Profile

Amanda is the managing partner in the firm’s Belfast office. 

Amanda specialises in insurance matters, casualty and professional negligence (coverage and defence). In casualty, she defends catastrophic and large loss matters in employers’, public and road traffic liability claims for insurers and self-insured companies. She also defends disease claims and deals with regulatory health and safety prosecutions in marine, transport, retail and healthcare. Amanda works for marine insurers and P&I Clubs and Associations and conducts vessel arrests under Admiralty law.

She is a leading defence litigation practitioner, and is respected locally as an expert in professional negligence, medical negligence and advisory matters including inquests, inquiries and disciplinary matters.

Amanda also handles first and third party claims arising from incidents causing major losses, including; fire, explosion, flood, collapse, impact, machinery breakdown, environmental contamination, subsidence and riots. She acts for architects, engineers and surveyors, in construction related disputes. She recently dealt with a recovery action arising out of defective onshore and marine works at Victoria Terminal 4 in Belfast Harbour, securing a multi-million pound settlement after mediation in London.

She deals with commercial litigation such as freezing orders, search orders, third party disclosure and contract disputes, including procurement challenges of tender awards and alternative dispute resolution. She also leads in Belfast in defending product liability actions.

Amanda works on a number of complex and high value claims, including leading the ASR litigation in Northern Ireland and leading in the high profile “Hyponatraemia Inquiry” arising out of the deaths of children due to fluid overload; managing a high profile claim on behalf of a firm of architects arising out of the design of the MAC Theatre, one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious arts venues.

She is a former Regional Representative for FOIL, sat on the Contentious Business Committee of Law Society for a number of years and is a Council Member of the Freight Council in Northern Ireland. Amanda recently met with the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland to discuss the potential changes to funding arrangements for civil litigation in Northern Ireland.

Amanda is an author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, the fourth edition of which was published in February 2021.

Amanda also contributed to the fourth edition of Kennedys’ Global Legal Handbook, one of our most popular guides, which outlines the main legal and procedural issues that case handlers may encounter when dealing with claims across 53 jurisdictions globally.

She also contributed to the Claims inflation and personal injury claims: a global review report, published in June 2023.

  • Qualified in Northern Ireland in 1995
Senior partner Amanda Wylie has a well-earned reputation as a tireless and fearsome advocate for her clients’ interest.

Market recognition

  • Notable practitioner for 'Clinical Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie has a particularly strong knowledge of the sector and the legal landscape surrounding it.
    "Amanda Wylie is exceptional in her assistance, guidance and knowledge, and is a powerful source of guidance."
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner for 'Professional Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie has a calm and considered approach, securing good results."
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Dispute resolution (Northern Ireland)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "Senior partner Amanda Wylie has a well-earned reputation as a tireless and fearsome advocate for her clients’ interests".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner for 'Clinical Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "She is very proficient and efficient."
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Notable practitioner for 'Professional Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame, Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie is a fierce advocate for her clients, with a broad range of technical knowledge all set against a backdrop of commercial realism. She is very much at the top of her field."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Dispute resolution (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie leads the practice and has notable expertise in health and safety investigations as well as product liability claims."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "She offers significant experience in claims including catastrophic injuries and fatalities arising from RTAs and workplace incidents."
    Chambers UK 2021
  • Notable practitioner for 'Professional Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2021
  • Notable practitioner for 'Clinical Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie offers considerable expertise in delays and failure of diagnosis caes, as well as surgical negligence claims. She also focuses on mandates concerning mental health issues. She "always goes above and beyond for us as clients."
    Chambers UK 2021
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Dispute resolution (Northern Ireland)'
    “Amanda Wylie...combine[s] an exceptional work ethic and knowledge of the field with excellent client-facing skills and a realistic and robust approach to litigation and resolution.”
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame, Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie is an expert in personal injury and employer's liability claims, while also carving out a particular niche in marine insurance accidents concerning ferries, fishing fleets and cruises."
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Notable practitioner for 'Professional Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    A source describes her as "strong at dealing with clients when it comes down to preparing for a trial."
    Chambers UK 2020
  • Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "She offers significant experience in claims arising from RTAs and workplace incidents."
    Chambers UK 2020
  • Notable practitioner for 'Clinical Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    "Sources describe her as calm, supportive and knowledgeable."
    Chambers UK 2020
  • Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    ''Excellent' practice head Amanda Wylie is active in catastrophic injury claims and has a nice specialism in marine personal injury claims.'
    The Legal 500 UK 2019/20
  • Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute resolution (Northern Ireland)'
    "Amanda Wylie is a well respected and commercially astute operator and is excellently supported by associates Frances Thompson and Megan Boyd, who are always fantastically prepared, completely on top of their cases and calm under pressure"
    The Legal 500 UK 2019/20
  • Notable practitioner for 'Litigation (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2019
  • Notable practitioner for 'Professional Negligence (Northern Ireland)'
    Chambers UK 2019
  • Notable practitioner for 'Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "She's extremely thorough with what she does and she sets out all the information clearly."
    Chambers UK 2019
  • Notable practitioner for 'Clinical Negligence: Mainly Defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "She provides good, accurate advice which gets to the heart of the issues. Once a file has been passed to her you know she will be on top of it from the start."
    Chambers UK 2019
  • Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer for 'Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant (Northern Ireland)'
    "The ‘very practical’ practice head Amanda Wylie is ‘extremely hardworking’ and ‘leaves no stone unturned’."
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19
  • Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute resolution (Northern Ireland)'
    "The ‘determined, meticulously detailed and highly combative’ Amanda Wylie…"
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19
  • Included in the The Best Lawyersin the United Kingdom 2019 for Transport Law (Belfast)
  • Leading Individual for Litigation and Personal Injury: Defendant
    "very driven to ensure her clients' interests are protected."
    Chambers UK 2018

Work highlights

  • Acting in relation to a claim where the claimant fell from height at work into a tar bin. The claimant is paraplegic and has significant loss of power in his arms. The claimant will have complex care needs and periodical payments are likely to be awarded.
  • Acting for engineers in a claim from the developer of a showcase apartment block at the old Ormeau Bakery site. The claim involves the allegedly faulty installation of boilers and flues which resulted in the boilers being switched off.
  • Acting in relation to a claim where the claimant’s hand and arm were pulled into machinery while working on board a fishing vessel. The claimant has significant injuries and PTSD. Future loss of earnings claimed exceed £500,000.
  • Acting for the architects of the landmark MAC building in Belfast in relation to various issues arising, in particular the alleged deterioration of the stone cladding.
  • Acting for surveyors in a chain of multi-million pound developments which it is alleged were negligently valued in litigation brought by a number of lenders.
  • Representing an insurer in defending noise induced hearing loss claims. Matters involve identifying correct insurers on cover, limitation issues and causation issues.