In this note we reflect on an exceptional year for our London office and consider the trends reshaping the legal landscape ahead.
Our London office has played a leading part in driving the Firm's global success, securing landmark victories across the most complex cross-border disputes for leading financial institutions and multinational corporations. Over the past twelve months, we have tried over 11 cases in the High Court, appeared before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court on multiple occasions, and handled several major international arbitrations. This track record exemplifies our depth in navigating high-value, multi-jurisdictional matters - a capability strengthened by the exceptional talent joining our partnership.
As we look ahead, we remain steadfastly committed to helping our clients navigate emerging challenges with strategic insight and practical clarity. We are deeply grateful to our colleagues whose dedication and expertise drive our success, and to our clients whose continued confidence enables us to advise on their most significant matters.
The following pages explore the key developments and client priorities reshaping 2026. We hope you find them valuable.
Client Memoranda
- Unpacking Open Justice – the Commercial Court's drive to make documents filed in litigation accessible to the public
- Practice Direction 51ZH, effective from the start of 2026, expands public access to Commercial Court documents. Witness statements, expert reports and other previously confidential materials are now generally accessible to the public and media. Clients must now factor this broader disclosure into their litigation strategy from the outset, as sensitive information may become public.
- Derivative Claims Demystified: A Practical Guide
- Derivative claims allow shareholders to sue on behalf of a company when wrongdoing by those in control prevents the company from acting itself. Recent high-profile cases including ClientEarth v Shell and Hamblin v Moorwand Ltd have highlighted their scope. This alert outlines procedural and practical considerations for pursuing such claims.
- The 2026 ESG Disputes Landscape
- As we settle into a new year, we can expect to see ESG disputes to be a staple of the litigation landscape. This is an ever-evolving area, with businesses encountering a complex regulatory environment and litigation risk in many areas in which they operate. We reflect on some of the developments from the past year and consider what we might come to expect in 2026 across a number of areas, including with respect to regulatory change and litigation in critical jurisdictions.
Recent Client Achievements
- AXA France v Santander
- The High Court ruled in favour of AXA France, enabling the company to recover over £675 m in consumer redress and FOS fees for historical PPI mis-selling claims. The Court upheld AXA France's interpretation of the indemnity clause, which applied to all policies sold before the agreement date.
- SoftBank v Credit Suisse
- We successfully SoftBank against a substantial and high-profile US $440 million insolvency-linked claim before the English High Court. The team defeated the claim brought by Credit Suisse, which alleged that SoftBank sought to orchestrate for its own ends a complex restructuring involving the Greensill Group in late 2020.
- Arcadia Petroleum Executives v Farahead
- In one of the most substantial fraud cases of the decade, we successfully defended former Arcadia Petroleum executives against allegations brought by Norwegian multi-billionaire John Fredriksen's Farahead Holdings. Despite operating under a worldwide asset freezing order for a decade, our clients' reputations and liberty have been fully restored.
- FitzWalter v VietJet
- We successfully represented FW Aviation (Holdings) in a dispute against VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company in the English High Court. The case revolved around four Airbus A320 aircraft initially leased to VietJet under a Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) structure.
- IBM UK v Winsopia/LzLabs
- We secured a decisive victory for IBM UK in the UK High Court in a case that has significant implications for software licensing agreements in the technology sector. In this high-profile matter—Mrs. Justice O'Farrell ruled that Winsopia breached its contract with IBM UK and that its ultimate owners, Mr. John Moores and LzLabs GmBH, procured that breach and participated in an unlawful conspiracy to do so.
- Ukraine & Netherlands v Russia
- The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of Ukraine and the Netherlands, finding the Russian Federation responsible for flagrant and unprecedented human rights violations. Quinn Emanuel is honoured to represent Ukraine on a pro-bono basis in this historic proceeding affirming that violations of fundamental human rights will be scrutinised by international institutions.
- WRL v JP Morgan
- Following an expedited trial in the High Court (Commercial Court), WEREALIZE.COM (“WRL”) and four directors (“the Directors”) of Viva Wallet Holdings Software Development Ltd (“Viva”), have successfully obtained anti-suit injunctions to prevent JP Morgan International Finance Limited (“JPM”) from wrongly pursuing a damages claim for €916.9 million euros against the four directors in Greek proceedings.
New Hires
- Ghalib Mahmoud joins the firm as a Partner in UAE
- William Charles joins the firm as a Partner in London
- Andrew Savage joins the firm as a Partner in London