extremely

client-

focused,

dynamic

and

professional"

Legal 500

David Barr

David Barr

Profile

David Barr has a wide experience of civil litigation both at first instance and appellate level.  Administrative and public law work includes inquests, human rights cases, immigration work and public inquiries.  His employment practice involves hearings lasting from a day to many weeks in cases of all descriptions.  Personal injury work encompasses both employer's liability, public liability and motor claims including injuries of utmost severity.  He has a keen interest in health and safety law and in the application of European Community law to those areas of domestic law in which he practices.

What the Directories say

Recommended by the Legal 500 2007 as a leading junior in public inquiries.

Notable Cases

  • The Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press (First Junior Counsel to the Inquiry).
  • Carswell v (1) Secretary of State for Transport (2) Motor Insurers Bureau [2010] EWHC 3230 (QB): costs provisions in the Untraced Drivers' Agreement 2003 compliant with EU Law.
  • The Baha Mousa Inquiry (Counsel for the MoD).
  • The Nimrod Review (Counsel for various MoD personnel).
  • Pride and Others v (1) Institute of Animal Health; (2) Merial Animal Health Ltd; (3) DEFRA [2009] EWHC 685 (QB): livestock farmers have no real prospect of establishing a claim for pure economic losses and indirect physical damage arising from the 2007 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
  • Spencer v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2007] EWHC 1775 (QB); [2009] 2 WLR 593,CA: no requirement to exhaust domestic remedies before bringing a Francovich action.
  • C127/05 Commission v UK [2007] ECR I-04619: test of reasonable practicability in s.2 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 properly implements Art.5 of Council Directive 89/391/EEC.
  • Ibimidun v H M Prison Service & Others UKEAT/051/07/DA: dismissal of prison officer who used employment tribunal proceedings as a vehicle for harassment neither an act of unlawful victimisation nor unfair.
  • Defoe v H M Prison Service UKEAT/0451/06: necessity test applies to the disclosure of security intelligence in discrimination proceedings.
  • RT (A Child) v Ministry of Defence [2004] 1 QR 4, QB: damages, very severe injuries, brain damage at birth.

 

Publications

Contributing author, Age Discrimination, 2006, The Law Society