Polly Langford

Polly advises businesses and individuals on a range of commercial disputes. She is often instructed in claims involving breach of restrictive covenants and misuse of confidential information (often involving injunction relief); intellectual property (including claims for trademark and copyright infringement and passing off); defamation; and professional negligence.

Polly also specialises in education and acts on behalf of independent schools and for individual parents. She advises on all legal aspects relating to school life, including: complaints; challenges to suspensions, exclusions and admissions decisions; securing appropriate special needs provision and issues arising out of provision to pupils (notably SEN, disability and other equality issues) and unpaid school fees.

Polly heads our Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Team and specialises in high value and complex claims involving serious injuries, significant loss of earnings and/or substantial care/accommodation requirements.

Polly is an accredited mediator (having trained with the London School of Mediation), she mediates a wide range of commercial disputes, helping parties navigate complex issues with clarity and confidence. As an experienced commercial litigator, Polly is alive to the commercial pressures on parties and brings her innate understanding of legal strategy and risk to the mediation process. Polly helps parties see the roadmap to the resolution of their disputes, providing a platform for practical, commercially sensible outcomes while avoiding the costs and uncertainty of litigation. Polly is known for her calm, approachable manner and ability to build rapport quickly.

In her spare time, Polly enjoys exploring the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside and coastline with her family, photography, racket sports and skiing.

Commercial Disputes

• Represented clients (including a minor) in private High Court defamation proceedings, before The Honourable Mr Justice Nicklin.
• Defended an injunction application brought by a company against former employees engaged in a “team move” to restrain breaches of employment contracts, misuse of confidential information, for spring board relief and damages. This dispute featured an application for onerous relief including the imaging of personal devices.
• Obtained comprehensive undertakings on behalf of a market leading specialist materials supplier in relation to a multi-party breach of confidence claim against its former director and various companies in which they were involved.
• Defended an injunction application brought against two departing employees in the electronics industry, involving complex legal submissions on the extent of protectable ‘confidential information’ and springboard relief, the limitations of such protection where no (or ineffectual) restrictive covenants are in place and the proper approach to ‘American Cyanamid plus’ in the springboard context.
• Acted for a company in the furniture manufacture and supply industry in relation to a claim against former employees for breach of contractual obligations and confidence, diversion of business and conspiracy following a team move preventing the establishment of an unlawfully competing business.
• Defended a substantial claim for damages against a company and three individuals in the window manufacturing and supply industry. The claim (brought by a company which the three individuals had previously been directors of/employed by) included allegations of breach of contract/restrictions; breach of confidence; breach of fidelity; and breach of fiduciary duty. Key issues included whether consideration was given for the restrictions contained in one individual’s contract of employment (and whether those restrictions were enforceable) and whether the individuals had retained and used confidential information belonging to the claimant. The claim also included allegations of inducement of breach of contract and conspiracy.
• Advised a household name client in relation to intimated proceedings for trademark infringement and passing off.
• Advised numerous clients in relation to opposition proceedings in the UK Intellectual Property Office (both bringing and defending opposition proceedings).

Education

• Instructed by a client to appeal the decision of a Non-Academic Disciplinary Panel of an Oxford University College to suspend a medical student. The student was able to continue their studies.
• Instructed by a client to advise in relation to a disciplinary investigation and fitness to practice investigation undertaken by the School of Healthcare Sciences at the University of East Anglia.
• Instructed to pursue a claim for damages against a University for Disability Discrimination and breaches of the Equality Act 2010.
• Advised various clients in relation to Judicial Review proceedings, in an education context.
• Advised parents in relation to challenging decisions made about their child’s Education Health Care Plan, resulting in the child (who had complex needs) being awarded a place at a well-regarded special school which could provide the necessary support and provision required for their needs.

Clinical Negligence/Personal Injury

• Advised a client in relation to pursuing a claim for damages against the James Paget Hospital relating to the care and treatment received by the hospital which led to the death of our client’s daughter, at birth.
• Obtained a seven-figure settlement (including complex pension and future earnings losses) for an A&E doctor (and former international standard triathlete) following a career limiting injury suffered in a road traffic collision.
• Advised a client in relation to a claim for damages against a number of defendants in relation to injuries sustained while working on an offshore platform in the North Sea. This claim raised issues under: The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea 1974 (as amended by its Protocol of 2022) and Article 3 of the Athens Convention (as amended).
• Advised a client in relation to a claim for damages for personal injury arising out of a road traffic accident (which involved a below knee amputation), valued at circa £2 million.
• Advised a client (through their litigation friend) in relation to a claim for damages in relation to catastrophic brain injury caused by the negligence of the defendant. This claim involved a substantial care claim and claim for accommodation.

• Graduated in Law from the University of East Anglia in 2007
• Completed her Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School in 2008
• Joined Leathes Prior as a Trainee Solicitor in 2008
• Qualified as a Solicitor in September 2010
• Became an accredited mediator, having trained with the London School of Mediation in 2017
• Joined the Partnership in 2019