Hogan Lovells has hired two partners from BCLP’s highly rated class action team in London as it seeks to capitalise on a surge in cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

The arrival of Edward Coulson and Andrew Leitch marks a rare foray into the London lateral market by Hogan Lovells for antitrust disputes lawyers outside mainstream competition law.

Head of disputes Des Hogan said: “In recent years, we have seen a growing market in class action litigation in the competition area in the UK, with a wide range of claims now being re-formulated as competition claims to take advantage of the favourable class action regime in the CAT.

“Ed and Andrew’s expertise will greatly expand our competition litigation capabilities, enhance our market-leading collective actions practice and ensure we remain at the forefront of this evolving market.”

Coulson arrives at Hogan Lovells with more than 15 years of experience in complex competition litigation, collective proceedings, cartel damages actions and abuse of dominance claims. Aside from a short spell at Hausfeld as a partner from 2015-16, he has spent his entire legal career at BCLP and predecessor firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), which he rejoined in June 2016 as a partner.

Coulson has played a pivotal role in high-value multi-party actions, representing top corporate clients across various sectors, most notably the first UK trucks claim, one of the UK’s earliest cartel damages judgments. Alongside Trucks, Coulson has acted for corporate claimants in two other significant UK cartel damages cases, namely the long-running Air Cargo and Gas Insulated Switchgear cases.

Leitch’s expertise, meanwhile, spans various industries, including industrial manufacturing and financial services. He is also recognised as a leading authority on litigation funding. 

The dual-qualified Scottish and English solicitor trained at Maclay Murray & Spens in Glasgow and London before spending 18 months at Hausfeld, where he overlapped with Coulson before rejoining him at BLP in 2017. He made partner at BCLP in January last year.

Charles Brasted, deputy head of Hogan Lovells’ global regulatory practice, said the duo’s experience would combine their specialist competition expertise with strong dispute capabilities, which he said was “critical in navigating such a complex and fast-developing area of regulatory litigation”.

At Hogan Lovells, the pair will team up with London partners Matthew Felwick and Nicholas Heaton, members of the firm’s core global class action team. 

A BCLP spokesperson said: “We thank Ed and Andrew for their contributions to the firm, and we wish them well.”