John Flint

John helps people and businesses resolve disputes

John is a partner and commercial disputes lawyer in the commercial & private client litigation team specialising in complex high profile commercial litigation and business disputes in particular director, shareholder and partnership disputes; professional negligence claims; defamation and reputation management; contractual disputes, international disputes and arbitration injunctions, fraud and asset recovery.

John’s expertise includes working with owners, directors and shareholders of PLCs, medium and small businesses and major Financial Institutions across manufacturing, financial services, retail and leisure, renewable energy, sport and technology sectors. He regularly advises business owners on how to resolve commercial and business disputes quickly, pragmatically and cost effectively. He has over 25 years of commercial litigation experience.

John joined Clarke Willmott in 2016 after working at Ford and Warren (now Weightmans LLP) Leeds from 1996 – 2014 (becoming a Partner in 2000) and Linder Myers LLP Manchester from 2014 – 2016.

John is on the legal advisory panel for the Institute of Directors, Professional Negligence Lawyers Association, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Pro-Manchester.

“John has great technical knowledge and an excellent grasp of the commercial realities of our business and we are grateful for his advice and guidance during this difficult period. I certainly would not hesitate in recommending him.” – Client

“John Flint has developed an extremely strong team in Manchester. Clarke Wilmott has very good commercial lawyers at all levels.” – The Legal 500, 2025

“John Flint’s knowledge is razor sharp and he is ruthlessly efficient. His advice is precise, clear and risks are fully explained. You are in good hands with him representing your case.” – The Legal 500, 2023

Experience

• Successfully acted for a former founder and CEO (Martin Penny) of a world renowned hair styling brand (ghd) in an unfair prejudice petition brought against Montagu Private Equity following his ousting from the company after a board room coup. The case proceeded to a 15 week trial in Manchester High Court;
• A high profile defamation case (Levi v Bates 2008) where he acted for the former Director of a premiership football club, who had been publicly defamed by the new owner. The case proceeded to a 2 week trial in the RCJ and the client recovered substantial damages; the case received national reporting
• Acted for a Turkish and German mega-yacht builder in both an Admiralty Arbitration and High Court defamation case. The arbitration case involved a complex series of interlocking contracts for the building of 4 luxury mega-yachts, and damages for breach of contract were claimed at in excess of £10m. He was also acted in an associated defamation action in the High Court which included a claim for special damages in excess of €135m. The case proceeded to a 3 day mediation in London;
• Acted for NUM in a contractual dispute with their former high profile general secretary, Arthur Scargill. The matter proceeded to a High Court Trial in 2019 in which the NUM recovered substantial damages and received national media coverage;
• Acted for a national food manufacturer in a claim brought by a competitor alleging theft of trade secrets and confidential information and breach of restrictive covenants. Further alleged breaches of undertaking led to High Court committal proceedings;
• Lead a dedicated team for 10 years instructed by the captive finance house of a world renowned luxury car manufacturer to deliver a wide range of asset protection, recovery and collection services;
• Acted for a global haulage company in a dispute with a South African oil tanker manufacturer and the Department of Transport over a defective fleet of oil tankers.

Articles written by John

• Manchester Dispute Pilot “Could Be A Game Changer”
• Smaller companies must be able to fight commercial disputes
• Shifting attitudes to the duty of good faith
• Can Third-Party Funding Help Resolve the Financial Risks Involved in Commercial Litigation Disputes?
• It’s Not Just a Load of ‘Wagatha’ – What Directors Can Learn from Celebrity Defamation Cases