Beale & Co is known as a go-to firm for defending claims against key non-medical professionals from the construction, legal, education and financial sectors, including insurance brokers. Bristol office head Joe Eizenberg, financial services risk team lead Joe Bryant, and seasoned specialist David McArdle form a key trio at senior level, and are singled out as ‘incredibly knowledgeable and brilliant with clients’. The partner bench has recently been further strengthened by the promotion of Nic Pegg and the relocation of Joanna Lewis from the London branch.

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.

The ‘strong team’ at Clarke Willmott LLP is active across the gamut of claimant-side mandates, and fields a group of sector specialists who bring their expertise to specific areas of the work. ‘Brilliant’ commercial litigator Alex Jakubowski takes the lead on acting for lenders in high-value cases against solicitors and surveyors arising from complex transactions. Darren Kidd, who joined from Stewarts Law LLP in September 2023, now leverages his contentious financial services experience to oversee pension and investment advice claims. Chris Taylor is the name to note for negligence in relation to property transactions, while Esther Woolford is key for claims in an agricultural context.

Clyde & Co acts for the full range of traditional professions, including accountants, architects, financial advisers and solicitors, as well as emerging professions, such as IT consultants, energy assessors and event organisers. Louisa Robbins heads up the national professional indemnity team, while Jim Taylor takes the lead in the Bristol office. Toby Rouse has particular expertise in financial services and pension-related claims.

CMS is best known for representing some of the insurance market’s biggest brokers and insurers on professional negligence matters. The Bristol-based team fields a deep senior bench, with a trio of partners comprising Cheryl Gibson, who specialises in handling cases against construction professionals; Zoe Burge, who typically defends claims against solicitors and insurance intermediaries; and Robert Jones, who is known for acting on behalf of surveyors and insurance brokers, leading on the key mandates. Practitioners on the ground work closely with the London office.

DAC Beachcroft LLP’s Bristol office houses a team of ‘true specialists in the field’, and is consequently instructed by a notable roster of major professional and financial risk insurers. Marcus Campbell heads up the professional risk team, within which the specialist claims handling unit, overseen by Caroline Cherry, sits. Charlie Bending co-leads the firm’s national surveyors service line; Graham Briggs acts as co-chair for the regional D&O offering; and Rebecca Smith is the senior contact for accountancy and actuarial cases. The arrival of Andrew Crocombe from Plexus Legal Gateway in July 2023 allowed the firm to develop a niche specialism in education claims.

RPC is regarded by clients as operating ‘at the forefront of defending professional negligence claims’. The sizeable practice is composed of sub-groups dedicated to various sectors, giving the firm ‘a unique balance of profession-specific expertise and commercial sense’. Will Sefton leads the lawyers liability and regulatory group; Ben Goodier oversees construction-related claims; Robert Morris and Rachael Healey are key senior contacts for cases relating to the financial services industry; and Daniel Guilfoyle manages claims relating to professionals operating in the technology sphere. Rhian Howell acts as the overall practice head.

DWF’s professional indemnity global risks team in Bristol acts as one of the firm’s hubs for defending insurers and brokers against negligence claims and disciplinary complaints. Ian Welland leads the work, capably supported by Alexandra Cartwright, who has a particular focus on construction-related cases, and Gemma Spratt, who is singled out for praise as ‘a talent’. The group is experienced in dealing with claims against all professionals, especially accountants, solicitors, and design and build professionals.

Kennedys’ ‘first-class knowledge of the insurance market’ ensures a steady stream of high-value instructions from the key players in that sector. Helen Ager leads the South West professional liability team and is recognised for achieving ‘fantastic outcomes as the result of a pragmatic approach’. Laura Hurst oversees the Bristol office, and her previous experience at the firm’s London branch brings ‘a City-feeling approach but in the regions’. The group regularly defends claims against professionals from the legal, financial, construction, and education spheres.

Osborne Clarke LLP is differentiated by its equal split between claimant and defendant-side work, and has a stellar track record in both areas; in the latter space, the firm’s client base comprises national and international lenders, high-profile funds and their trustees, major building contractors and developers, and other financial services institutions. Commercial litigator Charlie Wedin is the key senior contact. Tom Ellis regularly defends accountancy firms, while Katherine King has particular expertise in pensions-related cases.

The team at TLT is best known for handling professional negligence claims in the financial services sector, leveraging the firm’s investment funds and banking litigation expertise to do so; Neil Franklin oversees such mandates, supported by Katie Hill and Sam McCollum, and regularly collaborating with financial services litigation practice head Jonathan Hoey. For construction-related claims, property litigation specialist Mark Routley and construction expert Tom Wrzesien are the key names. Commercial dispute resolution team lead Chris Owen is another practitioner to note.

Ashfords LLP fields a ‘strong team with considerable experience of bringing professional negligence claims across a range of disciplines’. The group is well versed in acting for banks and other lending institutions, and is regularly instructed to represent claimants in cases against professionals in the construction and legal sectors. The firm also has a niche specialism in claims against veterinary surgeons. Rory Mac Neice and Victoria Bonnet jointly lead the practice.

The Exeter-based team at Browne Jacobson LLP is seen by its defendant clients as a ‘strong, resolute and tenacious proposition’. The firm’s core focus is on solicitors’ professional negligence claims. Jonathan Newbold oversees the national practice, with ‘exceptional lawyer’ Gary Oldroyd leading the regional group. Other key practitioners on the ground include Claire Cornish, Danielle De Val and Nicholas Saunders.

Lester Aldridge LLP is highly regarded for its ‘commercially realistic’ claimant-side professional negligence offering. The team regularly pursues cases against solicitors, accountants, financial advisors and property surveyors, and is also known for its niche expertise in claims against marine surveyors. Dispute resolution practice head Chris Evans oversees the work. Kate Stewart and Rachel Gimson bring their property litigation know-how to bear on related professional negligence claims.

Stephens Scown LLP draws on the expertise of its property litigation and construction teams to bring claims against professionals operating in these areas, with an increasing focus on architects; Richard Slater is a key senior contact for this type of work. Catherine Mathews leads on claims against solicitors arising out of trusts and estates, which is another core area of instruction. Stephen Wray continues to expand the firm’s client base in Somerset from the Taunton office.

The regional professional risks team at Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP, which is led by James Robins, operates as part of the firm’s national insurance disputes practice, which deals with a wide range of claims for insurers and their policy holders, and is helmed by Sushma MacGeoch. The group is experienced in defending cases against a wide variety of professionals, particularly solicitors, barristers, surveyors, accountants, developers and insurance brokers.