Posted on: 19 October 2017
Maria Pittordis, a highly-respected partner at international law firm Hill Dickinson who enjoyed a successful career with the company for 30 years, has passed away aged 55 following a short illness.
Colleagues of Maria, who served as Head of Marine, Travel and Energy at Hill Dickinson since 2008, have paid tribute to her describing her as “driven, caring, funny and indefatigable.”
A prominent travel and marine lawyer with more than 30 years advising the industry, Maria was globally acknowledged as a leading figure in the personal injury and regulatory sector. She advised on high profile cruise and ferry casualties including Bowbelle/Marchoness, the QE2 grounding, Achille Lauro, and Costa Concordia”, as well as prominent inquests, including the terrorist attacks in Tunisia on the Bardo Museum and the resort at Sousse, and the carbon monoxide deaths in Corfu.
Maria embarked on her successful law career when she studied law at Queen Mary College, University of London and, following qualification as a barrister, worked at 12 King’s Bench Walk. She left the Bar in 1987 to join Hill Dickinson’s London office, and was made partner in 1992 followed by being appointed Head of the Marine, Trade and Energy group in 2008, overseeing a team of more than 150 people across eight offices.
Her most recent high-profile cruise industry success saw her defend a UK class action claim involving a Norovirus outbreak onboard a cruise liner. The landmark case saw her acknowledged as an industry leader on gastric illness claims across the travel sector and named Defendant Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year 2016 at the Eclipse Proclaim Personal Injury Awards. She was frequently sought after as a commentator on this topic and featured regularly in both the trade and national media.
Away from work, she enjoyed travelling and spending time with family including her beloved husband Takis and three sons Dino, Yiannis and Pantelis.
Paying tribute to Maria, David Wareing, chairman at Hill Dickinson, said: “Maria was formidable, driven, indefatigable and commercially astute but most importantly she was human. She was funny and caring in equal measure and we were fortunate to be able to call her a colleague and a friend. Her legacy will live on through all those of us within Hill Dickinson and outside whom she has inspired, supported, helped and cared for over the too short years of her life. All our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
