Law firm Leigh Day makes three partner promotions in Manchester office

Lauren and Linda both work in the employment team, predominantly on multi-claimant equal pay cases against supermarkets. Lauren joined Leigh Day in 2014 and leads the Asda equal pay team. Linda joined the firm in 2015 and leads the Sainsbury’s equal pay team. They have grown these cases from small groups of claimants when they began the claims against Asda in 2015, to now representing tens of thousands of clients in two of the biggest equal pay cases in the UK.

Leigh Day represents over 40,000 shop floor staff in total from the big five supermarkets – Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op. The shop floor workers argue in their legal case that they should be paid equally to their colleagues in the supermarket’s distribution centres for their work of equal value. 

Steven joined Leigh Day in 2017 and has acted for victims of asbestos exposure since 2006. Steven works in the personal injury department and represents people who have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace and have developed asbestos-related lung conditions such as diffuse pleural thickening, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma.  He is regularly instructed by sufferers in the Greater Manchester and Liverpool area, but also works for individuals across the country.

Leigh Day’s Manchester office opened in 2014 and is led by personal injury partner Andrew Bradley. The office handles a range of clinical negligence, personal injury, asbestos disease, travel and employment claims. When the office first opened there were less than 10 members of staff, but this number has since increased to over 110.

Leigh Day has also promoted eight solicitors to partner level and eight solicitors to associate level in its London office. The eight other new partners are: Oliver Holland from the international department; clinical negligence solicitors Angharad Vaughan and Despina Kavadas; Bethany Sanders from the personal injury department; employment solicitors Paula Lee and Shubha Banerjee; Gideon Habel from the regulatory and disciplinary department; and product safety and consumer law solicitor Thomas Jervis.

Andrew Bradley, the head of law firm Leigh Day’s Manchester office, said:

“Leigh Day’s Manchester office has grown steadily since it opened in 2014 and these promotions help to ensure that we will continue to provide a range of high quality legal services to clients in the North West, services we continue to provide throughout the current health crisis.
 
“Lauren and Linda and their equal pay claims teams are fighting for fair pay for the thousands of supermarket staff on the frontline in these troubled times, whilst Steve’s work alongside the regional asbestos victim support groups secures treatment and compensation for those who continue to be affected by asbestos-related illnesses.”