Bill trained at the national firm, Shoosmiths before joining Watmores as an Assistant Solicitor in 1989. He became a partner in the firm in 1992.

He has experience of the majority of the practice areas undertaken by the firm. He heads up a growing product liability department and has travelled throughout Europe to investigate and advise upon claims with origins in a range of jurisdictions.

Expertise:

Product Liability
Professional Risks
Construction & Property
Personal Injury
Health & Safety

Product Liability

Bill has considerable expertise this area. In particular he has expertise in the following areas:

i) Food

Bill has recently been dealing with claims involving allegedly contaminated or defective foods.

He is currently representing a Greek insured in respect of a nationwide and high profile product recall with a claimed value of several million pounds and in which all of the major supermarkets have sought to be compensated.

ii) Engineering

Recent examples of cases handled include a defective sugarbeet harvester in Sweden, problematic surfboards and fire damage from a defective starter motor involving a UK truck manufacturer.

Bill also recently represented the insurers of an ethically produced ink manufacturer in respect of a multi-million pound claim by a soft drink producer arising from product labelling where the ink was found to have migrated from the metal on to which it was printed.

iii) Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals

Bill has recently been representing the insurers of a French industrial perfume manufacturer in a claim involving contamination of perfume where the contaminant had caused the product to become defective over time.

Bill is currently representing the interests of two of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world in respect of an allegedly failed clinical trial.


Many of the claims Bill is presently handling have an international element where either the insured or the one of the other parties are out of the jurisdiction. He is familiar with the issues which arise from the associated conflict and laws and jurisdictional arguments which often crop up in these cases.

Professional Risks

Bill has assisted medical professionals in responding to contemplated and actual disciplinary investigation. He recently successfully represented a German doctor who was subject to disciplinary action by his governing body.

Construction/Property

Bill has significant property experience and has dealt with many subrogated claims for insurers.

Personal Injury

Bill spent the early part of his career dealing almost entirely with personal injury claims for insurers. He still maintains a caseload of such cases for specific clients who wish to avail themselves of his expertise in this area.

Bill represented insurers in the first case to go to the Court of Appeal on the interpretation of the Manual Handling Regulations 1992 and has maintained a special interest and expertise in this area ever since.

Health and Safety

Bill is often called upon to give regulatory advice in respect of actual or anticipated prosecution.

Bill has produced a number of articles in the Law Society Gazette; Solicitors Journal and has appeared on Legal Network Television (LNTV)

Away from the office Bill is accredited as an ECB Level 2 cricket coach.

Contact: bsohal@watmores.co.uk