Berrymans Lace Mawer’s 2010 disease conferences are designed to provide an update on the key developments in disease claims during the last year. This year we have added to the programme a roundtable discussion, which will cover the various policy developments in the pipeline, as well as the inevitable changes to the management of disease claims resulting from Lord Justice Jackson’s recommendations.
The past year has seen many judgments dealing with liability for asbestos-related injury. By way of introduction, we will set the scene by reporting on the findings of the Asbestos Working Party report.
Brian Goodwin will follow with a review of the key decisions, in particular a roundup of the eagerly awaited Court of Appeal EL Trigger litigation decision. We are then joined by Martin Stear from Workplace Environment Solutions Limited who will consider the issues arising in the calculation of exposure in asbestos cases.
With an estimated 11.4 million working days lost in 2008/09, work-related stress has become the second most prevalent work-related illness. Our speakers, BLM partner Chris Fletcher and Professor Declan Murphy, will work through a case study to highlight issues of liability, medical causation and policy cover issues.
We follow lunch with hearing loss and vibration updates from two of BLM’s specialist partners who will cover the latest developments, practical solutions and trends in claims management practices.
The day concludes with the roundtable discussion on a number of key issues that will affect the management of disease claims over the next few years. A series of short presentations will be followed by a facilitated debate, providing delegates with an opportunity to take part in the discussion. We are delighted to be joined for this session by District Judge Gosnell, who is the regional costs judge for Manchester and is also a designated specialist District Judge for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, deafness, RSI, vibration white finger, and occupational stress. He will specifically cover costs management and pre-litigation conduct.
We hope you can accept this invitation to join us at what promises to be a topical, lively and interesting seminar.