Oliver Holland
Partner
Oliver is a partner in Leigh Day's international and environment teams. Oliver's practice covers environmental harm, human rights, modern slavery & consumer litigation, including expertise in conflict of law issues & cross-border disputes.
Oliver is a partner in the international department.
Oliver has been representing claimants in group litigation for over a decade. He has extensive experience in conflict of law issues, modern slavery, Group Litigation Orders and large-scale environmental litigation against some of the world’s largest multinational companies.
Legal expertise
Oliver has represented communities, workers and consumers in group actions relating to human rights abuses, environmental damage, parent company liability, supply chain liability and consumer law.
Oliver’s current cases include representing thousands of residents of the River Wye region against Avara Foods, Cargill and Welsh water in relation to agricultural sewage pollution, tens of thousands of car owners in emissions litigation and matters concerning environmental damage from the extractives sector, modern slavery in UK supply chains and pollution of the UK’s waterways and seas.
Oliver also speaks regularly on environmental issues and modern slavery including at United Nations conferences and has given evidence to UK parliamentary committees.
Key cases
Environment
- The Bodo Community & Ors v Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Ltd: a £55m settlement in 2014 on behalf of the Bodo Community relating to the damage caused by two oil spills from a Shell pipeline in 2008/9.
- Lungowe & Ors v Vedanta Resources Limited & Konkola Copper Mines: Oliver represented 2,577 Zambian villagers in their claim relating to damage to their land and waterways from copper mining effluent. The claim was settled without admission of liability in 2020.
Modern slavery & supply chain liability
- Begum v Maran (UK) Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 326 a ground-breaking Court of Appeal decision concerning the liability arising from involvement of third parties in shipbreaking;
- Josiya & Ors v British American Tobacco plc & Ors [2021] EWHC 1743 (QB) concerning the liability of the Defendants to those in their supply chain in which Oliver represents over 10,000 Malawian tobacco farmers and their children.
Conflict of laws in cross-border disputes
- Lungowe v Vedanta plc [2019] UKSC 20 a leading Supreme Court decision concerning jurisdiction and duty of care in cross-border parent company liability concerning environmental pollution from a Zambian copper mine.
- Dhan Kumar Limbu & Ors v Dyson Technology Limited & Ors [2024] EWCA Civ 1564: a Court of Appeal decision determining that England rather than Malaysia is the appropriate forum for the claims in the first English common law decision on forum conveniens since the end of the Brexit transition period.
What the directories say
Oliver is a brilliant partner who takes on and wins very difficult and complex cases.
Chambers and partners 2025
Oliver Holland in the news
- Charity faces legal action after relocated elephants in Malawi allegedly kill 10 people The Guardian March 2025
- Dyson to face lawsuit over Malaysian factory City AM December 2024
- River Wye pollution leads chicken firm to be sued BBC News March 2024
- Exmouth business launch legal claim against sewage spills Exmouth Journal October 2024
- Wild swimmer takes legal action against water company after local beach was polluted by raw sewage Leigh Day April 2024
- Workers in Thailand who made F&F jeans for Tesco 'trapped in effective forced labour' The Guardian December 2022
- Recent UK Court of Appeal judgment may lead to greater accountability of companies hiding behind complex supply chains Business & Human Rights Resource Centre 2.4.21
FTSE 100 firm faces landmark modern slavery legal challenge Personnel Today November 2019 - Children as young as eight picked coffee beans on farms supplying Starbucks The Guardian March 2020
- Breaking Bad – Uncovering The Oil Industry’s Dirty Secret BBC March 2020
- Zambians can pursue mining pollution claim in English courts The Guardian April 2019
- End of the liner – deadly boat graveyards where kids as young as eights risk their lives The Sun September 2019
- Child labour claim brought against British American Tobacco The Times October 2019
- Vedanta’s London exit fails to stem scrutiny of Indian miner The Financial Times October 2018
- Leigh Day demands answers after lawyer arrest in Zambia Gazette January 2017
What the directories say
He has nous beyond his years and knows which buttons to press to get under the skin of his opponents. Great with clients and super cool under pressure.
Legal 500 2022
News and blogs
High Court chicken waste judgment bolsters River Wye pollution claim against Avara Foods and Cargill, say lawyers
A High Court judgment on chicken and other agricultural waste has been welcomed by lawyers leading a legal claim against Cargill, whose chicken production companies, including Avara Foods, they allege are one of the main polluters of the River Wye.
More than 1,000 people join legal claim against South West Water over Exmouth sewage
More than 1,000 people have joined a claim alleging that sewage pollution from South West Water (SWW) in the Exmouth area has negatively impacted residents and businesses.
River Wye pollution legal claim will include Welsh Water as well as Avara Foods Ltd
Legal action over pollution in the Wye, Lugg and Usk catchment area has been expanded to include Welsh Water (WW) as well as Cargill Plc, Avara Foods and Freemans of Newent as defendants.
Oliver Holland represents a diverse range of communities, workers and consumers in group actions concerning human rights abuses and environmental damage, often related to parent company or supply chain liability.
Legal 500
What the directories say
Oliver is excellent at generating these cases and bringing cutting edge arguments.
Chambers and partners 2025
Accreditations
