Sonali has a broad civil litigation practice. She has experience across a range of areas including personal injury, credit hire, fraud, property damage, costs, inquests, and specialist liability claims. 

Prior to becoming a barrister, Sonali practised as both a self-employed and employed advocate, appearing in over 1,000 hearings. This extensive court experience provided her with a strong foundation in advocacy, case preparation, and client representation across a wide variety of civil disputes. 

During pupillage at 8DB, Sonali gained experience across multiple practice areas and regularly appeared in fast-track liability and quantum trials, small claims trials, and interlocutory applications. Alongside her advocacy practice, she developed a strong drafting and advisory practice, preparing pleadings, applications, witness statements, and advice. 

Sonali has a particular interest in personal injury, property damage, costs, and specialist liability matters, including data breach claims. Her background in engineering provides her with strong analytical and technical skills, enabling her to engage effectively with complex evidence, expert reports, and large volumes of documentation, and to deliver clear, practical, and persuasive advice to clients. 

Featured experience:

• Credit hire fast track trial (quantum only): Acting for the defendant in a fast-track credit hire trial. Through detailed preparation and effective cross-examination, secured concessions from the claimant on impecuniosity, resulting in a substantial reduction in the hire claim and significant savings for the defendant. The defendant also obtained a judgment more advantageous than its Part 36 offer.
• Drafting - strike out / summary judgment application: Assisting in a high-value data protection claim by drafting an application for strike out and/or summary judgment. Following the application, the claimant accepted deficiencies in the claim and sought to amend it, reducing the maximum value claimed to £25,000. 
• Employers' liability and occupiers' liability claims:
  • Advising on EL and OL claims, analysing liability, causation, and evidential issues to provide practical and commercially focused advice. Her work has contributed to favourable settlements in matters where the defendant's liability position was challenging, helping to protect clients' interests and minimise litigation risk. 
  • In a disputed liability trial, her effective cross-examination undermined key aspects of the claimant's evidence, resulting in the claim being dismissed 
• Property damage advice: Drafting detailed property damage advice both independently and in support of supervising barristers