Kevin Johnson > Leigh Day > Manchester, England > Lawyer Profile

Kevin Johnson

0151 305 2760 kjohnson@leighday.co.uk

Work Department

Personal Injury

Position

Partner in the asbestos department and manages the firm’s Liverpool office. Has specialised in asbestos disease claims for over 25 years. Acts for claimants in the UK and has a specialist international practice acting for UK expats in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malta, etc. He has worked on several of the leading asbestos test cases including:-

• Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Limited and Others [2002] UKHL 22.
• Barker v Corus UK Plc [2006] UKHL 20.
• Ballantine v Newalls Insulation Co. Ltd, CA June 2000.
• Rice and Thompson v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry [2007] EWCA Civ 289.

He also acted in:-

• Dowdall v William Kenyon & Sons and 2 others [2014] EWHC 2822 – recovery of damages for a client with mesothelioma who had settled his asbestosis claim on a full and final basis. Successfully overcame the defendants’ arguments on abuse of process, estoppel and limitation (obtaining s.33 discretion despite the case being 13 years out of time).
• Sturdy v James Marmon & Sons, Lawtel, 26/11/2008 – successfully opposed the Defendant’s attempt to reduce damages for PSLA in a mesothelioma claim to below recommended JC guidelines.
• In the Matter of Eagle Star Insurance Company Limited [2006] EWHC 1850 (Ch) – acted for a representative asbestos disease sufferer and intervened on behalf of asbestos victims in relation to proposals by Zurich to re-structure their EL insurance arrangements.
• Hutchings v Invista Holdings (2009), unreported, Liverpool County Court – successful recovery of relatives’ flight costs from Australia to the UK to visit their father with mesothelioma.

Has recovered substantial damages for several mesothelioma sufferers who incurred private medical costs for immunotherapy and other treatments.  Recently settled a group claim for several Maltese mesothelioma victims against the MOD.

Career

Joined Leigh Day in December 2016. Previously at John Pickering and Partners (now Slater & Gordon) since 1999.

Memberships

Accredited member of the Law Society’s PI Panel. Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and APIL Accredited Asbestos/Occupational Disease Specialist. APIL Assessor for PI accreditation.

Joint co-ordinator of the APIL Occupational Disease Special Interest Group and is a member the Oversight Committee of the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme representing APIL and asbestos sufferers.

Personal

Publications

Lectures and has chaired conferences on asbestos litigation including the APIL annual asbestos conference. Spoke on mesothelioma damages reform at the Asbestos Sub-Committee of the All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Leisure

Watching Everton FC, fitness, politics and spending time with his family.