Nicholas Heathcote Williams QC

Barrister Profile

Nicholas Heathcote Williams was called to the Bar in 1976, following which he served as an Infantry Officer in the Army (Royal Green Jackets) from 1977–1980. He has been in practice at 12 King’s Bench Walk since 1980. Nicholas took silk in 2006. His main areas of expertise are :-

Personal Injury predominantly involving matters of particular substance & complexity. Examples include:
- Cases involving exposure over long periods, such as chemical exposure, repetitive strain injury & stress at work claims
- Catastrophic injury cases, such as serious brain & spinal injuries, quadraplegia & paraplegia
- Cases of serious psychiatric injury
- Cases involving syndromes of disputed nature & causation, e.g. chronic fatigue syndrome & fibromyalgia.

Liability of Local Authorities and Local Education Authorities and their Insurers for non personal injury e.g. misfeasance in public office.

Clinical & Professional Negligence work

Insurance Litigation - including a speciality in Road Traffic Insurance & non-Insurance (the not always clear, comprehensive or mutually consistent systems for compensating the victims of uninsured drivers under the Road Traffic Act and under the Motor Insurer’s Bureau Uninsured & Untraced Drivers Schemes), and the compliance or non compliance of these systems with the European Directives on Motor Insurance and now the Human Rights Act.

He also undertakes work in other fields where there is overlap with his main areas of practice. Examples include criminal cases of death by dangerous driving and environmental & health & safety offences.

Nick has taught advocacy, prosecuted for the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Council & regularly lectures on Road Traffic Insurance & Non Insurance. He was appointed Assistant Recorder in 1999, and has been a Recorder since 2000. Nick is a member of the Management Committee of Chambers, an advocacy trainer for the Inner Temple, and a member of the Conduct Committee of the Bar.

His interests include most sports, particularly cricket (member of MCC) and skiing, and art, cinema and reading, particularly literature and current affairs.

Qualifications

MA (Law) St Catharine’s College, Cambridge Briggs’ Open Scholar

Professional Membership

Personal Injuries Bar Association
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association

Interesting Cases

Mitchell v Department for Transport & Others [2006] EWCA 928 - whether highway authority's duty to maintain the highway includes a duty to deal with flooding.

Aer Lingus plc v Gildacroft Ltd & Sentinal Lifts Ltd Court of Appeal [2006] 1 WLR 1173 - when cause of action under Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 accrues for purpose of limitation.

Thacker v Steeples & MIB Master Lush (Court of Protection) and Cox J (QBD) 16 May 2005 - whether MIB a reasonably secure provider under the new periodical payments regime. Form of reverse indemnity in respect of statutory funded care.

Price v Price Court of Appeal, 2004 PIQR P6 - whether refusal of extension of time for service of Particulars of Claim in context of personal injury action contrary to Claimant's Article 6 rights.