Professional Negligence

Expert legal advice on professional negligence disputes, pursuing high-value and complex claims against lawyers, accountants, auditors and other professional advisers.

Overview

Travers Smith has a dedicated professional negligence practice with the expertise, independence and resources to pursue high-value and complex claims when you have been let down by professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, auditors, surveyors, brokers and investment professionals.

Our team draws on the wider capabilities of the firm's market-leading advisory practices to build rigorous, well-evidenced cases on behalf of clients who have suffered loss as a result of professional failings. We are without the conflicts of many of our competitors and we have pursued substantial and sensitive claims for our clients against some of the biggest professional services firms, across a variety of disciplines."

Selected highlights

  • Acting for one of the largest financial institutions in the UK in a complex professional negligence claim against a magic circle law firm and another large financial institution in respect of a c. £100m tax liability arising from their alleged breach of contract and/or negligence in connection with one of the Claimant's funding programmes. The engagement included the negotiation of a successful settlement of the claim.

  • Acting for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in one of the largest pieces of litigation ever before the English courts in relation to fraud and associated professional negligence claims against their Big 4 auditor arising out of the US$11bn acquisition of Autonomy Corporation plc in 2011. HPE received a successful judgment on liability in May 2022 and, in July 2025, were awarded damages of approximately US$ 1 billion by the English Court.

  • Acting for a major producer of non-alcoholic drinks in respect of a potential claim against a major international firm of solicitors, relating to negligent legal advice provided in the context of a European expansion.

get in touch

What others say

Back To Top Back To Top chevron up