Weightmans LLP

Tom is an established member of Weightmans' professional negligence and insurance disputes team based in Newcastle. Although based in Newcastle, Tom acts for clients across the country.

In the last five publications of the Legal 500, Tom has been ranked as a Tier 1 "rising star" and described as a "calm and methodical" solicitor with "excellent client care" and "wise beyond his years – a very good lawyer who is prepared to put in all the hours to get to the final article". Considered "very attuned to his clients' needs" and “the go-to name for construction disputes”, Tom is considered by his clients to have “exceptional ability to analyse cases and plan strategies. For the last 2 years, he is also listed in Tier 1 National for Professional Discipline work and described as “very competent in managing a diverse team and keeping the clients focused on the issues”.

The mainstay of Tom's current practice involves complex professional negligence construction disputes, with a particular focus on cladding and related façade claims arising in the wake of the Grenfell Tower Disaster. As well as being instructed on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry itself for one of the Core Participants, Tom has also assisted various professionals involved in disputes concerning allegedly defective cladding/façade products, including one of the ‘top-20 cases to watch for 2024’ as well as acting on associated recovery actions. In the Legal 500 2022, Tom was described as "the name to note for this type of work".

Alongside this, Tom has a burgeoning practice in disciplinary/regulatory and alternative forums work, and is currently acting on various matters before disciplinary bodies, public inquiries, appeal panels and the Bullock Independent Fire Review. Tom has also recently taken a regulatory prosecution to trial on a previously untested point of law, obtaining a favourable result for the client, and has been instructed on a number of novel, construction-based Judicial Reviews.

Tom also continues to be instructed on a broader range of disputes spanning the traditional and emerging professions and is regularly instructed by a wide range of insurers, and other clients.