Peter Williams

Career

I have 30 years' experience acting for victims of illnesses and accidents, and particularly for people suffering from the devastating cancer mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos in the workplace and by dust brought into the home.

It is a privilege to meet with so many families, to hear their stories, to be their advocate and provide the financial security needed in times of crisis.

Having dealt with hundreds of claims over the years, there are few types of case I haven't come across. I also know our opponents well.

I lead a team of solicitors at Fieldfisher determined to achieve the highest compensation for people with asbestos disease in the shortest possible time, at no cost. We are described by Chambers as a 'market-leading industrial disease practice, with an outstanding reputation for handling mesothelioma and asbestos disease litigation.'

My cases include:

Mesothelioma and asbestos claims

Personal injury claims

Work accident claims

Road traffic accident claims

I regularly settle mesothelioma claims within three months of instruction. I have recently pioneered the recovery of private medical costs for developing immunotherapy treatment.

Over the last 30 years I have been involved in the most important asbestos cases to come before the courts, to include Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd. (establishing one defendant liable for all damages in mesothelioma claims even where there are other exposers), Bussey v East Anglia (the Court of Appeal confirmed that employers were responsible for low exposures post-1965), Frances v Cape PLC (the first case of its kind against a manufacturer of asbestos products rather than an employer), and more recently in January 2021, Head v Culver Heating Co Ltd. (a mesothelioma case in the Court of Appeal concerning high loss of earnings).

My other personal injury work includes catastrophic and fatal road traffic, work accident, aviation and holiday claims. I acted for the victims of the Kegworth air disaster in the 1990s. I have recently acted for the family of a skier who died on the slopes on a Club Med holiday in France, a cyclist who suffered a catastrophic head injury in an accident and the family of a man who died in an aviation accident in Peru.

I was named Lawyer of the Year 2023 for Personal Injury Litigation, London in the 11th edition of The Best Lawyers in the UK.

Professional Memberships

I am a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). I also sit on the forum of catastrophic injury solicitors (Focis) a small group of the most prominent catastrophic solicitors in the country. Membership is by invitation only. I regularly speak at conferences on asbestos disease and fatal accident claims.