Practice Overview
Since 1988 Robert's successful practice has led him to earn an outstanding reputation. He predominantly focuses on regulatory and personal injury and has worked on cases involving fatal accident claims, and motor cycle accidents as well as inquests, clinical negligence, and health and safety. He also has a particular specialism for disease litigation and a vibration induced injury.
As a WRU qualified coach and referee he is often called upon to undertake disciplinary hearings on behalf of sports players. He also writes for published practitioner texts; he also regularly contributes to lectures at CPD seminars.
Recommendations
Robert Harrison is listed on the Chambers UK 2012 'Spotlight Table'
'The "thorough and astute" Robert Harrison has "the ability to grasp the issues" in any case, whatever the complexity. He has particular expertise in occupational disease and motorcycle accident work'.
(Chambers UK 2012)
"Robert Harrison is a popular junior".
(Legal 500 2012)
‘With a particularly strong reputation on industrial disease cases, Robert Harrison is known as a “very courteous, effective advocate”. (Chambers UK 2011)
‘Robert Harrison is an “impressive senior junior” and a key presence in the region (Chambers UK 2010)
‘Robert Harrison is “very user friendly, he prepares well for a case and always gets the best we could hope for”’. (Legal 500 2009)
'Robert Harrison is a “skilled and effective advocate”’. (Chambers UK 2009)
‘The “competent and experienced” Robert Harrison is seen as a leader in this field. He is a force to contend with in industrial disease litigation, particularly vibration related claims’. (Chambers UK 2008)
‘Extremely popular Robert Harrison boasts wide experience in PI and industrial disease cases’. (Legal 500 2007)
‘Labelled as a “safe pair of hands”, Robert Harrison will “never let you down”. He is a “skilled operator” who “knows his way around the law”’. (Chambers UK 2007)
’30 Park Place’s PI/CN group boasts two excellent practitioners: Lloyd Williams and Robert Harrison’. (Legal 500 2006)
Appointments
- Civil and Crime Recorder (2006)
- Panel member of Counsel to the National Assembly Government for Wales
Memberships
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Welsh Personal Injury Lawyers Association (Chair)
Education
Notable and Reported Cases
McGrath v Tucker 2010: calculation of claimant’s losses as director of a company
- Leading counsel instructed in a Welsh Assembly independent review inquiry (2006);
- Ford v. Corus (2006) unreported (Vibration);
- Corus Explosion Inquest (2005);
- Morgan and others v. Corus (2005) unreported (Vibration);
- Gower Chemicals Group Litigation (Defendants) (2003);
- Adams v. Rhymney Valley County Council (2001) PNLR 68: issue on two alternative non-negligent courses of action - window locks/deaths from fire;
- Wilson v. Mid-Glamorgan County Council [1999] PIQR 152: quantum
Robert has worked on a number of cases whereby clients have experienced a hearing loss such as from steelworks, chainsaw, call centre and a factory worker. He has also worked on a number of Asbestos related cases such as Local Authority housing repairs, pipe lagging in a hospital, steel works, power station, liver disease exposure to tricholoroethylene.
Hand/Arm vibration syndrome
- Use of Tazer by police officer-mistaken suspicion of firearm
- Claim for suffering incurred during 7 days between accident and death (Inquest ruled accidental death)
- RTA-psychiatric damages
- Court of Protection-approval of award
- Assault on Special Educational Needs teacher by wrongly placed child
- Nurse attacked by patient-failure to assess risk
- Physical and mental injury to registered Mental Nurse following attacks by patient
- Stress at work
- Erroneous forced police entry
- Rhinitis-printing chemicals
Inquests
- Representing the process manager (through his union) in the Corus Steel Works explosion in Port Talbot
- Teenage Suicide/School bullying-national press coverage
- Death in care home
- Deaths arising from high-speed police pursuit
- Death in custody
Inquiries
- Welsh National Assembly Independent Review
Disciplinary/Sports law
- Welsh Rugby Union-striking an official
- Parent walking on to pitch to restrain player