Joanna Corbett-Simmons

Legal Director
Contact details

Jo has an excellent understanding of our commercial vision.

Chambers and Partners, 2025

Joanna is a Legal Director in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution team in Cardiff specialising in corporate and shareholder disputes, professional negligence, contentious intellectual property matters and special educational or additional learning needs.

Main areas of practice

Joanna has a broad range of experience in general commercial and civil claims and specialist knowledge of post-completion disputes (principally claims for breach of warranty, restrictive covenants and expert determinations of deferred consideration payments), shareholder disputes, professional negligence (principally against legal or financial advisors), contentious intellectual property matters (including trademark and design right infringement) and special educational or additional learning needs.

Clients

Joanna advises a wide range of public and private sector clients on commercial disputes. She is regularly instructed by local authorities, health boards, NHS England and Welsh Government alongside charities and private companies. She has significant experience of advising clients in the care, aviation, fashion and renewable energy industries in relation to shareholder and other corporate disputes and those specialising in security, visual arts, electronics, beauty, agricultural machinery, food and furnishings in relation to intellectual property matters.

Expertise

Career

Joanna read Law with French at the University of Wales Aberystwyth and l’Université Lumiere in Lyon. She then completed a Masters in European Politics before attending Law School at Cardiff University.

Joanna has been with the firm since 2006. She is a Trustee and Co-Chair of g39, an artist led contemporary art gallery and studio space in Cardiff, and Lead Governor for safeguarding at the prestigious Cathedral School Llandaff.

Contact details
Accreditations

Significant Experience

  • Pursuing a claim of over £2 million for unlawful termination and breach of exclusivity through international arbitration and securing third party funding to enable the client to do so.
  • Representing the Interim Manager of a religious charity appointed by the Charity Commission of England and Wales in a professional negligence claim against the auditor, valued in excess of £2 million.
  • Advising NHS England in relation to both the Infected Blood and Covid-19 Public Inquiries which led to an advisory role for a witness to the Post Office Inquiry.
  • Commercial Secondment to Philips Electronics (UK) Limited as in-house Counsel for the Healthtech division to include representing Philips at Consortium meetings relating to the revolutionary Staffordshire Cancer Care tender worth £1.2billion.
  • Leading on procedural aspects of a claim between two NHS bodies for fraudulent misrepresentation worth £2million.
  • Leading a team on the procedural aspects of a multi-million-pound claim for declarations from the High Court of the rent to be paid for a significant redevelopment site which settled at mediation.
  • Recovering £1.9 million in Deferred Consideration through a contractual expert determination procedure and advising on various Completion Account disputes, one of which led to a subsequent professional negligence claim against the client’s financial advisors.
  • Advising Zip World on a number of commercial disputes, including the recovery of c.£1m through the liquidation of a supplier as a result of a Charge obtained over the principal commercial property.
  • Advancing and defending injunction applications on behalf of the Welsh Ministers in proceedings brought by the Billy Graham Evangelistical Association in relation to the cancellation of their UK Tour date at the International Convention Centre Wales.
  • Advancing and defending injunction applications at the Court of Appeal on behalf of a National Plc in enforcing restrictive covenants following a share sale.
  • Advancing and defending injunction applications on behalf of a Welsh local health board in High Court proceedings brought by a suspended employee in relation to the disciplinary procedure being followed.
  • Dealing with a wide variety of disputes relating to the infringement of intellectual property rights (primarily trademarks, design rights and copyright). Regularly advising on both issuing and responding to cease and desist letters and requests for undertakings in relation to obligations of confidentiality and allegations of infringement.
  • Frequently dealing with disputes relating to breach of confidentiality and misuse of confidential information including long running proceedings on behalf of a NHS Local Health Board against a former employee threatening to disclose confidential patient information.
  • Advising Local Authorities and educational establishments in relation to Special Educational Needs or Additional Learning Needs appeals and disability discrimination claims.
  • Successfully appealing a decision of the Mental Health Tribunal for Wales to the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Welsh Government and responding to the appeal to the Supreme Court which resulted in a leading decision on the Deprivation of Liberty.
  • Pursuing a claim through to the Court of Appeal arising out of a post-completion dispute for breach of warranty and negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Quotes


Joanna Corbett-Simmons has a very bright future ahead of her.

Legal 500, 2025

Joanna Corbett-Simmons is a 'highly proficient litigator' and regularly handles breaches of confidential information and copyright claims.

Legal 500, 2021

Joanna Corbett-Simmons continues to develop a strong contentious IP offering, particularly on behalf of clients bringing or defending claims relating to copyright, trade mark and design rights.

Legal 500, 2022

Insights by Joanna


articles

20 January - Joanna Corbett-Simmons

Estyn recently released (11 December 2024) its second thematic review into the implementation and embedding of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 (ALNET) and the accompanying...

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articles

14 August - Joanna Corbett-Simmons

From cowboy boots and friendship bracelets to copyright and trade marks, Taylor Swift truly is a Mastermind when it comes to protecting her brand image and captivating a huge fan...

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articles

17 November - Joanna Corbett-Simmons

The keys to success for in-house lawyers were on the agenda when Andrew Davies spoke to Blake Morgan. As part of the Counsel+ In-House Insights series of interviews, The General...

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