Mr Stephen Stafford > Paris Smith LLP > Southampton, England > Lawyer Profile

Mr Stephen Stafford

023 8048 2360 stephen.stafford@parissmith.co.uk View profile View profile

Work Department

Business and commercial disputes

Position

Senior Associate

Career

I am a Senior Associate in the Commercial Dispute Resolution and Personal Injury teams. I have over 20 years post qualification experience in contentious matters involving individuals and companies, with expertise in personal injury and clinical negligence litigation. I advise and assist individuals in a wide variety of cases including:

• Fatal accidents
• Clinical negligence
• Accidents at work
• Sporting injuries
• Road traffic accidents, including motorcycle and cycle claims
• Psychological trauma and nervous shock
• Occupiers liability, including slips and trips

Cases include:

• A claimant who sustained life changing injuries and psychological trauma in a motocross competition as a result of which he could no longer continue with his valued career and suffered substantial loss of earnings. The event organisers strongly contested liability, but the claim was settled for substantial damages at a settlement meeting shortly before trial.
• Acting for the widow of a motorcyclist who died as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident caused by an uninsured driver. The claim was settled by the Motor Insurers Bureau with payment of substantial damages shortly before trial.
• Acting for the family of a passenger in a car who died as a result of injuries received in a road traffic accident where substantial damages were recovered for the deceased’s estate.
• A large clinical and complex clinical negligence claim where the claimant suffered life changing injuries. Liability was contested throughout but the case was settled shortly before a trial on liability resulting in a multi-million-pound settlement.
• Acting for an employee who sustained serious multiple injuries in a fall from height, complicated by the employer and their contractors blaming each other, but agreed to pay substantial damages during the course of court proceedings.

I work closely with clients and other professionals to secure the best outcome, also considering rehabilitation needs where needed. I aim to settle cases by forming a working relationship with defendants to ensure a good settlement.

Where it is not possible to negotiate a settlement and a more robust approach is needed with court proceedings, I use my extensive knowledge of the civil procedure rules to help clients through the court process using the best procedure to achieve a successful outcome.

Working within a commercial environment I have used my knowledge and experience gained as a claimant lawyer to advise commercial clients where injury claims have been made against a company and assist with health and safety matters.

With my background in litigation, I support Paris Smith’s wider Dispute Resolution department and teams with contested probate cases, professional negligence claims arising from personal injury and commercial and contractual disputes involving businesses and individuals.

I have passed the membership course for The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).