Andrew Lyons

Andrew specialises in cases involving costs, personal injury (all areas including, clinical negligence and disease work), fraudulent claims and employment law.

For the last three years Andrew has been a leading Junior in the Legal 500 and is rated as a leading junior in personal injury, clinical negligence and costs.

Andrew was appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel in 2015.

He was appointed to the Education and Training Committee of the Bar Standards Board from 2010 until the end of 2015. From 2014 until the end of 2015 he was appointed to the Bar Standards Board Pupillage Committee.

Away from the Bar, his interests include wine, squash and travelling.

Personal Injury

Personal injury is a core area of Andrew’s practice. He regularly appears in a range of final and interim hearings for both Claimants and Defendants.

He specialises in employer’s and occupiers’ liability cases, predominately in the Multi Track and on appeal.

He has advised and conducted hearings on product liability matters dealing with cases as varied as faulty exploding batteries to allergic reactions due to chemical hair dyes.

As an experienced employment practitioner, Andrew is able to provide additional skills to the elements of personal injury practice that have a cross-over element with employment practice. In this regard Andrew has particular interest and experience of dealing with stress at work claims.

He has acted in many personal injury claims in claims for more than £100,000 and has successfully represented Claimants who have secured compensation well in excess of £500,000.

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Costs & Litigation Funding

A very substantial part of Andrew’s practice relates to costs litigation. Andrew regularly appears before Masters in the SCCO and before Regional Costs Judges and has appeared and advised in many different cost disputes. These include but are not limited to issues involving retainers (breach of the indemnity principle), ATE premiums, solicitor and client assessments, hourly rates, departure from costs budgeting, fixed costs and failure to engage in mediation/ early neutral evaluation.

Andrew has been recognised as a leading Junior in costs by both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 for the last four years. Comments from these legal directories include:

“He gets to know the case as thoroughly as the instructing solicitor does and really cares about winning and getting everything exactly right. He’s committed and really good on his feet.”

“He’s very good at interpreting case law. A very fine advocate in court, who is very pleasant to deal with day in, day out.”

“A bona fide costs specialist with an excellent grasp of the law; he fights hard for his clients without overstepping the mark.”

Some of Andrew’s recent reported costs cases include:

Celtic v Knowles [2022] EWHC 1223 (QB)

Swivel v Tecnolumen [2022] EWHC (Ch)

Balaj & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 1627 (SCCO)

Elgamal v Westminster [2021] Costs L.R.973

Ketchion v McEwan [2018] 6 WLUK 625

Bratek v Clark [2018] 4 WLUK 577

Percy v Anderson-Young [2017] EWHC 2712 (QB)

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Abuse

Andrew is very experienced in handling complex claims relating to allegations of sexual abuse and failure to protect, particularly on behalf of Claimants.

Examples of recent work include successful claims by children with special needs against a school for failing to protect these children from another student and historic allegations of sexual abuse whilst the Claimant was a student.

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Animals & Equine

Andrew has represented and advised both Claimants and Defendants in personal injury claims related to animals. He has conducted lengthy hearings in this field where various animal experts have given oral evidence at trial.

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Catastrophic Injury

Andrew has dealt with many claims for Defendants and Claimants involving severe and long term injuries as well as Fatal Accident Acts claims.

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Credit Hire

Andrew predominately deals with credit hire claims on the Multi Track and of significant value. He is extremely experienced in dealing with claims which involve high value credit hire claims (in excess of £100,000), both at an interlocutory stage and at trial. Almost exclusively these instructions are from the Defendant.

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Industrial Disease

Andrew is very experienced in the handling of claims involving a range of conditions, including asbestos exposure, repetitive strain injuries, noise-induced hearing loss and hand-arm vibration syndrome.

He has conducted many Multi Track trials on issues concerning limitation, causation and breach of duty. Andrew has considerable experience of cross-examining medical experts where medical causation is in dispute.

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Inquests

Andrew has appeared in many multi day inquests and is particularly experienced in inquests where there has been a death in custody.

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Motor

Andrew is experienced in trials involving serious injuries arising out of motor accidents.

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Clinical Negligence

Andrew’s clinical negligence is in the main for Claimants and examples of work includes claims involving, dental negligence, failed plastic surgery and failed hospital care involving both minors and adults.

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Counter Fraud

Andrew is frequently instructed in this area, almost exclusively on behalf of Defendants where fraudulent claims are suspected. Recently, however, he has received some instructions from Claimants where fraud has been alleged due to appearing as counsel for the Defendant in cases where the Claimant’s solicitor has been on the other side.

He is experienced in all aspects of civil fraud, particularly in the areas of staged accidents (both in the workplace and involving road traffic accidents), exaggerated injuries, phantom passengers and low velocity impact claims.

He settles defences, advises and settles part 18 requests in this area.

Andrew has conducted numerous Multi Track trials where fraud has been alleged and has succeeded in these claims for both the Defendant and the Claimant. He recently conducted a two day fraud trial before a High Court judge where it was found by the judge if he had not taken a technical point the Defendant would probably have succeeded in establishing fraud with the Judge going on to give judgment for the Claimants.

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Employment

Andrew represents both Claimants and Respondents in roughly equal measure at employment tribunals and has conducted many trials over a week and up to three weeks in the areas such as TUPE, unfair dismissal, race and sex discrimination, disability discrimination, constructive dismissal and unlawful deduction from wages.

He has conducted many lengthy trials involving NHS staff both for the Claimant and the Respondent and has acquired a good working knowledge of NHS practices.

As well as being experienced in the employment tribunal, Andrew has dealt with a number of employment restrictive covenant claims both in the County Court and the High Court.

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Appointments and Memberships

  • Appointed as a Recorder on the Midland Circuit
  • Attorney General’s Panel Counsel

  • Personal Injuries Bar Association
  • Professional Negligence Bar Association
  • Employment Law Bar Association
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Qualifications

  • BA (Exon), MA Dunelm
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Directories

“Andrew Lyons is a solid individual who pursues his cases robustly.” – Chambers & Partners 2024

“Andrew has a good feel for cases.” – Chambers & Partners 2024

“He is a robust advocate who fights his clients’ corner hard. He is also genuine costs specialist who thus brings important crossover expertise to his personal injury work.” – Legal 500 2022

“He gets to know the case as thoroughly as the instructing solicitor does and really cares about winning and getting everything exactly right. He’s committed and really good on his feet.” – Chambers and Partners 2021

“Very sensible and has a good feel for what a judge is likely to make of a case”  – Legal 500 2021

“A bona fide costs specialist with an excellent grasp of the law; he fights hard for his clients without overstepping the mark.” – Legal 500 2021

“He’s very good at interpreting case law. A very fine advocate in court, who is very pleasant to deal with day in, day out.” – Chambers and Partners 2020

“Very technically-minded with a good analytical approach.” – Legal 500 2020

“He has a good analytical approach to cases.” – Legal 500 2019

“Vigorous and good on his feet in court.” – Legal 500 2019

“He is very knowledgeable about costs and brings this to the table whenever instructed.” – Legal 500 2017

“An effective barrister who is knowledgeable on costs related to personal injury and clinical negligence matters.” – Legal 500 2017

“He has an unrivalled passion for his work, and a commitment and dedication to winning every case.” – Legal 500 2016

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Andrew Lyons is a solid individual who pursues his cases robustly.

Chambers & Partners, 2024

Andrew has a good feel for cases.

Chambers & Partners, 2024