Gerard Stilliard

Gerard has over 25 years' litigation experience, working exclusively for trade unions and their members.

The role of head of union client relations involves Gerard working with clients and colleagues across Thompsons network of offices to deepen, enhance and innovate around the firm's historic links with the trade union and labour movement.

Gerard is dedicated in his role to ensuring that Thompsons objective of being the leading legal advisors to the trade union and labour movement and working for social justice for all its clients, is at the core of the firm's work. In doing so, he sees his goal as keeping alive Thompsons proud heritage, built up over more than a century, and ensuring the firm is as strong and diverse and remains as relevant today as it has always has been, properly reflecting the communities it serves.

Gerard has been with Thompsons since his training days and has worked from offices in Sheffield, Stoke and Essex before coming to Congress House in 2001.

Reflecting his personal injury litigation background, especially in Serious Injuries, fatal incidents and occupational disease, as well as judicial review, Gerard was, for several years, national head of personal injury strategy. In his current role, he continues to represent the firm as a director of the Claims Portal, always arguing for fair and efficient procedures to be in place for those making lower-value personal injury claims.

Gerard has been immensely proud to have represented the Fire Brigades Union in the Grenfell and Manchester Arena public inquiries, and to now be the lead lawyer representing the TUC and the wider trade union movement in the UK Covid-19 public inquiry.

Gerard has always been committed to Thompsons Solicitors ethos and is immensely proud of the firm's unique commitment to work only for the injured and mistreated.

In his spare time Gerard likes to spend as much time as possible with his partner and three sons, and combining that where possible with theatre-going, reading history and fiction, playing football and supporting Everton FC.

Gerard's case experience

• Secured victory in the case of Wembridge and others v ESFRS (2013), a claim for several injured firefighters and the widow of one fatally injured fire service worker.

• Reached an important settlement for the families of Alan Bannon and James Shears (Shears and Bannon v Hampshire FRS) after their tragic deaths at the Shirley Towers fire.

• Secured compensation in the case of Faust v LFEPA which involved the death of Billy Faust, one of two firefighters who died fighting a basement fire at a commercial/residential building.

• Won a Court of Appeal ruling in 2009 that found guidance to the Firefighters Pension Scheme, which enabled fire brigades to sack disabled and badly injured firefighters without a pension or redundancy payment, was unfair and unlawful.

• Multiple high value serious and fatal injury settlements, including several for RMT members injured on the railways

Professional membership

Gerard is recognised as a senior litigator by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.