Pogust Goodhead adds senior MoFo litigator to lead £36bn BHP litigation

Pogust Goodhead has hired commercial litigator Jonathan Wheeler from Morrison Foerster in London, strengthening the team leading the £36 billion group claim against mining giant BHP over the 2015 Mariana dam collapse in Brazil.

Wheeler, one of MoFo’s most senior City figures, previously spent seven years as office co-managing partner and 15 as head of litigation. He joins Pogust Goodhead as head of Mariana litigation, taking on strategic leadership of the case just a week after the firm secured a landmark High Court ruling holding BHP liable.

Wheeler is a specialist in cross-border disputes, spanning high-value commercial litigation, civil fraud, asset tracing and contentious insolvency.

The firm said he will oversee the continued development of the Mariana case, working with teams across Brazil, the UK and the Netherlands as the action moves into quantifying losses for more than 600,000 Brazilian claimants.

Adding experience as the firm stabilises

The hire comes at an important moment for Pogust Goodhead, which has undergone significant change in recent months following the departure of co-founder and former CEO Tom Goodhead and a turnaround consultant taking control of the firm which is backed by US hedge fund Gramercy.

The High Court victory - and Wheeler’s arrival - suggest the firm is looking to steady its footing and build momentum as it moves into the high-stakes damages phase of the litigation.

What they said

Pogust Goodhead chair Howard Morris called Wheeler "a heavyweight addition" whose leadership and cross-border experience make him "exactly the kind of senior figure we need after our historic liability victory".

Wheeler said joining at this stage of the case was "a privilege", describing the liability judgment as "a watershed for access to justice and corporate accountability".

CEO Alicia Alinia said the firm was investing in senior disputes talent globally to build "an even more resilient firm" capable of delivering justice "at scale".