City law firm to rebrand after co-founder demands name be stripped

Harris Pogust, co-founder of Pogust Goodhead, a City-based law firm that represented the largest group claim against mining giant BHP, has announced he will have his name removed from the firm following legal action against his clients. Pogust, who served as chairman of the firm for six years, filed a cease-and-desist order to have his name removed after the firm began legal proceedings against its own clients in the Mariana case.

In a LinkedIn post, Pogust expressed his frustration with the firm's actions, stating that the client committee had no authority to transfer the claims of hundreds of thousands of people who had individual contracts with the firm. He criticized the firm for filing a claim form demanding relief for people who had lost everything, including their homes, due to one of the worst environmental disasters in Brazilian history.

Pogust noted that he was embarrassed to have his name associated with the firm's legal actions and stated that he would no longer be associated with the firm. Harris Pogust, who stepped down from his role as chairman last year and no longer participates in English proceedings in the case against BHP, emphasized that the firm has moved on from its former leadership and should change its name accordingly.

A spokesperson for Pogust Goodhead confirmed that the firm intends to move away from the Pogust Goodhead name and that Harris Pogust has had no involvement in the management or operation of the firm for approximately three years. The firm's former CEO, Thomas Goodhead, co-founded the firm in 2018 but was later ousted.