Profile

Philippa is a partner in our Birmingham office. She specialises in legacy disease claims, particularly in asbestos related litigation. She joined the firm in 2009 and is a senior member of the disease team.

She acts principally for, and advises, self-insured corporate clients, insurers, brokers and claims handlers. She has developed a reputation for sound, sensible and pragmatic advice in the defence of disease litigation and solutions for disease claims.

She undertakes all legacy disease litigation, including mesothelioma, asbestos, occupational asthma, hand-arm vibration syndrome, industrial deafness and stress claims. She has a particular focus on clients within the construction, energy, facilities management, utilities and manufacturing industries.

She has been involved in significant and commercially sensitive litigation and adopts a pragmatic and strategic approach to dispute resolution.

Philippa is known for her close client relationships. It is important to her clients, and to her, that she understands their businesses in order to best deal with their claims. She has worked closely with a client whose reputation and brand were put at risk during an asbestos claim. It was necessary to co-ordinate and manage the response to the media but at the same time deal sensitively with the claim and achieve the best economic settlement. For another client, Philippa was involved in a collaborative approach, working closely with the client and which has resulted in savings of over £5m to their legal spend. She is acutely aware of the need to protect her clients’ business and works with them to devise strategies to reduce their risks, claims and overall outlay.

Most notably, Philippa led our response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on the handling of mesothelioma claims and lobbied parliamentarians ahead of the enactment of the Mesothelioma Act, including drafting a response to the Ministry of Justice Consultation paper and provided briefing notes to the Houses of Lords and Commons on the Act. She was invited to meet with and discuss Mesothelioma reforms with various ministers and Lord McKenzie of Luton.

In addition, Philippa also deals with employers’ and public liability claims, where she has acted in some high level matters involving injuries caused by animals, particularly horses.

Philippa is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) and is an author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, the fourth edition of which was published in February 2021.

Philippa Craven plays a pivotal role in the occupational disease practice advising an array of insurer and corporate clients.

Market recognition

  • Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (West Midlands)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Leading individual and recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (West Midlands)'
    "Philippa Craven plays a pivotal role in the occupational disease practice advising an array of insurer and corporate clients".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (West Midlands)'
    "Philippa Craven is recommended for her occupational disease work especially for asbestos disease litigation."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury: Defendant (West Midlands)'
    "Philippa Craven co-heads the occupational disease unit and advises an impressive array of insurer and corporate clients."
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury: defendant (West Midlands)'
    "…provides ‘excellent knowledge and advice’."
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19

Work highlights

  • Acted in an excess of £1m multi-jurisdictional asbestos claim involving a jury trial in New South Wales, Australia where the mesothelioma victim was employed by English and Australian power companies and where causation and apportionment issues needed to be resolved.
  • Acted in an asbestos claim with complex causation issues, requiring expert evidence from epidemiologists, histopathologists and occupational hygienists and securing the discontinuance of claim.
  • Acted for a lender in a claim against a bank by a claimant who alleged repetitive strain injury from working practices and which led to the development of chronic pain syndrome; and a claim for ongoing lost earnings to retirement requiring extensive expert evidence being obtained and considerable forensic investigation into claim. 
  • Acted in mesothelioma claim involving a significant pension loss claim by a widow in respect of her late husband’s estate, where pension loss exceeded £1m. A considerable investigation into financial losses and the assistance of forensic accountancy expert evidence resulted in a settlement without trial.
  • Acted in a significant back injury claim following a horse riding accident, where damages in excess of £2m were agreed at a joint settlement meeting.