Special Counsel, Maruice Blackburn, Sydney
For the last 30 years, Ian dedicated his career to securing justice for workers who have suffered injuries or developed illnesses due to occupational exposure to harmful substances.
Completing the CPE in Manchester, Ian trained at Irwin Mitchell and qualified as a solicitor in 1994. He joined the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers shortly thereafter and has remained an active member ever since. In 2018, he was elected Secretary of APIL’s Occupational Health Group and became Joint Coordinator in 2022 alongside Daniel Easton.
Ian became a partner at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office in 2001 and from 2015 led the asbestos disease team from the firm’s London office. His work has long focused on supporting clients with terminal illnesses and from 1995, he represented numerous individuals affected by asbestos exposure with a focus in his early career on the J.W. Roberts factory in Armley, Leeds.
He helped to establish structures such as trust or float agreements, enabling access to immunotherapy and other non-NHS funded treatments while securing long-term financial support for clients.
Following relocation to Australia in early 2023, Ian joined the dust diseases team at leading national plaintiff law firm Maurice Blackburn as Special Counsel in their Sydney office. After re-qualification in 2024, he was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in New South Wales. He has specialised in litigation for plaintiffs suffering from silica and asbestos-related diseases based in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.