One of the most covered cases of the year – Prince Harry’s failed litigation against the publisher of the Daily Mail – dramatically illustrated the risks that come with going to court in 2026.
The legal action, led by Prince Harry alongside other high-profile names including Elton John and Liz Hurley, ended with defeat on their allegations of unlawful information gathering and a costs bill running into the millions. The judge also took issue with elements of the claimants’ legal strategy, including their failure to withdraw a single allegation of serious wrongdoing – a reminder of why the best litigators, included here, can guide UHNW clients through the pitfalls of different legal strategies and help build a plan accordingly.
[See also: The best reputation managers in 2026]
Explore the other rankings within the 2026 Spear’s Legal Indices:
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Themes in 2026
Role of London as a dispute resolution centre
Our research this year found that London remains one of the most desirable dispute resolution centres in the world for the expertise of its lawyers and judges.
That said, court backlogs continue to grow, which may shape UHNW considerations going forward on whether to avoid the courts on certain disputes. A survey by the Law Society of England and Wales found that 63 per cent of lawyers had experienced delays in cases being heard in the past 12 months due to the state of the courts.
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Backlogs aren’t dampening new cases so far, however. Litigation platform Solomonic found that London’s courts saw over 2,270 new High Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) public claims in the first quarter of 2026 – one of the busiest starts to a year in recent times.
Investigative work
Spear’s also found that investigative work has emerged as one of the defining themes in litigation this year – disputes in 2026 increasingly hinge on tracing assets, locating files withheld by certain company members and unearthing email chains. Given the technical complexity involved, the best litigation lawyers work alongside advisers from the security, intelligence and investigations sectors to establish the facts before entering into negotiations.
What this investigation work uncovers, in turn, shapes subsequent strategic decisions. ‘There are some situations,’ says Rob Coleridge of Simons Muirhead Burton, ‘where you need someone who is going to be very robust and hold clients’ hands when we need to be aggressive, but there are also some circumstances where you have to say, “hold on a minute, your reputation is important here, and if we take an aggressive situation here it could backfire on us.”‘
Click the links below to jump to a section of this article:
- Methodology
- The best litigation & dispute resolution lawyers: some names to know
- The best litigation & dispute resolution lawyers: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to the Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best litigation & dispute resolution lawyers: some names to know
David Draisey
- Focus: Trust and probate disputes
- Position: Partner
- Firm: Hunters Law
- Rank: Top recommended
David Draisey, a partner at Hunters, represents a wide range of clients on contentious matters involving wills, trusts and probate in the High Court. He also takes on residential and commercial property disputes, including those involving land ownership, and those between landlords and tenants.
A significant number of familial conflicts arise from the transfer of wealth between generations. ‘The biggest issue is communication,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘By that I mean the older generation not making it clear to the next generation – of whom there might be multiple individuals – precisely what it is they are intending to do and why, rather leaving it to an explanation from a solicitor post-death or in some other forum.’
Draisey, alongside partners in the tax and private client teams, advises on the structuring of assets and can carry out risk assessments ahead of succession. ‘From the client’s perspective, we’re a bit of a one-stop shop. If a private individual has a problem, there’s no doubt Hunters can help them.’
Read David Draisey’s full profile on Spears500.com
Hannah Blom-Cooper
- Focus: Contentious insolvency disputes
- Position: Partner
- Firm: Greenberg Traurig
- Rank: Recommended
Commercial litigator Hannah Blom-Cooper is a civil fraud litigator at Greenberg Traurig with a specialism in cases involving insolvency.
‘Even a well-managed company with lots of legal advice and accountants involved in all their financial dealings can become subject to insolvency claims,’ she tells Spear’s.
Her clients, typically C-suite executives, come through word-of-mouth referrals or regulatory practitioners who have worked with her on other cases. Blom-Cooper says that she is often the first point of contact for clients who have received a communication from the insolvency service initiating action against them. The cases she works on involve huge reputational risk, which justifies mounting a strong defence.
Read Hannah Blom-Cooper’s full profile at Spears500.com
Johannes Gasser
- Focus: Foundations and trusts
- Position: Senior partner
- Firm: Gasser Partner
- Rank: Top recommended
A leading figure within Liechtenstein’s trust and foundation space, Gasser Partner senior partner Johannes Gasser specialises in cross-border disputes, arbitration and litigation, corporate law and white-collar crime. He is also highly experienced in complex trust issues, including trustee removals and liabilities. His portfolio of clients therefore entrust him with their most private issues and find solace in his expertise and discretion.
‘My focus was always on the international client having a financial or legal issue in Liechtenstein. And, inevitably, that’s where you get into corporate law,’ he tells Spear’s.
Clients have described Gasser as ‘precise’, ‘technically strong’ and a ‘great strategist’.
Read Johannes Gasser’s full profile on Spears500.com
Victoria Pigott
- Focus: Complex commercial cases
- Position: Partner and chair of Mishcon Private
- Firm: Mishcon de Reya
- Rank: Top Recommended
Victoria Pigott has been at Mishcon de Reya for over 20 years and now sits as chair of Mishcon Private. Her most recent work has surrounded asset protection and preserving family wealth across borders and generations.
‘I’m a commercial litigator, but the majority of my clients are ultra high net worth,’ she tells Spear’s. Family offices and corporations have come to see her as a reliable source of information and action on a range of commercial cases, including partnership disputes, fraud and international asset handling.
Other cases have included property disputes, disputes over the division of assets among family members, defending individuals against claims by corporate entities, and the issuing of and defence against freezing injunctions.
Read Victoria Pigott’s full profile at Spears500.com
Lawrence Kelly
- Focus: Commercial litigation and dispute resolution
- Position: Founder, partner
- Firm: Lawrence Stephens
- Rank: Top recommended
Lawrence Kelly founded Lawrence Stephens with Steven Bernstein and Stephen Messias in 1997. He is now a solicitor-advocate, qualified to appear in all UK courts, including in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He has a wide range of knowledge and acts for clients in commercial litigation and dispute resolution cases. These clients include entrepreneurs, sports stars and their designated representatives and agents, individual directors of companies and corporate clients.
Kelly is also experienced in civil and criminal fraud cases, contractual and negligence disputes, asset tracing, spread betting and other gambling disagreements.
Read Lawrence Kelly’s full profile on Spears500.com
David Wedgwood
- Focus: Fraud and breach of trust
- Position: Partner, head of commercial and civil dispute resolution
- Firm: Anthony Gold
- Rank: Recommended
As a partner and head of commercial and civil dispute resolution at Anthony Gold, David Wedgwood leads a highly respected team of commercial lawyers.
Wedgwood is renowned for his analytical ability, an important asset given the complex cases he encounters, particularly those concerning contentious trusts and probate. He is also known for his creativity and for being a clear communicator to a broad spectrum of private clients – a valuable skill, especially when his role involves helping families in times of crisis.
He is also active in the industry and speaks regularly on a range of subjects relating to civil litigation and commercial law, from preparing for insolvency to minimising directors’ exposure to claims and insolvency service prosecutions. According to the firm’s website, ‘clients come to David often after traumatic events or in moments of crisis’.
Read David Wedgwood’s full profile on Spears500.com
Benedict Walton
- Focus: Complex disputes
- Position: Partner, head of commercial dispute resolution
- Firm: Forsters
- Rank: Recommended
‘Variety is important to me,’ says Benedict Walton. ‘I have always had a broad practice that takes on a real range of disputes.’
The partner and head of commercial dispute resolution at Forsters represents a broad range of clients, including HNW individuals, owners of private companies, international clients with commercial connections to the UK and family offices. Much of his work comes via referrals from other firms; here he either acts as co-counsel or takes on matters where an existing conflict prevents another firm from engaging.
Read Benedict Walton’s full profile at Spears500.com
The best litigation & dispute resolution lawyers: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles of each adviser on The Spear’s 500 website. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically by surname.
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