Neil Stockdale

Position

Partner, Head of Environment and Group Actions

Services

Areas of expertise

Environmental law
Group actions
Human rights
Personal injury
Mediation
Funding

Profile

Neil Stockdale is a Partner and Head of the Environment Team at Hugh James. He enjoys UK-wide recognition as a leader in the field of environmental group actions acting on behalf of communities affected by various forms of environmental pollution. Neil and his dedicated team of specialist lawyers have acted for clients across the UK in several high profile cases.

Neil's cases include personal injury and property blight claims against major public utilities, government bodies, landfill and composting sites, and a variety of claims against private and public limited companies relating to industrial sites. A particular focus at present for Neil are two actions proceeding in the Lands Tribunal relating to property depreciation alleged to have resulted from the development of East Midlands and Manchester Airports.

Neil also provides specialist advice on related human rights, compensation and legal costs funding issues.

To read more about the cases which Neil has been involved with read the environmental cases further information.

Professional career

Trained: Robertsons

Qualified: 1996

Partner at Hugh James: 2003

Head of Group Actions: 2008

Neil Stockdale trained with Robertson's solicitors in South Wales and joined Hugh James in 1997 shortly after qualifying to specialise in personal injury litigation. He acquired considerable experience of RTA, employer and occupier liability claims including mining accidents, head injury claims, NIHL, RSI, VWF and respiratory disease matters and was appointed as a Member of the Law Society's Personal Injury Panel in January 2004.

Neil also became involved in the firm's group actions and was involved in the settlement of the first tranche of litigated cases in the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation with damages recovered in these cases totalling in excess of £5m.

In 2000 Neil and his team brought a group action against a waste management company in relation to the notorious Nantygwyddon Landfill site in South Wales, since then he has developed a national practice in environmental litigation and is recognised as the UK leader in this field.