Biography

Alastair is head of our award-winning abuse team. He has over 25 years’ experience of defending sensitive non-recent claims on behalf of insurers, schools, charities, sporting clubs and other public and private organisations, both insured and uninsured.

Alastair has extensive experience in the coordination and defence of group actions. He was involved in both the North Wales and North West group actions, the outcomes of which form the basis of much of the relevant law in abuse claims. He advises upon related issues including policy interpretation and reputation management. Alastair also provides analysis and strategic advice on the management of entire claim portfolios.

Alastair recently led Barclays Bank and its insurers in its successful appeal to the Supreme Court within the Dr Gordon Bates group litigation. That precedent-setting judgment reaffirmed the fundamental legal principle that vicarious liability cannot lie for the actions of an independent contractor. He is now heavily involved in many high-profile cases relating to abuse in football, coordinating a large coinsurer market as well as dealing with individual claims.

Alastair has appeared as an expert in the defence of abuse claims before IICSA on three separate occasions. He is an active member of the specialist FOIL Abuse sector focus team and was involved in drafting the defendant stakeholder abuse-specific pre-action protocol which was then submitted to the CPRC for its consideration.

Alastair is named as a Leading Individual in the 2020 edition of the Legal 500 Directory.

Experience

• GB -v-Stoke City FC [2015] All ER (D) 27 - successful vicarious liability defence in high-profile claim
• AB & Others -v-Nugent Care [2009] EWCA Civ 827 - precedent-setting 100+ claimant group action
• KR -v-Others -v-RSA [2006] EWCA Civ 1454 - successful application of deliberate act exception
• Various -v-Bryn Alyn (1) RSA (2) [2003] 3 WLR 107 - precedent-setting North Wales group action
• Presently acting for a major financial institution in a 130-claimant group action in the Court of Appeal
• Presently acting for numerous football clubs in defence of many non-recent abuse claims
• Acting for prominent independent schools in a number of multi-million pound claims
• Acting for police in the defence of high-profile child sexual exploitation claims
• Acting for insurers as core participant in the Accountability & Reparation investigation within IICSA
• Acting for a religious order in the defence of numerous claims relating to their former schools
• Involved in drafting and advising upon development of pre-action protocol for abuse claims

Affiliations

Member of the Law Society

Member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL)

Member of FOIL’s specialist abuse claims sector focus team

Member of IRLA

Member of several steering groups within the Historic Abuse Lawyers Forum (HALF)