Mishcon de Reya has today (14 March) announced the arrival of former Addleshaw Goddard partner Sonia Campbell as it continues the steady expansion of its commercial disputes team.
Campbell’s arrival sees her join former colleague Richard Leedham (pictured), who left his position as Addleshaws’ head of insurance at the end of 2014. Another former Addleshaws partner, Annabel Thomas, also joined Mishcon de Reya’s dispute resolution department in 2015. Thomas was part of the 11-strong team that departed Addleshaws for Enyo Law in 2010, alongside the boutique’s founders, Simon Twigden, Pietro Marino and Michael Green.
‘[Campbell] obviously worked quite closely with me at Addleshaws,’ Leedham told Legal Business. ‘We’re building out the areas we’ve invested in with quality people. That’s what’s exciting; that we’re able to attract the very best in the sectors that we’ve identified as areas we want to grow.’
After over 15 years at the firm, Campbell only became a partner Addleshaws in 2015. She specialises in insurance litigation, focusing on financial services, pharmaceutical companies, employers’ liability, environmental disputes, professional negligence, construction, property and retail.
‘I am excited to work with Richard and to be involved in the expansion of Mishcon de Reya’s insurance capability,’ Campbell said. ‘This is a growing market with increasing demand.’
Mishcon’s head of dispute resolution department Kasra Nouroozi added: ‘We are very pleased to welcome Sonia to the department. Her expertise in insurance litigation will complement our existing offering as we continue to develop the practice.’
A spokesperson for Addleshaw Goddard said: ‘We are sorry to see Sonia leave after her first year as a partner and she goes with our best wishes. Mark Pring leads the insurance litigation practice, which is increasingly focused on assisting policyholders as well as insurance-related assignments for some of our largest corporate clients. The practice is especially busy at the moment following an increase in work from brokers, offshore law firms and key AG clients – much of the work having an international flavour.’
The development of an insurance litigation practice comes as part of a concerted effort by Mishcon to develop its commercial disputes offering, a strategy set out by managing partner Kevin Gold last year. Mishcon is currently advising several Lloyds Banking Group institutional clients after they broke away from the shareholder action group involved in a £420m court battle against the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk