Personal Injury
Our Personal Injury Practice Group is recognised by its client base as a leader in its field and has a full range of skills and expert knowledge in every aspect of personal injury litigation.
The clerks and barristers at St John’s Chambers are described as “a pleasure to work with.” Interviewees were not just impressed with the quality of the advice here, but also with the “excellent response times” and added extras such as the use of video conferencing. Chambers UK 2011
The practice group possesses a highly regarded capability and strength in depth from top to bottom.
We act on behalf of both claimants and defendants. Instructions are received from public bodies, private organisations and individuals, whether they are funded by institutions, trades unions, the Legal Services Commission, privately or on a conditional fee basis. We are panel counsel for several major insurers.
Our practice group also handles group actions and claims for compensation for criminal injuries.
The personal injury practice group’s members have specialist knowledge and expertise in the following:
- Spinal and Catastrophic Injuries
- Fatal Accidents
- Employers’ Liability
- Psychological and Psychiatric Injury
- Industrial Disease
- Equine and Animal Accidents
- Occupiers’ and Public Liability
- Road Traffic Accidents
- Inquests
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Credit Hire
- Travel
- Product Liability
- Costs
We also have specialist teams in Clinical Negligence, Civil Fraud and Holiday Litigation.
We pride ourselves on our professional quality, practical approach and user friendliness. We endeavour to always be accessible to our clients and this enables us to respond promptly to formal instructions and quick queries alike.
Conditional Fee Agreement
Members of Chambers undertake work on a Conditional Fee basis. Upon acceptance of the instructions, a Conditional Fee Agreement will be drawn up. This agreement incorporates the standard terms agreed between APIL and PIBA which are available here.
Seminars
St John’s Chambers has Law Society External Continuing Professional Development Accreditation and members regularly conduct seminars and contribute to in-house training seminars. The Personal Injury Practice Group regularly conducts seminars and provides bespoke in-house training to many of our clients. To see details of forthcoming seminars please click here.
Recommendations:
Ranked at the top by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, St John’s Chambers Personal Injury Practice Group boasts several leaders at the Bar and has been consistently rated premier on circuit. The strength of our civil practice groups receives particular praise.
Chambers UK 2012
Christopher Sharp QC is a “clever, trusted and likeable silk” of the “old school.” He is popular with some of the biggest insurers in the land. His impressive caseload includes an array of brain and spinal injury cases arising out of RTAs, and he has been acting recently for a major insurer on a high-stakes claim by an individual left tetraplegic after an RTA.
Glyn Edwards is one of “the most intellectual and imaginative advocates” in the personal injury field, say sources, and one of the few senior juniors trusted with very high-value, complex cases. In addition to acting for local authorities and insurers, he has also been acting for claimants in chronic pain and catastrophic injury cases. Timothy Grice is mainly known for his representation of claimants in serious injury and clinical negligence cases. During the year, he has handled two significant brain injury cases, one for a four-year-old child injured in a traffic accident. Andrew McLaughlin is a “very tenacious barrister who argues points of law from a position of great strength.” His mixed practice recently saw him act for the lead defendants in a fatal accident case at studios in Reading. Richard Stead is an all-rounder with the ability to “calm and control proceedings.” This helps explain why he is especially good in mediation. He has a good track record in catastrophic head and spinal injury cases and is also recognised for his experience of Animal Act cases. Matthew White climbs in the rankings, commanding respect for his thoroughness and his clear strategic view of a case. Clients appreciate the “excellent attention to detail” instanced by his written briefs. His diverse practice includes EL/PL, accident and disease claims. Recently he has been defending a client whose employee developed carpal tunnel syndrome whilst undertaking building work. Emma Zeb is recognised for representing private prisons in a range of claims made against them. In one notable matter, she successfully represented a prison in South Wales against allegations of racism, bullying and inadequate care after an African offender died whilst on remand. The “fantastic, feisty and confident” Anna Symington is “good on her feet” and “always delivers.” Clients declare her “technically and commercially quite brilliant.” During the past year she has been pursuing a number of employers’ liability claims and has also developed a niche in fraudulent personal injury claims.
Legal 500 2011
Glyn Edwards is “among the best senior juniors for PI work”, whose“unstuffy approach helps him communicate appropriately with clients”. Claimant-focused Timothy Grice handles high-value catastrophic injury and complex clinical negligence cases, and is “excellent with technical special damage claims”. Richard Stead specialises in brain and spinal injury claims, and is an equine and Animal Act expert. Andrew McLaughlin is “very enthusiastic, committed and demonstrates excellent knowledge of the subject area”. Anna Symington is “technically very good”, and is noted for her civil fraud expertise. Christopher Sharp QC is also highly rated for complex brain and spinal injury cases.
