Peter Hale

Peter’s comprehensive understanding of serious personal injury and clinical negligence claims extends to those involving chronic pain or somatoform disorders, spinal injuries, brain injuries and amputations. He also has experience of dealing with claims involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty and fraud.

Peter is regularly instructed to appear or advise in claims involving road traffic accidents, employers’ liability / workplace accidents, public / occupiers’ liability and Highways Act claims.

Recent instructions have included claims involving a fall from height, accidents on construction sites and a serious road traffic accident involving a traumatic brain injury with a risk of epilepsy.

As a result of his previous work within the International & Travel sector, Peter has a great deal of experience in claims brought under the Brussels IA Recast Regulation and claims where the applicable law under Rome II is not English law. He has worked on claims involving accidents in France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Dubai, Bermuda and the United States. He is no stranger to jurisdiction challenges, including Forum Non Conveniens and is well-versed in interpreting expert evidence on foreign law. He has also worked on maritime claims within the Admiralty Court involving the application of the Athens Convention and the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims.

Peter has recently been instructed to act in claims involving the Package Travel Regulations, holiday sickness and foreign Road Traffic Accidents, acting for injured claimants as well as tour operators and travel agents.

Peter studied European Union law at a postgraduate level in France, speaks fluent French and is able to work with evidence in other European languages, including German and Spanish.

Peter is familiar with all areas of industrial disease including noise-induced hearing loss, freezing and non-freezing cold injuries and asbestos-related disease. He currently acts as part of a team of barristers in chambers representing several hundred current and ex-members of HM Armed Forces who sustained injuries following prolonged exposure to cold conditions.

Peter has also recently been instructed as junior counsel on a living mesothelioma claim involving an international dimension.

Peter has a busy RTA practice and has acted for both claimants and defendants in cases involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty, staged accidents and fraudulent claims.

Peter regularly secures dismissals of claims which are contested on the grounds of medical causation and has recently secured adverse costs orders against unsuccessful claimants.

Peter is currently instructed by a number of former service personnel in High Court claims against the Ministry of Defence for injuries sustained through prolonged cold exposure.

Peter has spent considerable time on Army and RAF bases and is familiar with Armed Forces structure, training and operations which enables him to get to grips with such cases with ease.

During pupillage, Peter was supervised by former British Army Tank Commander and Intelligence Officer Major (Ret’d) Thomas Banks which gave him additional insight into military claims.

Peter is regularly instructed in claims for vehicle damage and credit hire charges. Peter is an expert when it comes to liability disputes and often achieves the impossible, winning cases thought by instructing solicitors to be unwinnable. Peter’s ability to understand accident mechanics enables him to forensically deconstruct and explain accidents in court even where limited objective evidence is available. During pupillage, Peter worked under supervision on a high value multi-track claim involving a multi-vehicle multi-collision motorway pile-up in which a total dismissal against the Second Defendant was ultimately secured.

Peter is particularly well-suited to credit hire claims involving difficult quantum arguments and is well-versed in all of the relevant case law. He provides sensible and sound advice from the outset of instructions in order to ensure that claims are resolved on the best possible terms or, failing that, routinely achieves the best possible outcome at trial. For example, Peter  recently secured the dismissal of a high value credit hire claim on the basis of misrepresentation.

Costs work is an inherent part of Peter’s busy court practice, and he is well-versed in matters such as costs budgeting, CCMCs, budget variation, summary assessments and interim applications.

Peter has also advised on applications for non-party costs orders and enforcement of cost orders.

Recent cases include defending an application for pre-allocation costs in the fixed costs regime, securing a wasted costs ‘show cause’ order against solicitors in a personal injury claim and obtaining an order for payment of costs by a former personal injury claimant who had breached the terms of his solicitors’ CFA.

BPTC (Very Competent), City University
Maitrise en Droit (Droit Européen), Université de Rennes I
LLB Law (European) Hons (Exon)
Inner Temple Major Exhibition Award (BPTC)
Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award

Member of the Personal Injuries Bar Association