William Vandyck
- Date of Call: 1988
- Email: vandyck@crownofficechambers.com
Current Practice - Summary
Practice is predominantly personal injury/occupational disease and regulatory work. Founder member of Crown Office Chambers, and part of the team that was awarded Chambers and Partners Personal Injury Set of the Year in 2008. Regularly instructed on large loss claims by insurers such as AXA, Norwich Union (including by Environmental Claims Unit) and Zurich (on Catastrophic Injury Panel). Previously pupil master, and advocate trainer at Lincoln's Inn. Has given evidence to foreign courts as an expert on English personal injury law. Editor of Current Law 1990 onwards
William lives in both London and Cardiff.
Practice
Personal Injury/Occupational Disease
William undertakes all aspects of personal injury and fatal accident work, and disease claims, for both claimants and defendants. On liability he specialises in road traffic, employer and local authority liability work. He deals with catastrophic and fatal injuries, serious orthopaedic injury, psychiatric injury and chronic pain cases, including somatoform pain disorders and more minor injuries. In occupational disease work recent contested cases on liability and quantum have included:
- Workplace stress/harassment; (recent cases include NHS management; Publicans; Office Workers; and a GP's receptionist).
- Asbestos and other lung diseases.
- COSHH, upper limb disorders and noise induced deafness.
Selected cases on liability, causation and procedural matters:
Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services (HL); Causation in mesothelioma claims, at first instance, Court of Appeal and House of Lords.
Collins v Gordon (CA) Vacation of trial date in multi-expert serious brain injury case.
Spencer v Boots (CA) Employer's liability for repetitive work of chemist.
Warner v Huntingdonshire DC (CA) Local authority liability for refuse collector's strain injuries.
Roy v Europ Assistance (CA) Duties owed by insurer in relation to emergency repatriation.
Afzal v Ford Motor Co. (CA) 21 test cases on costs issues.
Jimenez v Southwark (QBD) Stress at work in local authority management.
Numerous High Court and County Court cases on quantum of damages in all above areas.
Regulatory work
William principally deals with criminal regulatory work in the fields of Health and Safety, Food Safety, and Trading Standards. He appears in Crown, Magistrates' and Coroner's courts, as well as doing civil jury work. Cases including:
- Inquest into death by electrocution of marquee erector at Sudeley Castle
- Malicious prosecution and misfeasance/malfeasance in public office claims relating to food safety prosecutions of public houses
- High Court trial of alleged misfeasance in public office over licensing of fish and chip shop
- Property Misdescriptions Act cases, including the recent discontinuance of 16 charges against one of the top three property developing companies in the UK.
- Crown Court trial over validity of certificates for training courses.
- Professional Conduct hearing in relation to conduct of nurses at nursing care home.
- Noise nuisance cases.
Insurance and Professional/Clinical Negligence
He has been instructed in many policy construction and contested indemnity cases related to the above fields. He has also appeared in a number of fire, flood and travel insurance claims. His clinical negligence work has involved orthopaedic, spinal and emergency cases, and he has appeared before dental and medical professional conduct committees. Other professional negligence cases have involved solicitors', barristers' and insurance brokers' negligence.
Publications/Seminars
William regularly takes part in Chambers' nationwide seminar programme. Recent seminars given to solicitors include: Asbestos Litigation; Periodical Payments; Counter Schedules; Highways Liabilities; Harassment, Bullying and Workplace Stress
MEMBERSHIPS
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
- London Common Law Bar Association
- Member of Lincoln's Inn
PUBLICATIONS
- Editor of Current Law since 1990. Work published in BMJ.
- "How to Get Away With Absolutely Anything" (Hodder & Stoughton)
