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Deborah Polden
Partner
Deborah Polden is a partner and head of the Litigation Practice in the Leeds office.
She has a broad commercial litigation practice with over 15 years’ experience of acting on a wide range of complex and high-value disputes for national and international businesses, across a range of industries, on both the claimant and defendant side. She has experience in the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal, and has a strong track record of successfully resolving disputes before trial, including through mediation.
Deborah has particular specialisms in corporate disputes, including post-M&A and shareholder disputes and unfair prejudice claims, as well as group litigation and class actions, with Legal 500 2025 describing her as “an authority on class actions”.
- Successfully defended multiple utility companies against high-value group litigation brought by conveyancing search companies regarding access to information, culminating in a six-week High Court trial.
- Acted for several claimant retailers in the interchange fee competition litigation regarding fees paid on both credit and debit card transactions, in the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal.
- Acting for a leading international retail business in a number of joint venture and shareholder disputes.
- Acting for an industrial equipment manufacturer in a high-value dispute in the Technology and Construction Court regarding the agreed contract specification and the performance of goods supplied.
- Acted for an intervener in one of the first applications for a collective proceedings order (CPO) in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
- Advising an investor in a spin-off venture from a luxury fashion designer regarding its rights to control the business and the resulting unfair prejudice proceedings.
Education
- BPP Law School, Holborn, L.P.C., 2005
- College of Law, York, G.D.L., 2004
- University of Leeds, B.A. (Hons.), German and Spanish, 2003
Admissions
- England and Wales, 2007
- Ranked for over 10 years in Chambers, including as Band 4 for Litigation, Yorkshire in Chambers 2025
- Recognised in Legal 500 2025 as a Next Generation Partner for Commercial Litigation: Leeds and West Yorkshire