The Legal 500

UK > Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Personal injury and clinical negligence

Editorial sections

Other

All countries

Other countries

Byrom Street ChambersRay Machell QC is ‘one of the very best advocates I have ever worked with‘. David Allan QC is a silk with wide expertise in high-value claims of the utmost severity. James Rowley QC is ‘very intelligent and leaves no stone unturned‘. David Heaton QC is ‘highly analytical, and down-to-earth‘. Geoffrey Tattersall QC is a leader in handling spinal and brain damage personal injury claims. Christopher Melton QC ‘combines approachability and talent seamlessly‘. Mary Ruck offers ‘practical experience with an academic approach‘, and Darryl Allen ‘tactically mature, gives very clear advice‘.

Deans Court ChambersStephen Grime QC is acting for Corby Council in a ‘toxic birth deformity‘ group action. David Stockdale QC has established a reputation as a ‘superb negotiator‘. Peter Burns and David Boyle are increasingly experienced in high-value claims. Timothy Ryder specialises in complex surgical negligence. Jonathan Grace is commended for his immaculate preparation. Also recommended are David Eccles, Simon McCann, Richard Whitehall and Anthony Singh.

St Johns BuildingsMichael Redfern QC is conducting the inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities. Jeremy Roussak is recommended for handling complex medical claims, and Peter Harrison for occupational claims and sporting injuries. John Ratledge is ‘quick to pick up on issues and impressive on his feet‘. Richard Norton is rated for handling catastrophic injury cases, as is Alastair Wright for non-standard disease litigation. Andrew Bridgman has ‘impressive expertise, particularly in dental and facial claims‘. Philip Grundy is an expert in periodical payment damages claims. Darrel Crilley specialises in employer’s liability and occupational claims.

Kings Chambers’ Dr Nicholas Braslavsky QC appeared successfully for the appellant in Jennings v Forestry Commission on the assumption of liability for self-employed contractor. Birth injury specialist Sarah Pritchard ‘knows how to question an expert witness‘ in complex cases. Nigel Poole is ‘the complete package - thorough, clever, and efficient in healthcare negligence‘. Sam Karim, ‘delivers advice in a clear and concise manner‘.

Lincoln House ChambersIvan Bowley has a nation-wide following for his expertise in occupational disease.

Cobden House Chambers’ Richard Hartley QC obtained £4.5m for former Manchester United player Ben Collett in a long-running action following a serious match injury. Marc Willems, handles numerous high value claims, as does Anthony Mazzag. Michael Jones is recommended where complex expert evidence is involved.

9 St John Street’s Brian McCluggage handles numerous high value personal injury instructions including fraudulent claims. Michael Lemmy is recommended for occupational disease and accidents.

18 St John Street Chambers’ Alastair Forrest is ‘a highly intelligent individual, generous with his time and knowledge; a stickler for detail and a great tactician‘.

Garden Court North Chambers’ Peter Hodson is recommended for occupational injury and disease claims; he successfully represented the widow of an employee killed by a fall from scaffolding in DD v Keir North West.

Exchange Chambers’ Bill Braithwaite QC has a national practice in claimant catastrophic injury actions. William Waldron QC is also highly rated for catastrophic injury litigation. Graham Wood QC, is expert in cases of extreme medical complexity. Amanda Yip has established a strong following for claimant instructions, as has David Knifton.

Atlantic Chambers‘clever and resourceful‘ Scott Donovan has a busy practice in claims with complex medical features. Ivan Woolfenden is recommended for occupational claims and employer’s liability issues. Michael Armstrong is ‘very clever and approachable‘.

Oriel Chambers’ Graham Wells, William P. Rankin and Yaqub Rahman are recommended for their personal injury work. Peter Cowan has wide experience of occupational injury and disease claims.

7 Harrington Street ChambersAndrew Moran QC offers ‘excellent client care and astute tactics‘; he has a niche in offshore and marine claims. Kevin Grice is ‘very knowledgeable and has a down to earth, no-nonsense style which goes down well with clients‘.

India Buildings Chambers’ Simon Holder, the deputy coroner for Liverpool, has a broad practice with particular experience in actions involving care homes.

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • Student employees – new restrictions on employment

    On 10 February 2010 a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules was laid before Parliament which is due to come into force on 3 March 2010.
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP
  • Landlord & Tenant Briefing

    Dilapidations in commercial premises – ten points to consider
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • Being a helpful Landlord may be a mistake!

    Most landlords and their solicitors try to resist the impulse to be helpful, however, in these recessionary times when landlords are concerned to avoid empty space, there may be the temptation to take shortcuts to ensure a letting proceeds. In circumstances where it is intended that Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the 1954 Act) should not apply to the tenancy, i.e. that the tenant should not have the benefit of security of tenure, then occupation before the lease has been finalised (and the appropriate ‘contracting-out’ steps taken) is a potentially dangerous step and needs to be taken only when the landlord has fully comprehended the potential consequences.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • New regime for approval of major transport projects set to ‘switch on’

    The Planning Act 2008 (the Act) introduces a new regime designed to speed up the planning and, in turn, the delivery of infrastructure projects of national significance. For transport projects, it is one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent years. The new procedure will have to be used for any third runway at Heathrow, amongst other high-profile projects.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • Divorce and the media: the courts, the pay-outs and the speculation

    The rising divorce rate and some well-publicised settlements running into tens of millions of pounds have focused attention on a growing issue in divorce cases: just how far can spouses go to obtain information about their partner’s financial affairs?
    - Schillings
  • Top ten really useful cases of 2009

    If you want your panel solicitor to‘get off the fence’, need to know when a cause of action accrues or wondered whether the judiciary live in the 21st century, the following cases from 2009 provide some really useful guidance. With professional negligence claims on the increase, whether you are giving or receiving legal advice, the cases discussed below highlight practical points for all legal advisers to be aware of.
    - Bond Pearce LLP
  • The twilight zone: legal issues for directors

    there is no legal definition of the term ‘twilight zone’ (perhaps derived from the cult TV series, the writer would like to think), which is now widely used to describe a period of trading when a company has, or is predicted to have, insufficient cash to pay its debts as they fall due. This might be an immediate cash-flow crisis or the problem might be anticipated many months ahead.
    - Holman Fenwick Willan
  • Cloud computing:key issues for SMEs

    Although many definitions exist, broadly speaking ‘cloud computing’ is the outsourcing of specified IT functions via the internet (the cloud) to provide or receive services that would otherwise only be available if the end user had installed the appropriate hardware and/or software on desktops, or on local networks controlled by that organisation itself. Such services may include the use of software over the internet or remote storage of business data by a third-party provider. One benefit of this is that businesses can structure payment for these services differently (for example pay-as-you-go or on a subscription basis), rather than having to pay large sunk costs for long-term software licences, and the purchase and installation of IT infrastructure necessary to support the services locally.
    - SJ Berwin LLP
  • Commission victorious in ‘regulatory holiday’ action brought against Germany

    On 3 December 2009, following an action brought by the European Commission under article 226 of the EC Treaty (now article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) the European Court of Justice (ECJ) confirmed that Germany had failed to comply with its obligations under the European regulatory framework for telecommunications (the Common Regulatory Framework (CRF)). The ECJ’s judgment in European Commission v Germany [2009] confirms that Germany acted unlawfully by adopting a national law excluding ‘new markets’ from regulation – so called ‘regulatory holidays’.
    - SJ Berwin LLP
  • New Commission

    On Friday 27 November 2009 the new European Commission, which will begin its mandate early in 2010, was announced by Commission President José Barroso. This announcement followed a week after the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton as the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy respectively, the two new roles created by the Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1 December 2009.
    - Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to