East Anglia law firm Birketts has helped a commercial client take his case all the way to the UK Supreme Court – and win.

Birketts, which has offices in Ipswich, Chelmsford, Cambridge and Norwich, acted in the case of Wood v Capita Insurance Services, in which judgment was handed down yesterday.

The case involved a dispute between Birketts’ client, a Mr Wood, and Capita over the interpretation of an indemnity clause included in a contract when Sureterm Direct Ltd, a specialist insurance broker, was sold to Capita in 2010.

Capita won its case at the first hearing but this was overturned by a unanimous decision by the Court of Appeal and although, Capita was given permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court, the judgment again went unanimously in Mr Wood’s favour.

Birketts represented Mr Wood throughout the proceedings – a relatively rare example of a provincial law firm being involved in a Supreme Court case.

Paul Matthews, a partner in Birketts’ dispute resolution team, said: “I am delighted with the court’s decision, which not only provides some very helpful commentary on what has become a vexed area for contract lawyers, but was also an outcome which my client thoroughly deserved.

“Our appellate courts can be a challenging arena for a private individual, given the costs incurred and risked, so Mr Wood deserves great credit for holding his nerve and having faith in the wisdom and insight of our appellate judges.”