Marc Willems

Called: 1990 (Lincoln’s Inn)
Appointments: Recorder 21st December 2004
Extra language: French

MAIN AREAS OF WORK

• Personal Injury
• Professional Negligence
• Fatal Accident Claims
• Contractual Disputes
• Consumer Credit
• Insurance
• Regulatory Law

Marc is a Civil Practitioner with a busy paper and court practice.

He specialises in serious personal injury, with considerable experience of Acquired Brain Damage claims, Clinical Negligence, Fatal Accident Claims, Contractual disputes, Consumer Credit and Insurance and Regulatory Law including HSE prosecutions

He was instructed in 2002, as junior counsel in the highest ever value sex discrimination claim brought in the employment tribunal (at that time) which achieved an award of £2.3M.

His work is divided equally between Claimants and Defendant Insurers. He regularly drafts consumer credit contracts and advises companies on their standard written terms.

He has represented clients in high profile litigation in other cases such as Burnett v Harper and test litigation involving credit hire, credit repair and CFA insurance (including the Hamco Liverpool test cases and the LDH Medway test cases)

In Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence work he has, in recent years, concluded cases achieving judgements of £5.5M, £4.5M, £3.91M, £3.15M and £1.35M on behalf of claimants and defended a claim which was disposed of for £1.4M.

Special Interests

Mr Willems enjoys cases involving complex medical causation issues, detailed factual disputes and legal arguments. He regularly gives talks on his experience in litigation and on topics as diverse as consumer credit and the motor insurers’ bureau and is a significant contributor to Chambers programme of seminars and lectures to firms of solicitors.

RECENT IMPORTANT CASES

Dimond v Lovell [2000] 2 W.L.R. 1121 ( Consumer credit, consequential loss and mitigation)

Donachie v The Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police [2004] EWCA Civ 405 (Primary victims, tort, personal injury)

Tinsley v Sarkar [2004] EWCA Civ 1098 and First instance PIQR [2006] Q1 (Brain injury, Mental Health , provision of care by state, interim payments)

King v Daltry [2003] EWCA Civ 808.( Costs conditions on Appeal and Consumer Credit)

Memberships

Mr Willems is a member of the following bodies:-

The Personal Injuries Bar Association
The Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
The Northern Circuit Medical Law Association

Member of the Manchester and District Medico Legal Society Legal Directories Say:

Legal 500: “Marc Willems receives client commendation as an effective junior for Claimants”

Legal 500: "Marc Willems, handles numerous high value claims"

Chambers and Partners: "Marc Willems, is highly thought of by peers and clients alike, who variously describe him as possessing “an incredibly sharp intellect” and “a highly effective negotiation technique.”"

COBDEN HOUSE CHAMBERS
19 QUAY STREET
MANCHESTER
M3 3HN
Tel No. 0161 833 6000
email : civil@cobden.co.uk