CMS is pleased to announce the hire of a team of product liability specialists in London. The firm welcomes two senior hires, Simon Castley and Sarah Croft, who have joined CMS as partners in the Litigation & Arbitration practice. Both Simon and Sarah join from another international firm.

CMS also welcomes two legal analysts from the same team. Together with Simon and Sarah’s appointments, these hires will bolster the firm’s product liability and commercial litigation offering.  

Steven Corney, Co-head of Litigation and Arbitration at CMS, comments: “Simon and Sarah have a first-rate reputation in the product liability space, and we are delighted to see them join our ranks. Their appointments, along with the addition of their wider team, will bolster our contentious product liability capability for clients across Europe. Their expertise is highly complementary to our first-rate class action capability, and this is an area where we expect demand to increase.”

John Enser, Head of the Commercial and Regulatory Practice Group at CMS, said: “Simon and Sarah build on our existing advisory capability in the product liability /regulatory space. They and the team will allow us to deliver a broader range of services to clients in this increasingly busy and important practice area.”

Simon specialises in advising clients on product liability and regulatory compliance issues in the UK, US and Europe. He also has significant experience advising multinationals on international defence strategies. Simon is increasingly advising companies on risks emerging from the proliferation of litigation funding and unfavourable new product liability laws in the EU. He is ranked by leading legal directories Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for product liability. Simon is recognised by Legal 500 in their “Hall of Fame”, a shortlist of lawyers at the very top of the profession.

Sarah represents global companies in product liability claims across a range of sectors and has extensive experience advising on claims involving medical devices and automotive products. Sarah also has extensive commercial litigation experience, acting for clients in the engineering, automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. She has a deep working knowledge of group and class actions in the UK and advises on class action issues throughout Europe. Sarah is ranked by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for product liability. She is recognised by Legal 500 as a “Leading Partner”, a ranking for the strongest partners in their field.

Simon Castley comments: “CMS has very strong product liability and dispute resolution offerings and the platform is complementary to my practice and relationships. I’m pleased to be joining this excellent team and look forward to getting started.”  

Sarah Croft adds: “The CMS Litigation & Arbitration team and product liability practice are highly regarded, and my expertise will complement and bolster the firm’s contentious capability and the product liability advisory offering. I look forward to drawing on my experience and collaborating with my colleagues to continue providing first class advice.

CMS has more than 1,200 disputes lawyers worldwide, with more than 400 lawyers and 100 partners in the UK. The firm’s London team is among the five largest disputes practices in the City, with one of the largest group of sector experts in any disputes practice.

This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.