Independent law firm Brabners has strengthened its litigation team following the appointment of media, data and communications specialist Nick McAleenan as partner.
McAleenan began his career at Brabners in 2003 and returns to the firm following 12 years with JMW as solicitor and partner in media law. He has been ranked as a leading individual in his field by the directory Legal 500 and has also appeared in The Lawyer magazine’s “Hot 100”.
He joins the team having advised on a number of ground-breaking cases throughout his career, including the first data breach class action in English legal history – acting for claimants against Morrisons supermarkets in the Supreme Court – which concluded in 2020.
Alongside data protection, McAleenan brings extensive experience to Brabners in advising businesses and individuals on issues including reputation management, crisis communications, privacy, harassment, and social media disputes. He has acted for influencers and celebrities, alongside corporates and large organisations.
McAleenan joins Brabners’ 45-strong litigation team and will be based at the firm’s new 20,000 sq ft Manchester office at 100 Barbirolli Square. Most recently, the firm’s litigation team successfully led the defence of Coleen Rooney in the landmark ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel case.
Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “Nick’s expertise will complement and build on the existing skills within our litigation team, which continues to advise on some of the UK’s most high-profile disputes involving both businesses and individuals.
“His skills in data law will help us to further develop that niche specialism within the team. And his experience will help us to bring further success for clients in privacy and defamation disputes, which have recently included spearheading England Cricket captain Ben Stokes’ privacy claim against The Sun.”
Brabners is home to nationally recognised experts in a number of practice areas and has more than 400 colleagues working across its Liverpool, Manchester, Lancashire and Leeds offices. The firm has been in business since 1815 and operates an independent grant-making charity the Brabners Foundation.
