About Stormcatcher Law

Specialists in Consumer Law, Financial Services & Commercial Law

We have a reputation as experts in our specialist areas of law, both domestically and internationally, with unrivalled experience in the niche area of Automotive Law. We have a proven track record for challenging unfair and unjust decisions by banks and car finance lenders. We also succeed in regulated claims with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

We also specialise in the areas of Building & Construction Law and consumer-related yacht and boat law.

We are committed to solve legal problems and resolve legal disputes.

Founded in 2015 by Philip Harmer and Antonia Rees-Brown, they had a passion to deliver a fresh, accessible and dynamic approach to legal advice, services and dispute resolution.

We offer expert legal advice, regardless of whether it’s free or in paid conference and are committed to do our best to solve legal problems and resolve legal disputes efficiently, cost effectively and without going to court.

In our experience, a high percentage of claims, complaints and disputes are resolved out of court by utilising the specialist tools we have, expert scrutiny of the evidence, in depth analysis of the relevant laws and legal principles, skilled strategy and incisive written advocacy and communications.

We advise consumers, businesses, solicitors and barristers.

Litigation should be the last resort

In our view, litigation should be the last resort.

Litigation is expensive, risky and time-consuming.

So why do it?

People end up in court for two main reasons:  no choice, where all efforts to settle have failed or no chance, where one or other party or both believes there’s no chance they can lose.

This is based on the premise that all that has been done is all that can be done and the legal basis of the claim or defence is right, so that no judge could do anything other than find in your favour.

To us, this looks more like a gamble than a strategy.

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Our History

Stormcatcher is the nickname given to Philip Harmer in 2012 by his clients because of his incisive legal advice, strategic intelligence and ultimately his appetite and aptitude for handling and resolving disputes.

Coming to the law as a second career, Philip is a member of an elite group of individuals who pursued a successful business career full time, while simultaneously completing university degrees and the academic stages of his professional development.

He has written articles for various publications, advised and provided insight to industry bodies as well as BBC, Morning Live and Watchdog.

Following his successful completion of the Bar Professional Training Course (now known as the Barrister Training Course) at BPP Law School Holborn, he was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple.

Having decided to pursue a career in alternate dispute resolution and negotiation resolving disputes out of court, he went on to complete the CIArb Accelerated Route to Membership in International Arbitration.

Having left school with no more than O level Maths and English he adopted a non-traditional route to the legal profession, starting with his enrolment, at the age of 35, in an Access to Law college course. The purpose of the course was, as the name suggests, to allow those without the usual academic qualifications to attend university.

Philip studied at the University of Kent to study law, while also working full time for a Vauxhall dealership. He graduated with an Upper Second Class LLB (Hons) degree, followed by a Masters degree in Law at the same university, this time while working for Mercedes-Benz Retail Group. He graduated with a Masters degree in law LLM specialising in:

Academic specialisms:

Consumer law & policy, in the years leading up to the European Directive 1999/44/EC , then  implemented into UK law by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, as well as the wider consumerist laws and policy.

Banking & Finance including Consumer Credit Act 1974, retail banking and commercial credit.

Corporate Governance focussing on the causes and circumstances surrounding the banking crises in 2008.

Our Terms

Although Philip qualified as a barrister, he is not entitled to practise as a barrister. He does not have a practising certificate and is not on the register of practising barristers. Therefore, in providing any legal services he is not acting as a barrister and is not subject to many of the rules which regulate practising barristers. He can provide you with legal advice and represent you before certain Tribunals but cannot represent you in Court. He aims to provide you with good service and if you have any concerns about what he does for you, please let us know and we will try to resolve the problem.

But you should know that you would have only limited rights to complain about him to anyone else. The Legal Ombudsman, which can adjudicate on complaints about poor service by practising barristers, cannot consider any complaint against him. In respect of any legal advice he provides, there is a substantial risk that you will not be able to rely on legal advice privilege.

If we cannot resolve your concerns, you can complain to the Bar Standards Board and it will investigate whether he has failed to comply with any of the rules which apply but it cannot investigate possible breaches of rules which apply only to practising barristers.

Our Locations

London

Surrey

Essex

Kent