Who? Andrew Campbell, 32-year-old associate and head of motorcycle law at Withy King in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.


Why is he in the news? Mr Campbell successfully argued that a motorcyclist who had been seriously injured in a road accident - in which a child pedestrian had died - had been the victim of a violent crime.



He argued that a criminal offence had been committed when 12-year-old Robert Davis ran across a dual carriageway in what witnesses described as a game of 'chicken'. The child was run over by the motorbike which Mr Campbell's client, Antony Young, was driving and died from his injuries. Mr Young spent two weeks in hospital with six broken ribs, a punctured lung, a bruised heart and a shoulder injury.



The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) agreed that a criminal offence had taken place and that the offence constituted a 'crime of violence'. Mr Young will now be eligible for compensation.



Background: A geography degree was followed by two years in the wine trade before Mr Campbell enrolled at the College of Law in Guildford to sit the graduate diploma in law and the legal practice course. After nine months as a paralegal, he went on to complete a training contract at Fearon & Co in Woking. He then worked for three years at Charles Russell in Guildford, prior to joining Withy King in January 2006.



Route to the case: The publication Motor Cycling News referred the case to Mr Campbell, who is a regular columnist. The client approached the magazine after being turned away by six firms.



Thoughts on the case: 'This was a tragic and legally complex case. Its complexity lay in trying to satisfy CICA that not only was the deceased child engaged in criminal activity, but that his crime was a "crime of violence" which is undefined in CICA's scheme. In essence, the case revolved around the recklessness of pedestrians and their liability to road users who are injured through no fault of their own. I anticipate many cases now being submitted to CICA on the basis of pedestrian recklessness or pranks on the highway. I think the case raises important issues of parental responsibility and perhaps it is time for the reintroduction of regular broadcasts to children teaching the dangers of playing near roads.'



Dealing with the media: 'I've found the media, particularly radio and television, to be generally open to suggestion on the angle to be taken in the reporting of the case and to be sympathetic not only to my client but also to the family of the deceased. There have been instances of attention grabbing and sensationalist headlines that, when read alone, hinted that my client killed a child - rather than the child dying as a result of high-spirited play - which obviously gave the wrong impression.



'When carefully considering the facts, it is clear that my client was in no way to blame for this accident and was actually an entirely innocent victim.'



Jonathan Rayner