In Tindall v Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police [2024] UKSC 33, the Supreme Court's revised the long-standing legal principle around public body liability.
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Paul Lunt
Partner, Head of Litigation
0151 600 3061
07736 895 593
paul.lunt@brabners.com
Paul is a Partner and our Head of Litigation.
A highly regarded and multi-award-winning commercial litigator and sport lawyer with over 25 years’ experience, Paul specialises in handling high profile disputes quickly and successfully with his practical and pragmatic approach.
Paul’s accolades include being recognised as one of The Lawyer Magazine’s ‘Hot 100’ Lawyers (2023), Spears Magazine’s Lawyer of the Year (2022) and Liverpool Law Society’s Outstanding Lawyer of the Year (2022). He was also nominated for the Northern Powerhouse Lawyer of the Year (2023) and Litigation Lawyer of the Year (2024).
As our Head of Litigation, Paul also leads the team that won the British Legal Awards Litigation Team of the Year (2022) and was nominated for Liverpool Law Society Team of the Year (2023).
In the corporate field, Paul handles a variety of contentious commercial matters with a focus on company and shareholder disputes, as well as contractual and tortious disputes, professional negligence claims and insolvency-related matters. His clients include private companies — such as Nichols Plc (Vimto), TJ Morris (Home Bargains) and Arnold Clark — as well as public sector organisations, partnerships and individuals.
Paul is also a leading sport lawyer and acts for clients in sporting arbitrations, regulatory disciplinary proceedings and High Court civil claims. He represents a wide range of sport clients, including national governing bodies, prominent sports clubs, Premier League footballers, The Rugby Football League, Ryder Cup golfers, Chester Racecourse, England international cricketers, professional boxers, international judges and umpires, Olympic medallists and sports agencies such as Phoenix Sports Management.
Paul also advises on media-related issues (including defamation and privacy), reputation management and intellectual property.
As the ‘go to’ lawyer for many high-profile clients in difficult times, Paul has successfully represented:
- Coleen Rooney when she was sued by Rebekah Vardy in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ case.
- England Cricket Captain, Ben Stokes, when he was suspended following a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017, as well as later suing The Sun for Ben and his mother in a high-profile breach of privacy case.
- Former England cricket captain, Michael Vaughan, in the dismissal of all allegations against him surrounding the Azeem Rafiq issues on alleged racism in cricket.
- The Commonwealth Games Federation in its successful nine-figure claim against the Australian Government following the State of Victoria’s withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Games.
Away from sport and media, Paul recently acted on challenges to the award of government PPE contracts during the pandemic.
Paul regularly features in the top tier of The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners rankings. He is one of only two lawyers in The Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’ in Liverpool. Over the past two decades, he has often been recognised as a ‘leading individual’, ‘leading practitioner’ and ‘recommended lawyer’ across many different areas of law. The Legal 500 notes that Paul is “extremely astute and knowledgeable with a very proactive commercial approach to resolving disputes” and that “his judgement and expertise are highly valued”. Similarly, Chambers and Partners notes that Paul is “a very good professional, handling a lot of high-profile disputes, and is a good choice if a matter requires sensitive handling" and “always available, consistently direct and to the point”, with a “great ability to sense what is required in practical terms for the best interests of our business”.
Paul is also a qualified mediator. He joined us in 1994 as a trainee solicitor before becoming a Partner in 1999. He has been our Head of Litigation since 2010.
Recognised in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame
“Brabners' [commercial litigation] team earns praise for its involvement in high-profile matters, including the 'Wagatha Christie' trial. The team is headed up by the ’bright, proactive and commercially savvy’ Paul Lunt, who is noted for his focus on media and sports disputes, shareholder disputes, contractual and professional negligence claims.”
The Legal 500 2025
“At all times Paul and Jamie have given very clear advice, assessment of the case brought against us, the costs, risks and opportunities. It really helped us with our decision making about defending the vexatious claim. You have been very prompt and concise in correspondence and sought our input and direction appropriately as and when required. And, of course, we are delighted with the outcome. Should we have any further issues with the claimant we know who to come to.”
Pat McIver
“Thank you very much for representing my wife and myself with regard to the claim from the liquidator. You gathered all the information and submitted a very strong defence, so strong that the liquidator could not come up with a counter argument, also your fees are very competitive and good value for money. I would certainly recommend Brabners and more especially Paul Lunt for a great and friendly service.”
Malcolm and Mary Fisher
“We’d like to thank both Paul Lunt and Adam Murphy for the exceptional support and expertise provided during litigation. Their human approach and practical common sense made a significant difference throughout the process. From our very first meeting, we were struck by their ability to connect on a personal level while maintaining the highest professional standards. Their empathy and understanding — combined with clear and sensible advice — helped us to navigate what could have been a much more stressful experience. It was reassuring to know that we had them fighting our corner.”
Client feedback
Rooney v Vardy — The Breakdown
Rooney v Vardy — The Breakdown
In this six-part podcast series, Paul Lunt and Jamie Hurworth give a view ‘behind the scenes’ of the 'Wagatha Christie' trial, discussing the legal hurdles that they faced during the case and answering from a legal perspective any burning questions from the audience.
