Member Profiles

Samantha leads our products law and life sciences team. She has over 22 years of experience and became a partner in the London office in 2015. She advises on recalls, public inquiries and product liability claims (including group litigation orders), with a focus on the pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer sectors. The claims she handles are often of a commercially sensitive nature. She represents insurers and manufacturers in some of the largest and most high-profile matters, overseeing claims in the UK and internationally. Notably, Samantha has led hugely significant cases which have shaped the development of product liability law in Europe. She has headed not only the team which successfully defended the DePuy ULTAMET Metal on Metal Hip Litigation, a complex product liability group action culminating in a landmark judgment in the High Court (Gee & Others v DePuy International Limited) but also the team which successfully defended medical device manufacturers in the UK Supreme Court in the case of Hastings v Finsbury Orthopaedics Ltd (1) and Stryker UK Ltd (2).

Samantha leads our products law and life sciences team. She has over 22 years of experience and became a partner in the London office in 2015. She advises on recalls, public inquiries and product liability claims (including group litigation orders), with a focus on the pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer sectors. The claims she handles are often of a commercially sensitive nature. She represents insurers and manufacturers in some of the largest and most high-profile matters, overseeing claims in the UK and internationally. Notably, Samantha has led hugely significant cases which have shaped the development of product liability law in Europe. She has headed not only the team which successfully defended the DePuy ULTAMET Metal on Metal Hip Litigation, a complex product liability group action culminating in a landmark judgment in the High Court (Gee & Others v DePuy International Limited) but also the team which successfully defended medical device manufacturers in the UK Supreme Court in the case of Hastings v Finsbury Orthopaedics Ltd (1) and Stryker UK Ltd (2).

Sarah is an experienced valuer with a career spanning over 21 years, most of which has been in the valuation team at Savills (after four years in the retail investment team).  She provides valuation advice for a variety of purposes including dispute resolution, loan security, taxation, internal purposes and Charities Act.  She specialises in valuing commercial and development properties.  Sarah is also an RICS Registered Valuer and an RICS Registered Expert Witness with circa 15 years’ experience providing expert valuation advice. Internal Responsibilities Sarah is currently joint head of Savills' internal expert witness steering group.  Over the course of 2010-2013, she was the valuation best practice committee representative for Savills’ UK commercial valuation division. Education, Qualifications and Affiliations RICS Registered Expert Witness - May 2022; RICS Expert Witness Certificate - January 2022; RICS Registered Valuer - 2010 onwards; Member RICS - 2004 onwards; MA Property Valuation and Law, City University – 2004; and MA Geography, Downing College, University of Cambridge – 2002.

Having advised on around 200 MW of renewable energy in the UK and elsewhere Tessa Laws is delighted to be viewed as an expert in negotiating on energy contracts, power purchase arrangements, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operation & maintenance (O&M) agreements.

Frances Coulson is Head of Insolvency & Litgation at Moon Beever LLP. She is a Past president of R3 (The Association of Restructuring Professionals) and a Council & Policy Group Member. She runs a substantial team of insolvency professionals at all levels used to dealing with a wide variety of domestic and cross border insolvency issues for office holders, creditors, directors, lenders and individuals.