Quinn Emanuel London head Richard East joins the claimant team in the Mariana dam litigation as an October court hearing approaches on representation disputes
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan has announced that Richard East, senior partner and head of its London office, will join the team representing claimants in the Mariana dam litigation, working alongside Pogust Goodhead. The litigation, which concerns the catastrophic collapse of a dam operated by mining interests in Brazil's Mariana region, is one of the largest group claims proceeding through the English courts. The announcement comes as the proceedings face an internal dispute: Pogust Goodhead is currently in conflict with Bailey Glasser International over their respective roles in the case, with a decisive court hearing on that representation question scheduled for October. East's arrival significantly reinforces the claimant side's litigation firepower in London, given his profile as the senior partner of one of the most prominent US litigation practices operating in the UK. No financial terms relating to East's involvement or fee arrangements have been disclosed.
Why this matters
The Mariana litigation is among the most significant group action proceedings before the English courts, involving claims on behalf of a very large number of Brazilian claimants against mining entities for environmental and human damage caused by the dam collapse. The involvement of Quinn Emanuel's London head adds further high-profile litigation muscle to the claimant side at a moment when the proceedings face internal instability over who has authority to act for the claimants. The October hearing on the Pogust Goodhead and Bailey Glasser International dispute over respective roles could determine the procedural shape of the litigation for years to come, and its outcome will matter for how litigation funding and multi-firm claimant arrangements are structured in future large group actions.
On the Ground
This story is central to the disputes and litigation funding practices at elite firms. The claimant-side work involves managing an extremely large group of individual claimants, coordinating with Brazilian and English counsel, preparing for the October representation hearing, and managing disclosure in a factually complex environmental liability case. Firms watching the Pogust Goodhead and BGI dispute will be alert to how the court rules on the boundaries of multi-firm claimant representation, since it touches on authority to act, retainer arrangements, and the governance of group litigation. A trainee in this practice area would assist with chronology preparation, court bundle pagination, and witness statement organisation ahead of the October hearing.
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“What legal and practical challenges arise when multiple law firms compete for the right to represent claimants in a large group action, and how might an English court resolve such a dispute?”
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