Specialist support for complex professional negligence claims

Businesses rely on professional advice to make critical decisions - and when that advice is flawed, the consequences can be serious. Shoosmiths’ professional negligence team helps clients pursue claims against advisers whose mistakes have caused financial and often reputational harm.

We act for funds, corporates, lenders, trustees and firms in claims against solicitors, tax professionals, surveyors, accountants, auditors, financial advisers, brokers, and other professionals. Our team is highly experienced in handling complex, multi-party disputes and is a member of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association.

With a focus on alternative dispute resolution, we are resolutely determined to secure the right outcome - from recovering financial loss to preserving future relationships where appropriate. We successfully act in claims involving negligent tax advice, valuations, defective project monitoring, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of trust, defective security, defective legal advice and defective drafting. Pursuing a professional negligence claim can be a beneficial way to recover losses from the professional, specifically their insurers.  Particularly when a recovery against a debtor, guarantor, or secured asset is not possible or this avenue has been exhausted.

With Shoosmiths, you gain a partner who understands the stakes and delivers results.

Our team has successfully resolved high-value and complex professional negligence disputes for financial firms, institutions and other businesses. Examples of our expertise include:

• multiple claims on behalf of several funds involving negligent tax structuring advice provided to them

• a claim in respect of a multi-million pound overvaluation of several marinas by a national RICS firm

• a claim against a global law firm relating to negligently served break clauses resulting in millions of pounds of additional liability for our global banking client

• a claim against a global valuation firm for a negligent multi-million pound overvaluation of a private members club in London involving novel issues of reliance, and allegations of contributory negligence

• a multi-million pound overvaluation claim against a national firm of valuers in respect of negligently overvalued residential developments

• a claim on behalf of a private bank in relation to a villa on the south coast of France. The claim involved questions as to the applicable law and jurisdiction as well as complex issues as to causation, with a settlement significantly above the client's bottom line achieved at mediation

• advising clients in respect of directors duties, often leading to claims against negligent auditors.  For example, advising a large national hotel chain regarding financial impropriety and breaches of directors’ duties by an exited director.