Experience
Peter's employment practice includes unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, wages and contractual disputes. He has acted for both employees and employers, including a Russell Group university in proceedings brought by a lecturer and a civil servant in a successful contractual and payment claim against the Home Office.Peter's clinical negligence practice includes complex and sensitive claims involving alleged failures in psychological treatment and safeguarding. He has experience of coordinating multi-disciplinary legal teams and advising clients in cases attracting public and media attention.
Peter has extensive experience of personal injury litigation, including employers' and public liability claims, road traffic accidents, industrial disease, hazardous substance exposure, fraud, low velocity impact disputes and credit hire. He is accustomed to analysing detailed medical and expert evidence, advising on liability and quantum, and appearing in contested trials.
Peter has appeared at inquests arising from industrial disease, road traffic accidents and deaths in hospital. His experience includes advising bereaved families on the proper scope of the Coroner's investigation and distinguishing evidential findings from speculation. He is familiar with Article 2 ECHR, Interested Person status, disclosure, juries and evidential issues at inquests.
Alongside oral advocacy, Peter regularly undertakes written advocacy, including pleadings, applications, grounds of appeal and detailed written advices. He is used to working to short deadlines and prioritising urgent instructions where limitation or time-limited offers require a prompt response.
Peter is Honorary Legal Advisor to the Liverpool & District Cricket League and has experience of sports disciplinary and regulatory matters. Outside work, Peter is Welfare Officer and a veterans team captain of Liverpool Ramblers Football Club. He was captain of the Liverpool Barristers Cricket Team from 2009 to 2017, is a lifelong Oldham Athletic supporter and enjoys chess. Before coming to the Bar, he taught English in Shaoxing, China, and worked in IT.
Recent Cases
- Home Office contractual dispute - Successful claim for a civil servant in a pay and contractual dispute. Peter was instructed from the outset, advised on the contractual issues, drafted the statements of case, assisted with the evidence and quantified the claim. The matter proceeded to trial and damages were awarded.
- Employment - Acted for Liverpool University in Employment Tribunal proceedings brought by a lecturer, involving unfair dismissal and discrimination issues and detailed cross-examination of academic witnesses.
- Clinical negligence - Advising in a complex and sensitive claim concerning alleged negligent psychological treatment and safeguarding in connection with gender dysphoria and life-changing surgery, including the coordination of a wider legal team.
- Hazardous substance exposure - Instructed in an industrial disease/personal injury claim concerning alleged poisoning following exposure to hazardous chemicals used in cleaning-product production.
- Road traffic fraud and fundamental dishonesty – Regularly instructed in personal injury claims arising where fraud and fundamental dishonesty alleged.
- Coroner's Inquest - Represented a bereaved family at an inquest where a central issue was whether a death on an unlit road resulted from a road traffic collision or suicide, requiring careful analysis of the factual and expert evidence and sensitive advice to the family.
- Road traffic and personal injury litigation - Regularly instructed in contested RTA and other personal injury claims involving liability, causation and quantum, including cases concerning fraud, low velocity impact, credit hire, employers' liability and public liability.