David McWilliam

My Approach

I help injured people recover from their injuries by pursuing their claims and using my network of local and national rehabilitation providers. Your claim will be dealt with in a prompt & efficient manner. I am always available to speak to my client’s and will guide them through the process. I will ensure that you receive the best possible treatment to help you recover, obtain interim payments when appropriate and assist you along the way. I deal with claims on a No Win, No Fee basis and offer a free discussion to see if I can help you.

Area of Expertise

Personal Injury

I have been dealing with accident claims for over 25 years and have recovered millions of pounds for injured clients.

I am a keen road cyclist and mountain biker & therefore specialise in cycling accidents. We have links with one of the largest cycle stores in the country and will ensure that we get your bike replaced or repaired as quickly as possible at no cost to you. I will help you get back on the road.

Experience includes:

• Cycling claims
• Road Traffic Accidents – drivers, passengers, pedestrians
• Trip & Slips
• Accidents at work
• Airbag injuries
• Hearing loss & Tinnitus claims

Sports Law

I have always had a passion for sport and after suffering a serious leg fracture playing football at the age of 35, took up running and triathlon. I now mainly cycle (road and MTB) and swim.

In 2018/19, I completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Sports Law at De Montfort University, Leicester. I set up the Sports Law Department to help with legal matters in the sporting context. My current roles in Sport include :-

• Football Association (FA) - Serious Case Panel Member

-  General Appeals Panel Member

• English Football league (EFL) – Games Programme Monitor
• Dorset FA - Independent Disciplinary Panel Member
• Independent Non-Executive Board Member
• Dorset Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) – Legal Advisor

My 2 daughters swim competitively for Christchurch Seagulls Swimming Club and since 2016, I have been the club Chairman. I oversee the correct and smooth running of all aspects of the club in accordance with its rules, constitution, Swim England rules and laws.

Whilst setting up the Sports Law Department at Ellis Jones, it quickly became apparent that we as a firm already act for a number of clients in relation to sporting matters. Our strength is that the specialised departments across the firm enables us to advise on all sporting issues and we can now build on that and offer an even more specialised service to those clients.

My particular focus is on disciplinary disputes for individual athletes, teams, organisations and Governing Bodies in any sport. I will also continue to represent injured clients and expand further my expertise in sporting injury claims.

Recent Work

• Airbag injury in car accident causing hearing loss & tinnitus
• Cyclists hit on roundabouts and in cycle lanes
• Cyclist hit by car – fractured neck, injuries to shoulder & knee requiring surgery for which I obtained interim payments from the insurers & the client was able to have the operations privately which has speeded up his recovery
• Taxi passenger claims
• Pedestrian hit by a car resulting in an amputation to her leg – Huge amount of rehabilitation arranged together with aids, equipment including the cost of a private Prosthesis
• Fireman sustained hearing loss & tinnitus as a result of defective work equipment – hearing aids & tinnitus aids obtained and paid for by the defendant
• Acted for 7 separate cyclists all injured in the same way on a defective kerb marking the cycle lane – variety of injuries – fractured hip resulting in full hip replacement, fractured wrist & elbow requiring operations & fractured ribs. Case was successful at trial & resulted in the Council altering the kerb
• Took over cycling claim involving a pothole in the road from a National firm who dropped the case due to poor prospects. We succeeded at trial.

Professional Associations & Qualifications

• Qualified as a solicitor in November 1997
• The Law Society’s Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme Member
• Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)
• Member of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS)
• British Association of Sport & the Law (BASL)