Richard Mendoza

Richard has advised clients in disputes across a broad range of jurisdictions and sectors, particularly in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), banking, construction and pharmaceutical sectors. He also specialises in advising boards and C-suite clients on directors' duties and director related actions.

He has experience advising in relation to cross-border and domestic (UK) insolvency proceedings, commercial arbitrations, contractual, company, partnership and joint venture disputes, class actions and judicial challenges to legislation and regulations.

Richard has also advised clients in relation to cyber security risk management and incident response planning.

Richard's experience includes advising:

• ​Certain of the former directors of Carillion in relation to all aspects of the insolvency of the Carillion Group including the subsequent Insolvency Service and other investigations and inquiries
• Nortel Networks UK (in administration) and 18 other European Nortel companies in relation to the global insolvency of the Nortel group, which involved bringing substantial intra-group claims in multiple jurisdictions
• RBS in its defence to a recent high-profile class action concerning the bank's 2008 rights issue
• An overseas bank in an investigation into certain whistleblowing allegations
• A number of financial institutions in the context of Covid-19, in particular on loan acceleration and other rights under facility arrangements
• A FinTech company executive on a potential professional negligence claim
• A confidential tech client with global operations in connection with a threatened high profile class action to be brought in the English courts, involving in excess of 4,000 prospective claimants
• A car manufacturer in a contractual dispute with a supplier engaged to develop and implement autonomous vehicle technologies
• A Japanese client in US litigation, defending and (following mediation) successfully settling claims arising on a coal-fired power plant project in the United States
• A pharmaceutical company in relation to a contractual dispute with a customer regarding performance of outsourced services
• A pharmaceutical company in a dispute over the suspension of patient tests following whistleblowing allegations
• A consumer foods company regarding a claim for breaches of a distribution agreement
• The Post Office in relation to claims brought by former sub-postmasters
• A US-based property investment firm on insolvency proceedings and related fraud claims resulting from the collapse of a debtor in the private client real estate sector

Background

Richard joined Herbert Smith Freehills in 2010 after completing his legal professional qualifications. He has been admitted to practice in England and Wales since September 2012 and obtained his Higher Rights of Audience in 20214 to become a Solicitor-Advocate. He has done a secondment to the firm's Singapore and Tokyo offices as well as a client secondment to Morgan Stanley in Japan.