Alastair Gillespie

Full Profile

Alastair is a partner in our Manchester office. He joined the firm in May 2022. He has been handling abuse claims and litigation in this high-profile, complex and emotive area since 1994 and is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable defence lawyers in the UK.

Alastair has acted in cases of abuse, assault and neglect for insurers and organisations in a vast range of sectors, including children’s homes (both state-owned and private), independent schools (including many of the most prestigious in the country), universities and colleges, local authorities, nurseries/childcare establishments, national and regional charities, religious orders and sporting associations.

Experience

• Presenting and advising upon the actual and potential ramifications for the insurance market of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
• Advising on strategy and management of claims and litigation following significant developments in the Scottish jurisdiction
• Advising in various claims on vicarious liability issues, often with specific reference to Barclays Bank v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12 in which Alastair acted for the appellants.
• Driving enhancement of claims data collection and analysis, including advice on strategy and portfolio management
• Working as part of a team advising colleagues in international offices on UK developments and their relevance to markets in other jurisdictions

Over the course of his career Alastair has secured many achievements and accolades:

• He was one of only two defendant solicitors to give expert evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse within the Accountability and Reparation investigation, with particular emphasis on reform to the law of limitation and the potential introduction of national or organisation-focussed redress schemes.
• Head of the abuse team at Hill Dickinson from 2002-2017
• Defendant Team of the Year 2015
• Insurance Times Legal Partner of the Year 2016
• Head of the abuse team at Keoghs/Davies Group from 2017-2021
• He led the defence of the Bryn Alyn and Nugent Care group actions which resulted in precedent-setting judgments on issues of limitation, liability, causation, quantum, costs and the application of policy exceptions.
• He has handled no fewer than 13 actions in the Court of Appeal
• He guided Barclays Bank and insurers to Supreme Court success in what is now the leading case on stage 1 of the two-stage legal test for vicarious liability.
• Founding member of the FOIL abuse special interest group
• He has been named as a Leading Individual in the 2021 and 2022 editions of Legal 500.
• He regularly speaks on new legal and practical developments and is also a prolific writer. Several of his articles have been published in the Journal of Personal Injury Law and the New Law Journal. He is also a regular contributor to our Abuse & Neglect blog.