The lawyer behind the biggest class action in British legal history: Tom Goodhead on building Pogust Goodhead and its $550m bet to take on the global litigation elite

In this conversation, we speak with Tom Goodhead, managing partner of Pogust Goodhead, one of the UK's fastest-growing litigation firms.Tom shares the extraordinary story behind the firm’s rise - from his early days as a junior barrister handling slip-and-trip cases in Tesco to leading the largest class action in British legal history against mining giant BHP. Speaking from Rio de Janeiro, Tom describes how a chance meeting with a Brazilian lawyer fighting for 6,000 fishermen turned into a sprawling international legal battle, ultimately securing a $550 million litigation funding deal with US hedge fund Gramercy.He explains how Pogust Goodhead built the infrastructure to service tens of thousands of claimants across continents, why managing mass litigation is more like running a political campaign than a law firm, and how his team has gone head-to-head with a roster of elite firms including Slaughter and May, White & Case and Herbert Smith Freehills.Tom also discusses how he thinks about litigation funding conflicts, what it takes to maintain trust with funders, and how Pogust Goodhead is using an innovative synthetic equity scheme to incentivise its lawyers to bet on the firm’s success. He shares his broader vision for the future: building a global claimant-side powerhouse capable of challenging corporate giants the way Kirkland & Ellis or Quinn Emanuel have dominated commercial defence work.Chapters 00:50 Introduction to the BHP Case02:08 The Journey to the Case06:01 Client Management in Class Actions10:16 The Scale of the Environmental Disaster14:00 Commercial Stakes and Legal Strategies18:01 Litigation Funding and Financial Strategies23:59 Challenges and Restructuring Decisions30:03 Transformative Legal Battles: The BHP Case34:25 Navigating Conflicts with Litigation Funders41:16 Impact of PACCAR on the Funding Industry47:05 Attracting and Retaining Legal Talent56:08 Vision for the Future of Pogust GoodheadAbout Non-BillableNon-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals, brought to you by a small team of former City lawyers and finance professionals.Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk/