Leading London litigation partner Genevieve Quierin is leaving Mishcon de Reya to join independent firm Stephenson Harwood, boosting the latter’s offering across a range of commercial litigation specialisms.

Quierin, who is joining her new firm as a partner, has worked across a range of business sectors, including in the fast-growing area of competition litigation. That has made her familiar with commercial claimant needs, having acted for Tesco and WHSmith in disputes with Visa and Mastercard over interchange fees, securing settlements for Tesco from both and for WHSmith from Mastercard.

That payment sector expertise extends to current litigation involving nearly 500 European-based hotels, as well as significant business-related class action for franchisees of a major global fast food chain, and for more than two dozen household name retailers. Her practice also covers classic banking and commercial litigation, thanks to her time at respected litigation boutique Humphries Kerstetter and magic circle firm Linklaters. She joined Mishcon in March 2017.

Quierin’s mainstream City-based works spans complex commercial litigation, associated regulatory investigations and related professional negligence instructions. She has represented and defended investment and retail banks, private equity funds, and companies—including major retailers—in areas such as shareholder disputes. She is also aware of the dynamics of litigation funding and how it impacts cases, a bonus in the London disputes scene.

That skill-set, in addition to a period spent working in business development for barristers chambers 1 Chancery Lane, has given Quierin a strong client following. That will benefit Stephenson Hardwood’s litigation team, where her commercial disputes nous is expected to be increasingly valuable in the post-pandemic environment. 

She will work alongside Stephenson Harwood’s litigation heads, Ed Davis and Paul Thwaite, reporting to the highly regarded Davis, while also providing support to Tony Woodcock’s regulatory team and the firm’s competition lawyers.

Davis said: “We are seeing an increasing demand for exceptional commercial litigation lawyers and Genevieve – an experienced and highly regarded litigator – brings a skill set that complements our litigation practice.”

Noting the firm’s strong dispute resolution culture, he said: “Genevieve’s practice encompasses a wide range of complex commercial and corporate litigation matters; her arrival enables us to expand further our litigation capabilities.”

Quierin’s exit from Mishcon follows the departure earlier this week of arbitration partner Ben Giaretta to Fox Williams. Mishcon also lost Mohammed Khamisa QC and Masoud Zabeti to Greenberg Traurig in February, while James Oldnall left, with two associates, to set up Milberg London, associated with US firm Milberg Phillips Grossman, in May 2020. 

Mishcon, did, however, gain arbitration silk Louis Flannery QC, who arrived from Stephenson Harwood in May, while experienced insolvency partner Paul McLoughlin joined in September from Hogan Lovells.