Kathryn is a Partner and Head of the Workplace Disease and Illness department which is ranked as a top tier firm for the work carried out. Kathryn leads a team of industrial disease specialists with an emphasis upon delivering a high level of specialist advice in multiple high value disease illness claims and complex group litigation.
Kathryn has over 20 years’ experience acting for clients in personal injury claims and in high profile group litigation work and has a specific expertise in leading complex industrial disease group litigation and managing volume teams expertly to achieve notable results.
Kathryn has successfully negotiated countless personal injury claims and succeeded at trial and recovered millions of pounds in compensation for her clients throughout England and Wales over the last 20 years for claims including vibration white finger, industrial noise induced hearing loss, lung cancer, skin cancer and respiratory illness claims which include occupational asthma.
Kathryn has a national reputation for industrial disease work and is ranked by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 and is described as:
“Leading the industrial disease offering that continues to achieve outstanding results for workers, both domestically and abroad and is exceptionally experienced in group litigation”.
“An outstanding litigator with considerable group action experience and ability”
“Highly regarded for her deft handling of group action claims. She is known for representing claimants suffering respiratory disease and skin cancer”.
Kathryn is a lead solicitor appointed by the High Court in multiple group litigation claims and was a lead solicitor appointed by the High Court in the high-profile group litigation on behalf of hundreds of former workers at a Phurnacite Plant in South Wales. Kathryn was also the lead solicitor in litigation against British Telecom resulting in admissions of excessive exposure to noise to their workers through use of certain types of equipment given to their work force which was of nationwide significance.
Kathryn’s cases have been widely reported in the national press and Kathryn has often appeared in the media concerning her claims and wider occupational disease litigation matters and her cases are also reported in the Civil Procedure White Book and advance important legal issues surrounding group litigation and disease illness claims.
Kathryn is also passionate about the long-term care of her clients and is a regular attendee at cross party health meetings and in seeking continuing health care advances.
Work history
As well as working in industrial injury claims Kathryn also has extensive experience of employment accident at work claims and spent the early part of her career assisting the Royal College of Nursing in personal injury actions and undertaking pro bono work.
Kathryn became a partner at Hugh James in 2012 after joining in 2005. She qualified as a solicitor in 2003.
Kathryn has a passion for seeking justice and helping those who through no fault of their own have suffered the most unimaginable pain and suffering.
Notabale cases
- Jones and others v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Coal Products Limited [ 2012] EWHC 2936 (QB), [2012] 3647 (QB); [2013] EWHC 1023 (QB) and [2013] EWHC 2484 (QB)
- Pearce and others v Secretary of State for Business [2018] EWHC 2009 (QB); [2015] EWHC 3775 (QB)
- Hutson and others v Tata Steel UK Limited [2016] EWHC 3031 (QB); [2017] EWHC 2647 (QB) ; [2018] EWHC 107 (QB) ; [2019] EWHC 1608 (QB)
- Dalton v British Telecommunications Plc [2015] EWHC 616 (QB)
- Watkins and others v British Telecommunications Plc [2012] SCCO 1102903
Memberships
- Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)