William Featherby QC

Barrister Profile

The bulk of William’s work is heavy personal injuries litigation, particularly trial work. He is a senior junior in his field and is well known in the personal injuries world. He has been noted as an effective cross-examiner in the legal press. He is featured in the Personal Injury section of Legal Experts and as a leading junior for personal injury in Chambers UK and The Legal 500.

About two-thirds of William’s work is for insurance companies; the rest is for claimants, equally divided between union-backed and other work. The personal injuries work is a combination of accidents at work, industrial and occupational disease, road accidents and clinical negligence. 

William specialises in difficult medical issues, catastrophic injuries (especially brain damage), industrial disease (especially repetitive diseases and asbestos-related disease) and fraud. He is regularly involved in the disposal of claims involving more than £2,500,000 damages. 

William is noted for bringing teams of experts together for the efficient disposal of claims. He is regularly briefed to appear against Silks. 

William is also a specialist in health and safety prosecutions. Recent cases have involved prosecutions arising out of deaths and serious accidents, leading to Crown Court trials. He is noted as an able advocate and tactician in this field. 

William also specialises in legal, medical and professional ethics.

William was appointed a Recorder in 2002.

Qualifications

Trinity College, Oxford (Scholar, MA)

Professional Membership

Personal Injury Bar Association 
Employment Law Bar Association
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association

Interesting Cases

Irvine v. Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2005] EWCA Civ 129 Court of Appeal - costs between claimant and successful co-defendants
Read v. Edmed The Times, 13 December 2004 - Costs implications of Part 36 Offers
Evans v. Pontypridd Roofing [2001] PIQR Q61 Court of Appeal – damages for care
Leete v. Snow [2001] EWCA Civ 902 Court of Appeal – multipliers
Cooke v. Thorne [2001] EWCA Civ 81 Court of Appeal – apportionment of liability
Scholz v. Whitely (2000) Road rage