I have worked with Bill Braithwaite QC for 12 years now on many large and complex cases involving clients whose lives have been devastated by accident. Bill always gives the impression that every case that he handles is the most important case. The clients find him sympathetic, honest and approachable.

Bill Braithwaite's team approach in co-ordinating the experts of all disciplines and te legal team, together with his ability to identify clearly the key issues has achieved some outstanding success in the cases that I have done with him. Anyone who has seen him in court will know that he is a brilliant advocate.

From a personal point of view, I have found working with Bill extremely rewarding. He is always approachable and he always gives one the impression that nothing is too much of a problem. The ease with which he approaches the most complicated of claims and his sheer depth of knowledge on every subject is a great source of comfort to those instructing him. More than anything, I have been impressed by Bill's passion to pursue justice for the claimant.

Yasmin Ameer, Ameer Meredith, Cambridge
September 2006

i have last week been to Glan Clwyd hospital for a driving lesson with hand controls and could drive not to badly ! need more lessons before i go onto the road as i dont want to do what was done to me to someone else but its good to drive again and when i can do it myself then ill have proper freedom i feel ! will get a good second hand car to start i think in next couple of weeks and change it in an year for an M3 i think.

went today to Oswestry spinal unit to learn wheelchair skill,s :-) practised controlled wheelies and balance and going down slopes and up steps. did well i think but have a few bruises from falling :-)

i should soon be starting my wheelchair self defence course. my friend Richard wants to take me to meet his Sense first so he can tell us what to do. as i am 6 feet tall and 14 stone i have always felt confident to be able to handle myself in any situation but all that changes when you brake your back and you lose this confidence. ill have it back with Richard and his teaching i think.

women ! well ha ha since my split with former girlfriend who cheated on me when my case was at its hardest i have now another girlfriend and look forward to making a family with her in the future. hope the kids have her brains and my stubbornness ha ha.hope two or three kids to be noisy and trouble ha ha.

i have made good friends in the past few years. _ is one and we regularly go out for a drink and its handy that he runs the bouncers in the clubs around here so i get in free :-)

when i was hurt my world as i knew it ended as did my life i thought for a long time ! i did not want to be here ! but life is so good ! and i am so glad i had the power to stick it out !

life does not end when your spinally injured it changes a great deal but its up to the individual if for the good or worse ! what do they say eh " it,s always darkest just before dawn " and they are right !

life ! the past is gone and cant be changed! the future is up to you to write and the present, well like it says its a gift !

i want to go all over the world and see everything and dive at the great barrier reef ! see the pyramids go on safari ! i want to see it all and go everywhere and enjoy a happy family life !

anything is possible i feel !

the way i now think ... lord give me the power to change the things i cannot accept and can change and the power to accept the things i cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference!

ill live life to the fullest i can, and if your not on the edge, your taking up to much space ha ha.

thank you Mr Braithwaite QC... Bill. as you helped me through the dark into the light again !

Stuart Parry......... still pinching myself if its real !”
Stuart Parry 12/01/06

Case Report >>

Dear Bill,
I would like you to know how grateful my family and I are to have had you on our side.
We thank you for your experience, knowledge and understanding at such a horrific time in our lives.
Stay happy :-) Zoe X
Zoe Robinson

Dearest Bill,
There is no words that I or the family can write which can fully express our gratitude or the affection we hold for yourself Cath Howells and Yasmin Ameer. You have all done outstanding work burning the midnight oil on many occasions, including during the trial, to secure Jessica's future.
Kindest Regards,
Graham Florence & Jess

“Big name Bill Braithwaite QC is considered to be ‘simply outstanding in cross-examination’”
Chambers UK – A Client’s Guide to the UK Legal Profession

“We feel you are a credit to your profession and always treated us with feeling.”

“Bill has been brilliant. He is a lovely fella and as my granddad used to say is ‘ a bloody gem’!
Bill could talk to anyone, from the queen to Bob the postman.
He knows his stuff inside out and explained the law to me in a really clear way.
The final settlement was more than I expected and I can not thank or praise Bill enough for this.”
Gary Smith

Bill has always been contactable, throughout the duration of a case, whenever advice is needed. From a personal point of view I have found his level of service outstanding, in particular Bill's willingness to share his knowledge.

Instructing Bill has unquestionably added value to cases. In negotiation situations I am positive other QC's would have accepted settlement figures substantially less than that which Bill assisted in helping secure. His experience has led to the ability of the claimant's legal team as a whole to hold its collective nerve.

My clients, irrespective of background, all seem to warm to Bill.

I believe this stems from either his immediately apparent dedication to fighting the claimant's corner or it might just be, as one client put it, because he is "a lovely fella".

Clients are at ease with Bill and instructing solicitors can instruct him comfortable in the knowledge their client will receive representation of the very highest order. As a result I do not hesitate in recommending Bills instruction to clients and solicitors alike.”
Ed Fletcher
Partner
Fletchers Solicitors

“It is a great pleasure to provide a testimonial for Bill Braithwaite QC. I have known Bill for many years and we have worked together when I have been a Claimant's expert and when I have been a Defendant's expert and Bill has been on the opposite side. The former experience was a pleasure and the latter experience is not to be recommended! Bill has an acute mind and has the gift of making complex situations appear straightforward.He has a disconcerting knack of always asking the right question at the right time.

The first time I met Bill was when we had a case conference in the Claimant's kitchen. Bill must be one of the very few QCs in this country to actually visit many of the Claimants in their own home. This is such an important part of a proper clinical assessment and from the point of view of the conduct of a case it is an invaluable asset for the barrister to have seen the Claimant in their own environment.

Bill's knowledge of personal injury is now so extensive that his medical knowledge must now exceed many of the experts that work with him! There can be no greater testimonial than to say that if I had a personal injury I would want Bill on my side.”
Professor Mike Barnes,
Professor of Neurological Rehabilitation,
Hunters Moor Regional Neurological Rehabilitation Centre ,
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

“I have had the pleasure of instructing Bill Braithwaite in a significant number of large, complicated cases, some worth several million pounds.

He likes to become involved at an early stage, even at instruction of experts. His procedure, which is to meet with the experts in consultation, sometimes even before the report is written, cuts out a lot of waste (of time and money), and assists everybody involved in making an early assessment of the case that they have to advance.

As a specialist clinical negligence practitioner, dealing with serious injuries, Bill's calm and authoritative approach to the case puts the clients at their ease. He gives an early impression of being in command and completely at ease with the case, which is of great benefit.

Bill's preparation of his cases is extremely thorough, and he is probably among the very best cross-examiners in practice today. His sheer determination and forensic cross-examination of expert witnesses was instrumental in winning a very difficult, and substantial, clinical negligence case against a GP before Mr Justice Grigson in December 2004 (Bowe v Townend [2005] EWHC 198 QB - Lawtel).

It would be fair to say that his preparation and cross-examination changed the course of that particular case. He is leading counsel of choice in this firm in clinical negligence and personal injury.”
Marcus Nickson LlB, solicitor, partner in Kevin J Commons & Co. 3 May 2005

Mr Braithwaite is a QC but when you meet him he is a normal person you can talk and joke with also, and it has been a great pleasure for me to have met and talked with a man that i would never have met except for my injury, and the defendant,s trying to keep me from joustice. but we got it ! thank you Mr Braithwaite. i searched the internet for a solicitor and QC for my case .. but i found, and got the best ones i believe. you understood me and the type of person i am from the beginning , and remember in a brake from court when the defendants made an offer on loss of earning,s that was good, and Vanessa said she would explain it to me to get me to agree ? and you said no to her .. hit him with those big books till he says yes ha ha.. i did so enjoy court and watching you work was so interesting and attention grabbing.

thank you Mr Braithwaite QC for championing my cause in court for me !”
Stuart Parry

“Bill is a courteous, charming and persuasive advocate who acts fearlessly in the best interests of his clients: even in the face of a hostile court. His courage and enthusiasm in his client's fight for justice demonstrates to them he is on their side. My clients from 1995 have trusted him, believing he can make the difference between winning and losing. He can and does. His preparation and attention to detail is meticulous. His outstanding quality is that he cares passionately for the injured client.”
John W.Barstow, Partner & Personal Injury Department Head , Tranters Freeclaim Solicitors

“Leading counsel also ensured that during consultation the Claimant had explained to him quite clearly all the various issues surrounding the case without the use of legal terminology and in a way that the Claimant could easily understand, and allowing him to fully participate in the decision making processes ...
From the very beginning of the trial to the end of the final submissions, leading counsel was head and shoulders above all others. Leading counsel had a palpable stage presence and addressed the Court with such clarity and authority that the case was ultimately successful.
Throughout the conduct of this case, chambers' administration was always polite, courteous and efficient.”
Robert Talog Davies - William Jones and Talog Davies

“His manner was sympathetic, and he had a good insight into how the injuries had affected the client, and what the case meant to her.
The presentation of the case in court was of the highest standard and Mr Braithwaite was skilful and courteous in his advocacy and in his dealings with the trial judge.
The successful outcome and the size of the award was in large part due to the advice given by Mr Braithwaite, which led to the most appropriate medical expert being identified and instructed, and to his negotiating strategy during the course of the trial itself.”
Michael Jacob, Jonas Roy Bloom, Birmingham

"I must take this opportunity to thank you for representing us. I felt from the first time we met that you had genuine sympathy for the cause."
Lorna Stevens

"I have instructed Bill on a number of serious head injury cases.
From the very first time I met him, it is impossible to fail to be impressed by the quality of his approach and analysis of facts and history of the cases in which I have been involved.
His ability to assimilate large amounts of detail and dilute these to the salient issues is exceptional.
However, and more than all of this, my clients have been completely at ease with Bill during consultations and invariably remark upon how affable and pleasant their meeting with him has been.
As anyone dealing with this type of work will know, this confidence which is instilled in the client is almost as important as the advice which is given.
I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him for any serious personal injury case."
Andrew Greenwood, partner, Emsleys solicitors, Leeds.

Last updated 23rd October, 2007