality out of London - competing with the top London firms.’
‘Justin Briggs is an exceptional technical pensions lawyer as well as being a very experienced and effective litigator.’
‘The Burges Salmon professional negligence team shows great sensitivity and awareness of every client's objectives and how best to deliver them. They provide a truly tailor made service, combining dedication, technical excellence and commercial judgement.’
‘Suzanne Padmore is a stand out performer in the professional negligence sphere. She has an innate understanding of the area, exceptional judgement and the ability to think two moves ahead. She is also a pleasure to work with.’
‘Attention to detail.’
Key clients
- Blackfinch Investments Limited and Agility Shipping International Limited
Work highlights
- Acted for Blackfinch in a claim against a major firm of UK solicitors regarding allegedly negligent tax advice that a specific business model qualified for EIS tax relief.
- Acting for a specialist investment fund in a claim against a major surveying practice for negligently over-valuing a shopping centre as security for a £17m refinancing loan.
- Acting for a major global electronics manufacturer and the trustee of its £300m pension scheme in a claim against their former legal advisor for errors in the scheme rules, errors in the application of the scheme rules and the potentially invalid execution of a number of deeds.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Andrew Burnette