Partner at Irwin Mitchell
Head of Personal Injury
Leading personal Injury and clinical negligence lawyer. He is partner and national head of the PI division. As such, he is also a member of the firm's management board. His main areas of interest are clinical negligence, product liability, catastrophic injury cases and cases with an international element.
His contribution within the field of personal injury has been recognised by his acceptance as a senior fellow by the College of Personal Injury Law.
He is actively involved in law reform and was the claimant's solicitors representative on the Chief Medical Officer's advisory group dealing with the reform of the law on clinical negligence. He was on the Master of the Rolls working party on structured settlements and is now participating in the Civil Justice Council's clinical negligence and serious personal injury committee.
- Hepworth v Kerr (Medical negligence case in which a patient suffered paralysis after routine ear operation);
- Bird v Hussain (a record award for chronic pain suffered as a result of a road traffic accident);
- Thomas v Charles (head injury sustained abroad. Damages of £750,000 a record award for the Canary Islands);
- Prendergast v Mountaintop Limited (liability established for poor supervision at a dry ski slope);
- Bryan Ward v Newalls Insulations and Cape Contractors (the highest damages award in this country of £750,000 for an asbestos disease case);
- Hodgson & Others v Imperial Tobacco Ltd & Gallaher & Hergall Ltd (acting on behalf of smoking-related lung cancer victims against the major UK tobacco manufacturers. Court of Appeal decision on Conditional Fee Agreements).
Other actions include acting in test cases for industrial deafness and vibration white finger, the latter leading to Irwin Mitchell's involvement in the VWF Solicitor's Steering group and the subsequent £500million settlement scheme with British Coal.
"An inspirational character"
"One of the best around"
Chambers and Partners - 2007/08