Nicola Shaldon

Claims involving lawyers liability form a significant part of Nicola’s practice. She has extensive experience of the full range  of claims against solicitors including:

(a) Claims arising from the mishandling of all types of litigation including allegations of undersettlement;
(b) Claims involving residential and commercial conveyancing;
(c) Lender claims often arising from mortgage fraud, and involving breach of retainer, breach of trust and breach of undertaking;
(d) Claims concerning asset and share sale agreements, partnership disputes, personal and corporate insolvency, probate and the drafting of documents including leases, wills and contracts of employment;
(e) Wasted costs applications

She is regularly instructed to act in property- related claims against solicitors arising in the recent wave of lender litigation.

In the area of lost and mishandled litigation, Nicola has substantial experience of a wide variety of underlying claims including in particular personal injury and clinical negligence actions, construction disputes and employment law.  She is frequently instructed to act in cases where the underlying issues are construction-related which dovetails neatly with her construction practice.

Her early experience of employment litigation gives her a particular expertise in handling cases involving employment law including issues of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, sex discrimination/harassment, compliance with TUPE obligations, and the drafting of contracts of employment, including restrictive covenants. She is regularly instructed by many of the major trade unions including the RMT, the GMB, the PCS, the Royal College of Midwives and the NASUWT to deal with a variety of claims involving professional liability issues.

Featured cases

• Acting for solicitors in defence of a number of group actions by members of Unite and contribution claim from Unite arising from equal pay litigation;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claim arising from omission of commercial lease liabilities from CVA
• Acting for solicitors in multi-party mortgage fraud claim raising issues of breach of trust and breach of undertaking;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of several lender claims arising from sale and leaseback transactions;
• Acting for solicitors in Concord Street litigation alleging negligence in relation to the obtaining of NHBC certification on purchase of newbuild flats;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of £3m claim arising from the drafting of lease agreements for commercial development. The claim settled on favourable terms shortly before trial;
• Acting for claimants in claim against solicitors arising from misappropriated purchase funds;
• Acting for purchasers of development property in Spain in claim against UK solicitors;
• Advising solicitors on wasted costs application in relation to conduct of employment tribunal proceedings;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claims arising from advice on forfeiture of leases;
• Advising public authority on claim against solicitors arising from alleged negligence in drafting of redundancy agreements;
• Advising the DWP in claim against solicitors arising from advice on procurement;
• Acting for the London Eye with Nicholas Davidson KC in multi-million pound claim for compensation for negligent failure to register an option for renewal of the lease of part of the land on the South Bank;
• Acting for beneficiary of will in claim against solicitors arising from negligent advice concerning assignments of beneficial interests;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claim concerning handling of high-value sex discrimination claim by City banker;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claim alleging failure to check NHBC certification on purchase of newbuild property;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claim by property owner for negligent  mishandling of TCC litigation;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of claim for negligent advice on bonus provisions in director’s service agreement;
• Acting for solicitors in numerous substantial loss of litigation personal injury actions;
• Acting for solicitors in defence of lost litigation claim for wrongful trading by liquidator against directors;
• Acting for employment consultants in defence of claim arising from advice given to local authority on redundancy consultation procedures;
• Acting for shareholders in claim against solicitors arising from advice on share sale agreement;
• Acting for solicitors in claim involving conflict of interest between family members in context of the drafting of wills;
• Acting as part of a team on behalf of major lender on claims against solicitors arising from buy-to-let mortgages and failure to disclose sub-sales and discounts.