Personal Injury
Alex is recommended as a leading junior in personal injury by the Legal 500.
Alex has a wide experience of acting for both claimants and defendants in personal injury litigation. He particularly enjoys cases which involve contested expert evidence, or issues of credibility or fraud. He welcomes the opportunity to get involved in claims at the earliest opportunity and he regularly attends at mediations and joint settlement meetings.
His areas of expertise include:
- Employers’ liability
- Highway and public liability claims
- Road traffic & fraud
- Fatal Accident cases
- Amputation cases
- Brain injury cases
- Spinal injury cases
- Chronic pain syndrome and other related conditions
- Psychiatric injury (e.g. bullying, discrimination, harassment, secondary victim, stress)
- Claims with a travel or international dimension.
Complementary to his personal injury practice, Alex also has extensive experience of related insurance, costs and procedural issues.
Selected Cases
- Needle v Swallowfield [2020] EWHC 2749 (QB) – Alex successfully defended (before HHJ Gore KC) a high value claim brought under the Manual Handling Regulations relating to a hand injury which caused a chronic disabling pain condition. The appeal heard by Lambert J was also successfully resisted.
- Goldscheider v Royal Opera House [2019] EWCA Civ 711 – Alex was instructed by the Royal Opera House (led by David Platt KC) in a ground-breaking claim brought by a viola player alleging acoustic shock caused during a Wagner rehearsal. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2019. The Court of Appeal overturned the trial judge’s finding that hearing protection was mandatory at all times in the orchestra pit.
- Smith v Alaway (April 2018, HHJ Harington, Gloucester CC) – Alex successfully represented a contractor in a multi-party claim arising out of an accident on a construction site. Claim dismissed after two-day trial.
- Graham v Morgans (November 2016) – Alex represented an exclusive London spa which was sued by a customer alleging that a Swedish massage was carried out with excessive force, causing a neck injury. At trial and after cross-examination of the Claimant and the masseuse, the judge concluded that the massage had not been carried out negligently and that the Claimant’s neck pain was probably caused by a constitutional condition.
- Alexander v Freshwater [2012] EWCA Civ 1048 (LTL 27/7/12) – Alex appeared in the Court of Appeal in a high value claim brought by a celebrated jeweller whose finger was severed by a defective door.
- Esdale v Dover DC [2010] EWCA Civ 409 (LTL 7/10/13) – Alex succeeded in the Court of Appeal in an important case establishing that the failure to follow intervention criteria is not determinative of breach of duty in tripping claims under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
News
- Success for Alexander Macpherson in High Court mesothelioma trial
- Success for Alexander Macpherson in £2m infectious disease claim
Articles
- Success for Alexander Macpherson in High Court mesothelioma trial
- Alexander Macpherson represents insurers in tranche of claims considering underpayment of issue fees in NIHL claims
Events
Qualifications
- Astbury Scholar, Middle Temple
- Diploma in Law, City University
- English Literature, Oriel College, Oxford
Memberships
- PIBA
- PNBA
- TECBAR
Recommendations
“He has an incisive ability to get straight to the heart of an issue and is calmly authoritative in conference and in court.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024
“Alexander is forensic and an excellent communicator of complex issues – he is superb at unpicking difficult liability and causation issues.”
Legal 500, 2024
“Alexander is an excellent advocate. His advice is balanced, clear and concise.” “He is a pleasure to work with.” “Alexander has excellent technical knowledge in occupational disease cases.” “He remains calm under pressure and is personable with clients.”
Chambers & Partners, 2023
“Alexander is exceptionally good with complex and novel procedural issues.”
Legal 500, 2023
“He is thorough, robust and can turn around defences and advice very quickly. He is very impressive.”
Chambers & Partners, 2022
“He is able to identify and navigate through challenging causation issues in an effective and pragmatic way.”
Legal 500, 2022
“He is a skilful and thorough cross-examiner.”; “A phenomenally talented individual.”
Chambers & Partners, 2021
“Able to navigate through difficult issues in an effective and pragmatic way.”
Legal 500, 2021
“He’s really good – the quality of his drafting is excellent.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
“He’s a very, very good advocate.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
“He has an impressively deep understanding of areas stretching beyond asbestos diseases, offering enviable expertise in cases involving noise-induced hearing loss and hand-arm vibration syndrome.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
“He excels in cases involving challenging quantum issues and contested expert evidence.“
Legal 500, 2020
