Michelle Victor

Michelle is a partner with an enviable practice specialising in complex multi-party product liability claims against multinational companies. She is a leading product liability and consumer rights lawyer reputed for handling substantial group claims and individual claims involving defective medical devices and consumer products.

Michelle is also the head of the food safety team in London and is one of the UK’s most eminent food safety lawyers having acted for families in a number of high profile fatal and catastrophic injury food poisoning and food allergy cases .

What people say

In 2017 Michelle earnt glowing reviews in Chambers and Partners and described as

“Hyperefficient" and "incredibly hard-working and in Legal 500 as having ‘excellent commercial instincts', and that she ‘leaves no stone unturned in pursuing the client’s interests’.

Michelle’s client, Charlotte Bird describes Michelle and her team as

“Supportive, sympathetic and assiduous in their pursuit of my claim. They have been marvellous. Your service has been exemplary”.

“I can’t thank you enough for all your kindness and patience with me over the last few years. …. You are a complete star - and I’ve met a few: you are up there with the greatest.”

Legal expertise

Michelle Victor, partner: Michelle is the co-ordinator for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' product liability Special Interest Group and is an accredited Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' Senior Litigator.

Michelle is renowned as one of the best claimant consumer rights lawyers, assiduous in her pursuit of justice and an advocate for promoting consumer safety. She fights relentlessly for her clients and leaves no stone unturned even in the face of adversity. Michelle has been applauded for conveying complex legal advice in a digestible and understandable way and is known for being compassionate, sympathetic, and supportive to families at inquests. She has worked collaboratively with others to seek an overhaul of the product safety regime and has been instrumental in bringing about legislative change to the UK’s food labelling laws.

• Medical devices: Medical devices: Michelle manages an expansive team of lawyers who represents over 600 clients implanted with the now recalled, DePuy ASR metal on metal hip components, which failed prematurely leaving patients having to undergo early revision surgery. Michelle is the lead solicitor in this complex multi-party action which has been described as “the biggest disaster in orthopaedic history” and left many clients with debilitating and catastrophic injuries. In the legal world, the ASR claims are considered to be one of the most prominent metal on metal prosthetic hip failure group actions. As a result of Michelle and her teams’ unparalleled success in pursuing complex medical device claims, she has now been instructed in other multiple group actions involving failed hip & knee devices and substandard cochlear implants.
• Food allergy: Michelle is the head of the food safety team in London. Michelle and her team have gained notoriety in this specialist area due to acting in multiple high-profile cases with the team handling complex food related claims. Michelle represents the family of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old girl who died of anaphylaxis as a result of ingesting hidden sesame in a Pret-a-Manger baguette. Michelle also represented the family of Owen Carey, an 18 year old boy who died of anaphylaxis as a result of consuming a chicken burger at Byron Burger which was unknowingly marinated in buttermilk. Michelle also represents the family of Celia Marsh, a 42-year-old mother-of-five, who died of anaphylaxis after consuming a Pret-a-Manger super-veg rainbow flatbread. The flatbread contained a “dairy-free” yoghurt manufactured by Planet Coconut. Tragically for Celia, the yoghurt was contaminated with milk. Michelle works with many clients, experts, charitable organisations including NARF (Natasha’s Allergy Research Foundation) and others, to campaign for greater allergy awareness in the UK and to overhaul food labelling laws to provide greater transparency throughout the food supply chain. Michelle and her team are dedicated to protecting the allergy community.
• Food poisoning: Michelle and her team pursued legal action against a leading food company on behalf of a family whose children were hospitalised in the ICU following the ingestion of sauce contaminated with botulism. Two of the children were left with debilitating life changing injuries. Michelle and her team secured substantial damages for the family which enabled them to rebuild their lives. She also successfully pursued legal action against tour operators Thomson Holidays, where over 1,000 holiday makers staying at the 4* Bahia Prince Hotel in the Dominican Republic, suffered food poisoning brought on by salmonella, campylobacter, cryptosporidium, shigella and giardia. Michelle also represented over 120 people in what is believed to be one of the UKs largest outbreaks of food poisoning and pursued legal action against A1 Kebabish. Michelle and her team are currently representing a group of individuals who contracted Hepatitis A after consuming recalled batches of Medjool Dates. Claimants in this cohort have experienced profoundly debilitating symptoms requiring admission to hospital and many suffer ongoing effects of Hepatitis A months post-incident including potential damage to their gall bladders. Michelle and her team are also pursuing a further group claim on behalf of individuals who were left hospitalised in respect of recalled food products found to contain salmonella.
• Consumer goods: Michelle and her team are investigating a large group action on behalf of cat owners following the recall of cat food brands manufactured by Fold Hill Foods which may have been contaminated. In 2021 the Royal Veterinary Collage reported a sudden surge of cats who had developed feline pancytopenia which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of cats costing owners thousands in vet bills and resulting in the loss of a family pets. This comes off the back of the team settling a group claim against a leading manufacturer of cat food after cats contracted Tuberculosis which they passed onto their owners causing debilitating symptoms.

Michelle Victor in the news

Michelle has appeared on radio and TV including BBC News and has been quoted in national and regional press on specific cases or general product and food related issues.

• Lawyer of the week: Michelle Victor, who acted for the family of Celia Marsh, who died after eating a wrap ‘contaminated’ with milk protein Times 29.9.22
• My sister would still be alive if the food industry took allergy labels seriously enough Guardian 29.9.22
• Pret death: Family 'angry' allergic mum died from dairy contamination BBC News 26.9.22
• Celia Marsh's daughters call for action to keep people with food allergies safe GMB 26.9.22
• 'Things need to change' - Family plea for stricter food tests after mum dies from allergic reaction ITV News 26.9.22
• Families need help with inquests, say relatives of woman who died of dairy allergy Guardian 23.9.22
• The Reformation of Allergy Law by Michelle Victor and Jennifer Ellis Personal Injury Law Issue 2 2020. PI Focus - November 2019

Memberships

Michelle is the co-ordinator for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' product liability Special Interest Group and is an accredited Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' Senior Litigator.