Our services

Leigh Day is a top 100 law firm committed to claimant-only cases ensuring that individuals have the same access to justice as the UK Government and large corporations. We offer a range of services to individuals in this country and those outside the UK looking to bring legal action against the British Government or large organisations based in the UK.

Personal injury

The team acts for clients who have suffered severe and often life changing injuries. This includes cases of severe orthopaedic fractures, life changing injuries such as limb loss and brain and spinal injuries and representing a very large number of bereaved families. The cycling team handles hundreds of claims every year and is the exclusive provider of legal support to British Cycling and British Triathlon members. The team also represents travellers abroad.

Product safety and consumer law

The department has been involved in some of the most important product liability cases of the last 25 years. Claims include those against manufacturers of home appliances, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products. The firm has also acted on behalf of claimants injured in clinical trials. It acted for the family of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who died following an allergic reaction. The high-profile case led to a change in the law on ingredient labelling which is now known as ‘Natasha’s Law’. 

The consumer law team is currently acting as the joint-lead lawyers, in the emissions defeat device group litigation against Volkswagen in the UK believed to be the largest group action in the UK.

Asbestos and industrial diseases

The industrial disease team at Leigh Day not only represent clients who have developed an illness, usually from negligent exposure to asbestos in the workplace, but they also have shaped the law through landmark rulings, including from the Supreme Court, which improve the rights of all negligence victims.

Medical negligence

The medical negligence team has more than 30 lawyers representing clients who have been injured, or the families of the deceased, through negligence in a healthcare setting. Head of department Suzanne White is a trustee of the Patients Association and the team works with many other organisations campaigning for patient safety across the NHS and in private practice. It specialises in brain and spinal injuries resulting from negligent healthcare, as well as birth injuries to mother and their children, including cerebral palsy claims.

Environment

The environmental protection team specialises in claims as a result of exposure to pollution, including radiation, chemicals, pesticides and sewage in the sea. On behalf of Wild Justice, a group led by the naturalist and broadcaster, Chris Packham, the team brought a successful challenge against Natural England over general licences allowing for the mass killing of several species of birds. The team is at the forefront of the legal fight against climate change on behalf of its clients.

They continue to bring judicial reviews of grants of planning permission on air pollution grounds, and the firm is at the cutting edge of scrutinising the lawfulness of the UK government’s subsidies for fossil fuel projects abroad.

Human rights

The human rights department offers expertise in special needs education, child abuse, confidentiality and planning. The firm represents the family of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old girl who took her own life in 2017 and the human rights team has been representing Molly’s father in his battle against the social media networks for more disclosure following Molly’s death.

The team has an outstanding reputation for its work on medical ethical issues and ‘best interests’ cases. The firm has been ground-breaking in its consideration of the impact of human rights on health and social care law.

Administrative and public law

The firm undertakes a large number of high-profile judicial reviews as part of the human rights team. The team has successfully challenged the Government over the implementation of Universal Credit and it represented The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in its successful challenge against the UK Government for granting licences for arms to Saudi Arabia.

International

The firm has pioneered legal developments in multi-party cases on behalf of claimants in the UK and overseas, ensuring that large corporations based in the UK face justice in the UK over the actions of their subsidiaries in developing countries. The firm has also been at the forefront of litigation against the UK Government for alleged human rights breaches arising from the UK’s involvement in overseas military operations and the global ‘war on terror’. In addition, the firm has been at the vanguard of modern slavery litigation.

The department’s cases emanate from across globe, in particular Africa, Asia, South America and Europe, with the team providing access to justice to thousands of people who would otherwise go without redress. The work of the international team has established numerous legal precedents, including Supreme Court authority, on issues as diverse as parent company liability and jurisdiction, the remit of English courts to adjudicate on the UK’s actions overseas, the interplay of UN Security Council Resolutions and the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the duty of care owed to those serving in the British military abroad.

The team’s successes go beyond securing compensation, such as in 2018, obtaining an unprecedented public apology from the UK Government for its role in the ‘detention, rendition and suffering’ of its clients Abdul Hakim Belhaj and Fatima Boudchar.

Employment

The employment team at Leigh Day is currently acting for over 40,000 supermarket workers in one of the largest equal pay group claims in history, against the big four supermarkets. The team has also pioneered legal challenges to discriminatory pension schemes in the public sector and is acting for thousands of police officers and hundreds of judges. The team is also involved in claims against Uber and most of the other gig economy employers.

Regulatory and disciplinary

The regulatory and disciplinary team at Leigh Day understands the importance of receiving clear advice, practical support and strong representation when it comes to protecting or defending your professional position to solicitors and other professionals. We have years of experience acting for and advising clients in employment, discrimination and regulatory matters.