Praised for its ‘pragmatic and commercially-aware approach’, Addleshaw Goddard pulls together a strong offering straddling mainstream commercial disputes and niches such as procurement, tax and secret commissions. Bill Gilliam  is the key contact in the Leeds office. Alongside litigation, he frequently leverages his contentious experience on risk management mandates for major projects. Louise Dobson, praised for her impressive ’strategic commercial advice’, counts shareholder disputes and class actions among her practice strengths. International arbitration is a core pillar of Gareth Jones’s practice. Ryan Geldart has deep experience in contentious public procurement cases, while Samantha Wragg’s experience extends to contentious corporate transactional matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Louise Dobson's strategic commercial advice was impressive - she really knows her stuff - a balanced, targeted summary of the risks and opportunities.'

  • 'Charlotte Pashley is a super-capable associate who is great to work with and managed the case well.’
  • ‘The team is really responsive and great to work with. They are great at distilling their expertise into tailored, accessible advice that can be easily understood by both legal and lay clients. ’

  • ‘Louise Dobson is an expert in her field and great to work with.’

  • ‘A pragmatic and commercially-aware approach backed up by excellence in understanding and articulating the underlying law in a straightforward way.'

  • ‘I would recommend Gareth Jones for his ability to offer a clear view on practical questions. He balances pragmatism with legal expertise and goes further than simply laying out options.’

  • ‘The team are very talented and best in class for their areas of expertise.’

  • ‘Sam Lisle: high-quality expertise, communicates well; an expert at project management.'

Key clients

  • Entain Plc
  • RPS Group Plc
  • TC Biopharm (Holdings) PLC
  • Ocean Pearl Maritime SA
  • Equitix
  • Department for Transport, Tyne and Wear
  • Passenger Transport Executive T/A Nexus No
  • Specialist Aviation Services No
  • Symingtons Ltd

Work highlights

  • Assisted Entain in the Gibraltarian courts in a multi £m dispute concerning various trading services. Defending Entain against allegations of statutory, fiduciary and contractual duties and pursuing a counterclaim to recover substantial debts owed by the claimant.
  • Acting for RPS in relation to an IT implementation dispute with Hitachi Solutions.
  • Assisting TC Biopharm (TBH) with a claim brought by Sixth Borough Capital Fund, LP (6BC) in which they alleged that TBH failed to make a redemption payment of $750,000; also assisting TBH in their counterclaim against 6BC for breach of confidence, currently estimated at c$12m.

Lawyers

Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Bill Gilliam

Other key lawyers

Louise Dobson, Gareth Jones, Ryan Geldart, Chris Atkinson, Samantha Wragg, Sam Lisle, Charlotte Pashley