The Aviation and Travel team
James Healy-Pratt is Head of the Aviation and Travel Department at Stewarts Law and is dual qualified as a Solicitor in England and Attorney in New York. James has 21 years of extensive international experience in investigating and resolving international airline disasters and aviation accidents. His unprecedented knowledge of the aviation insurance market has proven valuable since his move from aviation insurance to solely representing families and pilots in 2006. James and his team have represented over 20% of passengers and crew involved in air accidents worldwide, have recovered more than $500 million in damages, and forced improvements in air safety. He is described by the Legal 500 as 'one of the leading lawyers in the world in this area' and by Chambers and Partners as "the go-to guy for claimants" and by peers as "a real king" in this area of aviation. Between 1992 and 2000 he James was Senior Legal Advisor to Global Aerospace Underwriting Managers, the largest aviation insurer. In 2000 he was recruited by the largest underwriter at Lloyds of London, Amlin plc, and became their Group General Counsel. James is an active qualified helicopter pilot, and makes regular media appearances on TV, Radio and the National and International Press on matters of air safety.
Julian Chamberlayne is a Partner in the Aviation and Travel Department and is Head of the Travel Law Team. He specialises in complex international personal injury litigation and is described by the Legal 500 as 'technically one of the best personal injury lawyers in the country' and by Chambers as 'energetic and phenomenally committed'. Over the past 8 years, Julian has recovered circa £80 million for catastrophically injured claimants and has been involved in ground breaking cases, such as Harding v Wealands which established (pre-Rome II) that English law applied to the assessment of damages, and Moore v Hotelplan and Tantera which extended the scope of an English tour company's liability for excursions arranged and booked in resort.
Stuart Dench is a Partner with experience in acting for plaintiffs in high value and complex personal injury and fatal accident claims. Stuart has been involved in numerous high profile trials in the High Court in London and has substantial experience in international aviation losses. He represented victims and families following Sibir flight 778, GOL Flight 1907 and a number of international helicopter losses. Stuart is described by the Legal 500 as an excellent litigator with a reputation for high value and complex claims.
Sarah Stewart is one of the Partners in the Aviation and Travel Department at Stewarts Law. With over 15 years of experience in acting for claimants in complex personal injury and fatal accident claims, Sarah has a growing reputation in domestic and international claims arising from aircraft accidents. Speaking French and with a wide breadth of experience in pursuing individual and group actions to Trial or settlement, Sarah has acted for numerous families of victims involved in major air disasters, fatal helicopter and light aircraft accidents in the UK, Europe and worldwide. A significant number of her cases involve supporting families through the official accident investigation and Coroner's Inquest. Sarah works with determination in a team which strives to give families a chance for their voices to be heard and for improvements to be made to air safety. She is commended by the Legal 500 for her "attention to detail and great commitment to the clients".Chambers 2013 comments that Sarah has been described by clients as "dynamic and knowledgeable," as well as "caring and compassionate."
Peter Neenan is a Senior Associate in the Aviation and Travel Department at Stewarts Law. He has been with the department since its inception in 2006. Prior to his career in law Peter read Theoretical Physics to Masters level. He now applies that specialist knowledge to the department's independent aviation investigations, with a particular interest in avionics and flight stability. Peter also has a second Masters degree; an LLM in Advanced Air & Space Law from the Institute of Air & Space Law, Netherlands. Peter has been a guest lecturer at the Institute for the last three years; lecturing on Plaintiff Aviation Litigation. Peter has had articles on aspects of aviation law published in the Journal of Air & Space Law and the Aviation & Space Journal. Peter speaks intermediate Russian and is learning Arabic.
The Partners and lawyers within the team are supported by a dedicated team of junior lawyers and support staff.