Pogust Goodhead

Pogust Goodhead (formerly PGMBM and SPG Law) is a British law firm, headquartered in London, England. It is a class-action law firm that has won notable settlements for consumer claims. Pogust Goodhead focuses on environmental law, consumer protection, and human rights. In December 2024, it was announced that co-founder Harris Pogust had left the firm.

 History 
In 2018, Thomas Goodhead and Harris Pogust founded SPG Law, a claimant law firm in Liverpool, England.SPG Law sat under US parent firm Sanders Phillips Grossman and specialised in group litigation related to consumer, pharmaceutical, and environmental cases.

In 2018, SPG filed a class action lawsuit in British courts against BHP and Vale regarding the Samarco Mariana dam disaster.Close to 700,000 people were represented in the lawsuit. Pogust Goodhead's costs in the case are expected to be around £250 million. The lawsuit against Vale, was £3 billion and includes Dutch litigation boutique Lemstra Van der Korst for its role in this disaster.

In 2020, SPG Law split from Sanders Phillips Grossman to become PGMBM to focus on the wider Latin American market for litigation in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

In 2021 PGMBM launched MyDieselClaim to coordinate efforts against vehicle manufacturers involved in the Dieselgate scandal.  Pogust Goodhead has handled diesel-related cases against Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Citroen, Cupra, DS, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Suzuki,Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Volvo.

In 2022, PGMBM was renamed Pogust Goodhead. The firm gained publicity for winning a part of a £193m settlement from Volkswagen on behalf of 15,000 claimants. In 2022, the firm also opened offices in Rio de Janeiro and San Diego.

MyDieselClaim attracted criticism in 2023 for writing to clients to correct paperwork which has incorrectly stated its fees were capped at 35% of damages rather than 50%.

In February 2024, the firm announced the launch of its Australian office in Sydney.

In October 2023, Pogust Goodhead announced a US$552.5 million financing deal from US-based Gramercy Funds Management to fund high profile environmental group actions including the Mariana dam case. The investment was dubbed "the largest worldwide investment in a law firm". It was subsequently reported that Gramercy stood to earn $135 million per annum from the deal. In November 2024, Pogust Goodhead announced that they had received an further loan from Gramercy Funds Management. 

In July 2024, a UK High Court cut  £343m forcast claimant legal costs by 75% for Dieselgate claims led predominately by Pogust Goodhead, describing their proposed costings as "absurd" and "over-lawyering". 

In October 2024, Pogust Goodhead were accused of trying to use the English judicial system to rewrite Brazilian law. 

In November 2024, Pogust Goodhead denied claims from Brazilian lawyer and former ambassador to the UK and US, Rubens Barbosa, that the Mariana dam case was "a matter of Brazilian sovereignty" and that the case should not be "judged twice" following the Brazilian government settlement of the matter with the mining companies. On 15 November 2024, the High Court ruled that Dieselgate claims could proceed against Mercedes Benz - with Pogust Goodhead and Leigh Day representing claimants. Later that month, Pogust Goodhead announced a redundancy programme, set to affect up to 20% of current staff.

In April 2025, the firm’s financial statements for the 2022 period were filed with Companies House (some 18 months late). The financials confirmed that as of December 2022 the firm owed its creditors £522,449,992. It also confirmed that a £4.2 million loan had been given to its Director (and founder) Thomas Goodhead, which was thereafter written off.

 References 

Category:Law firms
Category:Law firms of the United Kingdom