Webinar Day 2020

Vanessa Cashman

Vanessa specialises in clinical negligence. She acts predominantly for claimants and her practice encompasses a huge range of medical specialties. She has particular expertise in birth and obstetric injuries, spinal injury and brain injury.

Vanessa is ranked for clinical negligence in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. She is known for her warmth and sensitivity and her extensive medical knowledge.

She also has considerable experience in personal injury, inquests and costs.

Elizabeth Boulden

Elizabeth’s personal injury practice has particular specialisms in clinical negligence, inquests, employers’ liability and international and travel claims.

She frequently represents parties in trials, CCMCs, application hearings and inquests. Elizabeth also has a busy paperwork practice advising and drafting pleadings. She is comfortable acting in multi-track and high value cases.

Elizabeth is experienced in clinical negligence cases, and she edits 12KBW’s clinical negligence blog.

Elizabeth regularly represents interested persons in inquest hearings, in particular those relating to circumstances of alleged clinical negligence in hospitals.

Prior to her legal studies, Elizabeth achieved 2 science Masters Degrees, with a particular focus on virology, immunology, cancer biology and laboratory research.

Andrew Roy KC

Andrew specialises in complex, sensitive and high value cases involving personal injury (especially catastrophic claims), costs, industrial disease, clinical negligence, professional negligence, limitation and related areas.

Andrew has a significant appellate practice. He is head of the 12KBW Costs Team.  He sits as a Deputy Costs Judge of the Senior Courts.

Andrew is ranked in both Personal Injury and Costs by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. They note that he has “A razor-sharp intellect coupled with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the case law, who is able to combine both into dazzling and fearless advocacy”, is “incredibly bright and tenacious”, “concise, pays enormous attention to detail and is excellent with clients", and “very thorough, persistent and persuasive in court" with “a great ability to distill the most complex legal arguments”.

The directories also recommend Andrew as being“adept at handling challenging cases of high complexity”, “a ferocious advocate in court”, “a great strategist with an eye for the big picture at all times”, “legally savvy” a “fierce advocate, who is very bright but also practical”, "a great choice of counsel when you know you have a fight on your hands” and "Exceptional - he is straight to the point, technical and an all-round great barrister."

As one of only a handful of barristers ranked by the directories in both personal injury and costs, Andrew brings this in-depth crossover expertise to both his personal injury cases and his costs work. The directories note that in respect to personal injury, he is “a strong negotiator and has the added value of real costs expertise” who is “Valued by instructing solicitors for his considerable knowledge of costs issues”. They likewise note that in respect of costs he “draws strength to his practice through his personal injury expertise.”

Andrew is Head of Pupillage at 12KBW.

Charley Turton

Charley specialises in clinical negligence, abuse, and injury claims with an international element.

Her broader personal injury practice encompasses interests in sports law, motor insurance and military claims. She is also keen to grow her practise in inquests and inquiries.

Charley has been led by William Audland KC, Harry Steinberg KC, Patrick Vincent KC and Andrew Roy KC of 12KBW and regularly does work for other members of chambers in high value cases.

In addition to a busy paperwork practice, Charley is regularly in court for trials, PTRs, CCMCs, interim applications and approval hearings.

As a member of Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit), Charley is willing to act in a pro bono capacity, where appropriate.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Charley studied English Literature at Merton College, Oxford, and was awarded a Blue for football.

When she is not in chambers Charley plays for Camden Town Football Club and is a loyal participant in the annual Blenheim Palace Triathlon.

Charley is clerked by George Boggis (boggis@12kbw.co.uk) and Daniella Evans (evans@12kbw.co.uk).

Pankaj Madan

Pankaj specialises in Catastrophic and Life-Changing Injury with specialist expertise in traumatic brain injury and severe Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Functional Neurological disorder claims. He attracts a loyal and ever-increasing following from both Defendant insurers and Claimants. He acts usually only in high value cases often involving pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. He is adept at liability issues. He is the author of two books,  one on Chronic Pain and another on Subtle Brain Injury claims. He has an excellent understanding of medical issues and sits on the Royal Society of Medicine, Pain Section Council.

He is from a medical family and has an excellent understanding of medical issues. He is renowned for his meticulous eye for detail and sensitive, sympathetic client approach, The Legal 500 in 2022 said that :-

“Pankaj Madan is regularly sought after by claimant and defendant firms for his expertise in catastrophic brain injuries, and has notable strength in cases involving subtle brain injuries”

In fact, he has been commended every year by the Legal 500 since 2008.

Pankaj is routinely instructed nationally by leading firms and he frequently confers with insurers, medical experts in chambers or severely injured claimants often in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities or their own home. Travel anywhere in the country is not an issue. However he was one of the first to adopt paperless working and video conferencing many years before the pandemic.

He is instructed and respected by leading Defence firms, and sought after by the insurers often at the first intimation of a claim. He adopts a team approach with the insurer and Solicitor.

He is a Deputy District Judge brings his Judicial experience to every claim particularly  in costs management of high value cases for both Claimants and Defendants.

He is experienced in claims of the utmost severity exceeding £10 million. He often appears against Leading Counsel on his own.

Charlotte Reynolds

Charlotte represents both claimants and defendants in a broad range of catastrophic personal injury and clinical negligence claims including those involving brain injury, spinal injury, and amputation claims. She has a particularly strong reputation in claims involving serious psychiatric injury, chronic pain, and somatoform disorders, including Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Functional Neurological Disorder.

Her knowledge of the health and social care sector also means that she brings additional insight and experience to cases involving injuries sustained in a hospital or care home setting.

Charlotte has a particular interest in claims involving dishonesty ranging from high value claims involving exaggerated injury and loss to staged accidents, and regularly lectures on the topic. She is often involved at an early stage to review the evidence and advise on the best tactical approach to lead the case to a successful resolution be that a finding of fundamental dishonesty, discontinuance, or settlement well below the pleaded value.

Charlotte also advises insurers and policyholders on policy disputes concerning policy wording and coverage and indemnity issues.

Charlotte is also a member of the Bar Council Ethics Committee.

Joel C. T. Kendall

Joel specialises in personal injury, employment law and clinical negligence. He has extensive experience of working at the interface of personal injury and employment, in particular in the areas of workplace stress and harassment. He is regularly instructed by some of the leading claimant and defendant solicitors. In addition he is instructed by public authorities and Trade Unions. 

Joel regularly provides lectures on a variety of employment and personal injury areas, including the operation of the Johnson exclusion area, a difficult and complex subject affecting both personal injury and employment litigation.

Outside the law Joel’s interests include classical music, cinema and Wycombe Wanderers FC.

Hollie Patterson

Hollie’s principal areas of practice are employment and discrimination. She has been instructed in various high value, high profile and complex trials, and is in demand not only for her ability to obtain excellent outcomes, but also for her approachable and reassuring manner with clients.

Hollie is also an experienced CEDR accredited mediator. The focus of her mediation practice is employment and workplace disputes.

Hollie acts for both employers and employees. She has worked with a range of clients from national corporations and NHS trusts to small businesses and private individuals. She has specialist experience in claims involving public sector organisations and is well aware of the challenges, both legal and practical, such claims pose.

Thea Wilson

Thea specialises in Clinical Negligence, complex Personal Injury claims, and Inquests.

Thea has a wealth of experience in handling cases involving delayed diagnosis, birth and pregnancy-related injuries, spinal injuries, brain damage, psychiatric injury, chronic pain and fatal accidents. Thea is particularly adept at handling complex quantum calculations.

Thea’s role as Assistant Coroner for Essex gives her insight and expertise in the inquest process. She regularly acts for interested parties at inquests, in particular in claims involving clinical negligence, road traffic accidents, and deaths in custody and is happy to advise on all aspects of the coronial process.

Thea’s expert knowledge of the CPR stands her in good stead in acting for and advising solicitors on procedural matters in relation to applications and appeals, and in respect of costs. She is sought after in cases with a potential fraud element and has a wide range of experience dealing with insurance coverage issues.

Thea is regularly instructed by trade union organisations, local authorities, insurers, the NHS, and the MIB.

With an eye for detail and a sympathetic manner, Thea is experienced in dealing with vulnerable claimants. Thea has represented victims of sexual and physical abuse both in civil claims and before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Tribunal.

Thea is happy to accept cases on a CFA basis and is willing to consider Pro Bono instruction where appropriate.

Thomas Banks

Tom is ranked as a Personal Injury Leading Junior in Legal 500. He specialises in catastrophic, complex and high value Personal Injury claims, Insurance Law, Inquests, Military claims, Fraud and Costs.

His specialist personal injury practice focuses on Brain and Spinal Injuries, Fatal Accidents, Motor Insurance and Indemnity Law,  International and Travel Law, Public and Employers Liability and Industrial Disease

As former Tank Commander and Intelligence Officer in the British Army, he is also recognised as an established specialist Counsel in Armed Forces Claims.

Tom has also been instructed in High Court Defamation proceedings.

James Candlin

Specialist personal injury practitioner. Recognised as a leading junior in Chambers & Partners notably for travel related work. However, his experience is broad including product liability, occupational disease, fatal and catastrophic head and bodily injury often in consequence of cycling, motorcycling and motor racing accidents. 

He has a science degree and is known for cases which have technical features, product liability, food poisoning, unusual pathogens, and scientific causation arguments as well as clinical negligence claims.

James specialises in health & safety, and is regularly instructed to act in relation to prosecution arising from serious accidents and near misses in industry, freight transport, medical and care institutions. On several occasions James has conducted inquest, criminal and civil proceedings in the same matter.

Away from work James attention is directed at his 4 children, watching and playing sport, keeping bees, making and mending furniture.

Rachit Buch

Rachit specialises in personal injury, industrial disease, clinical negligence and international and travel law. He is ranked in the legal directories for personal injury: industrial disease (Band 2, Chambers & Partners) and clinical negligence (Tier 4, Legal 500). He is described as “a strong advocate”, who “excels at understanding both the overall picture and the important details of the case. He has a great manner with clients”.

His industrial disease practice focuses on mesothelioma claims and other asbestos-related diseases.

His clinical negligence practice includes birth-related claims, surgical negligence and delayed diagnosis in oncology and other disciplines.

He acts for claimants and defendants in high value and complex litigation. He has particular expertise in cases with an international element, including jurisdictional challenges, cases involving foreign law and accidents abroad.

Rachit has experience in cases involving a public law aspect, including liability of public bodies such as the Ministry of Defence. He was instructed in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, as well as having an established inquest practice.

He is instructed in claims involving issues of national security including sensitive military deployments or undercover policing.

Having studied Human Genetics for his first degree, Rachit applies his knowledge of scientific and medical issues to the law.

Christopher Fleming

Christopher specialises in personal injury claims, with a particular focus in clinical negligence, cross-border disputes and industrial disease. He has a busy practice and is regularly instructed in high value and complex matters. He appears for Claimants and Defendants in trials, application hearings and case management conferences. Christopher is a skilled and tenacious advocate with a good eye for detail.

Christopher has a busy paper-based practice, and regularly advises clients on questions of law, procedure, and strategy.

Christopher is also qualified to practice in Northern Ireland and regularly receives instructions to appear in court in both jurisdictions.

Stephen Worthington KC

Stephen was described in the 2016 Chambers Directory as “one of the top silks at the Personal Injury Bar”.

His work involves very high value catastrophic injury claims principally for insurers.

He also has a particular specialism in motor insurance law for which he is considered to be one of the UK’s pre-eminent lawyers.

Stephen has worked for MIB for many years and is now one of their principal advisers on technical insurance issues.

He works for all the major insurance companies and Defendant personal injury firms.

He has been a Recorder since 2002 and he is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

Patrick Vincent KC

Patrick is a specialist in Insurance, Personal Injury and International/Travel law. He acts for Claimants and Defendants in insurance and policy construction disputes, complex catastrophic personal injury claims, property damage claims and cross jurisdictional litigation.

Steven Snowden KC

Steven Snowden KC is recognised in the independent legal directories as one of the leading barristers in the country in his chosen areas of work. He is ranked in band 1 for personal injury and industrial disease in both the C&P and the L500 guides and also ranked for Public Inquiries and Inquests by the Legal 500.

Steven’s main areas of practice are high-value, complex or sensitive personal injury and industrial disease cases. His practice extends to associated clinical negligence and professional negligence work, Court of Protection, insurance, sports, group litigation and public inquiries. He works for claimants and for defendants.

Steven is a very experienced trial advocate and regularly deals with substantial and complex cases in court and in settlement meetings. His current caseload includes the liability and quantum aspects of head injuries, paraplegic and other serious spinal injury cases, amputations, psychiatric injuries and fatal claims. In disease work he deals with mesothelioma and other asbestos claims, and other occupational illness claims involving difficult issues of liability, causation or quantum. He represented the largest group of the infected and affected individuals and families (1,400+ core participants) in the Infected Blood Public Inquiry.  He is instructed in the professional footballers’ concussive injury claims. He is retained to represent patients and families in the Essex Mental Health Public Inquiry.

He was the elected Chair (2020 – 2022) of the Personal Injuries Bar Association, a member of the Bar Council (2020-2022), is a Director of BMIF (2022 to date) and has for many years been one of the authors of the Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases.

Anna Symington

Anna specialises in high value personal injury claims. Chambers & Partners 2024 say “Anna is superb, a great advocate with a no-nonsense approach."

Anna acts in claims involving serious personal injury, with particular emphasis on claims with complex medical causation issues.  Her practice focuses on:

• all forms of pain syndromes, including chronic pain syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia and somatoform disorders;
• fatalities;
• serious spinal damage;
• brain injury cases, including those characterised as subtle in nature and FND claims;
• complex orthopaedic and amputation cases;
• psychiatric conditions

Anna deals with liability disputes in all forms of RTA, EL and PL claims.  She is currently instructed in a number of high value RTA claims with multiple accident reconstruction experts.

Her caseload is heavily weighted towards acting for Insurers, but she is also regularly instructed on behalf of Claimants.  Anna frequently appears unled against KCs.

Anna lives in the West Country but her practice is nationwide.

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Ivan Bowley

Ivan Bowley specialises in industrial disease and serious personal injury, acting on behalf of claimants. For many years he has been one of the leading juniors at the Bar for industrial disease litigation.

Ivan also practices at Lincoln House Chambers in Manchester and has regularly been listed in Chambers and Partners Band 1 for personal injury on the Northern Circuit and as a leading practitioner in the Legal 500. He is listed in Band 1 of the Chambers and Partners’ list “Personal Injury: Industrial Disease – All Circuits”.

Nina Ross

Nina is ranked as a leading junior in personal injury in the current editions of Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, which note that Nina is “crystal-clear in her thinking and analysis” (Legal 500) and has “a commanding presence when on her feet” (Chambers and Partners).

Nina specialises in claims arising out of sexual and physical assaults; harassment claims; military claims; international and group litigation; and human rights aspects of personal injury law. She has been instructed in high-profile litigation in these fields, including in:

• Sayn-Wittgenstein v Juan Carlos 1 [2023] EWHC 2478 (KB) (led by Jonathan Caplan KC and Andrew Green KC): claim for harassment brought against the former King of Spain
• X v Kuoni [2021] UKSC 34 (led by William Audland KC): a claim brought under the 1992 Package Travel Regulations for sexual assaults committed by a hotel employee in Sri Lanka, which was referred by the Supreme Court to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling on a point of European law.
• Alseran & Others v Ministry of Defence [2017] EWHC 3289 (QB) [2018] 3 W.L.R. 95 (led by Richard Hermer KC and Harry Steinberg KC): claims against the MoD brought by Iraqi civilians who allege that they were assaulted and unlawfully detained by UK military personnel during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Given her areas of specialism, Nina has particular experience of claims for psychiatric injury and the complex issues of causation that arise.

She is an authority on limitation periods and is co-author of Personal Injury Limitation Law, Bloomsbury (2020) which has received excellent reviews: https://www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/uk/personal-injury-limitation-law-9781526508607/

Before coming to the Bar, Nina worked on torture and abuse cases in the international and group claims department of Leigh Day & Co Solicitors; at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Netherlands; as well as at JUSTICE; Liberty; and the Legal Resources Centre in Durban, South Africa.

David Green

David is a leading personal injury junior. “The quality of David’s advice is second to none” (Legal 500 2022).

In personal injury he specialises in occupational and environmental disease claims, including all aspects of asbestos disease, and noise-induced hearing loss.

He maintains a particular interest and specialism in military cases, and is instructed in the ongoing military deafness litigation (led by Harry Steinberg KC).

David is also ranked as a rising star in employment law. “David is an excellent advocate and is able to think very well on his feet. He has very good technical knowledge of both the law and procedure” (Legal 500 2022).

Cases include:

Abbott v Ministry of Defence [2022] EWHC 1807 (QB): represented nearly 3,500 claimants for noise-induced hearing loss and/or tinnitus brought against the MOD (led by Harry Steinberg KC).

Wokingham Borough Council v Arshad [2022] EWHC 2419 (KB): successful appeal on behalf of a local authority against claim for psychiatric damage, brought by a taxi driver after a mistake in the taxi licensing process.

David also appeared for the successful Respondent in Greene v Davies [2022] EWCA Civ 414, an appeal concerning an important point of law on abuse of process in regulatory disciplinary proceedings.

Aliyah Akram

Aliyah Akram is acknowledged as a leading junior in personal injury and industrial disease litigation. She is renowned for her expertise and experience in group litigation in all of the core areas in which she practices. Many of her cases have an international aspect and give rise to both jurisdictional issues and conflicts of laws.

Aliyah is a robust and persuasive trial advocate. She prides herself on working closely as a team with instructing solicitors, not just in group litigation, but in every case in which she is involved. Her focus is always on maximising the client’s prospects of success. She is able to cut through the background noise and gets straight to the issues.

She is a contributing author of Asbestos: Law & Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell, 2^nd edition, 2022).

She is ranked by the legal directories as a leading junior in Personal Injury, Industrial Disease and Travel: International Personal Injury.

Craig Murray

Call: 2017 - Bar of England and Wales

2008 - Scottish Bar

Craig joined 12 King’s Bench Walk as a tenant in December 2018, having successfully completed a practising pupillage at these Chambers.

Craig has been an Advocate at the Scottish Bar for over 10 years, where he has considerable experience in a full range of personal injury and clinical negligence work. He has appeared in the Supreme Court (Campbell v. Peter Gordon Joiners Ltd [2016] UKSC 38) and has conducted a civil jury trial without a leader (Bridges v. Alpha Insurance 2016 SLT 859). He has appeared in an 8-day trial against experienced senior and junior counsel (Pocock v. Highland Council [2017] CSOH 40 (aff’d [2017] CSIH 76). He has appeared in numerous appeals to the Inner House of the Court of Session, with and without a leader. He has prosecuted serious crime (including attempted murder) in the High Court of Justiciary.

Craig is primarily instructed by UK-wide insurers and local authorities, but accepts instructions to act for claimants, particularly in clinical and professional negligence cases. He is regularly instructed in high-value RTA claims involving fatalities or brain injury. He has considerable experience in defending stress at work, harassment and assault claims, in particular those arising in schools and care establishments. Craig has an interest in local authority liability and issues of justiciability.

During his pupillage, Craig had experience of motor insurance law.

Craig is available to accept instructions throughout the jurisdiction. He maintains a practice at Compass Chambers in Edinburgh.

Harry Steinberg KC

Harry Steinberg is a “widely acclaimed practitioner”, “brilliantly knowledgeable”, with a “standout practice”. His practice spans serious injury, sports law and environmental damage. His work often involves an international dimension and he specialises in large-scale group actions for claimants and defendants. He is renowned for innovative thinking, challenging legal orthodoxy, and winning difficult cases. Accordingly, he is regularly instructed in test litigation. The directories recognise him as a leading silk in personal injury, industrial disease, product liability, group litigation and international litigation.

David White

David’s principal areas of practice are personal injury, clinical negligence, insurance/indemnity disputes and costs law. He has been listed as a leading junior in Personal Injury work in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 for many years. David acts for claimants and defendants and is regularly instructed to represent clients both at court and at Joint Settlement Meetings. David is known as a “robust but realistic” advocate and negotiator, with excellent client care skills.

In the Personal Injury field David is regularly instructed in RTA, EL, PL, product liability and holiday claims. David has particular expertise in serious injury cases including amputation, head injury, stress/CRPS and spinal injury. David also has a particular interest in all disease cases (asbestos, work related upper limb disorder/RSI, and HAVS) and cases with an international flavour that raise issues as to jurisdiction or applicable law.

In his clinical negligence practice, David acts principally for claimants. He regularly advises in cases involving complex medical issues, particularly concerning causation.

David also has an extensive costs practice, and regularly acts for paying and receiving parties in detailed assessments in the SCCO and the County Courts, often concerning substantial seven figure bills. He has been instructed in disputes concerning the enforceability of Conditional Fee Agreements and the recovery of uplifts and ATE insurance premiums.

David also advises insurers and policy-holders on policy disputes concerning policy wording and coverage and indemnity issues, and advises in solicitors negligence cases.

David has expertise in cross-border PI claims and is regularly instructed in cases that raise issues as to jurisdiction (Brussels Recast Regulation) and applicable law (Rome II).

David regularly lectures and presents seminars to solicitors and insurers. He has recently lectured on recent developments in EL claims, loss of earnings claims for the self-employed, costs claims and Part 36 developments. David sits on the Editorial Board of Kemp & Kemp: Law Practice and Procedure, and he edits the chapters on Provisional Damages, Interim Payments and MIB Claims.