William Byrne

Business, costs, PI and regulatory.

Civil

Will is instructed by both claimants and defendants in a wide range of personal injury cases. He has dealt with road traffic, employers’ and occupiers’ liability claims, increasingly at the level of fast track and above. He has considerable experience of credit hire, low velocity impact, and issues arising out of portal claims. He represents interested parties at inquests and claimants in criminal injuries claims.

Drawing on his experience in dealing with road traffic cases in the civil courts, Will maintains a niche practice in appearing for defendants charged with motor offences in the both the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. He deals with all charges including dangerous and careless driving, speeding, driving whilst impaired through drink or drugs, and section 172 notices. He is often called upon to make exceptional hardship and special reasons arguments.

Business

Will's practice encompasses a broad spectrum of business-related work. He has dealt with multi-day corporate disputes including consumer and commercial contracts, Sale of Goods Act claims, theft of business information, breach of covenants, and injunctions. His work extends to both corporate and personal insolvency, possession matters, and he has experience of consumer credit including PPI claims. Outside of work in the civil courts, Will is also instructed in cases in other forums, such as in the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal, and the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber.

Costs

Will is instructed in costs and litigation funding cases. He appears for both paying and receiving parties at detailed costs hearings. He has developed proficiency in the recent civil justice reforms and is often instructed to argue discrete costs points, for example within portal claims, on costs budgeting and provisional assessments.

CASES

Nigel Frank International Limited v Peter Byrne (2012) Appeared for the successful claimants in this five day case involving breaches of employment contract, restrictive covenant, and duty of confidence. 

R v Michael Mount (2012) [Independent Newspaper Report] Appeared for the appellant in this case, widely reported in national newspapers as ‘Peterlee police torture’. The appellant’s conviction was overturned on appeal. 

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Prosecutor v Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj (Judgement 2008; Partial Retrial 2011-2012)As part of the prosecution team at the first trial.

Proseuctor v Popović et al. (The “Srebrenica Seven”) (Judgement 2010; Appeal Ongoing)  As part of the defence teams of Ljubomir Borovčanin at trial, and for Milan Gvero on appeal.

Universities of Nottingham and Gottingen, Germany (2002 BA Hons Law with European Law); University of Northumbria (2006 BVC; 2007 LLM Advanced Legal Practice (Distinction)). University prizes: Lexis Prize, University of Northumbria (2006 – awarded to the BVC student who achieves the highest mark of the year in the legal research examination); Law Graduates’ Association Moot Prize, University of Nottingham (2002 – for the best competitor in the final of the Moot Competition); Punch Coomaraswamy Prize, University of Nottingham (2002 – given to a student who has made an outstanding contribution to the life, work and well-being of the School of Law and to its capacity to operate successfully as a multicultural community.