Group Actions
"The go-to group action specialists"
Henderson Chambers is recognised in both Chambers UK Bar and the Legal 500 as the unrivalled leading set for group litigation. Recognised by clients as “the go-to … group action specialists”. Chambers UK Bar comments that chambers has “an unrivalled ability to handle the most complex and sophisticated group litigation matters”, noting further “the set’s celebrated barristers routinely appear in the most high-profile and complex group litigation cases.”. The Legal 500 comments “it is rare to find a key [group action] case without representation” from Henderson Chambers who have “established themselves as leading practitioners in the field”.
We have been instructed in most of the leading group actions issued in the English courts. Henderson Chambers has been at the forefront of the development of the law and practice in relation to group litigation orders and group actions, as well as representative actions and other collective redress actions.
The group actions that members of Chambers have acted in cover a wide range of different types of claim, including: product liability claims; environmental and pollutions claims; group actions arising out of large accidents and disasters; group actions brought by foreign nationals against UK registered companies; collective competition claims; group actions brought by consumers and under the Consumer Credit Act; data protection actions; group actions in respect of industrial disease litigation; employees claiming wrongful dismissal due to defective technology relied upon by the employer; group actions in respect of historic physical, sexual and financial abuse and group actions arising out of the mis-selling of financial and other products. Members of Chambers have become expert in advising in relation to the obtaining of group litigation orders, the structure and management of group actions, and in relation to the funding of group actions.
Several members of Chambers are engaged in writing the second edition of Multi-Party Actions, edited by Prof C. Hodges and Geraint Webb KC.
Henderson Chambers were named Group Litigation Set of the Year, and Geraint Webb KC was named Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024. In 2023, Charles Gibson KC was named the Legal 500 Group Action and Consumer Silk of the Year. In 2022 Chambers won both Set of the Year for Group Litigation and Consumer, and Celia Oldham was named Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards. Henderson Chambers contributed the In-depth Overview for Group Litigation in the Chambers UK Bar Guide for 2025.
Contact the Group Actions clerking team.
If you require help or advice please contact our clerking team.
Call - +44 (0)20 7583 9020
or email our clerks
Expertise
- Major domestic and international group actions
- Advising in relation to applications for Group Litigation Orders and associated issues in relation to the management of group actions
- VW NOx Diesel Emissions litigation
- Vedanta in environmental claims arising out of a Copper mine in Zambia
- Unilever in claims arising out of election violence in Kenya
- Product liability and consumer claims against manufacturers in the Metal on Metal hip litigation
- Commercial claims against The Post Office, featured in The Lawyer's Top 20 cases of 2018
- GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical claims in the Seroxat Litigation
- Google Data breach class action
- The environment Colombian Pipeline Litigation
- Shell in the environment Bomu-Bonny Pipeline Litigation
Representative cases
grid list-
VW NOx Diesel Emissions Litigation (ongoing)
Group Action arising from noxious car emissions
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Municipo de Mariana v BHP Group PLC ([2020] EWHC 2930 (TCC)
The High Court has struck out claims brought by more than 200,000 Brazilian claimants in the English courts against British and Australian holding companies in relation to the collapse of the Fundao Dam in Brazil in 2015. Details here
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Seroxat Group Litigation Bailey and others v GlaxoSmithKline [2020] EWHC 1766 (QB)
Seroxat Litigation: Judgment for GSK with indemnity costs and £4.5m interim payment in landmark product liability group action success (July 2020). Details here
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The Post Office Group Litigation (2018/2019 - TCC)
One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases, Civil Litigation Brief ‘case of the year’ 2019
Final judgment in the Post Office Group Litigation (December 2019)
Representing over 500 current and former postmasters in a widely publicised Group Action against Post Office to recover business losses said to result from failures in Post Office’s Horizon electronic point of sales (EPOS) and accounting system. Widely reported: BBC, Daily Mail, FT and Joshua Rozenberg.
Leading judgment ([2019] EWHC 606) on the developing field of relational contracts and duties of good faith in commercial contracts and on range of other complex contractual and agency issues. Successful judgment following trial of IT expert issues in 2019 ([2019] EWHC 3408). Further judgment ([2019] EWHC 871) with respect to failed application by Post Office to recuse a Managing Judge in Group Litigation.
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AAA & Others v Unilever PLC [2018] EWCA Civ 1532
Jurisdiction decision, the Court of Appeal (Lady Justice Gloster, Lord Justice Sales and Lord Justice Newey) has decided that Unilever’s Kenyan subsidiary should not face claims in England and Wales based on injuries suffered by visitors to and on its tea plantation in Kenya (arising out of Post- Election Violence, at the hands of third parties, in 2007.)
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Google Data Breach Class Action
Google Data Breach Class Action
A representative action on behalf of approximately 5.4 million iPhone users issued against Google November 2017.
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DePuy Pinnacle Metal on Metal hip litigation [2018] EWHC 1208 (QB)
DePuy Pinnacle Metal on Metal hip litigation
In a decision that will be very influential for other metal on metal claims, on 21 May 2018 judgment was given in favour of the defendant DePuy International Limited on preliminary issues in the DePuy Pinnacle Metal on Metal group litigation.
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Ocensa Pipeline Group Litigation [2016] EWHC 1699 (TCC)
Ocensa Pipeline Group Litigation
Colombian Farmers / OCENSA Pipeline litigation: Defending oil pipe nuisance, environmental and property damage claim in Colombia.
Following a 4 ½ month Trial in the TCC, the defence was successful and all of the Lead Cases were dismissed.
Group Actions Barristers
Charles Gibson KC
Call: 1984 Silk: 2001
Lawrence West KC
Call: 1979 Silk: 2003
Prashant Popat KC
Call: 1992 Silk: 2008
Professor Sir Alan Dashwood KC
Call: 1969 Silk: 2010
Patrick Green KC
Call: 1990 Silk: 2012
Geraint Webb KC
Call: 1995 Silk: 2013
Oliver Campbell KC
Call: 1992 Silk: 2014
Malcolm Sheehan KC
Call: 1993 Silk: 2015
Toby Riley-Smith KC
Call: 1995 Silk: 2016
Andrew Kinnier KC
Call: 1996 Silk: 2018
Henry Warwick KC
Call: 2007 (Solicitor: 2000) Silk: 2020
Angus Withington KC
Call: 1995 Silk: 2021
Adam Heppinstall KC
Call: 1999 Silk: 2021
Kathleen Donnelly KC
Call: 2005 Silk: 2023
William Hibbert
Call: 1979
Julia Smith
Call: 1988
Noel Dilworth
Call: 2001
James Purnell
Call: 2002
Nazeer Chowdhury
Call: 2002
Abigail Cohen
Call: 2005
Thomas Evans
Call: 2008
Lucy McCormick
Call: 2008
Thomas Samuels
Call: 2009
Hannah Curtain
Call: 2010
James Williams
Call: 2010 (Solicitor: 2008)
Rachel Tandy
Call: 2010
Ognjen Miletic
Call: 2010
George Mallet
Call: 2012
Christopher Adams
Call: 2014
Lia Moses
Call: 2014
Arnold Ayoo
Call: 2014
James White
Call: 2014
Celia Oldham
Call: 2015
Reanne MacKenzie
Call: 2016
Harrison Denner
Call: 2016
Beatrice Graham
Call: 2016
Freya Foster
Call: 2017
Ben Norton
Call: 2017
Jack Castle
Call: 2018
Thomas Mallon
Call: 2019
William Moody
Call: 2020
Douglas Maxwell
Call: 2021
Isha Shakir
Call: 2022
Kate Gardiner
Call: 2022
