Richard Leedham

Richard is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department and head of Mishcon de Reya's Commercial Litigation practice. He advises on commercial disputes, often with international and fraud elements, with a particular specialisation in insurance and increasingly group actions, as a renowned expert in both fields.

Richard advises individual and institutional funds clients on claims arising from investments in rights issues and other corporate investments under FSMA s90 and s 90A. He is also involved in some of the leading cases in this developing area, most recently for Wirral Borough Council and others vs Indivior plc and Reckitt Benckiser plc in groundbreaking representative claims, and in the past, successfully resolved claims against RBS, and Cattles, amongst others.

On the insurance side, he acts predominantly for corporate policy holders on coverage issues across a wide range of industries, and has expertise in most lines of business. Most recently he has acted for various group of SMEs with claims for business interruption losses caused by Covid related lockdowns and restrictions, notably for the Hiscox Action Group, including intervening in the FCA Supreme Court test case.

Connected to this is his involvement at the forefront of the litigation funding market, advising on and working with clients on DBAs and conditional fee arrangements, and maintaining deep links with the main players in the funding and ATE community.

Richard has been ranked as an expert in both Chambers and Legal 500 since 2007.

Richard is an accredited (CEDR) mediator.