Bevan Brittan - People

Senior Associate
Commercial Litigation

Emily has a broad range of dispute resolution skills, including complex High Court actions, arbitrations and mediations. She has particular expertise in the insurance and financial services sector, disputes arising from the public and private health sector, and the pensions industry.

Emily's clients consistently rate her as "an intelligent and skilled litigator at the top of her game" and "brilliant with clients".

My Background
I trained and worked with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for 5 years before joining Bevan Brittan LLP in 2001. In 2003 I was seconded to Zurich Financial Services in-house legal team for 8 months.

What I do
My work covers major contractual and tortious disputes, urgent injunctive work to combat fraud, recover assets and protect data, judicial review, commissioning and provider disputes within the health sector, enforcement of covenants, breach of fiduciary duty disputes and reputational disputes including actions for defamation.

Some examples

On behalf of a financial services provider, putting in place emergency search, disclosure and freezing orders to restrain and contain potential damage arising from serious breaches of IT policy, and to ensure regulatory compliance. Our client was praised by the Financial Services Authority for the way in which it had responded to the breach.
Conducting a complex judicial review against Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs on behalf of a large outsourcing and payroll group.
On behalf of an international financial services company acting in relation to the defection by high-profile advisers to a rival platform, successfully obtaining injunctions to prevent the unlawful competition, and putting in place wide-ranging undertakings and confidentiality obligations.
On behalf of a director of an international outsourcing company in multi-jurisdictional litigation involving allegations of secret profit and fraud brought by a Russian oligarch, successfully obtaining a substantial variation to the initial injunction against our client, the matter being stayed to an ad hoc LCIA Arbitration. Being instrumental in resisting disclosure of documents on the High Court file on the grounds that the matter had been stayed to arbitration (Glidepath B.V. v Thompson [2005] 2 All ER (Comm) 833).
I advised an NHS Foundation Trust in relation to 3 potential arbitrations concerning Payments By Results disputes with PCTs. In the event, the arbitrations were never commenced and the disputes were settled.
Advising a County Council in relation to the contractual interpretation of a pensions scheme contribution agreement.
I have devised and I deliver a mediation training course aimed at enabling executives to get the most out of mediations.

Contact me via emily.heard@bevanbrittan.com or on 0870 194 8997.