Leigh Day & Co
Encyclopedia
Leigh Day & Co is a firm of personal injury solicitors that was set up in 1987. The firm was founded by Sarah Leigh OBE and Martyn Day
and now has more than 100 members of staff, including 24 partners. Following Sarah Leigh’s retirement Martyn Day became senior partner of the firm.
The firm specialises in personal injury
and human rights
work. It is consistently ranked highly in all its areas of practice by its peers, for example by Chambers guide to the legal profession and Legal 500. In May 2009 Leigh Day joined forces with employment discrimination firm Palmer Wade.
Leigh Day & Co is accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for personal injury and clinical negligence work. It is an accredited practice with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and on the specialist clinical negligence panel of AvMA, (Action against Medical Accidents). Six of the firm’s clinical negligence partners and three of the firm’s personal injury solicitors are accredited by the Law Society
as specialists in their fields.
Martyn Day
was invited to be an inaugural member of the Times’ list of the most powerful and influential individuals in the law today. Richard Meeran was invited to give evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights
together with representatives of Amnesty International
, Action Aid and the Corporate Responsibility Coalition. The committee published a report, Any of our business? Human rights and the private sector based on this and other evidence in December 2009
, founder of the Child Migrants Trust for a number of years. The UK Government apologised to this group of people on 24.2.10 for the controversial child migration policy which operated in the UK as late as the 1960s. Richard Stein represents Binyam Mohamed in his efforts to force the UK Government to release details of his mistreatment which allegedly occurred with the knowledge of British secret services. He represents Reprieve who are challenging the lawfulness of the Government’s series of ‘torture policies'.
to represent Kenyans who allege that they tortured during the repression of the Mau Mau uprising
by the British Colonial Government in the 1950s and early 1960s. Richard Meeran is working with the Legal Resources Centre
running a group claim against Anglo American South Africa on behalf of gold miners who have contracted silicosis. Leigh Day obtained compensation for 30,000 Ivory Coast citizens for injuries suffers following the dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan in August 2006.
correspondent Andrew Brown
who was awarded £4.5m in damages after spinal surgery.
and the British Triathlon Federation
. The firm is on the legal panel of the Child Brain Injury Trust, the UK Limb Loss Information Centre. It is an accredited practice with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Sally Moore represented Evan Reynolds who lost his hand in a car accident. He has since been fitted with an i-limb hand.
journalist who was sacked from Countryfile
in a sex and age discrimination claim.
Martyn Day
Martyn Day is the Senior Partner at Leigh Day & Co specialising in international, environment and product liability claims, often as group actions...
and now has more than 100 members of staff, including 24 partners. Following Sarah Leigh’s retirement Martyn Day became senior partner of the firm.
The firm specialises in personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
work. It is consistently ranked highly in all its areas of practice by its peers, for example by Chambers guide to the legal profession and Legal 500. In May 2009 Leigh Day joined forces with employment discrimination firm Palmer Wade.
Leigh Day & Co is accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for personal injury and clinical negligence work. It is an accredited practice with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and on the specialist clinical negligence panel of AvMA, (Action against Medical Accidents). Six of the firm’s clinical negligence partners and three of the firm’s personal injury solicitors are accredited by the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
as specialists in their fields.
Martyn Day
Martyn Day
Martyn Day is the Senior Partner at Leigh Day & Co specialising in international, environment and product liability claims, often as group actions...
was invited to be an inaugural member of the Times’ list of the most powerful and influential individuals in the law today. Richard Meeran was invited to give evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights
Joint Committee on Human Rights
The Joint Committee on Human Rights is a select committee of both the House of Commons and House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
together with representatives of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Action Aid and the Corporate Responsibility Coalition. The committee published a report, Any of our business? Human rights and the private sector based on this and other evidence in December 2009
Awards
- Founding partner of the firm Sarah Leigh is the winner of AvMA's award for outstanding contribution as a claimant solicitor.
- Partner Richard Meeran is a past winner of the JUSTICE Human RightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
Lawyer of the Year award for his work on behalf of South African miners in a case against Cape plc. - The firm won the Litigation Team of the Year award at the 2003 Lawyer Awards for its work in Kenya when it won compensation for hundreds of local people who had been injured by British bombs left on military training sites
- Human rights partner Richard Stein was highly recommended in the 2008 dispute resolution team of the year award organised by Legal Business . The judges said:
- "The firm deserves particular recognition for its advice to the organisation Campaign Against Arms TradeCampaign Against Arms TradeCampaign Against Arms Trade is a UK-based NGO and campaigning organisation working towards the abolition of the international arms trade. Founded in 1974 by a broad coalition of peace groups, CAAT is united in opposition to the military industrial complex and the growth of the private military...
. Bucking widespread expectation and in the face of much scepticism throughout the London legal market, Stein won permission to bring a full judicial review hearing of the UK government’s decision to cut short a Serious Fraud OfficeSerious Fraud OfficeThe Serious Fraud Office may refer to:*Serious Fraud Office *Serious Fraud Office...
investigation into alleged corruption by BAE SystemsBAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
. Stein was successful in pulling off something of a coup for his client and, in so doing, played a major part in one of the most significant developments of 2007".
Human rights
Frances Swaine, Managing partner of Leigh Day, has worked with Margaret HumphreysMargaret Humphreys
Margaret Humphreys CBE OAM is a social worker, author and whistleblower from Nottingham, England. In 1987, she investigated and brought to public attention the British government programme of Home Children...
, founder of the Child Migrants Trust for a number of years. The UK Government apologised to this group of people on 24.2.10 for the controversial child migration policy which operated in the UK as late as the 1960s. Richard Stein represents Binyam Mohamed in his efforts to force the UK Government to release details of his mistreatment which allegedly occurred with the knowledge of British secret services. He represents Reprieve who are challenging the lawfulness of the Government’s series of ‘torture policies'.
International claims
Leigh Day & Co has been instructed by the Kenya National Commission on Human RightsKenya National Commission on Human Rights
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous national human rights institution established by a Kenyan Act of Parliament in 2002. KNCHR became operational in July 2003...
to represent Kenyans who allege that they tortured during the repression of the Mau Mau uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
by the British Colonial Government in the 1950s and early 1960s. Richard Meeran is working with the Legal Resources Centre
Legal Resources Centre
The Legal Resources Centre is a human rights organisation based in South Africa with offices in Johannesburg , Cape Town, Durban and Grahamstown...
running a group claim against Anglo American South Africa on behalf of gold miners who have contracted silicosis. Leigh Day obtained compensation for 30,000 Ivory Coast citizens for injuries suffers following the dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan in August 2006.
Clinical negligence
Russell Levy represented CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
correspondent Andrew Brown
Andrew Brown
Andrew Aaron Brown is a professional baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics....
who was awarded £4.5m in damages after spinal surgery.
Personal injury
Leigh Day provides legal services to members of both British CyclingBritish Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
and the British Triathlon Federation
British Triathlon Federation
The British Triathlon Federation , formerly known as the British Triathlon Association , is the national governing body for the sports of triathlon, duathlon and multisport in Great Britain.-Structure:...
. The firm is on the legal panel of the Child Brain Injury Trust, the UK Limb Loss Information Centre. It is an accredited practice with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Sally Moore represented Evan Reynolds who lost his hand in a car accident. He has since been fitted with an i-limb hand.
Employment
Camilla Palmer represents Miriam O’Reilly, a BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
journalist who was sacked from Countryfile
Countryfile
Countryfile is a British magazine-style television programme produced by BBC Birmingham, first aired on 24th July 1988, which reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom. For its first 20 years it was fronted by broadcaster John Craven, until he stepped back from the role of...
in a sex and age discrimination claim.