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About
Provided by Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC
Practice Areas
KC, commercial arbitrator in international and domestic arbitrations and mediator specialising in:
• Insurance and reinsurance, including business interruption, employer’s liability, public liability, product liability, cyber risks, professional indemnity, financial institutions, directors’ and officers’ liability.
• Product liability and product recall, including commercial products, vehicles, food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vaccines, blood and chemicals. Specialist in group litigation and cases with complex scientific and technical evidence and regulatory issues.
• Professional liability and professional discipline, including solicitors, barristers, accountants, financial services professionals and insurance brokers.
•Financial services law and regulation.
•Commercial disputes.
• Public and constitutional law and public inquiries.
Has acted on behalf of the UK Government in a wide range of cases for over 29 years. Former First Counsel to the Welsh Government 2013-2016.
Recent cases include: Wragg v Opel Automobile GmbH [2024] EWHC 1909 (KB); [2024]] EWHC 1138 (KB), [2024] EWHC 110 (KB), [2023] EWHC 2632 (KB) (group litigation; consumer claims); Re Pan NOx Emissions Litigation [2024] EWHC 1222 (KB) (group litigation); Various Claimants v Nissan Motor Co Ltd [2024] EWHC 208 (KB) (group litigation); Various Eateries Trading Ltd v Allianz Insurance Plc [2024] EWCA Civ 10 & [2022] EWHC 2549 (Comm) (insurance); Wilson v Bayer Pharma AG [2023] EWHC 1282 (KB) (group litigation, product liability); Cuckow v Axa Insurance UK Plc [2023] EWHC 701 (KB) (insurance); Coote v Ullstein and Hodge Jones & Allen [2022] EWHC 607 (QB) (professional liability); claims relating to Hormone Pregnancy Tests (Wilson & ors v Bayer Pharma AG & ors) (product liability); civil claims arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire (Abdel-Kader & ors v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea & ors [2022] EWHC 2006 (QB) & [2021] EWHC 2016 (QB); De Costa & ors v The London Fire Commissioner and ors [2020] EWHC 2718 (QB);); Financial Conduct Authority v Arch & ors test case on business interruption insurance and COVID-19 losses [2020] Lloyds’ Rep IR 527 (insurance); Various Claimants v Giambrone and Law [2019] EWHC 34 (QB) (insurance); Goodlife Foods Ltd v Hall Fire Protection Ltd [2018] BLR 491, CA (commercial product liability); Akcine Bendrove Bankas Snoras v Antonov [2018] EWHC 887 (Comm) (commercial; freezing injunction); Redman v Zurich Insurance Plc [2018] 1 WLR 280, QB (insurance); The Khan Partnership v Al-Shanfari & Al-Rawas [2017] 1 WLR 2301 (limitation, solicitors’ negligence); Cape Distribution Ltd v Cape Intermediate Holdings Ltd [2016] EWHC 1786 & [2016] EWHC 1119 (insurance); International Energy Group Ltd v Zurich [2016] AC 509 (insurance); Secretary of State for the Home Department v Raytheon Systems Ltd [2015] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 493 (IT, arbitration appeal); Abbey Forwarding (in Liquidation) v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2015] Bus LR 882 (insolvency); The PIP Breast Implant Litigation insurance dispute (2015).
Career
Called to Bar of England & Wales 1993 & Bar of Republic of Ireland 1998. Appointed QC 2009 (KC from 2022). Treasury Counsel (A Panel) 2006-2009. First Counsel to the Welsh Government 2013-2016. President of the Panel of Senior Decision-Makers, Guernsey Financial Services Commission 2021-date. Senior Decision-Maker for Guernsey Financial Services Commission 2014-2020. Deputy High Court Judge 2016-2022. Bencher of Inner Temple 2018-date. Director of Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Ltd 2011-2016. Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society 2017-date. CEDR accredited mediator.
Professional Memberships
COMBAR; PNBA; LCLCBA; ALBA; BILA; ICC; LCIA; European Circuit.
Publications
Editor 'Jackson and Powell on Professional Liability' (6th & 7th eds); Consulting Editor 'The Law and Regulation of Medicines’ (1st ed); Contributor ‘The Law and Regulation of Medicines & Medical Devices' (2nd ed); General Editor 'Human Rights and Civil Practice'.
Personal
MA (Cantab); LLM (Osgoode, Canada); Dip. EC Law (Kings, London).
Chambers Review
UK Bar
Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC of Fountain Court Chambers is a highly experienced silk in the collective and group actions space. She has appeared in numerous high-profile pieces of group litigation concerning product liability or financial services.
Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC boasts strong credentials in professional negligence and product liability. Her insurance work often originates in these areas and she has significant experience acting as an advocate, arbitrator and mediator. She is skilled in complex reinsurance disputes.
Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC offers strength in a wide range of product liability cases, including those pertaining to pharmaceuticals, household goods and industrial products. She frequently acts on behalf of government departments in addition to product manufacturers.
Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC is frequently instructed in high-value professional liability matters concerning accountants, lawyers and insurance brokers. She has broad advocacy experience, including appellate work, and is also known for her expertise in alternative dispute resolution. A Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, she is well suited to matters which are heavy on technical evidence.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Leigh-Ann is such an impressive advocate. She has a wonderful ability to make anything she says inevitable and she is just great at winning the court around."
"Leigh-Ann has real group action expertise. She also has a commercial mindset and is very engaged and switched on."
"Leigh-Ann is a very good and strong advocate. She is great at getting on top of the detail and the brief, and is well liked by judges. She is first rate."
"Leigh-Ann is an outstanding individual with a brilliant legal mind, allowing for superb advocacy and written work skills."
"Leigh-Ann has such class and elegance in her submissions and works well in the face of huge pressure."
"Leigh-Ann has the most commercial mindset; she is very engaged and is switched on. She is also contactable at any time."
"Leigh-Ann is a go-to silk for insurance. She is an expert tactician, knowing how to grasp the nettle and accomplish results."
"Leigh-Ann provides strong guidance. She is always calm, measured and confident."
"Leigh-Ann is phenomenally forensic and is all over the details."
"Leigh-Ann is unflappable and has exemplary attention to detail."
"Leigh-Ann has the ear of the court."
"Leigh-Ann is such an impressive advocate. She has a wonderful ability to make anything she says inevitable and she is just great at winning the court around."
"Leigh-Ann has real group action expertise. She also has a commercial mindset and is very engaged and switched on."
"Leigh-Ann is a very good and strong advocate. She is great at getting on top of the detail and the brief, and is well liked by judges. She is first rate."
"Leigh-Ann is an outstanding individual with a brilliant legal mind, allowing for superb advocacy and written work skills."
"Leigh-Ann has such class and elegance in her submissions and works well in the face of huge pressure."
"Leigh-Ann has the most commercial mindset; she is very engaged and is switched on. She is also contactable at any time."
"Leigh-Ann is a go-to silk for insurance. She is an expert tactician, knowing how to grasp the nettle and accomplish results."
"Leigh-Ann provides strong guidance. She is always calm, measured and confident."
"Leigh-Ann is phenomenally forensic and is all over the details."
"Leigh-Ann is unflappable and has exemplary attention to detail."
"Leigh-Ann has the ear of the court."