Who? Nigel Barrowcliff, 38-year-old associate and head of personal injury at Stockport firm Davies & Co.


Why is he in the news? He represented David Webb and the estate of Sarah Webb in a dispute with Legal & General Insurance after it declined a claim on the grounds of an alleged material non-disclosure within a proposal form.



Mrs Webb was killed and Mr Webb injured when they were involved in a road accident with another car being driven on the wrong side of the A1 by a suicidal driver. The driver survived and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for manslaughter.



Legal & General refused to pay out on the joint life policy on the basis that, at the time of the proposal, Mrs Webb made a declaration that she had not smoked in the previous 12-month period, when entries in her medical records implied that she had. The company said the non-disclosure would have had a bearing on the premium.



Settlement was ultimately agreed at £100 000, half the full policy value. A spokesman for Legal & General said: 'After careful consideration, we took the commercial decision, on a non-liability basis, to accept the offer of settlement.'



Background: Law degree at the University of Sheffield, followed by the common professional examination at Chester College of Law and a training contract at Manchester firm Abson Hall. He qualified in 1995 and worked at Abson Hall until he joined his current firm as an associate in 1998.



Route to the case: Referral.



Thoughts on the case: 'Mr Webb was satisfied with the criminal process, and fair settlements were negotiated in respect of his personal injury claim and the claims for the dependants and the estate.



'It is ironic that it was the Webbs' own insurers who presented the greatest problems, and this on the premise of a doctrine of utmost good faith. I wonder how many people regularly review their life policies and update insurers as to lifestyle changes that may, with hindsight, prove material, or can rely on medical records to accurately reflect their own assessment of general health or their smoking and drinking habits.'



Dealing with the media: 'Mr Webb was satisfied with the sympathetic manner in which the matter was reported. The journalists I spoke to were courteous and professional. Mr Webb wanted to avoid coverage that may prove upsetting for his young daughter, and to focus on the insurance issue. On the whole the national dailies did so, although as you would expect the style was markedly different.'



Catherine Baksi