William Hibbert

Practice Areas

Specialist in commercial aspects of consumer finance and financial services (including consumer credit and mortgages) and consumer protection law (including unfair contract terms, unfair commercial practices, advertising, package holidays and timeshare). Also food law, food labeling, cosmetics and medicines.

Cases: Popely v Scott (legal advice as due diligence) (2001) 165 JP 742; DG Fair Trading v First National [2002] 1 AC 481 (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations); Wilson v First County Trust [2004] 1 AC 816 (Whether irredeemable unenforceability under CCA compatible with HRA); Uren v First National [2005] EWHC 2529 (Ch)(No free-standing claim of “unjust enrichment”); Goshawk v Bank of Scotland [2006] 2 AER 610 (Wording of prescribed notices of CCA cancellation rights); OFT v Lloyds TSB [2008] 1 AC 318 (HL) (Lender's liability under s.75 CCA for credit card transactions financing foreign transactions); Conister Trust v Hardman [2009] CCLR 4 and Sutherland Professional Funding v Bakewells [2014] CTLC 1 (Solicitor's liability for client's litigation funding agreement); Meah v GE Money [2013] 1 P&CR DG 18 (Mortgagee's liability for valuation of repossessed property); RTA (Business Consultants) v Bracewell [2015] Bus LR 800 (Sole trader selling business not a “consumer”; sale agent’s contract void for illegality because of non-compliance with money laundering regulations); Warwickshire CC v Halfords Autocentres [2019] 1 W.L.R. 3597 (TSO’s test purchase can establish unfair commercial practice), Stamp v Capital Home Loans [2024] EWHC 1092 (KB) (Court’s remedies for deterring misselling claims that relied on ancient and irrelevant legislation to invalidate the claimants' mortgages), Breeze and others v TSB (claims by former Northern Rock borrowers for equal interest rate treatment to that of assignee’s other mortgage customers (“mortgage prisoners”))

Career

Called 1979.

Professional Memberships

COMBAR, Food Law Group.

Publications

The Law of Consumer Credit and Hire (OUP 2009); Butterworths Commercial and Consumer Law Handbook (9th ed.)

Personal

Educated Charterhouse; Worcester College, Oxford.