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Nick is a commercial litigation specialist, highly ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, with significant experience and expertise in complex commercial contract disputes.

Nick joined Ward Hadaway’s Manchester office in early 2024, arriving with a reputation as one of the leading commercial litigation lawyers in the Midlands, where he led a Legal 500 tier 1 team and was named as one of only 3 ‘Leading Lawyers’ for commercial litigation in the region. Also ranked in Chambers & Partners, Nick gained a significant reputation over many years for his analytical ability and judgement on complex disputes, often against city and national firms.

Much of Nick’s experience comes in litigation arising out of commercial transactions, including corporate M&A, joint ventures and commercial development. Nick has developed a particular specialism in dealing with complex commercial disputes in specialist lists of the High Court and has seen multiple cases make the law reports in recent years, at High Court and Court of Appeal level.

Nick has represented PLCs, Government agencies and household name companies over many years, with significant recent experience working with in-house legal teams providing outsourced expertise on complex litigation matters whilst helping those in-house legal teams manage their internal clients.

Experience

Nicks Experience includes:

  • Acting for a national PLC developer in Technology & Construction Court proceedings involving a claim against a firm of quantity surveyors for negligent costs plans on a £50m grade A office development, which settled shortly before a 3 week trial.
  • Acting for a PLC software company in High Court proceedings against a major logistics business, which involved alleged breaches of contract and fitness for purpose issues with software and hardware used for logistics solutions, vehicle data tracking and driver performance etc, and which involved a 3 day preliminary issues trial on contract formation, terms and unfair contract terms: Microlise Ltd v James Kemball Ltd & Anor [2023] EWHC 579 (KB)
  • Acting for the Food Standards Agency in connection with High Court claims by numerous food business operators and a major trade body for a reduction in sums paid annually by industry to the FSA of c£24m based on arguments over the construction of EU legislation on allowable costs, successfully defending in full the claims for financial remedies sought: R (FA Gill Ltd & Ors) v Food Standards Agency [2022] EWHC 1709 (Admin)
  • Acting for Peveril Securities, the development arm of the billion pound Bowmer + Kirkland Group, in High Court proceedings over a multi-million pound overage claim, successfully defending the claim in full and securing an indemnity costs award covering the entire proceedings: Bastholm & Ors v Peveril Securities (Dalton Park Retail) Ltd & Ors [2023] EWHC 438 (Ch)
  • Acting for the Food Standards Agency in an intervention in a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union arising from the Netherlands, involving the interpretation of the costs that can be charged to industry by the FSA under EU legislation: Exportslachterij J. Gosschalk en Zn. BV and Others v Minister van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit C‑477/18 and C‑478/18
  • Acting for the successful claimants in the High Court and Court of Appeal in a claim following a corporate transaction, involving construction of warranty claim provisions and limitations of liability, including construction of Rightmove and Zoopla terms and conditions: Butcher & Anor v Pike & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 1407 (CofA) [2020] EWHC 3362 (QB) (High Court, first instance)
  • Acting for the Food Standards Agency in successfully defending a Judicial Review claim in the High Court concerning construction of UK legislation allowing FSA to withhold official controls in the event of a judgment against a previous operator of approved premises: R (Agro Foods (Ashford) Ltd) v Food Standards Agency [2019] EWHC 2718 (Admin)
  • Acting for the defendants in a springboard injunction case following a multi-million pound corporate transaction, with issues involving restrictive covenants, confidential information and deferred consideration: Create Financial Management LLP v Lee & Anor [2020] EWHC 1933 (QB) [2020] EWHC 2046 (QB)

What people say

  • He has experience running High Court litigation and a good sense for strategy.

    Chambers and Partners
  • Nick knows which levers to pull to manoeuvre the other side to a commercial settlement

    Chambers and Partners
  • Nick Wells has a good eye for technical and legal detail whilst remaining focussed on commercial objectives

    Legal 500 Quote
  • Provides excellent advice combined with assured strategic and tactical management of cases

    Legal 500 Quote
  • A ‘superb litigator’ with particular expertise in dealing with complex disputes before the High Court

    Legal 500 Quote