Michael Hardacre

More about Michael Hardacre

Michael Hardacre is a Partner in the Occupier and Public Liability team at Express Solicitors.

Michael qualified as a solicitor in 1997 with Pannone, and later worked for Slater and Gordon before joining Express in September 2023.

Since qualifying, Michael has specialised in dealing with claims for seriously injured clients, securing significant awards of compensation. He has acted exclusively for Claimants for over 25 years, during which time he has secured numerous multi-million pound awards of compensation, particularly in cases involving fatal and catastrophic injury.

Michael places the needs of clients at the forefront of their claim for compensation and has a clear and unwavering commitment to their cause. He is hugely experienced and his practice has been across the full range of complex personal injury claims, more recently specialising in occupier and public liability claims.In that role, Michael has successfully brought claims for clients who have suffered serious injury while involved in organised sports, adventure activity related accidents, claims arising from dangerous and defective roads and pavements and fatal food allergies.

In 2016, Michael served as President of Manchester Law Society and chaired the Society’s Personal Injury Committee for a number of years.

Michael is ranked in the 2025 edition of legal directory Chambers and Partners and is also recommended as a Key Lawyer in the 2024 Legal 500 guide.

Notable cases include:

• Claimant injured during semi professional rugby union match in 2017, where the Defendant opposing player ran into collision with the stationary Claimant from kick off, causing spinal fracture and life changing injuries.
• Claimant taking part in coasteering activity, jumping into the sea from a height of 40 feet, suffering spinal fracture as a result of the Defendant having provided inadequate training for the activity. Settled for £120,000.
• Claimant who was taking part in an indoor climbing activity in 2017, when his climbing partner failed to belay him after he lost his hold on the climbing wall. The Claimant fell 30 feet, suffering spinal fracture, leaving him wheelchair bound. Recently settled for £12.35 million.
• Claimants who were seriously injured jumping from height at a trampoline and adventure activity centre, suffering spinal fractures due to inadequate cushioning on landing.
• Claimant injured whilst using a squat rack in a ‘Free Weights’ gym when he stumbled and fell, resulting in a crush injury (complete T12 fracture) to his spine from the barbell that he had been lifting. There were no safety bars on the squat rack and the Claimant had not been told of the need, or how, to use them. Settled for £1.5 million.
• Claimant who suffered catastrophic brain injury when he lost control of his bicycle in a dangerous area of disrepair on a main road in Sheffield.
• Claimant who suffered fracture dislocation and serious vascular compromise of her lower leg, settled on a provisional damages basis given long term risk of amputation for £950,000.
• Acting at inquest and in a claim for ongoing dependency for the parents of a 19 year old student who suffered a fatal reaction during a meal at a burger restaurant. The menu failed to signpost that the burger contained dairy products, to which the Claimant was severely allergic. Settled for £100,000.

Michael also specialises in assisting Claimants suffering with complex pain conditions, including Chronic Primary Pain, Fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).

Client testimonial

“Michael Hardacre has provided faultless and unwavering support throughout an extremely long case – he is a credit to both his firm and his profession as a whole.”