Collective Actions

Our experience in collective actions has grown organically from its strong EU & Competition Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution offerings and now spans a wide range of sectors including competition law, financial services, professional negligence and investment losses. We have acted in a number of the most high profile group and collective actions and we are currently involved in bringing a number of large high-profile collective claims in the Competition Appeal Tribunal on an opt out basis under section 47B of the Competition Act 1998.

Please click here to access the GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) collective action.

UK rules provide for various ways in which collective actions can be structured from simply taking a test case forward and asking the court to manage the litigation appropriately, bringing a representative action or under a group litigation order.

Such claims are dealt with on an opt-in basis, i.e. claimants must elect to join the action in order to be considered a member of the class and share in any damages recovered. Following the introduction of section 47B of the Competition Act 1998, consumers and businesses can bring private actions for damages suffered as a result of infringement of UK competition law on an opt-out basis, i.e. on behalf of an entire class of claimants (except for those that have expressly opted-out) without the need to identify every claimant.