Alan Collins is one of the best known and most experienced solicitors in the field of child abuse litigation and has acted in many high profile cases, including the Jimmy Savile and Haut de la Garenne abuse scandals.Alan has represented interested parties before public inquiries including the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, and IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse). He was the advocate to the People's Tribunal which presented its report on sexual abuse to the UK Parliament (in 2016).Internationally, Alan works in Australia, South East Asia, Uganda, Kenya, and California representing clients in high profile sexual abuse cases. Alan also spoke at the Third Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok hosted by Unicef and HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law).He also specialises in serious personal injury cases including head and spinal injury claims.Due to Alan’s expertise and experience he is sought after by individuals for high profile and complex cases. These include; seeking compensation for child migrants from the UK sent to Australia and Southern Rhodesia in the 1950’s and 60’s, representing the former residents of Les Chenes secure school for teenagers in Jersey in seeking redress for the abuse they suffered whilst in the schools care, and representing and advising those affected by the widely reported and high profile Windrush scandal.Alan joined Hugh James as a partner in December 2014 and leads a team of specialist abuse solicitors. He qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and later became a solicitor-advocate allowing him to act for his clients in the higher courts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He has considerable experience of both criminal and civil litigation. Alan is also a qualified mediator.Alan is a regular media contributor on serious personal injury and child abuse issues. He has regularly appeared on BBC and ITN news, ABC, CNN, NBC, and Sky News programmes, also BBC Radio 4's "Today", and "PM"; Radio 5; BBC and ITV regional television and radio, Australian radio, and US, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Danish television.Alan is a regular speaker at conferences on legal issues including: APIL; La Trobe University; National Crime Agency; University of Wales; Law Society of Scotland; Strathclyde University; and Dyfed-Powys Police.Alan is a fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and a director for the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL). ACAL is a support group set up by solicitors and other professionals involved in the field of obtaining compensation for victims of abuse.
Hugh James
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Mark Harvey is a Partner in the claimant division. He has obtained compensation for many individual victims of common but defective consumer products as well as victims of accidents overseas and arising out of travel generally.Mark is the court appointed lead solicitor coordinating over 1,000 claimants in a group litigation order (GLO) arising out of the recall and health alert relating to the French manufacturer’s PIP silicone breast implants. He is also the lead solicitor in the Wright Medical Conserve metal on metal hip GLO as well as a member of the claimants’ steering committees in both the Pinnacle and Zimmer metal on metal hip GLOs. He is responsible for leading claims concerning various injuries and complaints from medical devices. He negotiated a settlement protocol for patients who alleged visual problems from their cataract remedial intraocular lenses as well as obtaining compensation for one individual who complained of a defective hip prosthesis, and another who suffered injury from a piece of aircraft furniture in a first class cabin. He is currently investigating new claims relating to hearing implants and two other cataract remedial intraocular lenses complaints.Mark has represented victims in many travel disasters, including Zeebrugge, Clapham, P&O Lifeboat accident in Cherbourg, the Maidenhead rail fire and the Ufton Nervet rail crossing accident. He was a member of the Steering Committees for both the Southall and Ladbroke Grove rail crashes. He is currently representing the passengers and driver of the Edwards’ Coaches bus crash in Switzerland who are pursuing claims against the Swiss insurers of the lorry that caused the accident.Mark successfully concluded claims on behalf of the foreign victims of an air accident concerning four separate countries and obtained Euro compensation for the foreign victims of an explosion at sea this time involving three separate countries and their jurisdictions. He is helping British citizens with accidents they sustained in various European and African countries as well as providing expert advice to and representation of clients of lawyers from overseas jurisdictions.He represented the first professional rugby player to successfully sue another for an incident arising from an international rugby game when he represented Wales professional forward Ricky Evans in suing Oliver Merle of France following a France versus Wales rugby game. He negotiated substantial compensation for another first class rugby player who suffered a career ending injury after losing an eye in a rugby match. He continues to lecture extensively on sports related injuries as well as harmful products and overseas accident law.ExpertiseDisaster claimsAccidents abroadProduct liabilityProfessional negligenceGroup action claimsMark is former President of Cardiff & District Law Society, past member of the Civil Justice Council and is past secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). He is also one of the two UK Governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ); Co-Chair of their International Practice Section and a Fellow of APIL. Mark was recently accredited by APIL as accidents and illnesses abroad specialist and was appointed an assessor to the same scheme.
Polly is a Partner in the Neurolaw team and specialises in supporting clients and their families who have suffered life changing injuries, such as brain injuries (adults and children), spinal cord injuries and amputations. Over the past 20 years Polly has also represented bereaved families as a result of road death. The impact of serious injury and road death is a passionate cause for Polly, who over the last 20 years, has form closed bonds with the families she has supported, but also the support services available to these families through the criminal justice system. As such, Polly is a keen supporter of road safety charities and offers her time to train Police Family Liaison Officers on civil law and how to support families during such difficult times. Polly is happy to travel and visit clients and their families at times and locations which suit them and leads a friendly, accessible and experienced legal team to help these clients at a pace which suits the needs of the client.