Law firm Devonshires has announced that Nikki Bowker has been appointed its new Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution, taking over from Philip Barden.
Nikki, who joined the firm in 2014 and made partner in 2019, specialises in complex commercial litigation, having worked on a wide range of contentious issues including corporate and shareholder disputes, commercial contract issues, professional negligence, defamation and fraud. Crisis and reputation management is also a core part of Nikki’s practice.
Alongside commercial litigation, Nikki has significant experience in judicial review and wider public law matters, often acting in complex and high-profile inquests and advising on disclosure, public interest immunity, vulnerable witnesses and special measures.
Nikki has worked on a series of nationally important issues, such as launching the #TheyKnew campaign with her client Action for Accountability, led by campaigner and advocate Maggie Oliver, as well as acting for Hayley Crawford, who created the public safety campaign ‘Ask for Angela’. Alongside the former Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Philip Barden – who remains with the firm as an active equity partner – Nikki has also represented a large number of soldiers engaged in investigations and prosecutions deriving from the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The appointment continues a significant year of growth for Devonshires, which recently announced the arrival of Rebecca Eastwood in the firm’s Housing Management & Property Litigation practice, and the move to a new Birmingham office at Northspring | Temple Street. As its head, Nikki will look to continue to expand the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice, including across the firm’s regional offices.
Commenting on her appointment, Nikki Bowker, new Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution at Devonshires, said: “I am honoured to be leading the LDR team at Devonshires and continuing the momentum the team has been driving. I’ve seen a considerable amount of change and growth in my time at Devonshires and I’m excited to lead this next phase of the department’s continued and strengthened success.
“I’ve been incredibly proud to work at Devonshires. The firm truly cares about nurturing talent and supporting the next generation of lawyers, which I saw first-hand when I was made partner in 2019 whilst pregnant. I can’t thank Philip enough for the support he has given me over the years and I look forward to working with him as he continues to advise our brilliant roster of clients.”
Nikki is a Committee Member of the Fraud Advisory Panel and, until recently, was a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Golden Lane Housing, a leading provider of specialised social housing for adults with a learning disability and autistic people.
Devonshires is a full-service law firm and operates from offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham, and Colchester, with clients ranging from some of the world’s largest multi-national corporations to private individuals.
