James Hennah

James has extensive experience acting on behalf of corporate and financial services institutions in connection with the defence of group litigation and class actions, and in connection with contentious competition matters.

James’s work defending clients against group litigation covers a variety of topics, including allegations concerning ESG, financial misconduct and competition law. James is instructed on some of the most complex and high-profile disputes in this area, in particular where those disputes involve cross-jurisdictional elements.

James has a particular depth of expertise in connection with disputes concerning allegations of breaches of competition law, having been, and continuing to be, involved in many of the key cases before the English courts over the last decade as this area of litigation has emerged in England.

James also regularly acts for clients in connection with internal investigations and regulatory enforcement, in particular having recently been seconded to a major global bank to lead a number of internal investigations concerning a variety of subjects.

Work highlights

• Advising in connection with ongoing claims before the Competition Appeal Tribunal concerning alleged abuse by Google of a dominant position in respect of its Shopping and AdSense services

• Defending claims in England against an “anchor” defendant brought by a large number of orange producers concerning alleged collusion in Brazil, including a high-profile jurisdiction challenge and subsequent challenges to the propriety of the claims

• Acting for a major airline in defence of high-profile follow-on competition damages actions brought by c.65,000 claimants in respect of an alleged air cargo cartel, which concluded with a successful settlement following more than a decade of litigation

• Advising in defence of ongoing claims by large numbers of individuals concerning alleged environmental contamination in Brazil

• Acting for one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers in defence of the first claim seeking damages as a result of alleged competition law breaches to go to trial in England

• Advising in connection with ongoing claims and complaints by large numbers of customers of a mortgage lender who allege breaches of contractual and regulatory obligations concerning the charging of interest

• Advising in numerous other important competition disputes before the English courts (for example, disputes arising out of alleged competition law infringements in respect of cathode ray tubes, copper fittings, industrial bags, car glass and car parts)

James is a long-standing member of Linklaters’ HeForShe steering committee, and is a champion of shared parental leave within the firm.

Client feedback to leading legal directories includes that James is “a rising star, delivering great counsel and excellent client service”.

James regularly contributes to leading publications, as well as holding client seminars and webinars on key developments and topics within the group litigation and competition litigation spheres.

During his tenure at Linklaters, James has been seconded to roles in two multinational banks, with a focus on investigations and significant commercial disputes.