Writ issued to judge, firm and high profile lawyer

A JUDGE is being sued in the High Court over legal advice which he gave while he was practising as a barrister.

Judge Peter Clark, who sits on the Employment Appeals Tribunal, is one of three defendants named in a writ which was issued at the High Court by City firm Waterson Hicks.

High-profile employment lawyer Denise Kingsmill and City firm DJ Freeman are also named as defendants.

The plaintiff, Victoria Griffin, of East Sussex, is claiming damages over the handling of a personal injury claim.

The writ alleges breach of contract and/or breach of duty and/or negligence.

It says Kingsmill handled the case from May 1988 to February 1990 before she passed over responsibility to DJ Freeman, which was involved until April 1991.

Clark accepted instructions to provide advice in October 1989, the writ alleges.

The judge, who was appointed to the tribunal in October last year, was unavailable for comment.

But both DJ Freeman and Kingsmill said they planned to defend the action.

Kingsmill added she had not personally handled the case, which had been taken on by her own firm which had then merged with DJ Freeman.

Waterson Hicks partner Kay Pysden said of the original case: "Our client received devastating injuries and the claim is substantial."