Thomas Leyland

Thomas Leyland is a Partner in Dentons' UK Disputes practice, based in the London office, practicing in Commercial Litigation. He has particular expertise in high-value, high-profile High Court disputes, especially acting for banks and other financial services institutions, and has a significant interest in electronic disclosure and legal process outsourcing.

He has acted for DEPFA BANK on the successful outcome of its US$116 million dispute with UBS and a German water authority relating to swaps validity, one of The Lawyer's top 20 cases of the year and the longest commercial court trial that year. He has also advised a major clearing bank on claims arising from sales of interest rate hedging products (including LIBOR allegations), acted for GE Capital to successfully obtain a freezing injunction on Christmas Eve to prevent an aircraft leaving the jurisdiction, and acted for DEPFA BANK on a successful judicial review of decisions by the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Serious Fraud Office. He has also coordinated major cross-border document review exercises and conducted an internal investigation for a blue-chip electronics manufacturer regarding potential fraud by staff in the Middle East and North Africa.

Thomas holds an LLB from the University of Sheffield (1999). Prior to joining Dentons, he practiced at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (2001-2010). He has been recognized by Chambers UK as "Up and Coming" for Banking Litigation, described as "a highly capable, highly effective litigator who gets good results," and by The Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Partner" for Banking Litigation. He is a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2026).