Erich joined Hugh James in 2021 as a Senior Associate.

Erich specialises in complex multi-claimant litigation, with a strong track record of leading policyholder business interruption claims and both professional negligence and financial mis-selling group actions.

He represented a Welsh Michelin Star restaurant in an historic Covid-19 business interruption test case victory before the High Court, as listed in The Lawyer top 20 cases of 2023 which was appealed by insurers and heard before the Court of Appeal in June 2024, listed as one of The Lawyer top 10 Appeals of 2024.

He acted for successful policyholders in the Salon Gold arbitration involving over 325 policyholders seeking £7.5M in compensation for business interruption losses due Government imposed nationwide lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Erich has most recently been acting for former distressed clients of SSB Law following that firms high-profile collapse as reported on the BBC and ITV, pursuing professional negligence claims and seeking compensation for huge and unexpected legal bills of £20,000 to £40,000 after their cavity wall insulation claims failed through no fault of their own.

Erich successfully acted for claimants in the UK’s first irresponsible payday lending group action Kerrigan & Ors v Elevate Credit International Ltd t/a Sunny as reported in the Law Gazette.

Over the years, he has built-up wider experience in commercial litigation, dispute resolution, insurance litigation, and financial mis-selling litigation.

Erich began his legal career with Barings Solicitors, whom he joined in 2012 as a paralegal after obtaining a First-Class Honours’ degree with the University of Manchester. He completed his training contract and qualified in 2016 before becoming one of the firm’s Directors in 2017.

Experience

• Erich represented Why Not Bar & Lounge Ltd v QIC Europe Ltd and West Bay Insurance before the Court of Appeal, one of The Lawyer top 10 Appeals of 2024, a continuance of the Covid-19 business interruption ‘at the premises’ test litigation.
• He successfully represented the Claimant a Welsh Michelin Star Restaurant in proceedings worth £1.5M before the High Court in Why Not Bar & Lounge Ltd v QIC Europe Ltd and Zenith Insurance Plc [2023] EWHC 1481 (Comm), as listed in The Lawyer top 20 cases of 2023 with vital implications for ‘at the premises’ Covid-19 business interruption policyholders.
• He successfully represented policyholders in the Salon Gold Arbitration who formed part of a 325+ cohort of policyholders in Covid019 business interruption test proceedings worth in excess of £7.5M in losses due to Government imposed nationwide lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Erich acted for c.135+ ex-clients of Pure Legal in a group professional negligence claim seeking compensation for adverse costs after their cavity wall insulation or mortgage mis-selling claims failed.
• He acted for in a successful volume campaign of FCA financial mis-selling complaints against the Carphone Warehouse securing in excess of £13M in compensation for thousands of consumers which concerned the ICOBS regulations, negligent suitability advice and pressure selling tactics.
• Erich co-led successful complex consumer credit proceedings before the High Court, where he represented a group of 352 Claimants alleging payday loan ‘mis-selling’ and irresponsible lending in the matter of Kerrigan & Ors v Elevate Credit International Ltd t/a Sunny.
• He has also acted in other leading cases against a series of payday lenders, including successfully representing 250 Claimants who resisted a scheme stay application to force referral to the Financial Ombudsman Service – Pyne & Ors v Curo Transatlantic Ltd t/a Wageday Advance (unrep, High Court, Business and Property Courts in Birmingham, 30 November 2018)

Career History

• Senior Associate at Hugh James: 2021
• Director at Barings Solicitors: 2017
• Qualified: 2016
• Trained at Barings Solicitors: 2013

Education

• BPP Manchester, Legal Practice Course: 2015
• University of Manchester, LLB Law (Hons) First: 2011
• Griffith College Dublin, LLB Irish Law (Hons) First: 2008

Memberships

• The Law Society